"Taking the Scenic Route Home" oil on linen, 22"x 34"( Sold) Giclee prints available. Usually when painting a landscape, or a scene, the bottom of the painting is the view out in front of you 40 or 50 feet or more. In this painting I decided to tackle the challenge of trying to paint the water right at my feet...had I known how difficult it would turnout to be, I might have chosen differently! But I was pleased with the end result! This is the beautiful Gallatin River again. "Cord" Haythorn is the cowboy.
"Sunset Crossing" oil on linen, 22"x 28", Sold. Giclee prints available. Another Gallatin River crossing. This is the same part of the river as the "Border Patrol in Paradise" painting, with the Spanish Peaks in the distance. Craig Haythorn is the cowboy....a proud 3rd or 4th generation steward of the historic Haythorn Ranch.
"Charlie's Inspiration Point" oil on linen, 22"x 36". Sold. Giclee prints available. Many times I have stood overlooking a scene, and though the animals, or riders are not there, it is easy to envision them being there, and thus a painting idea is born. In Charlie Russell's masterpiece, "When the Land Belonged to God" I envisioned him standing there above the Missouri River looking over this scene, and though the buffalo were long gone into the pages of history books, he could see them filling this scene as far as the eye could see.
"Extravagant Neighborhood" oil on linen, 24"x 36", Sold. Giclee prints available. A good friend and neighbor, approached me about doing a little drawing or "something" for him of this little cabin. He had an old curled up black and white photo of the scene. He had grown up going to this cabin with his family, for hunting trips, summer outings etc. but a few years later, the cabin and the whole surrounding area had burned in a forest fire. When I saw the photo, I knew what it could become, and I also knew my friend had no clue of what I could do with the information on the little photo! I really didn't want to "waste" the good reference material and opportunity, on just a drawing, so I decided to "go for it" and do the painting I knew it should be! I turned it into a sunset lighting with the colorful clouds, and added the pack string, and the inviting light in the window and smoke coming out of the stovepipe. Because his stated budget for the project was for a drawing, I decided to have a couple giclee prints made of the painting, one for him and one for his sister, which was about price of what a drawing would have been. When he came to pick up his "drawing", he was so blown away, that big "tough guy" Mike was on the verge of tears! Then he blew me away, when he told me he didn't want the print, he wanted the original! When I told him how much the painting would be, he just said, "I don't care, I want the original"! When he gave his sister the giclee print, she did begin crying...she and her husband had spent their honeymoon in that cabin!
"Moving the Horses" oil on canvas, 11"x 17", Sold. giclee prints available. With some artistic license, I moved this Gallatin farmstead, across some fields, so that it could have the Spanish Peaks as a backdrop!
"Perks of the Job" oil on linen, 18"x 24", Sold. Giclee Prints available. Being a cowboy maybe doesn't pay that great, but the "perks of the job" help make up the difference!
"Golden Days" oil on linen, 18"x 24", Sold. Giclee Prints available. Another Gallatin River crossing, this one with back lighting, which was fun to do! I did this painting for the "Out West Art Show" quick finish event and auction. Once again, Craig Haythorn is my cowboy model!
"Ridge Runners" oil on linen, 30"x 48". Available for sale, contact artist. This scene is going up Wapiti ridge up Taylor's Fork Creek, with the Hilgard Peaks of the Madison range in the background. These are Haythorn cowboys and horses.
"Trying to Broker a Truce" oil on linen, 30"x 42", Sold. Giclee prints available. About 14 of us artists, were able to go to the historic Haythorn Ranch in the sand hills of Nebraska for a photo shoot. We took photos of them doing their different cowboy related jobs, rounding up the horses, roping the horses from the rope corral, saddling the horses, branding the calves, meals at the chuck wagon and cowboy camp, as well as many other activities. I came home with about 15,000 photos, of the most beautiful horses I had ever seen and the most authentic cowboys and girls! It was a treasure trove of painting ideas! Most of the photos, end up being transposed into Montana settings!
"Rainbow Rider" oil on linen, 36"x 30", Sold. Giclee prints available. At the local rodeo, we watched this "buckaroo" ride this bronc to a standstill, it was quite a performance on the part of both, but the rider got the upper hand this time.
"Setting the Hook" watercolor, 11"x 11", Sold. Kelley Haythorn, showing that she knew her way around a horse and a rope.
"Just About At the End of His Rope" oil on linen, 24"x 38", Sold. Giclee prints available. Kelley Haythorn again, getting the job done!
"Directing Traffic" watercolor, 9"x 12" Watching the riders and the horses working together a one unit, was poetry in motion!
"Cowgirls and Their Diamonds" oil on linen, 24"x 38", Sold. Giclee prints available. These two cowgirls packed us in and out of our bowhunting camp in the wilderness. They were rightfully proud of their "diamond hitches" and packing skills! They had no idea that I was intending to do a painting of them doing their job, but when I finished the painting, I sent them both digital files of the painting...I think they were both quite well pleased!
"Sage Creek Surprise" oil on linen, 32"x 48". Available to buy, contact artist. Giclee prints available. This bull elk, is our old friend "Freight Train". We had a fair number of encounters with him, some at pretty close quarters, but even after several years of our trying for a different outcome, he always left us empty handed, but with a great deal of respect and an understanding of how a few bulls live to be old herd bulls!
"Just About to Ruin a Moose Hunt" oil on linen, 30"x 42", Sold. Giclee prints available. After years of applying for a coveted moose permit, they finally draw one. Then after weeks of planning, of scouting, of packing, the anticipation growing...the day finally arrives! They leave before the crack of dawn, to canoe into the wilderness to set up their camp and get situated for the two week adventure. Arriving to the camp spot just before sunset, the unthinkable happens! The adrenaline kicks in, bull fever empties the brain of any rational or logical thoughts, and with the pull of the trigger the moose hunt is over. The thrill of a life time, the high fives, the whooping and hollering soon give way to the reality of their situation. Exhausted from canoeing all day, they now get to spend half the night or all of it, trying to reduce a huge bull moose into pieces they can actually move from the water into the tangled willows, and that's all while trying to hold a flash light that seems to be getting dimmer by the minute. Finally at dawn's early light, they stumble into what was suppose to be camp, and climb into their bedrolls on top of the tent canvas that will now not need to be set up. After a few hours sleep they will get to start shuttling meat out of the wilderness before the grizzlies discover the carcass. After a few weeks when the aches and pains have been forgotten, and the memories have been sufficiently adjusted to remember only the thrill, they will start talking excitedly about the next hunt, when the other guy draws his tag!
"Bow River Camp" oil on linen, 22"x 28", Sold. Giclee prints available. Two evenings in a row, I set up my easel on the banks of the Bow River in Banff, to try and capture this scene of the setting sun shining on the peaks, and reflecting on the water. The field study resulted in this studio painting of some moose hunters' camp. Artist Philip R. Goodwin's paintings of wilderness camps, and canoes, and moose hunters, have always been favorites of mine, and inspired this painting idea.