“This painting was based on a small 6x8 study that I painted outside at Columbia Point. This is a natural area beyond the Columbia River bridge, where many people go to hike, fish and enjoy water sports. The area boasts a vast expanse (a sea) of natural plants, but mostly sagebrush and rabbit-brush visible for miles. In the deep distance beyond, the Horse Heaven Hills decorate the horizon-line. While in the field I was so drawn to the dramatic sky above this subtly colored natural landscape. I love to paint on site and this was an especially rewarding day -- I painted with friends, the light stayed consistent, the winds were minimal, and the rains stayed away. Once completed, I felt the painting needed to be expressed larger. By going larger, I could imbue it with more energy in it's color. The spare composition stayed about the same. So this is the product of that exploration: a painting done in the studio that was informed by the original piece. I especially love the play of golden oranges with the nuanced violets and other colors at the bases of the sagebrush. The colors make me happy. The deeper meaning perhaps is that at our feet there resides a bounty of small treasures to enjoy... from small stones to tiny blooming flowers there is so much to delight us if we just stoop to look. And then we are equally rewarded by looking further away -- taking in the vast expanse of a single thing: the plants that carpet the space for miles become one big colorful entity. We feel small in this vast presence.”
“This painting was based on a small 6x8 study that I painted outside at Columbia Point. This is a natural area beyond the Columbia River bridge, where many people go to hike, fish and enjoy water sports. The area boasts a vast expanse (a sea) of natural plants, but mostly sagebrush and rabbit-brush visible for miles. In the deep distance beyond, the Horse Heaven Hills decorate the horizon-line. While in the field I was so drawn to the dramatic sky above this subtly colored natural landscape. I love to paint on site and this was an especially rewarding day -- I painted with friends, the light stayed consistent, the winds were minimal, and the rains stayed away. Once completed, I felt the painting needed to be expressed larger. By going larger, I could imbue it with more energy in it's color. The spare composition stayed about the same. So this is the product of that exploration: a painting done in the studio that was informed by the original piece. I especially love the play of golden oranges with the nuanced violets and other colors at the bases of the sagebrush. The colors make me happy. The deeper meaning perhaps is that at our feet there resides a bounty of small treasures to enjoy... from small stones to tiny blooming flowers there is so much to delight us if we just stoop to look. And then we are equally rewarded by looking further away -- taking in the vast expanse of a single thing: the plants that carpet the space for miles become one big colorful entity. We feel small in this vast presence.”