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By stephen, October 30, 2010 9:59 pm

Waist deep in the cold water of the Tunnel Slot, near Harris Wash, Utah.

I have had a busy couple of weeks. My wife and I spent some time hiking around Bryce Canyon and then  we travel to Escalante, Utah and hiked to and then waded through a couple of nifty slot canyons. I have often thought and sketched a few ideas about what a slot canyon painting of mine might look like. The problem for me is that a good photograph really captures the visual quality rather well. What I have yet to see in a good photograph is the closed in, deep inside the earth feeling that fills me when I am sliding sideways through some narrow gap in the rock. I believe sublime might be the correct word to describe what I am thinking about.   I just need to get a good solid  visual idea and then I’ll paint it. ( When my wife read this entry she suggested I should just start a painting and see what happens. I think she is right!)

Speaking of painting this week in my studio I have been creating a  small studio painting based on a plein air painting I did a couple of years ago up at the Sundance Ski resort. The day I made the plein air sketch was a memorable one, as a tall blond  young woman invited me to leave. She informed me that I was painting in an area reserved for mountain bikes.  Even when I presented her with my season pass which I had used to ride up the lift she was insistent that I leave so I complete the sketch at home. This version is a bit larger. I feel like it captures the day rather well. The day was a slightly overcast mid-morning in late June. I enjoyed several plein air painting outings in the Sundance  and Aspen grove area that summer in fact a large waterfall painting I blogged  about a couple of months ago started out as a small study, which  I painted standing just below the lowest snow field depicted in this painting. It was an interesting outing that day over by Stewart cascade, a few hikers who were visiting the falls stopped and visited with me. Painting is usually a solitary effort for me so it was a change to talk and paint it reminded me of my old high school days when art class was mainly gab session.

On the easel. An in-progress view of a small studio oil painting.

My first newsletter contest came to an end.  The lucky winner now has  her painitng.  If  you entered and did  not win you are in luck I will be  giving away another framed oil painting away in September of 2011 and you are already entered.  Any new readers who would like  a chance to win should, click the “win a painting” link at the top of my blog and follow the instructions.

Looking out my front window I see the storm last week left a nice white blanket on the upper halves of the Wasatch Mountains. The slope depicted in this painting already has a dusting of snow and most likely the snow making machines are running at night or they will be soon. I love the snow.( I am just not crazy about the cold). I can look at this painting and already imagine myself running down this section of the hill in three weeks I hope.sundance arttimpanogos paintingsutah canvas printsmountain bike paintingsmountain paintings

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By stephen, February 23, 2010 3:03 am

I am sitting in my living room looking at a 40 x 30 oil painting of Stewart Cascade. I painted it about two years ago. It was made when I was using only a palette knife to paint with (no brushes).   The design is from a plein air painting I did on location the summer of 2007. Rhonda and I love the little hike from Aspen grove over to Stewart Cascade. It is only  a couple of short miles, with the chance of seeing wildlife,wildflowers and the occasional Sundance celebrity. We have been hiking and cross country skiing in the area for many years. Both of us hiked this trail while we were high school students in Orem High schools Unified Studies course. I think it is one of our favorite spots. I have had this sweet palette  knife work on my wall for nearly a year now and I have an itch to put up something new , a painting from another one of my favorite spots . Maybe One of my recent Arches paintings, several of them would fit the frame or perhaps something new and very blue from Cozumel (since I am rhyming only time will tell). check Ebay to see what small studio or plein air paintings I have for sale there this week. If you are interested in giving this Stewart Cascade painting a home contact me via e-mail.