At the close of each year, I reflect on my experiences as an artist by compiling a list of works that have, for various reasons, been particularly important to my growth. This year’s post is first of a two-part series. Part II is my top paintings of the decade – stay tuned!
For me, 2019 was a wild roller-coaster ride. While it was not short on challenges, it was also definitely blessed with amazing grace and abundance. While recovering from a ski accident, art was my quiet companion and provided a magical portal to another world of color and form. Images emerged from the canvas or paper in a way that just delighted me. Interestingly, I am posting work that is all animals–my furry and feathered friends!
It is a pleasure for me to share these with you. I hope you enjoy what transpired for me in 2019!
In chronological order, here we go:
At the start of the year, I was in a watercolor phase and this one has a freshness that I love. In fact, I love it so much that we are making a limited edition giclee series of it. For release in 2020.
“Hold Nothing Back” | 8 x 10 | watercolor
My mentors all insisted on the importance of drawing as a foundation for my work and I am very grateful for their encouragement of this life long practice. While this is not a perfect drawing, I feel it contains something more important to me- expression. There is an energy in the horse’s stride which is what I worked to translate in the following painting for which it was a preliminary sketch.
“Running with the Wind” | 30 x 24 | conte
This was a monumental painting for me in so many ways. I am incredibly grateful to Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce for asking me to be the Featured Artist for the 2019 Fall Arts Festival and therefore wanted to do my best work for this amazing opportunity. I wanted to create a powerful piece with a timeless elegance. It was important to have a reference to my family’s ranch and the Grand Tetons because they shaped who I am today. It was an honor to share this painting with my entire community.
“Of Earth & Wind” | 48 x 54 | oil on linen
This painting was inspired by a photo taken by my talented friend
Brad Schwarm. It was featured at the 2019 Western Visions exhibition at the National Museum of Wildlife Art and then was made into the museum’s annual holiday card. It was a really fun piece to paint. I started with the moose’s right eye and worked my way out from that center point, ending with the abstraction of the background which felt playful.
“Living with the Seasons” | 36 x 48 | oil on linen
Because I had been wanting to paint this barn owl for a long time, when I finally put brush to canvas, the unfolding of this piece was a very organic process. Again, became of its importance, I stared with the eyes. My other priority was to give the illusion of movement. This is where the interplay with the background colors were important. Finally, one of the defining characteristics of a raptor-like this is its talons. I wanted to paint their effectiveness without them overpowering this image…or looking too menacing!
“Vision” | 12 x 24 | oil
My favorite pieces are usually the most simple. Scattered Sunshine has a simple premise – it is a painting about a single brown horse backlit in a field. And yet there is much to say inside the form of the horse and in the abstraction of the background. I am working on my ability to describe the illusion of light in my paintings so this was a way of practicing that technique. I wanted this piece to dance!
“Scattered Sunshine” | 36 x 36 | oil on canvas
This relatively small watercolor demonstrates what makes my job feel so fun! I get to play with line, color, shape, edges, and value… all utilized to render exceptionally beautiful creatures…like a mule deer doe.
“Indigo” | 8 x 8 | watercolor
I wish you could all see this piece in person. At 4’ x 4, its scale is approximately life size, which is one of the reasons that sandhill cranes are so impressive. It looks like a giant watercolor but is instead an oil painting on Arches oil paper. The watercolor feel gives it a light airiness that contributes to a feeling of flight. The turquoise green is one of my favorite colors (you see this in Vision) and is a nice complement to the warm tones of the crane.
“A Single Purpose” | 48 x 48 | oil on rag
The last of this line-up is one I have shared before- this plein air painting of a Yellowstone bison. While creating it, I was aware of what a deep privilege and honor it is to portray the magnificence of the natural world in my work. As this bison rested beyond my easel, I was filled with wonder and awe. I felt humbled in my effort to render the beauty I saw. As I look into the new year and new decade, I expect that I will continue to feel this way about my work as a painter.
“Resting Giant” | 6 x 8 | oil on linen
BONUS!
While this is not my artwork, collaborating with the talented Los Angeles filmmaker Andrew Rurik was one of my year’s high points. If you haven’t yet seen it, check out this film we made about why I love painting in Jackson Hole.
