Landscapes of the American West

Descriptions of artwork on this page:

• Monument Sunset is a Colorado landscape painting in acrylic. It depicts the Colorado National Monument at sunset.


• Sunrise at Bosque is both a wildlife acrylic painting and a fine art landscape of the Southwest. Bosque del Apache is a national wildlife refuge in New Mexico where approximately 500,000 snow geese and 50,000 sandhill cranes winter annually. Each day at sunrise and sunset the birds begin to move in bursts of thousands.


• Uncompaghre Gold is both a wildlife painting and a Colorado landscape painting in acrylic. It shows a golden eagle overlooking the Gunnison River and Uncompaghre Plateau in western Colorado.


• First Snow at Arrowhead is both wildlife artwork and a Colorado landscape created with pastels. Arrowhead is an area between Montrose, Colorado and Gunnison, Colorado. The altitude is high and the first snow comes early. This pastel painting was done from a reference photo taken by my brother-in-law.


• The Meadow by Lou's is a Colorado fine art landscape created with pastels. In June, western Colorado pops with life and activity. The fields and meadows are beautifully green, the birds move overhead, and the air is the perfect temperature.


• Sunrise at Vega is a Colorado fine art landscape created with pastels. Vega State Park is in the high country surrounding Grand Junction, Colorado. The reservoir is stunning, and this pastel painting is from a photo I took right at sunrise, as the shaft of first sunlight cast itself on the surface of the water.


• Oxbow Bend is a Colorado fine art landscape created with pastels. This pastel painting depicts one of the most frequently photographed views in Grand Teton National Park, Oxbow Bend. What appealed to me in this painting was the visual interest of the foreground reflection.


• Alone But Not Lonely is a Colorado fine art landscape. This is one of my favorite paintings. A pastel, it depicts a house that is part of an old, abandoned mining camp on Red Mountain Pass above Ouray, Colorado.


• Summer Reflections is a Colorado fine art landscape. This is another pastel painting of a canal bank in Grand Junction, Colorado during the month of June.


• Mount Garfield is a Colorado landscape painting in acrylic. It depicts one of the most recognizable landmarks in Grand Junction, Colorado. When I first moved to Grand Junction from Illinois, I couldn't see the appeal of the stark, stony cliffs that line the valley to the north. Soon, though, I realized that the light plays magic tricks with the neutral-colored stone and they become hauntingly beautiful as the sun rises and sets.


• Bathed in Gold is a Colorado landscape painting in acrylic with an almost abstract art quality. In autumn, the high country in Colorado is ablaze with color; mostly lemon yellow. This nature painting shows a fallen aspen in a deep thicket.


• From Meeker to Sleepy Cat is a Colorado landscape painting in acrylic. The town of Meeker is in northwest Colorado. There's a beautiful two-lane road leading from Meeker to Sleepy Cat Mountain. This acrylic painting is from a photo I took in late September, on my way from Meeker to Sleepy Cat.


• Backyard Triptych is a 3-piece Colorado landscape painting in acrylic. Yes! That IS my backyard!! Behind my fine art studio lies a cattle ranch and BLM land for as far as the eye can see. The land is high desert and relatively bare, but the play of light on the empty, rolling hills is stunningly beautiful.


• Silver Vase is a still life oil painting. It was created at an oil painting seminar led by Robert Johnson and was held at the Donner Ranch in Taos, New Mexico. Still lifes are not my usual choice of subject matter, but it was a marvelous experience and I feel privileged to have studied under Robert Johnson.


• Apples and Copper is a still life oil painting. This is another oil painting that was done during the one-week seminar with Robert Johnson in Taos, New Mexico.