So Good 18x24, Highway 12x24, Breakaway 24x36

Three versions of the same sky! I know, it's hard to believe. But just as we are all experiencing winter in varying degrees, these new paintings show the heavens in a variety of wardrobes. I have been sleeping with the windows open the last week or so. Highs have been in the low 80's. Obviously our "winter" isn't the same as that experienced in my home town of Frostbite Falls, MN. Conversely, they haven't had to struggle with the difficult dilemma I've been confronted with. Matching smart combinations of shorts, sandals and T-shirts isn't as easy as one may think, and summer is right around the corner. That reminds me, I've got to get the pool ready.

Merry Christmas!

Snowbirds 24x36 Germaine 30x40

I wanted to post these with a cool Thanksgiving message a week or so ago. Sorry, I have been busy giving thanks and throwing oil paint around the studio like there's no tomorrow. I'm getting ready for post-holiday show and we're now preparing for a party the like of which our valley has rarely (if ever) seen. Warning; keep dogs and cats away. We are planning a multi-cultural, omni-culinary, all-faiths, international Christmas extravaganza event. Be sure to watch my uncle Bob's (Dylan) Must Be Santa video. It will put you in cheer mode faster than two pints of Tom & Jerry.

Cat Eye View 24x18

Not far from here (200 meters) I spied a long-legged, rusty brown bobcat. I was on a little jog and instinctively reached for my side-arm. (which I never carry...lucky for him) And had it been a mountain lion, all the more luck for him that he didn't encounter me in a surly mood. Here's a little known secret and one that you don't often associate with men of my adventuresome cut and profile. I'd sooner fight a salt water croc (been there, done that) than climb on rocks while dangling from a rope or just about any other kind of popular outdoor adventure "sport" people (crazy people) partake of these days. But give me a six inch knife clenched between my teeth and mysteriously and magically I channel Jeremiah Johnson and Grizzly Adams at their best. I know this might not sound like it jibes with the Catch-n -Release Hunting club philosophy I espouse, but, truth be told, no ferocious creature in his right mind should ever try his hand (or paw) at meddling in my affairs. I am quite inexplicably unafraid of even the most venomous and dangerous of creatures. That said, I am a fairly passive painter of peaceful pictures, and for the most part, am content to spend my time making pretty pictures and contemplating things eternal. I really like these simple views...silhouetted trees and the Santa Catalina mountains at sunset. This is available on auction. Open link above to view/bid.

Picacho...Organ Mts. 48x60

I had to get the profile right for these mountains so I drew the whole painting with a pencil first. I used to do that a lot for studio pieces...or with vines charcoal. The top pics shows how I built the sky first working top down. Since I already had made a study of this and had it as a reference I didn't feel the need to block in the large shapes of the mountains and foreground. I pretty much had the values nailed in my smaller first piece and was fairly confident I could get it right. It turned out nice for a big ol' bad boy. The photo is a little over exposed so I had to turn it down a bit/lost a lot of the detail on the clouds and darkened overmuch the foreground. Well, you get the idea. These are the kind of paintings that keep the paint companies in business. For the price of your favorite dog and next first-born child I will make one for you too.

Come Sit A Spell 18x18 Wonderment 24x36

Both of these neat new pieces are available for sale on auction. If you'd like to place a bid open this link.

Three Fingers Of Death

I had to accommodate a very large 48"x60" canvas the other day. So, I moved my trusty easel and as I did, caught a glimpse of the rarely seen back side. The paint encrusted support that holds my canvases seemed larger than I remembered. I knew there was a bit of a build up of old paint there but never imagined what I was about to discover. To my amazement there were fossilized remains of old brushes, teeth, bits of bone and hubcaps and handlebars from a bygone era. It was over three inches tall and 1 1/4 inch thick. I cut it off on the table saw (wouldn't break!) and it revealed a multi-hued mosaic of beautiful layers, each one representing a color phase as I developed as a painter over the centuries. I will post pics of the big ol' canvas in a day or so...Organ Mountain Monsoons. In the meantime you can check out new paintings for sale here.

Highwaymen 24x18 Swiftly On The Mountain 24x24

Two of my personal favs of late. Highwaymen is a view I have heading west from Catalina. I got in some good monsoon action (photos) towards the end of summer and have a whole lot of ideas for future work in a "Highway" series. The second painting is a "master series" piece built over some time. It wasn't really my intention to build it that way but I needed to nail those mountains. They're the Organ Mountains looking east from Picacho Country Club golf course in Las Cruces, NM. I didn't want to sell this yet since we are supposed to hang a little show this winter in New Mexico. I had it up in the store and someone made an offer and the pot of beans was getting low and, well, you can imagine the chaos that ensues when my voracious and calumnious progeny gets hungry...It ain't pretty. These, however, are (pretty) and one is for sale...you can click on the link at the top right of my blog page. (If you get this as an update in your mailbox you'll need to go to the blog to see the sale link)

Oregon, Arizona and California

Three of my favorite states are represented here. Nothing to show for a fiery blast round trip to Minnesota this past week. My Vikings beat up my Cards at the noisy, purple Metrodome and I found a few new subscribers to the Catch and Release Hunting Club I founded (Eddie has been removed from the honor roll...Christmas goose is in the freezer. Need I say more?) So, forthcoming; pictures of barren trees, frosty land, rusty cars and wildfowl on the wing. I didn't have much of a chance to get in any real art pursuits. The few photos I took will have to suffice for winter inspiration. I came home to sunny skies and balmy temps. Hardly the elements necessary for wintry wonderlands. I am working on a very large 4x5 ft. canvas this next week or so. It's a big ol' monsoon cloud over the Organ Mts. in New Mexico. I'll post pics when it's done.

"Rio Grand" 12x24, "Golden Grassland" 24x24

Guest post by Marissa Hawkins.

When the cat's away, the mice will play. And when the artist's away, his progeny will work. That's the way it goes in a family business. Although working at home is nice. Where else could you be excused for a piano/chocolate/let's-blow-this-off-and-go-out-to-lunch break?

Packaging days are the busiest for us. Getting a painting from the drying rack into a home takes several steps. My brothers scramble to finish frames. The shipping department (that would be me), handles printing of packing slips, varnishing, final inspection of paintings and frames, packaging, labeling, and delivery (from the basement to the front door), as well as the occasional blog post or Ebay listing. All the while, my dad keeps a watchful eye over our work, answers emails, practices duck calls, creates masterpieces, and does just about everything else.

It's not a bad gig, being a painter's kid, aside from any infrequent disagreements over music in the studio and the potentially brain-damaging fumes. But we really don't mind Uncle Bob (Dylan). And it would not be home if it didn't smell like Kamar varnish, fresh oil paint, and mineral spirits.

The best part is, if your favorite artist (and mine) should choose to take a half-week duck hunting trip up north, he has someone to cover for him. That's the way it goes in a family business.

At The End Of The day 24x30

MAKE YOUR MOVE (picture a chess board) writing by Marissa- student, philosopher, writer, ...packager of paintings

Is it simply human nature to grow restless? We need consistency, but we crave change. If a person is middle aged, this might lead to buying a Corvette. In the times in between it might lead to a new hairstyle (and dyeing my bangs purple sounds really tempting right now).For twenty-somethings it seems the change may be something more internal, constrained, invisible. Like a nuclear reaction.21 may be a young age to check quarter life crisis off one's list of life experiences. Or not. As of now, it is just half checked for me: a single line, like a castaway marking the days of his exile without knowing when it will end, but at least comforted in knowing how long he's been gone. So maybe I can at least claim some empathy with other victims of uncertainty or even (dare I say)purposelessness.All these decisions, choices, possibilities, options, questions, unknowns, wonderings. Comfort comes in strange ways for what we of the quarter-life section face. Here are a few oddities that have emboldened me to take a few of those frightening steps, albeit small ones, without looking back. Because, really, what's the use of looking back if you can't go back?
1. There is nothing new under the sun. You are not unique in this. The stress you face is nothing that humanity has not suffered before. Yes, that is a good thing.
2. There is a saying that goes, "You become an adult when you begin to take responsibility for your decisions." Something like that; I translated it from Spanish. Decisions are hard. This is growing up. Maybe we never even really "arrive" at certainty at this life, so maybe this is being an adult. Maybe. I'll let you know when I get there.
3. "All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be" (Psalm 139:16). Free to choose what path we take, but foreordained. Not impossible, just hard to grasp. What logically follows is that no choice you take can really result in missing out on something you were "supposed" to do. Not that we escape consequences or responsibility. But you'll never catch Providence off guard. God has a plan and He's working it out in your life too, no matter what you choose.
4. What breaks your heart and what makes you come alive? Give it some thought. The answers might cut down on the "what to do with my life" quandary considerably.
Thoughts?

Simply 24x18, Paramount 24x24, Greenling 18x24

New paintings pouring out of me. The 24x24 was built over time. It's one of the "master series" paintings made with multiple layers. The other two are made in a more of a direct painting approach, alla prima style-painted in one sitting. Classes at the Arizona Art Supply store in Tucson will be on Mondays from 10 till 12. November 15th is the first class. I'll provide more info. soon. Let me know if you're interested.

Happiness Is, Whistler, Sundowner, Espejo

Happy foursome of new paintings...a foretaste of the classes I will be teaching in Tucson starting November 15th. at Arizona Art Supply. I'll have more info. about the up-coming workshops soon so stay tuned. Meanwhile, enjoy the rare and weird fact that I still read to my boys almost every night. They're 17 & 15. Even more strange...our reading this past week or so. Winnie-The-Pooh. Now, lest you think we're failing at child rearing, I'm quite sure they could beat up most kids younger than themselves...or shoot faster and straighter if it comes to that. Rest assured the desert is dong its job at bringing up redneck poets and artists.

Canyon Lake Lodge 24x36 Catalina On My Mind 18x24

Both of these little beauties are fresh off the griddle and available for sale or private consumption. Shouldn't all art be required to carry labels like that? My child with the busted gut is on the mend and my second first-born son (I show no favoritism) has taken up the slack and done admirably well for a teen with his mind still half in Legoland and the other two-thirds stuck in comic books. A little scare once in a while is good and I suppose it adds a bit of urgency and purpose to just about everything in life...or peels away things that aren't all that important. So, you see I'm still painting and have continued through it all. That must mean fine art is pretty darn important and, it's good to have a back up plan. I have two of each sons and daughters so I'll always have a spare in case one burns out. I have yet to get approval though to add another (unnamed) family member to the plan...

Three Songs In Paint

A happy trio of effectual and fervent landscapes to dot the horizon of your day. Eddie the wonder kid is out of the hospital (gracias a Dios!) and the frame making should benefit from his counsel. (He knows where the secret tools are hidden) So, I will have these available here for sale this week.

Stormin', Tree Spirits, Island

Stormin' is a local view...not far from the studio. Tree Spirits is another look at an Oregon scene I've done before. Island...well, this new painting was inspired by my friend's recent move to Oahu, Hawaii. I have a number of shots from commissioned paintings of Hawaii done in the past. I've never been there but...wanted to capture the volcanic island feel in this new work. I've been invited. The next thing will be to actually go. First order of business though will be to get my chief frame maker and shop sweeper out of the hospital. Eddie was layed low this week with a nasty ruptured appendix...makes for a sad studio and slow going with the frames. Patience and prayer have been the somber timbre of the paint shop this week. Join us in both and we'll come out none the worse I'm sure.

Vineyard Rose 24x18 Eye of Light 30x24

Available for your listening pleasure...here.

Fantastic Four

I'm trying to pull myself to do some instructional videos. First off I need some new hardware-something (camera) with a remote mic capability. (any ideas?) The real rub though is in finding the time to do it. I think we could put together some real fun and informative How-To stuff...to awaken the creative genius inside all my would-be artist friends. I do employ a number of techniques that enable me to paint with the alacrity of a gazelle. This is what you desire, No? Anyway, I'm sure these would be fun to learn to a lot of budding painters that struggle with the mysteries of oil paint. I'll keep the blog posted with updates about this as I get to it. In the meantime, enjoy these four paintings for sale here.

Alamos Man 20x16 Bear In Water 9x12

A wheelbarrow full of ...bears. These two little paintings hang on my walls in very snazzy (sorry not pictured) hardwood and gold frames. Made with thinned washes and multiple layers of paint (glazes) they describe a luminosity that's hard to replicate with an alla prima approach. I will make these available for sale here.

How Beautiful 30x30 Girl Kills Dove

The girl at the sporting goods store was holding back tears. We were buying hunting permits to kill symbols of peace. I too started choking up as I described in sordid detail what happens once every twenty five shots of my scatter gun. My daughter, on the other hand, is a dedicated carnivore. I doubt she has ever cried once over a dead animal. I, like many proponents of catch-and-release-hunting, (I'm forming a new club) am torn between an insatiable appetite that has me looking to consume something edible and delicious at least five days a week and, fascination and wonder at the beautiful creation God made for His pleasure and our enjoyment. I believe I have shed more tears than most over fury, finned and feathered friends lost. And my moral extremes have me more confused than Fernando Garcia watching an episode of Homero Simpson in Sapochopo, Sonora, Mexico. Be that as it may, this grande painting will be available in my eBay store.

Three Paintings

These three happy scenes, inspired by our recent travels across America are for sale here.

Mille Lacs lake 24x18

Most of us have at least a few devastating weapons in our verbal arsenal. We toss them out from time to time to fend off would-be adversaries or simply to inspire awe and respect. For example, I can basically trump any argument with any person who grew up south of the 45th parallel by this simple statement- I have skated on thin ice...literally. Actually, there is a whole passel of northernisms I keep handy and I do use them whenever I'm feeling the need for attention here in the desert. I use them sporadically and usually to great effect. (especially in Mexico where 30 degrees Fahrenheit is a known killer) I have found that any reference to 50 below zero while ice fishing on Mille Lacs lake is enough to dumbfound and benumb any would-be teller of tall tales. It's kind of like a concussion grenade...leaves 'em momentarily deaf and blind. However, the Mille Lacs lake of my sub-zero yarns of yesteryear has a gentler side. The pictures above show a placid pool; backdrop to our tranquil summer idle. The slooping sail boats slipped slowly by and the big walleye winked at us as the far away shore gave us this blossoming orange-cloud ...and a bunch of mosquito bites! Here is the sale page for this painting.