Jackson Hole Barn

16 X 20 Oil on Canvas $125
Includes shipping and insurance

About 10 miles north of Jackson, Wyoming on the way to Yellowstone, there's a turn-off of Hwy 191 called Antelope Flats Road. This is in the Teton National Park and a huge herd of wild bison freely roam this area. To the West is the Snake River and a magnificent view of the Grand Teton, and to the East are open plains, prairies, lush meadows and, if you are lucky, the wild bison and antelope that live there. There also are a number of structures that are famous for being phtographed and this barn is one of them. This area of Wyoming is wonderful for photographers (Ansel Adams made the Tetons famous from here) and I always enjoy looking through my photos, reliving our trips.
This is part of my normal learning procedure before I paint a large painting - a color study to establish a palette. This one has a lot of paint and texture and has painted sides ready to hang.
Job 40:20
The hills bring him their produce, and all the wild animals play nearby.

Afternoon Ride 2

6 X 8 Oil on Canvas Board $115
Includes shipping and insurance within U.S.

Here's a better rendition of yesterday's little painting, as I promised. I still like the other, kinda distorted, loosey little one. This one looks more like me, though.
As I enter this, freezing rain is falling outside, I am still in my PJ's nursing a head cold, and my little wood stove is glowing with warmth. The horses have been fed an extra ration of hay under the barn overhang. Georgia reluctantly ventures out to go to the bathroom and comes back quickly. She hasn't asked to chase the frisbee today. I can tell she's bored and restless, though. Bad weather is hard on an active dog.
I have drunk 4 cups of coffee and rescued 2 cardinals that knocked themselves out flying into the front glass door.
The bird feeders are standing room only today, and every now and then I hear a loud THWUMP either from the picture window or the front door. Most of the time the birds simply fly off, but occasionally they fall stunned to the porch. If I beat the cats to them and put them in a shoebox for a while, they usually recover. Guess I'm going to have to do something with my windows. I am open to suggestions....???? We have a million cardinals, so it's not like their numbers are seriously threatened, but I do hate to see them hurt - and this mostly happens in the winter when they are thick on the feeders.
This is one of my favorite verses and I have quoted it often. Birds are mentioned in the Bible over 129 times. I love birds. Mike has promised me a chicken coup, by the way.....more photo ops for the chicken painting collectors!
Matthew 6:26
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

New York Barn

I am on vacation, so we are re-visiting some paintings I have alredy posted and SOLD.
Twice a week I spend the morning at a lady's house - in her bathroom, to be specific, where I am painting a fanciful mural on her walls. This bathroom is at least 300 square feet with 1o foot ceilings, so you can imagine the wall space I am dealing with. We started with an imaginary vine growing out of the air ducts and twining its way around, over and through the fixtures and light switches - and I have added various creatures that are common in this part of the world - and some not so common. I'll show you some of the results in the future.

This little painting could have been inspired just about anywhere - but I painted it after a trip last summer to upstate New York - the Fingers Lakes area to be exact. New York doesn't have the corner market on great barns, but it comes close! After I offered it for auction and it sold quickly, I discovered that a lot of people collect barn paintings. I should probably do more.

Luke 12:24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!

These are part of the bathroom mural. The last one is the beginning of a roadrunner. Upper left is the actual size drawing I made first. Taped on the wall next to it is a reference photo. I painted the silhouette first and will come in with detailed colors next. Can you see the tile lizard in the baseboard? That's what the roadrunner is going after!