"Highland Light" © 16 x 20 Sold

As long as I'm on the subject of the Sierras, this is from a Ted Goerschner workshop that Frank and I attended at Lake Sabrina. We went there one frosty dawn, wearing our very warm clothes and by the afternoon we were sweltering in shorts and T-shirts! I did several little 8x10 field sketches of this scene during the workshop and also took photographs. I used them as references to paint this painting in the studio later on. The most difficult part was the water. I think I re-painted it four or five times and finally got it the way I wanted it. This is another wonderful memory of painting with friends in the magnificent Sierras.

"After the Rain" © 24 x 30 Sold

Those of you who live in Southern California know what the "June gloom" is but for those who don't, it is the overcast mornings we have during the month of June. The gloominess usually "burns off" by 11:00 a.m. to reveal a nice sunny afternoon. Anyway, the June gloom we are experiencing right now reminded me of a painting I did last year of a scene in Bishop, California. It had just rained and the sun was just trying to peek out afterward. The mountains in the background were still misty but the sun was shining in the foreground. This was my attempt to capture that mood but some of nature's light effects are elusive when it comes to painting. I guess I got close.

While I was in the studio painting this scene, one of our patrons stopped by, spotted the half-finished painting on my easel and said she wanted to buy it when it was done. I wish I could sell all of my paintings that way!