Fall Paintings!

Hi everyone, sorry I haven’t posted in a while! I’ve kept myself super busy with new paintings that I would love to share with you right now! Fall in Colorado means that our aspen trees in the mountains begin to change and there is a small window of time to see them with their amazing yellow and gold colors. Luckily I was able to get up into the mountains on two separate weekends to enjoy the amazing views and take some great photos! These hikes and photos really inspired me to make several fall landscape paintings that showcase the amazing aspens we have in Colorado.

So here is my first fall landscape piece that I recently completed! I took the photo reference for this piece near Nederland Colorado around sunset time. I just loved how the aspens in the foreground framed the rest of the landscape and added a pop of color. I also really enjoyed how the clouds added some dynamic movement to the scene.

 
 

This piece is titled “Dancing Leaves” and is still available for purchase in my shop for $400. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE!

My next fall landscape piece was also inspired by one of my photos near Nederland but on a different hike. The lighting of this one is very difference because the sun had mostly set behind the mountains at this point so there were a lot of shadows and just a few spots of sunlight hitting the trees. The lighting on this scene got me really excited to create this great piece so I hope you enjoy it!

 
 

This piece is titled “Autumn Sunlight” and has been sold to a private collector! Don’t worry, there are more to come!

New Terra Human Study

Here is a new Terra Human study titled "Impending Storm" this piece explores how our internal world affects our external environment. As the storm develops and creates conflict in his mind so too does the storm gain power above him.

 
 

This piece started just as a figure study but while I was working on it I felt excited to push it further and experiment with it. I really enjoyed creating the environment around this figure and pushing my technique to make sure he seemed incorporated in it.

This piece is available to purchase for $250 in my online shop! CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE!

"Between Worlds" A New Terra Human Painting

Hello everyone! Here is my newest Terra Human painting titled “Between Worlds.” I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished in this piece and I would like to share a little bit about the process with you! Overall visually with this piece I wanted to approach it like a classic portrait and then let my imagination have some fun with the surreal and abstract aspects of the painting. This process and visual composition is fairly different from my typical approach to figures because I usually show the whole person and they are typically in a dynamic pose within a large landscape scene. So I thought a change would be nice in order to try something new.

 
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In terms of concept I wanted blur the line between humans and nature. I wanted trees and grass to be seamlessly growing on this figure as if it was a completely normal thing to see and understand. I wanted this very unrealistic dreamlike image to somehow make sense in the viewers mind so that the concept can come across effortlessly. A big theme in this piece is humility and a strong respect for the nature that surrounds us and I wanted this image to be a visual representation of that . You can read the full description of this piece by clicking HERE!

Between Worlds Side 1.jpg
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"Unspoken" A New Terra Human Painting

I’m very happy to have finished my newest Terra Human piece titled “Unspoken.” At the start of this painting I wanted it to be personal to me and to reflect a specific aspect of my childhood. This aspect being my shyness and how it evolved over time. When I was young and in school I never felt like I had much to say because I didn’t see the value of my input. But as I got older my shyness evolved into a willingness to listen and an awareness of the value of words and how just a few can have the most power when used properly.

Now lets jump into the process!

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In the above row of process photos you can see how I started with a golden yellow background color which would serve as our sunlight. After that I started with a line drawing of the figure and his surroundings to make sure everything was in its right place. After that I blocked in large ares of color and value.

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Once I had a sufficient amount of paint on the panel I could start creating more value in shadows and highlights. After these I could get into some finer details with smaller brushes as well as abstractions with the palette knife.

After many hours of persistent work here is our final product!

 
 
 

This piece is currently available to purchase for $900. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE!

Unspoken Side 1.jpg
Unspoken Side 2.jpg

"Majestic Rockies" Has Been Sold!

I’m happy to say that “Majestic Rockies” has been sold!
I’m very pleased with how this study turned out and I’m so thrilled that if found a new home! 

 
 

Sometimes when I start small studies for large paintings I can’t help but bring them to completion because of my excitement. This piece was a great practice painting for a great Terra human piece which you can view by clicking HERE!

 
 

"Jemez Springs" Throwback Thursday Sale

This weeks Throwback Thursday Sale features "Jemez Springs”

This 11"x14" piece is framed and ready to hang with a sale price of $130.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE!

I frequently reminisce about the creation of this piece because I was able to paint on sight surrounded by the stunning nature of New Mexico.

"Interior" A New Terra Human Painting!

I’m so happy to have just finished painting “Interior” a piece that explores the concept of our internal self, what is inside us and how we present it to the world. Creating this painting was very much a journey of overcoming self doubt and finding confidence. Once I finished creating the landscape background for this piece I was tempted to just leave the landscape as the final product and hope it would sell faster. After all, the progress shot I put on social media got a lot of attention and great feedback. But when I was debating this in my head I realized that while I love creating all sorts of paintings, my Terra Human pieces mean the most to me. These dream like figure/landscape paintings are the best outward expression of my internal thoughts and emotions and they need to be seen.

 
 

But even when I started blocking in the figure I still had doubts about how the final product would look and if it would stand up to my other pieces. I even considered painting over the figure and pretending this piece was only intended to be a landscape from the beginning. But I decided to take small manageable steps towards my goal which was to make this an amazing Terra Human piece. And while taking these steps I was able to change my mindset from a place of doubt to a place of confidence and exploration.

I decided to approach this painting knowing that it is okay if I fail even though I can be very afraid of failure at times. Overall I’m really proud of this piece and I’m glad that every new painting brings a new journey of self-discovery.

This original painting is available for $500 CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE!

"Sight Unobstructed" Has Been Sold!

I almost can't believe I'm saying this, "Sight Unobstructed" has been sold!
I met this very kind collector a few years ago at one if my first festivals and I'm so happy we have stayed in touch!

 
 

All of my sales are very important to me but it is especially significant when someone invests in a piece that is so personal and showcases my unique style. Every unconventional painting I create is a risk because I am choosing to open my heart up to the world and hope that is received with understanding and appreciation. It can be terrifying to follow your passion but it can be even more frightening to follow it in the exact way that you see fit without too many compromises.

I am so appreciative of the people who see the value in my work and the risk that they take in purchasing a piece of art that can add joy and understanding to their life.

New Fall Landscape in the Works!

So I am currently putting the finishing touches on my new fall landscape of Crystal Mill so here is a fun time-lapse showing the first stages of creation! I have always admired this iconic Colorado scene and am happy to render it in my own way. The final product will be up on my website soon in my Landscape section!

Autumn Landscape Painting!

This piece initially started as a landscape study of Mt. Sneffels but quickly showed some potential to be a finished product that demanded more time and attention. This piece became an excellent exercise in managing color and portraying distance. The warm fall colors in the foreground serve as an interesting contrast to the cold textured colors in the distance. For the snow on the mountain I used my palette knife to create some rough rock-like textures.

Update: This painting has been sold!

 
 

Here is a fun picture of the painting with the actual palette of paints I used!

 
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New Painting!

I’m very happy to have just finished this piece titled “When We Fall.” The process for this painting was difficult primarily because of the head/face that is slightly tilted downward. I didn’t quite notice this detail at first so in my first two tries of rendering her face I made her head at the wrong angle so the facial features just didn’t look right.

1st Attempt

2nd Attempt

As you can see in my first and second attempts I was not only misinterpreting the angle of the face but I was also wrong with the size. What I finally realized (far right image) is that because the head is tilted down, the eye-line and other facial features should be much lower on the face and you should see more of the top of her head. And this tilt would also make here ears slightly higher than her eyes.

 
 

I don’t enjoy starting over sections of a painting, but I’m realizing more and more how necessary it can be to create the image I’m visualizing in a convincing way. I’m very happy with how this piece turned out and it’s nice to see my hard work paying off!