Springtime in Nauvoo 

9x12 Oil on Masonite 

$345 unframed

I had to paint this peaceful scene where once an industrious people thrived and built for a future that ended when they were driven from their homes in the middle of a bitter winter freeze so cold it froze the Mississippi solid enough to drive loaded wagons across.

Lost River Sunrise 16x20 Inches Oil on Canvas $960

The Big Lost River in Idaho meanders south through the Saw Tooth Mountains from north of Mackay until it becomes lost in the desert between Arco, and Craters of the Moon National Monument.  On a recent return to this valley where I grew up, I ventured out to find our favorite fishing and swimming hole, and stumbled on a “newcomer” basking in the morning sun.

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Fruitstand 

18 x 24 Oil on Board 

$1350

We used to live in a rural area outside of Ogden, Utah next to a farm family that sold their produce in a road side Fruit Stand.  After high schools were out in the spring he would recruit the young people to help pick, haul and sell the fruits and vegetables.  It seemed the girls preferred working at the stand, and often devised their own costumes/uniforms so they could get sun tans while they worked.  I have painted one such day at the stand.

From a Distance 

24 x 24 Oil on Board 

$1775

I guess I'm a throw back because I love listening to the sounds of nature.  It's almost music to hear voices calling in the distance, mixed with the alternating cadence of someone chopping wood, the staccato buzz of an engine revving, and all this coming on the whispers of the wind.  I've tried to picture a farmer pausing in his chores to enjoy the sounds "From a Distance".

Glass With Pears

12X16 Oil on Board

$625

I found these old canning jars at an antique display (my Mother in Law's basement) and she was gracious enough to let me paint them.  The pears are off the tree that stands just outside my studio window.  The grapes are from our neighbors vines.

Blue Vase 

9x12 Oil on Board 

$360

I was just having fun with the colors and composition on this one.  Hope you like it.

Clearing the Baler 

12x12 Inches Oil on Masonite  

$475

The old hay balers needed lots of tending just to keep them running.  Too much hay entering the machine all at once would jam the works and lead to delays.  My uncle didn't know he was posing for a photo, but my Mom was there with her Kodak Brownie at just the right moment.

Barn in Autumn

20x24 Inches Oil on Canvas 

$1440

Roaming through the countryside near Sonoma, California I fell under the spell of this old barn sturdily awaiting the next harvest.  The lane to the door looked unused and the fields appeared abandoned, but it had been built well and still offered shade from the summer sun, and a protected nest to the owl that swooped into the loft while I painted.

Desert Trails 

14x18 Inches  Oil on Masonite

 $756

South of the Salt Flats West of Salt Lake City lie desert valleys with few roads and lots of Juniper and sage brush.  Out there the desert winds whisper of ancient lake beds, and civilizations coming and going while seeking the deer and antelope for food and clothing.  It's easy to imagine their shadows under the low trees in the quiet isolation.

Aspens in the Back Yard 

9x12 Oil on Canvas

The air had turned crisp and the yellow leaves of the aspens lay in a blanket over the green grass in the back yard.  That morning the sun shone brightly, making the colors almost florescent.  It was beautiful, a real joy to paint.

After the Storm

30x40 Inches

 Oil on canvas

The lightning flashed amid the rolling thunder during the night, but the next morning the air smelled pristine, and the world felt revitalized.  as a child I'd have launched some sticks for boats in the bigger puddles, then set about to blow them out of the water with thrown rocks.  It was the height of settings for runaway imagination.

Lead a Horse to Water 

8x10 Oil on Board

There’s a small seep on the back side of Squaw Peak high up where the canyons are still shallow depressions.  Once you get up there it’s pretty easy riding, but the climb up is steep and rocky, and on a hot summer morning the sun beats off the rocks, there’s hardly a breath of air, and sweat starts trickling down your back something awful.  It’s a welcome break to climb down and let the horse get a drink.

Beeman 

16x20 Oil on Canvas

My good friend Stan has kept bees for a long time.  He has often shared his honey with me.  I wanted to paint a picture of a man tending bees, so he offered to model for me.  Here he’s extracting honey from the hive.

The Auction

30x40 Oil on Canvas

A good friend passed on, and the neighbors have gathered at the auction of his tools and equipment, both to get a deal and to help his widow with expenses.  There's usually lots of stories about the departed told at one off these gatherings, as they pause in their inspections before the main auction gets started.

Payton

12x9 Oil on Board $324

 I was invited to spend a Night at the Museum as the featured artist. Payton was one of the visitors at the exhibit, and volunteered to act as my subject for a half hour portrait painting demonstration.  She was a good sport, and we had lots of fun teasing with the other customers during our half hour.  I've done portraits at fairs and exhibits before, and have found it easier to "catch" the subject as they move naturally through the pose while interacting with others than it is to demand that they try to hold a rigid pose.  They think they are holding, but inevitably move imperceptibly one way or another and it is nearly impossible to get them to move back to the original spot.  Especially with young people like Payton, part of making them feel comfortable is to allow them to interact with friends and family who are usually standing nearby.

Stillness of Evening 

15x16 Oil on Board

This was painted from a photo of a house in Nebraska, and one of a tree in Idaho.  Again I am experimenting with the textures and colors available when using a palette knife.  I really liked the transparent to opaque passages in the tree and sky.  It reminded me of times, as a child, playing tag and hide and seek in the coolness of the evening air just after the sun went down.  It seemed almost dreamlike,  and sounds seemed to carry so well in the stillness that preceded full darkness.

Lighthouse

15x16 Oil On Panel

$775.00

I painted this from a photo I took of a lighthouse on the south Florida coast several years ago while on a trip with the BYU Art Department.  I used a palette knife and enjoyed the challenges that tool introduces.  I layered the colors and did a lot of mixing on the painting surface.

Bullies

4x4 Oil on Board

As I painted, the way the potatoes enclose the onion I chuckled to myself when I thought they looked like bullies getting ready to beat up on the poor onion. The challenge was to capture the colors and textures while simplifying and using as few brush strokes as possible.

Amy

12x9 Oil on Board

I was invited to spend a Night at the Museum as the featured artist. Amy was one of the pirates "come alive" at the exhibit, and volunteered to act as my subject for a half hour portrait painting demonstration.  She was a good sport, and we had lots of fun teasing with the paying customers during our half hour.  I've done portraits at fairs and exhibits before, and have found it easier to "catch" the subject as they move naturally through the pose while interacting with others than it is to demand that they try to hold a rigid pose.  They think they are holding, but inevitably move imperceptibly one way or another and it is nearly impossible to get them to move back to the original spot.

I will refund shipping charges over the actual cost by anything over $1.

Limeade  

6x6 Oil on Panel

It was a cold February morning and the thought of a cool lime drink seemed to be just what I needed, and it turned out to be just the thing I wanted to paint.  Painting the glass with the ice and slice of lime was almost as refreshing as the drink.  With all the orange slices surrounding the remaining slice of lime I considered calling the painting "The Chosen", but went for the simpler title instead.

I will refund shipping charges over the actual cost by anything over $1.

Collection Without Connection

 6x6 Oil on Panel $36

I set up this bunch of items for the color and because it looked like it would be challenging to paint. I hope you enjoy the painting.

If shipping isn't as much as I charged I will refund overages of more than $1.

BIG CHIEF ROCK

14x11 inches 

Oil on Gallery Wrap Canvas

Painted Edges (may be hung without frame)

Heading south on the Lisbon Valley road the road begins to turn west and there it is! Standing one hundred fifty feet above the roadway is this spectacular formation named "Big Chief or Old Chief" by the locals. I was there for the Moab Plein Air Paint out in October and just had to paint the elegance of this formation. Actually I tried three times from two different directions.

Cool Lime

4x4 inches Oil on Panel A few pieces of a cut lime waited near the base of a large stemmed glass waiting for their turn to squeeze into the drink. What can I say about the composition? I like fresh lime drinks.
I will refund shipping costs in excess of $1 of actual shipping.

Deserted

5x7 Oil on Board

The Dolores River in Western Colorado passes near the small town of Paradox and near this beauty of a stone house now apparently used for storage and livestock.  The setting was too romantic to pass up; I mean with the untold stories of dreams and hopes, working, and just living those walls could tell.

Heber Dairy

16x20 Inches

Oil on Canvas

Traveling east along the Provo River, through the canyon by the same name, it opens into the Heber Valley where I found these cows waiting for the evening milking and more hay.  The melting snow turned the rich soil black with its moisture.  The cows had come to this spot to find dry ground where the willow trees blocked the cold wind coming off the mountains to the west.  The sound of distant neighbors rode the wind, and added to the peaceful feeling of the setting.