Christmas in Big Sky, MT!

Another great stop for the Holidays.

Opening for The Russell

A Place in the Wild 24 x 36" oil/linen

Tonight is the opening for The Russell - Sale to Benefit the C.M. Russell Museum in Great Falls, MT. This is the painting I have in this years show.

As Russell week fast approaches, I'm madly painting away, hoping to fill my room with new work for collectors to view. This years event starts the evening of March 16th and runs through Saturday March 19th, when the auction pieces are sold. This year Dave Powell and I plan on sharing the same room during the Western Masters Art Show (formerly the C.M. Russell Art Auction.) The location is the Heritage Inn - Great Falls, MT - Room #166. Click on the links in this post for more information and details on the all the events taking place. This is going to be a fun year - hope to see you there!

The Gray Wolf Reintroduction

"A Place in the Wild" 24 x 36" oil/linen

For more information of how to purchase this painting click here

Here is the finish of my wolf painting. I've been so inspired doing this piece! The idea for this has been building in me for some time, ever since I first sighted a wolf near the Montana, Idaho border a few years ago. Then last week I woke up seeing this painting in my minds eye and had to just go for it! It came out exactly how I had first envisioned, so I'm very happy with the results. I still need to work on the background some, but I wanted to post this today, since I'll be taking a long weekend.

I was going to write a long litany about my thoughts on the Wolf Recovery Act here in our state, but I promised myself when I started this blog, not to use it as political platform.

But if you'd like to read more on the controversy that inspired this painting, you can go to these links:

Bozeman Daily Chronicle

Montana, Idaho & Wyoming Policies Foreshadow Extinction

I am endlessly amazed and inspired by the passionate responses of my fellow humans!

Happy Earth Day, Everyone!

The Return of the Wolf

Today I wanted to post the start of this wolf painting. I haven't actually finished it yet, but its progressing so quickly I'd like to share what I have so far. As I mentioned I had a strong, clear vision of what this piece would look like, so I went straight for the canvas. Normally, on a painting of this size, 24 x 36", I would have done preliminary sketches to determine placement of the wolf figure and also to map out an overall composition. All I can say is, I already knew it would work, so I dove right in!

Here is the roughed in sketch.

I used my knowledge of dogs to get the anatomy of the figure close, then I spent about 2 hours pouring over images of wolves, to study their unique characteristics, specifically their feet, which are much larger then most canines.

Now I've blocked in most of the color and values.

This particular scene is based on my first wolf sighting, which happened a few years ago on the Montana, Idaho border. Later I'll show you the finish of this painting and tell you about my first impressions on seeing this controversial animal in the wild.

A Clear Vision

I just think the creative process is so fascinating!

Three days ago I awoke with this image etched in my brain. I could see the finished painting so clearly in my mind! A vision I believe that is a direct result of the political controversy surrounding the reintroduction of the Gray Wolf to our region. This is a detail of the painting that has insisted on taking over my easel since then! Resulting in what can only be described as a passionate response to this issue. More to come...