Along the Needles Highway, we stopped to watch five mountain goats grazing on what appeared to be Curly Burdock leaves. Here is my rendering of a Billy Goat Tender, the polar opposite of Billy Goat Gruff.
Billy Goat Not so Gruff
Black Hills Studies
I just returned from a hiking/painting vacation in the Black Hills of South Dakota, along with a little detour to Devil’s Tower, Wyoming. I am inspired by God’s beauty in this part of the country. While desolate and dry in many locations, it is uniquely beautiful in its quietude and simplicity. Waking up early in Wyoming and going out on the porch of Sawin’ Logs Bed and Breakfast, I was able to carve in my memory the delicate pink grapefruit sky above three deer grazing. It was so perfectly still and a reminder that we, too, as artists, need to be still, to truly appreciate and capture moments like these. On the Wildlife Loop, we came upon hundreds of bison in the fields and on the road. When we came upon this one, Paul had a name for him, but I can’t remember- it was so perfect. I’ll call him Wooly Bully until I remember.
Wooly Bully Study
Bronc Buster Study
Bronc Buster Study- Underneath all of this color is hot pink. I’ve used bright orange before, but never hot pink…Why not make the moment more intense? I saw this rider at the Hawley Rodeo this past summer. I did several studies and now have completed the final large piece. I hope to show it at my next show in November of 2013 at the Spirit Room. For now, it is going to hang around my studio for any last minute touch ups. I liked the study as it helped me “figure things out” for the big piece.