Tag Archives: Colorado

Line of Junipers

Posted on August 2, 2018 by

Today I walked out to a part of my brother’s land that is usually a small pond ringed by a meadow and juniper trees. This year it is so dry that there is only a suggestion of green in the … Continue reading →

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Sunset along the Canyon Edge

Posted on August 1, 2018 by

We are camping on my brother’s land in the Colorado San Juan Mountains. I look forward to our annual family reunion here for many reasons, including the chance to paint this dramatic landscape. This week the skies in western Colorado … Continue reading →

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Along the Galloping Goose Trail

Posted on July 27, 2018 by

Among the many gorgeous trails in the Telluride area is the Galloping Goose. It was built along the old railroad tracks and descends down through aspen, fur, and flowers, from Telluride to Illium. It was a perfect choice for my … Continue reading →

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San Juan Mountain Path

Posted on July 25, 2018 by

The sun was intense as I stood in the shade and sketched. Even through my dark glasses the shade from the pine trees that fell across the path contrasted strongly with sunny areas of the mountain path. When I got … Continue reading →

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Telluride Town Talk

Posted on July 24, 2018 by

During the summer, the Telluride Science Research Center offers a weekly talk of general interest by a visiting scientist. I enjoy these talks because they are provocative- for instance, today’s topic was, Geo-Engineering a Climate Change Solution. But even better, … Continue reading →

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Two Fishermen

Posted on July 23, 2018 by

I went down to Elk Pond today to practice painting reflections. It was a beautiful morning and the colors of the trees, sky, and mountains were sharp and clear. However, I soon found that painting water reflections is similar to … Continue reading →

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Two Aspen Trees

Posted on July 22, 2018 by

This is a second version of the last sketch I posted showing the view from the window here in Telluride. In fact, it was my first try of this view but I put it aside thinking that I could do … Continue reading →

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View from a Telluride Window

Posted on July 20, 2018 by

Looking out the window here in Telluride, there is an almost overwhelming amount of greenery. It is framed against a grey sky and purple and blue mountains. The greens flow together and the tree trunks give it some structure. This … Continue reading →

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Puddles after the Rain

Posted on July 19, 2018 by

We are back in Colorado. Yesterday, as we left the Four Corners area, we were treated to an intense monsoonal lighting storm. We stopped for the night at McPhee Reservoir and I was able to sketch the puddles on the … Continue reading →

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Trunks in a Meadow

Posted on July 1, 2018 by

  I love the look of tree trunks against the grasses and shrubs in a meadow. And I also like the layered look that the different grasses in a field make, stretching from edge to edge. I did not have … Continue reading →

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Cabin Near Estes Park

Posted on June 27, 2018 by

Yesterday I wrote about trying to find the cabin near Estes Park that once belonged to my college roommate’s family. Today, with directions from my friend, I was able to find it. Part of the problem, in addition to the … Continue reading →

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View from the Flatirons

Posted on June 25, 2018 by

We are in the Boulder Colorado area for a few days. This morning I went up on the Flatirons above Boulder and admired the view. From the Flatirons, the Great Plains seem to begin at the edge of Boulder and … Continue reading →

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Montrose Colorado Morning

Posted on March 11, 2018 by

I am in Montrose Colorado for the weekend and could not resist quickly sketching this view across the fields to the San Juan Mountains!

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Reflections

Posted on October 13, 2017 by

Last July I got a good start painting this sketch of my sister and her barefoot child. I liked the body language between the two of them but had trouble with the hillside above the pond. When I had to … Continue reading →

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Torrey Pines Morning

Posted on September 5, 2017 by

This morning our plein air landscape class met at Torrey Pines State Reserve just north of San Diego. It was foggy and the boundary between the sea and sky seemed to shift throughout the morning. I used a large brush … Continue reading →

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At Elk Pond

Posted on August 10, 2017 by

Elk Pond in Telluride Mountain Village is a place where people can come to fish without a license, sunbathe, kayak, paint and just hang out. I love the way the water catches the reflections of the sky, mountains, trees, and … Continue reading →

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Meadow on the Village Bypass Trail

Posted on August 9, 2017 by

Mountain Bikers love the Village Bypass Trail and I had a great time marveling at their speed and courage as I stood above the trail and sketched this morning. I considered including a few but they flew by so fast … Continue reading →

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View Through the Balconies

Posted on August 8, 2017 by

Today was a good day for rain and a good day to paint indoors, or at least to paint from under the shelter of the balcony above. I was going to paint the clouds over the mountains but noticed how … Continue reading →

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Rain Comes Across the Meadow

Posted on August 7, 2017 by

It has been really rainy here in Telluride this year so I have had a lot of opportunity to observe how the rains comes in across the mountains and hills. It is just beautiful and I wanted to convey this … Continue reading →

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Another Meadow

Posted on August 6, 2017 by

This is another sketch which, like yesterday’s, is mostly about learning to paint meadows. However, this one is painted from a photo because by the time I got up to where this meadow is on the Telluride ski slopes it … Continue reading →

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Like Matisse’s Windows

Posted on August 4, 2017 by

For the last three weeks I have been thinking about the view from the window. It is so beautiful and the framing of the vista by the window sets the view off splendidly. I looked a few times at some … Continue reading →

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Rafting the Mighty San Miguel

Posted on August 2, 2017 by

For the last two days I had my back to the San Miguel River and the mountains above it while I sketched thickets of cottonwood trees. The San Miguel is very shallow in this section and perfect for beginner rafters. … Continue reading →

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Same Place, Same Time, Different Lighting

Posted on August 1, 2017 by

I started this sketch yesterday after making the preliminary sketch that I posted yesterday. This morning I set up my easel in the exact same place as I had yesterday in the Telluride Town Park, expecting to be able to … Continue reading →

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Preliminary Sketch 

Posted on July 31, 2017 by

If my goal for the day’s sketch is complicated, it helps a lot to make a preliminary sketch or two. That way I can work through some of the challenges without worrying that I will wreck my work. My preliminary … Continue reading →

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One With the Couch

Posted on July 29, 2017 by

I sketched this last night shortly after sketching, End of the Last Day of the Workshop.  Today I added watercolor and ink to it. Although it is not as well drawn, I like it because it shows these three tired … Continue reading →

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At the Counter

Posted on July 27, 2017 by

This is a quick pen and wash sketch showing a restaurant in Telluride. People are figuring out what they want and workers are taking orders and preparing food. I liked the liveliness of the scene and had fun trying to … Continue reading →

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By the Pond

Posted on July 26, 2017 by

I walked over to the Telluride Town Park this afternoon. I never made it past the Kid’s Fishing Pond near the entrance because a grandmother and child sitting on the pond’s bank caught my eye. They were watching something off … Continue reading →

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Telluride’s Oak Street Plaza

Posted on July 25, 2017 by

I set off to do abstract gouache sketches of landscapes but somehow ended up sketching with pen and watercolor in a 9 X 12 inch sketchbook.  This is a small plaza in Telluride where people catch the free gondola that … Continue reading →

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The San Miguel River Again

Posted on July 24, 2017 by

In yesterday’s sketch I worked to get a fairly realistic sketch of an actual place along the San Miguel River just outside Telluride Colorado. The parts of the finished sketch that I found most pleasing were the large abstract trees … Continue reading →

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Along the San Miguel River

Posted on July 23, 2017 by

We have had rain most afternoons and the landscape is about as green as possible. Before the rain I biked along the San Miguel River Trail until I came to a particularly gorgeous spot. It seemed like the perfect location … Continue reading →

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