Parque Calderon Amigos

While I was in Cuenca, Ecuador in January, I was sitting in the central park when I spied these young friends enjoying their ice creams together.  I carefully snapped this photo which I hoped might make an interesting painting.  Here's the start...

Merced River Reflection, finished

A couple of weeks ago I put the finishing touches to my latest painting...Merced River Reflection.  I took the liberty to add a deer to this painting.  One morning while in the midst of this work I had read Psalm 42 in the Bible...adding a deer seemed appropriate.  Here you go...

  

El Capitan reflection

Just last week a couple of climbers completed a first ascent of a difficult route using fingers and toes and no hardware on El Capitan, in Yosemite.  El Capitan continues to draw climbers, photographers, and artists.  This is my second painting where El Cap is a major theme.  This time though, for this spring time painting, El Cap is just a reflection in the Merced River.  Here is a photo of the first few hundred(s) of brush strokes.  Check back in a couple of weeks, hopefully you'll see s reflection, water, and a few thousand more brush strokes.
Thanks for coming by...mg

Pigeon Point Lighthouse - Finished!

Oh happy day...I finally completed Pigeon Point Lighthouse.  I started this 6 months ago...but had to sideline it when I was hired to do a couple of commissions over the summer.  Then a month in Ecuador and here we are.  I really enjoyed creating this painting.  It is a combination of 3 photos I took.  In a week or so I'll have a better photograph of this work uploaded here, when I get it back from my photographer.  I'm not sure what is up next...probably something from my trip to Cuenca, Ecuador in October.  Thanks for coming by...enjoy the rain!!  mg

Shoe Trees of Park City

Just completed a very fun project.  Good friends of ours live in Park City, Utah.  It so happens Park City has a row of trees that for more than 50 years people have launched their tennis shoes, ski boots, whatever I guess they have on at the time and then walk away....why not?  So, being loyal Park City residents our friends wanted this landmark memorialized in paint....the perfect family room addition.

The difficult and fun thing with this project is that not only did the trees and shoes need to be front and center, but of course some Park City ski runs had to be included.  When I took some reference photos it is not possible to see the ski runs and the trees at the same time.  So with some artistic license I joined tree photos and ski run photos and then the fun part...painting 422 shoes.  Here you go...

Sierra Cabin - it's a wrap!

There's not much more to say about this painting than that is was a lot of fun to interpret the photos I took last month.  This place is special, and I was very pleased today when I revealed the finished work to my friend and his wife...and they loved it.  Whew...I'm always a little nervous.  Ok, here it is...

Next up is a VERY interesting piece which has been commissioned by some good friends.  I'll reveal some of it next week.  Thanks for coming by.  mg

Sierra Cabin

I've been away from this blog for a couple of months and I don't like it.  What that means is that I haven't been spending time in my studio.  The last couple of months have been full of summer stuff - travels mainly.  Hopefully it's been the same for you.  Well, I'm back now for a couple of months before I head out again, and I have a couple of painting commissions that I need and want to attend to.  The first is a sierra cabin. 

A friend of mine has had this cabin in their family for 50 years now, and I had the great fortune of going there a couple of weeks ago to take photos.  AMAZING!  Perched at the edge of a private lake this charming cabin is a most photogenic and peaceful piece of sierra that I have experienced.  My challenge is to do this place justice with my paint and brushes.  As you see below I'm underway and am working with the smallest brushes in my arsenal.  It's slow progress but that's the name of the game.  I'll probably post one more photo along the way - I don't want to reveal too much before I reveal the final product to my friend and his wife.  Thanks for coming by...mg