These pieces were created in 1987/1988 when I lived in San Francisco and worked at a gallery frame shop. The images were inspired by landscapes either from an airplane view or looking straight on at a hill/sky connection or water/hill/sky connection. The titles are derived from places I've been to or names of rivers, mountains, places that sound like the resonance of the painting, mostly by color combinations and mark making. A dozen of these paintings were displayed at a Salon/Gallery called Architects and Heroes on Powell Street in 1989.
In 2021 I watched the movie Dances With Wolves and was very inspired by the scenes in that epic film. Yes I saw it
when it came out in 1990, but it was better this last viewing for me. I mostly love the panning of landscapes which were
filmed in South Dakota or Wyoming. I also love the characters and the story. In 2022 I learned they are working
on a prequel here in our state of Utah with Kevin Costner at the helm. I am looking forward!
When I began painting again in 2019 I had in mind a vision of a simple painting: a sweep of vermillion cliff, a sky with a small cloud, and foreground of sagebrush. I was taken by the American West but wanted to simplify the image to a small panorama. The first painting titled "Vermillion Cliffs View" emerged, and I have been creating these small works on paper ever since. Each oil painting is approximately 6 x 16 inches.
