New Paintings
Fresh off the Easel or still on the Easel !
Slabtown Trail 2
"Slabtown Trail 2" is an original oil painting on 15 oz linen canvas. It is 20" wide x 24" tall. I built the canvas and stretcher bars myself. See notes below about the Slabtown Trail. Fresh off the easel.
Slabtown Trail 1
This is an original oil painting on canvas. It measures 18" wide x 24" tall. It is also fresh off the easel and in the drying stages. See notes below about the Slabtown Trail and this area.
About the Slabtown Trail: This area is about 10 miles from our home. It is a small lessor know hiking trail that begins at the Slabtown Access on the Big Piney River. The trail follows the river upstream, then wanders up onto the bluffs overlooking the river. These bluffs are one of my "places of solitude". I go out there often just to get my lungs full of the scent of pine nettles and fresh air. To get there I travel from Licking East on Hwy 32, then turn right on Hwy N, kinda northwesterly. Then left on Hwy AF (I think) and this blacktop road turns to gravel just across the Big Piney Bridge. I usually walk in cross country from the top of the hill before decending to the river. There is a small forest service dirt road that I drive back into for a few hundred yards, then walk thru the timber to the bluff. There are many panoramic views from this area in several directions. I hardly ever see any people back in there nor hear any sounds of civilization. It's a cool place and I will be doing a series of paintings from this area as the seasons change. This time of year I love the musky smell of the oak leaf forest floor and the freshness of the pine nettles. Very inspiring. The Osage indians historically inhabited much of this area in years gone by, and one of the few places that have not visually changed much over the years. There are some caves and very interesting rock outcroppings in this area.
"The Elk of Steel Creek"
Original Oil Painting on 15 ounce double primed Belgium Linen. I built the canvas myself for this one. It has a 1-1/2" gallery wrap profile. This painting is still in progress and as of today the paint is still wet. I will be working on some more highlights and details during this next week. It is a 40" wide x 30" tall painting with lots of detail. I did this in a fall scene with fall foliage. This was one of the places we visited while on the Buffalo River in Arkansas, the week after Christmas. So I had taken some new research photos and the feeling was still very fresh in my mind. The day we were there, we saw both elk and deer in the valley floor. I have painted several scenes of Steel Creek, it is one of my favorite areas of the Ozarks. The rock bluff encircles an entire valley and the colors and tones of the bluff can change before your very eyes. When the bluff is wet it is almost black and very light on a sunny day. It is a very inspiring place "just to be"
"Winter River Scene"
A 40" x 30" Original Oil Painting on Canvas. This painting was done after a little hike out on the Big Piney River one day. I just allowed myself to observe and absorb. The winter tones and color combinations late in the day were very interesting. I had hoped to capture that special feeling I got that day on my hike. This is a dark painting but really does come alive with a little directed lighting. The canvas has an 1-1/2" gallery wrap profile.
