Four Clementines (sold)

Four Clementines, oil on canvas, 5" X 7", 2009
sold

One last break from plein air painting Montana... :)

Ear Mountain (sold)

Ear Mountain, oil on canvas, 20" X 10", 2009

sold

I have no idea why it's named "Ear" Mountain, but it is. This scene is about 12 miles from Choteau.


Looks a lot sunnier in the picture then it actually was...

Clementine on a Tea Towel (sold)

Clementine on a Tea Towel, oil on canvas, 5" X 7", 2009
sold

Another break from the Montana series-- which is almost over!

Lightning Over Choteau, Montana

Lightning Over Choteau, Montana, oil on canvas, 5" X 7", 2009
e-mail me for purchase information
(please mention title of painting in mail)

We had crazy weather. After a great introduction to the game of golf at Choteau's country club which we had to cut short so we didn't get electrocuted or squashed by hail, we went back to the place we were staying at to ride out the storm. Things quieted down, but it was quite a show.

Three Clementines in a Box (sold)

Three Clementines in a Box, oil on canvas, 5" X 7", 2009
sold

Another break from the Montana series.

International (Private collection)

International, oil on linen, 5" X 7", 2009

Private collection

Done at one of the places Mary Jo and I stayed at in Choteau, Montana.

Pishkun Cow (sold)

Pishkun Cow, oil on canvas, 8" X 10", 2009
sold


This is the companion to the earlier cow painting. Cow's have the good sense to sit down when the weather riles itself up. I should have as well. :)
Choteau's weather this year was a little wild: sun, wind, hail, rain, lightning...

Studios...

I love to look at other artist's space. Terry Miura's got a great post up on his...

Pishkun Cows

Pishkun Cows, oil on canvas, 8" X 10", 2009

$100 USD

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(please mention title of painting in mail)

I went back along the road I painted earlier, this time to see Pishkun Reservoir itself. I ended up painting cows again. They got really close:

I was painting from the back of the Jeep to protect me from the herd. The car would rock back and forth every few minutes as cows and calves rubbed up against it.

Rain and wind cut this adventure short, but there's one more cow picture coming up tomorrow...

Tips for Survival as an Artist

From Michael Shane Neal, via Casey Childs' blog...

Tips for Survival as an Artist

Choteau Road (sold)

Choteau Road, oil on linen, 5" X 7", 2009 (sold)
sold
(please mention title of painting in mail)

The view from one of the two places Mary Jo and I stayed at while we were in Choteau over the 4th of July.

Cows on Bellview Road

Cows on Bellview Road, oil on canvas, 5" X 7", 2009

$100 USD

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(please mention title of painting in mail)

I have always had a hunkering to paint cows. It's harder than I had imagined.
This was painted at the same place as yesterday's post.

The Road to Pishkun Reservoir (sold)

The Road to Pishkun Reservoir, oil on canvas, 20" X 10", 2009

sold



There are a lot of two lane dirt roads in Montana, with wide rolling vistas. This scene was perfect for the long landscape canvas boards I picked up for this trip. The sun was hot until the rain cme in about halfway along through the painting. I waited it out and returned to the canvas.

I sort of stumbled onto the road to Pishkun reservoir by taking a right turn about 5 blocks from my girlfriend's parent's house in Choteau. The town is tiny, so it shouldn't have been a surprise that within 3 minutes of leaving the house I was in the middle of nowhere.

Matchsticks (sold)

Matchsticks, oil on canvas, 4" X 4", 2009
sold

(please mention title of painting in mail)

I've had a couple of folk unsubscribe from the 'art in the inbox' mailing list over the last couple of weeks, so I suspect a few people are getting tired of landscape art. So here's a still life to break up the Montana road trip pieces...

I'm inspired, as is often the case, by the fine work of Paul Hutchinson.
Matches are a favorite of his.

and here's a detail:

(click to enlarge)

Housekeeping...

I updated links to some artists I like on the side bar.
If you have some time, check out the fine folks in the link list on the right side of the page...

Truck (sold)

Truck, oil on canvas, 5" X 7", 2009

sold

There are a lot of trucks in Choteau, Montana.

Montana Farm (sold)

Montana Farm, oil on canvas, 5" X 7", 2009

sold

This is from the same location as the last post, just turned 45 degrees. I get fascinated with geometric/abstract shapes while I'm outside, and it tends to flatten out the scenes I paint.

Montana Road

Montana Road, oil on canvas, 8" X 10", 2009

$225 USD

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The drive to Choteau from Seattle is hefty: at least 11 hours (without stopping). We stayed over in Missoula on our first day of travel.

This scene is about an hour or two out of Missoula.


click to enlarge

Lookout Pass

Lookout Pass, oil on canvas, 8" X 10", 2009

$225 USD

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This is the first painting of another round of plein air landscapes, this time from my July 4th trip to Choteau Montana to visit my girlfriend's family. Lookout Pass is on the Idaho/Montana border.

Here's the set up using my pochade box:


click to enlarge

The sun wasn't exactly setting, but it was changing rapidly and I had to focus to not chase the light.

Pac Med Building (sold)

Pac Med Building, oil on linen, 5" X 7", 2008

sold


Remember what I said on Tuesday? A little of the same happening here. This scene will get repainted again, I think.

Shipping Cranes (sold)

Shipping Cranes, oil on linen, 5" X 7", 2008

sold

One Bad Tree

One Bad Tree, oil on linen, 5" X 7", 2008

A lesson to myself.
I rushed the selection of location and the painting in order to be on time to pick Mary Jo up from work. Being uninspired and rushed leads to bad work.

Bad artist.

Fogarty Creek Beach

Fogarty Creek Beach, oil on canvas, 8" X 10", 2008

$225 USD

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I finished this painting about 15 minutes before the surf would have been around my ankles.

Nordic Inn Doorway

Nordic Inn Doorway, oil on linen, 5" X 7", 2008

$100 USD

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I was on my way off to paint a seascape when I saw the sun pouring on the wall across from the balcony. I set up and knocked this one out before I went on my way. The Nordic Inn is where I stayed while in Lincoln City.

Boiler Bay #3

Boiler Bay #3, oil on canvas, 8" X 10", 2008

$225 USD

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I stood on a picnic table for a couple of hours to get this view.
A southern view than the other two Boiler Bay pictures I've done:

#1

#2