Recent adventures, demonstrations and other art items you might be interested in

CLICK HERE  for my 2005 Rio Grande Art Association Demonstration in Oil Painting

October 2007  - 2008 - 2009    Escalante Plein Air Competition

2009 Highlights

I am back from a great week in southern Utah.  I did 5 paintings over 4 days and entered 1 oil and 1 pastel in the Juried Plein Air Competition.  My pastel "Escalante Sandstone Patterns" won 3rd Place Award and was sold during the Silent Auction for $ 335.  It was a 9" x 12" pastel done on Wallis paper and was a blast to do as I hurried to capture the retreating shadows.  Here is a thumbnail.  Click to view the larger image.  See also my Plein Air page which I've updated to include the five new works I did this week.  The oil painting I entered in the competition did not win an award but represents my most bold oil to date with lots of color and the use of complimentary color underpainting, which interestingly I did on all 5 paintings this week.  It represents a new approach which gives me more confidence.  

  "Escalante Sandstone Patterns" pastel   It was based in the north south valley that runs from Escalante up to the Box Death Hollow and Boulder Mountain.  The Sandstone dips sharply downward: 

         "Escalante Canyons Shadows" oil     I did this during the 3 hours leading up to sunset on a windy evening and I struggled to get the canvas covered and battle the wind.  Nevertheless I really enjoyed the frenetic energy that translated into the painting.

Here is a photo just as sunset descended into the complex scenery:

Here are the other three paintings

  "Looking Into the Circle Cliffs From Boulder Mountain" pastel .  I did this one the first day as storms rolled off 10,000 foot high Boulder Mountain into the Escalante Red Canyons and the Circle Cliffs.  Here is a reference photo:

       "Under the Circle Cliffs" pastel based on a beautiful view:

"Boulder Canyon Shadows" oil - Looking SE down Boulder Canyon the deep canyon and dramatic shadows quickly growing.

Based on this view:

A photo of me from October 2007 while I was participating in the Escalante Canyons Arts Festival Plein Air Competition.  On this particular day I was out searching for scenes to paint and stopped here below the prominent and spectacular Powell Point west of Escalante,Utah      Prior to the 2008 trip I did this small pastel really trying to exaggerate the color:

  2008 Highlights

September 21 - 24  Great weather  and outstanding scenery.  The photo to the left is where I did a 16" x 20" oil painting below a dramatic sandstone cliff west of Escalante heading towards Bryce Canyon.  The finished painting is show below.  I entered it in the competition.

On another fine day I ventured east towards Boulder, Utah and painted  a 12" x 18" pastel  on Belgium Mist Wallis pastel paper looking south down Dry Hollow Canyon towards distant Navajo Mountain.  Below is a photo I shot after 1 hour of underpainting with pastel and brushwork using Turpenoid.  

Finally, here is the finished pastel after an additional   3 hours of work. This painting was entered in the competition and was awarded Fourth Place

Other pieces I did during the week:  Escalante Wagon and view looking South pastel (8" x 12"

Escalante Valley View looking west towards Aquarius Plateau pastel ( 8" x 12")     

Finally an oil painting of the Torrey Breaks area (16" x 20")       

2007 Highlights

Here is a brief narrative and shown below are the paintings and the source photos I used.  Monday October 1st  Torrey, Utah.. Cool but sunny day, with storms predicted later. 

PHOTO - Looking North from my motel towards the Torrey Breaks and Thousand Lakes Mountain

                                     My plein air Pastel (9" x 12") entitled Torrey Breaks      

Tuesday, October 2nd.  Boulder, Utah.  Monday night's storm has passed and departing clouds against the striking sandstone formation east of Boulder captivates me.

PHOTO - Looking east from Boulder (taken in 2006)

                                                    My Oct. 2, 2007 plein air oil (11" x 14") entitled Sandstone Formation East of Boulder

Wednesday, October 3rd.  Near Cannonville, Utah. Another fine day predicted before big storm arrives on Thursday.  Two days remain in Competition. 

 I head over to Kodachrome Basin State Park.  A fun hike in the Angel's Palace gives me an idea seen surrounded by white line in the photo below. 

                              The resulting Oct. 3, 2007 pastel (9" x 12") Under the Angels Palace.

During the Escalante Arts Festival, I also worked from a photo on a 6" x 9" pastel entitled Beyond Long Canyon, shown below, right, along with the source photo.

                                  6" x 9" pastel entitled Beyond Long Canyon

During the Silent Auction, one of my entries (Torrey Breaks) sold and during the Arts and Crafts Fair I also sold the Under the Angels Palace pastel.

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