Over the years, I’ve really enjoyed seeing the wild sunflowers blanket the hills beneath the mountains of Crested Butte in Colorado. This area is famously and lovingly nicknamed the wild flower capital of the state. Mid July, the meadows are filled with so many colorful flowers. Most years I am here around my birthday basking in the beauty of one of the most beautiful and special places in the Rocky Mountains.
When the sun begins to set over the mountains in the San Luis Valley, often there is a beautiful burst of color. At times it is in the sky, while other times the mountains themselves can look lit up and glow with warmth. I took this photo from our sunset viewing bench in late Autumn. I used the color of the mountains from that evening to be my inspiration for the new mural.
This painting is inspired by the rising sun over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in Mosca, Colorado. That’s where I am building a sculpture park and the surrounding mountain views are so inspiring. The sun peaking over the jagged mountains, igniting the sky and giving form to the mountains is breathtaking in the San Luis Valley.
In the recent years, living in the San Juan Mountains and also spending alot of time in the San Luis Valley surrounded by the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, I feel that both areas inspired this dreamy mountainscape.
Having lived in Colorado since 2012, I’ve been enjoying incredible mountain sunsets ever since. Recently, I’ve explored this theme in a few new paintings. This one was inspired by the mountains near where I live. Some are really jagged and wild looking, including Chimney Rock which is near Pagosa Springs where I live.
This painting is inspired by a peaceful early morning in a mountain meadow. The sun is emerging from behind the mountains and the fresh morning light is beginning to light up the cool, mountain landscape where the meadow is covered in wildflowers, including the lovely purple lupines.
This painting is inspired by a calm evening in the mountains. It is set in a mountain meadow where pink paintbrush flowers are abundant. Its magic hour time, the sun is just setting and the landscape is illuminated. The vivid colors in the sky beautifully compliment the colorful and abundant wildflower-field set against the glowing, purple mountains.
This is an original acrylic painting inspired by early mornings and evenings in the mountains when everything feels calm and the colors are soft and gentle inspiring feelings of peace.
At the beginning of this year I began a new series of small paintings: 6″x8″, 6″x12″ and 8″x10″. These are the first 5 of the group. I plan to paint another 6-9 for this series. Then I’ll choose a group to display at a local gallery here in Pagosa Springs.
This painting is inspired by a pretty spectacular sunrise that I witnessed near Cascade, Montana. It was in the Summer of 2015 during the wildfire season. There were fires burning in the near by mountains and forests. I could not actually see any of the fire but the smoke in the atmosphere along with the ...