Pikes Peak in Spring

I live near Compassion International, which has some of the best views of Pikes Peak in town and also allows visitors to hike its grounds. During this very wet May I hiked around their land seeing what I could find to paint. All that rain made the normally yellow grasses especially green (at least by Colorado standards), but up on the peak the moisture is still mostly snow.

I'm always amazed by the color out here. The colors really were this dramatic! The tree really is that bright green, the foothills really are that purple, the mountain just that blue, and of course the Colorado sky--I couldn't paint the sky out here without phthalo blue in my box!

Oil on canvas, 16" x 12"

This painting is for sale at the Fare Bella Gallery in Manitou Springs, CO. Click here for contact information and to visit their site.

Reaching the Sun

This one took me three attempts to paint something I liked. I wish failure wasn't such a big part of the art experience, but it is!

This is another rock formation out at Eleven Mile State Park in Colorado. The actual scene was really quite sunny with few clouds, but I knew that this peak would be much more dramatic if the lower portion were in shade from cloud cover. So in Photoshop I pushed and pulled and masked and created this scene. I love how the color splash at the top really draws your attention.

Oil on canvas, 11" x 14"

To purchase this work click here.

Footprints at Eleven Mile State Park

One of the most fascinating things to happen to me in transitioning to a fine art painter is that I am finding paintings yet to be created everywhere I turn, which is especially true living in Colorado. This place is beautiful and just begs to be painted, but I've been to Colorado before and yet I'm seeing some of the same terrain with different eyes it seems. That's the case with this particular scene, which I would have all but ignored previously.

My family had spent Christmas in the mountains and were returning home to Colorado Springs. On the way we stopped by Eleven Mile State Park near Lake George, CO to snap some photos of the large reservoir now covered in ice and snow and the beautiful trees and rocks which surround it. We snapped the photos we were after and turned to head back to the car. On the way I looked up and saw this little scene of a tree near some rocks with some low rolling mountains in the background. The atmosphere created just the right depth, the only thing it needed was some footprints to lead the viewer in and help tell a story, which I added while painting the scene. I was pretty pleased with this simple scene when I finished, something I've been struggling to feel for a while now.

Oil on canvas, mounted to board, 11" x 14"

To purchase this piece please click here.

Pikes Peak From Northgate, Colorado Springs, CO

It seems that just about every spot in Colorado Springs has a million dollar view of Pikes Peak. This particular view is found just a short walk from my home. To the right is a strip mall, to the left is a large church, and just over this grassy rise is I-25 and the Air Force Academy, but with this small parcel of land at just the right angle it's as if I'm in some remote patch of wilderness. I never actually noticed this scene until I began painting…which is happening a lot lately! Every time you turn around out here there's a painting waiting to be crafted.

Oil on canvas, 20" x 16".

This painting is for sale at the Fare Bella Gallery in Manitou Springs, CO. Click here for contact information and to visit their site.

Pulpit Rock, Colorado Springs, CO

In the Rockies there are rock formations everywhere--duh right? But to a midwesterner it's just amazing. This here is called Pulpit Rock and sits smack dab in the middle of town, sandwiched between a Costco and the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. In the Midwest folks would drive for hours to find a spot like this, but out here it's just spot of land no suitable to build on, so it's turned into a park. I love it!

Oil on canvas mounted to masonite, 16" x 12".

This painting is for sale at the Fare Bella Gallery in Manitou Springs, CO. Click here for contact information and to visit their site.

Snow Covered Rock Outcropping, 11 Mile Reservoir, CO

When I first completed this painting I was not happy with it at all. I just felt like I'd failed on it, but I hung it and let it be. Over time it began to grow on me to where today I'm actually pleased with it. I can't claim that this is necessarily a great painting, but it's not half bad either. Like with all my work I can see tremendous room for improvement, but I can also see possibly selling this work and being proud of that.

Oil on canvas, mounted on masonite, 22" x 16".

To purchase this painting please click here.

North Side of Pikes Peak, Colorado Springs, CO

Pikes Peak looms large over this town and it's such a thrill for this flatlander to see it everyday. The peak itself is great, but it's this smaller peak off to the right (when viewed from the plains) that I find my painter's eye drawn to. It has more rock bands and couloirs. Those make for things that are much more interesting to paint in my opinion.

Oil on canvas, 30" x 14"

To purchase this work click here.