Yes, it is another lily pad painting! This is one of the paintings I’ve been working on the last few weeks, and it may represent a little breakthrough for me. I have usually used a medium to thin and dry the paint which makes it easier to use as well, but the medium also smooths the paint out, getting rid of much of the texture. This time I used paint without the medium, and wha-la! Brush strokes and texture! It seems so simple a solution, I know, but we all get stuck in our ruts.

Anyway, I’m quite happy with this piece. I had called it “A Quiet Place” but think I’ve used the title before, so I enlisted my daughter Kristi to come up with it’s new name. Much better I think. This painting will be in the wall sale at the The Russell Museum Show in March.

“The Season’s Last Lilies”" is an oil, 24 x 24.

My good dog Boone is the inspiration for this painting, and it was lots of fun doing him the honor! Boone is a Border Collie and a supposed cow dog who is not there yet. He loves to run, but isn’t allowed to chase horses or cows. He has found however, that he usually isn’t in trouble if he’s chasing the birds. He must be 3/4 Greyhound!

A Reason to Fly is 24 x 30.

I’m still working on two larger paintings that aren’t finished enough to show, so I thought I’d put this one out there, a little painting done on location near Ennis, MT. one autumn. Is that Ennis Creek south of town? I painted from the bridge as the sun was going down.

On the larger paintings I’m working on now I’m playing with a palette knife which I haven’t done much, trying to develop a more textured surface. It’s been fun to experiment a little. The surface is quite different than that painted with just a brush.