I was going to save this image for a blog closer to the 4th of July, but I wanted to put something besides a landscape up today. This is very Montana – and appropriate as it’s now Rodeo season. The brand on the horse is ours – TL. “Stars & Stripes” is 18 x 12 and for sale at the Beartooth Gallery in Red Lodge, MT.

I thought I would do a blog entry – anything to put off going outside to feed. It has been nasty and COLD this week. I’ve spent a lot of time outdoors feeding, shoveling and fixing. That is so much easier here in the summer, as long as you’re watching for rattlesnakes!

My first image is testimony to why I’m still sitting at the computer…our bunkhouse in the cold this week. The next are pieces from the Gallery Russia in Scottsdale. I always try to get to the Main Street galleries when I’m there, as I was a few weeks ago. The nude is a painting by a Russian artist,  Laimodot Murnick from the 50’s. I am amazed by the color! The next piece is called “The Pickers” and is by Maija Eliase, also from the 50’s. The landscape is called “Snow in the Country”, by Valery Shmatko, 2002. These pieces impress me so, as do many of the classical Russian impressionist works. There is so much texture, vibrance and gutsy brushwork. These are, in my opinion, some great painters!

It is with some emotion that I post this painting. It is one that I finished just before Thanksgiving. This is the second time I have painted this piece, something I never do. But, the first one I did for Tara Bowman at Montana Trails Gallery, and it went there not long before the explosion. It was one of so many things lost that day. Afterward, it kept coming to mind again, and I felt I needed to do it once more. For the longest time, it wouldn’t paint, and then suddenly, this woman appeared. Her face is more serene than the first one. I think Tara may have had a hand in it. I would like to think so.

Under a Painted Sky ll is 30 x 30 and is dedicated to Tara Bowman.

One can only imagine that the Statehood Ceremonies as they came to be in the territories were very exciting – full of promise and hope – for most. This Sioux boy stands under an American Parade Flag, the kind that was used during Wyoming’s Statehood Celebration. His perspective, even as a young boy may have been a little different than those celebrating in the streets.

This painting is an oil, 18″ x 12″ and is available at Mountain Trails Gallery in Jackson.

One of my focuses as a painter is portraying the women of the west, as I feel their stories should be told. Originally I had intended to paint primarily my rancher friends and those hardy women that live close to the land. I keep coming back to the Native American women though, as I respect what I feel to be their spirituality and appreciation for the Circle of Life.

“She Loves Their Stories” tells of a visit by this wise woman’s magpie friends. Magpies are thought by many cultures to be messengers that can travel between the dark and the light, bringing word of other events and places. These magpies bring good news!

I have just started showing with Mountain Trails Gallery in Jackson, WY. and this painting is there. It is an oil, 24″ x 24″.

Christine McKay and Debi Schmit will be showing with me in Big Sky on Saturday. These images are of their work. The porcelain sculpted piece by Christy is called “River Runners” and is wonderful! Debi’s painting “Farm Maid 11″ has such a beautiful old world style! You may see more of their work on their own websites.

If you’ve never been to a Native American Fair or ceremony, you’ve missed something. Everyone is usually dressed in their finest ceremonial dress, and many of their other ceremonial or traditional items are draped out over their horses or pickups for all to see. The sound is wonderful – ceremonial drumming and song, the jingling of jingle dresses; lots of horses, dogs, kids. The color and style are spectacular and hard to resist as an artist! This is one of a series of paintings I’ve done of this subject. Here, I was playing with value (dark to light) and color to see how close I could come with both in the girls clothing and the background and still make the painting work. This painting is an oil, 18″ x 14″.

I arrived at Crow Fair one summer just as the opening parade was starting. There was so much color and costume – beautiful! This painting is a compilation of images from that day. I loved this woman’s expression and I hoped to convey what I felt to be her strength and pride. I am enjoying doing these tonal paintings as they seem more “emotional” to me. “Under a Painted Sky” is an oil, 30 x 30, and is for sale through Montana Trails Gallery in Bozeman, MT. tara@montanatrails.com

“Hector” was the first student portrait I finished for “The Many of Faces of Andover” project I am doing for Phillips Academy in Andover, MA. It is an oil, 24″ x 30″. Hector is from the Dominican Republic, and he intended to become an Engineer. He was introduced to fencing at Andover and loved it! He chose to model for me in that outfit. It was also important to Hector to have both the American and the Dominican flags represented in his portrait. www.andover.edu

This is the second portrait I’ve done for Phillips Academy in Andover, MA. My daughter attended PA for three years of high school. It’s an amazing, academically rigorous college prep boarding school. I can’t say enough good things about it. www.andover.edu

For this project, I took pictures of twelve different students, and plan to do paintings of the same. I intend to focus on the diversity of the students, and their special interests as well. Every student there has a unique and interesting life story. They are kids from all over the world. One of the PA focuses is to enroll “youth from every quarter”, and they truly do. This portrait is of a girl named Yendi. It is an oil, 24″ x 30″. Yendi is from NYC, and is now in college, hoping to become a Doctor. She found dance at Andover, and loved it.