MY STORY

My photo
Photo circa 1947, I always wanted to be a cowboy! Whether working for a short time on the historic Hansen Ranch in Jackson Hole as a young man, just out of the service, to working the stock at the Jackson Rodeo, it nurtured in me a love of the American Cowboy. From my home in Dubois,Wyoming. I look forward each spring to roundup time with my good Friend, John Sides. On his 20,000 acre cattle ranch in South Dakota, each year we relive what ranchers and cowboys have done since cattle were introduced to the west. Little has changed in a hundred years and the experience and camaraderie is all cowboy. The period of 1820 to 1880 on the western plains was the most colorful in American history. Unfortunately, I was born too late to experience it first hand.

Monday, October 31, 2011

Grand Teton Gallery Jackson Hole




I spent a good part of August and all of September in Wyoming and South Dakota. I am now exhibiting in a new Gallerly in Jackson Hole Wyoming, called the Grand Teton Gallery!! It is almost across the street from the Wort Hotel on Broadway. Ian McLennan is the owner and we hope him all the success in the world. I also had a week in South Dakota taking picturs of cowboys and Indians for new paintings. It was a good photoshoot and should have reference for many paintings. Now is the time to settle down and paint since my son was married this past weekend (congrats, Emily and Brian) and all the hoopla is over for a while.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Grizzlys Everywhere




Well, May and June in Wyoming was like living the documentary, Wild America! There were Elk with calves, Pronghorn Antelope with young, Moose with young, Bighorn sheep with young, Mule Deer with young and then there were the Bears with young.
Because of the unusual snowfall of three times the normal and unusually cool weather the snow pack was down at 8000 feet and so were all the animals. Hiking was kept to a minimum so I got lots of painting done. I am now in Grand Teton Gallery in Jackson Hole Wyoming as well a Silver Sage Gallery in Dubois Wyoming. I was in the Wind River Artist Guild National Show and took a first place ribbon in oils and sold the painting as well. It was called "Coming Home" and it was two cowboys driving some horses across a river. All in all it was a great spring

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

The Charge


This is my latest that I am working on. I am still not sure of some of the background figures or if I want to add more costuming to the featured subject. It is time to set it aside for a week or two.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

"Insurrectos " finished?


I added a couple more shadow figures but still not happy with it. This may never see the light of day. Maybe I need to darken the sky?

Monday, January 31, 2011

The Insurrectos (Generals Villa and Zapata)


I had this one started at least a year ago and was stuck. I put it aside and decided it would be a good painting to drag out and work on since I had not been painting a lot. I am not sure that makes good sense since it is not an easy painting to do with multiple figures and depth perception but what the heck it wasn't painting itself, sitting in the corner. Besides those paintings haunt you and you have to make a decision sooner or later to finish or throw out. It was a linen canvas and I just couldn't do that to a piece of linen. Here it is in an almost finished state that I will set in a corner and look at and decide again to invest in a frame or pitch. What do you think?

Monday, January 3, 2011

Paying Respects


I have just about finished what I now call "Paying Respects". These cowboys as far as we know did not bury their friend but have come to say "goodbye" and "pay respects". If their friend died from a fall from a horse or shot through the heart we cannot know, but the grave will soon disappear from wind and weather and this may be the last time they will visit or even be able to find it. Only one horse has a rope but all three cowboys have guns, so maybe that tells us something.
I tried to keep the color tones somewhat somber. The computer picture is actually a little bright and the colors a little rich. I hope it works and you enjoy it.