Snow Canyon is one of the most beautiful and amazing places in Utah, although lesser-known than its cousin up the highway, Zion National Park. At Snow you can find every combination of lighting, every range of color from cool to warm, muted to saturated, and every texture, from smooth sand dunes to rippled ridges to craggy cliffs to scrubby sage. Like much of the desert, there is striking contrast everywhere you look. There is also a surprising amount of water, if you know where to look for it—especially for a desert. And it feels like you can see forever. 

This scene may look a little familiar if you've been following my work. This is from the the same view as "Snow Right After Rain," that was so popular at my last show. A couple of people requested a horizontal version of that landscape, so this is an attempt at the horizontal format. I may eventually develop it into a larger piece. But for now I'm happy with it as is.

Sometimes I think I could be perfectly content painting nothing but Southern Utah. But I have to confess, I love the vast variety of landscape here. The mountains, lakes, canyons and forests of Northern Utah are just as captivating as the red rocks and arches of the southern half. 

One thing that adds an extra degree of integrity to my Southern Utah landscapes is the Primatek mineral pigments made by Daniel Smith. I own almost a complete set, and I find they render the colors and textures of this region better than anything else I've seen or used. Part of the reason is they're ground directly from actual minerals, some from this very area. I also love the way they separate and granulate, and even sparkle—not like fake glitter, but with a natural luminescence coming from the minerals themselves.

QUESTION: What is your favorite area to explore in Southern Utah? or near you?

Paris is legendary as a city of romance, and to me this images captures that sense. We were strolling on the banks of the Seine at dusk, having just taken an evening boat ride and watched couples dancing to music under the lights outside a cafe. The weather was warm, the sky was dramatic, and while the shadows deepened and stretched before us, the moonlight gave the river a beautiful glow. Everything looked soft and romantic. This is Paris at her best.

This painting sold before I even had a chance to post it to the website. But I thought I'd share it here on the blog.

"Moonlight on the Seine" 15 x 22
Collection of James and Margaret Leight
California

Fall is my favorite time to paint outdoors. The vibrant colors are a constant source of inspiration, and the temperature usually feels just right. (Such a relief after the blazing hot days of summer!) 

But working outdoors presents its own set of challenges. The light changes. The weather changes. The paint dries faster...or slower, if it's extra humid outside. And then there's the whole daunting idea of facing a giant panorama of scenery. How to decide what to paint, what to leave out, and what to simplify.

Following are some tips that have served me well when I venture outdoors to get my fill of gorgeous scenery and fall color:

1. Start with a sketch. In a sketchbook you can solve problems in advance that will save you regret down the road, helping to ensure success. I use the Aquabee Super Deluxe All-Media Sketchbook, in a variety of shapes and sizes. True to its name, it accepts a wide variety of media, including ink, charcoal, pencil, markers, and of course watercolor.

2. Simplify. Don't try to paint the whole landscape, or every little detail. Less is more. Decide what drew your attention most to the scene, and zoom in on that. Use your hands to crop in on an area. Squint to simplify shapes and values more easily. (I think I have permanent crow's feet now from squinting all the time!)

3. Do a value study. Lots of artists skip this step. Let's face it, the fun part is the color, right? But I'll let you in on a little secret: Value does all the work; Color takes all the credit. If you solve the problems of value and composition in a value study, you then have a map for the color portion of your painting, with so many decisions worked out in advance. When I skip this step the paintings are never as successful, so value studies are an always for me now.

4. Match your value study wash for wash. I don't always do this. Sometimes it's faster and easier to work out the values first and then proceed to the finished painting. But matching your values wash for wash really helps keep you focused on the shape at hand and not get distracted or pulled away by non-essential details. It also gives you the advantage of allowing for a little drying time between washes while you're working on the other side. 

5. Combine objects into clusters. For example, a grove of pine trees is a single shape with pine-tree-esque texture on the edges—NOT seventeen (or however many) individual trees! The same goes for foliage. Look for overall shapes with interesting edges, rather than trying to capture leaf after leaf after leaf, or even shrub after shrub.

6. Be fresh and free with your color. It turns out Mother Nature is a master at this. Color variation is her middle name. (Or it should be!) Don't get stuck in the trap of making colors too literal. Believe it or not, they'll actually be MORE realistic if you imitate nature herself and include a variety of color in every shape. Tree trunks are not brown...they're a range of colors, including purple. Rocks are not grey. They are a variety of colors, including combinations of warm/cool complements: blue and russet, purple and gold, etc.
Allow these colors to mix on the paper rather than stirring them into a muddy soup on your palette. Your painting will thank you.

7. Organize colors into larger shapes for stronger impact. One of my students looked at the hills dotted with fall colors and said, "The canyon looks like a bowl of fruit loops!" I like that description. But focusing on dots of color can get you into trouble.
   Here you need to understand broken color: Small dots of two or three colors combine visually to make a third color which is a combination of the dots. For example, Blue dots plus yellow dots = green dots.  So painting lots of little dots of green and orange and red (the trees we see covering a hillside with bits of fall color) will combine visually to create...brown. Ugh. The opposite of what you're trying to achieve.
    Instead, take sections of foliage and assign them a color...make bunches of neighboring shrubbery in a single shape of red, or orange or green. Now these colors are large enough to stand on their own, with the impact you were after. 

Okay, those are my secrets for successful painting outdoors on location. Venture out with confidence!

QUESTION: What are your best tips for painting on location?
​

This was my third trip to the Lake District, one of the loveliest places on earth. The first time I went, I was a college student, and I honestly felt like I'd died and gone to heaven. I could not suppress the joy.

The Lake District hearkens back to a time when everything was kinder, simpler, quieter, and nothing competed with the natural world it revered. Stacked stone walls divide pastures of sheep, and everything feels just right, the way each stone is carefully selected to fit perfectly with the stones above and beneath. A metaphor for our thoughts and our lives, which yearn to find order in chaos.

The climate is a rich, humid invitation for growth, and oh, how the flowers respond! I caught this view as I was leaving Dove Cottage, Wordsworth's beloved home in Grasmere. His words are far better than mine at describing life in the Lake District, and its conduit to the heavens:

"How does the Meadow flower its bloom unfold
Because the lovely little flower is free
Down to its root, and in that freedom bold.

and...

"a sound and healthy friendship is the growth of time and circumstance,
it will spring up and thrive like a wildflower when these favour"

and...

"'Be thankful, thou; for, if unholy deeds
Ravage the world, tranquillity is here!'"

Oh, how the world needs that tranquility today! I'm so grateful this timeless place has been preserved for all to experience.

Question: Where do you go to find freedom, growth, and tranquility?

I had a rare opportunity to travel to Arizona for a watercolor workshop from a famous Chinese artist, and visit my sister Emily in Gilbert at the same time. I convinced her to take the workshop with me, so we could paint alongside each other like we did when we were younger.

This is a sister with so much natural talent for watercolor, and an innate freedom and freshness in her work. But she rarely takes the time to create. About 20 years ago, I had a client in Santa Cruz commission 24 watercolors to illustrate their fragrance line. I knew there was no way I could complete all 24 by their deadline, so I enlisted the help of my sister, and hired her to create several of the paintings. To this day, you cannot tell which are hers and which are mine. Our styles are that similar.

I was driving to her house, anticipating this gift of time with my sister, painting together. The radio, wifi and cell service had drifted out long ago, and I was alone with my thoughts when I reached this section of highway. I was so stunned by the beauty...the layers of mesas fading into the distance, the red rocks of the middle ground, and the vibrant foliage in the foreground, I pulled off to the side of the road to take a picture. I finally painted it last fall, using a favorite palette comprised mainly of Daniel Smith's Primatek mineral pigments, plus a few rich transparents for glazing. This is the result. I love the authenticity of both color and texture these mineral pigments bring to a landscape. 

Last month "Arizona Highway" was juried into the Utah Watercolor Society Fall Show which opens tomorrow (October 6) at the Bountiful Davis Art Center. Come see the original (plus two larger pieces) this weekend.

"Arizona Highway"
Utah Watercolor Society Fall Show
October 6 -November 17, 2017
​Bountiful Davis Art Center
90 N Main St. Bountiful, UT 84010
Opening reception: Oct. 6, 7:00 pm

It started with a train ride from Gare St. Lazare train station in Paris, a site many of the great impressionist artists have captured. We rode to Vernon, a small town in the French countryside, to rent bicycles and buy french bread, and other lunch essentials. 

We rode through the town and over a lovely stone bridge to the other side off the Seine, where we stopped on a grassy knoll to picnic on the banks of the river. Rested and well-fed, we mounted our bicycles again and pedaled through the French countryside, past stone cottages, whitewashed fences, lovely gardens, and line after line of fresh laundry drying in the sun.

Finally we arrived in Giverny, and queued up to tour Monet's home and garden. The line was long and the day was warm, but there was an ice cream kiosk conveniently located right across the street. And soon we were inside. 

It was a dream come true to see the lovely home where Monet and his wife Camille lived out their days, and to tour the garden that inspired so much of his later work. This is his famous and beloved lily pond, framed by an array of brilliant-colored flowers and shaded by mighty willow trees. 

Then we rode back again through the countryside, past the laundry and the stone cottages, the bridge and the river, returned our bicycles and boarded a train back to Paris. Best day ever.

In this painting I tried to capture my joy at visiting this longed-for place, the serenity of the garden and pond, and a touch of the impressionism Monet himself used to describe his garden.

"Monet's Garden" original watercolor, 15 x 22. 
On display at the UVU Faculty Show, Oct. 5 - Dec. 9, 2017.
Woodbury Museum (University Place, Second Floor).
​

I love the quote from You've Got Mail where Tom Hanks is telling Meg Ryan what he loves about the fall in New York: "It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly-sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address." There is something so inspiring about this season, signaling the start of a new school year! And for me as a teacher it is always exciting walking into a roomful of strangers who I know will soon become friends...and better artists! I love me some sharpened pencils!

But I'm feeling extra nostalgic this year, as it's the first year I'm not sending any kids back to school. Instead, Jeremiah will be serving mission for our church in Long Beach, California. Josh is entering a new chapter of his life on the East Coast, moving to Brooklyn, New York. And Jordan and Austin are moving into the in-laws' basement to save money after their wild summer in San Francisco.

Capturing the messy combination of back-to-school excitement and bittersweet nostalgia, here is the old Washington School House (now a boutique luxury hotel) in Park City, built in 1889, back in its old mining town days. I started this painting a couple of years ago and only just recently finished it for the show at the Coffee Pod: 426 W 1230 N, Provo. Check it out there while you can!

Question: Where is Back to School season finding you this year?

I'm sure it's no secret to many of you that I love to cook. It's an art I am passionate about, that is satisfying and creative and therapeutic, much like painting is for me.

Sometimes the combination of colors, textures, and flavors is completely intoxicating...before it even makes it to my plate. I simply love the process.

A few weeks ago, when I was putting together a favorite salad, I was so swept away by the brilliant colors I was overcome with a desire to paint them. --Not a realistic rendering of the ingredients themselves, but a wild abstract painting capturing the passion and the flair of the process. I loved the result! (Coming soon!)

I started asking myself what other recipes had the makings of a great abstract painting. There has been a flurry of activity in my studio as I immersed myself in the painting process the way I do the cooking process. The colors are pungent, the textures are evocative, and the process involves pouring, spattering and so much more. I am launching a whole series of these "foodie abstracts" based on other favorite recipes. 

I'll be posting a new one every week or so, along with the recipes that inspired their creation. Stay tuned! This series is so different from my usual work, and not to be missed! 

Question: What recipes do you love that might also inspire a great work of art?
​Please share!

This is part of the Center Street Porch Series I painted of the historic homes in downtown Provo. It began as a plein-air painting project with one of my summer semester classes. I have always loved this freshly-remodeled house with all the flags. Today the "Freedom Festival" is going on throughout Provo, a longstanding tradition.

My greatest hope is that in all our flag-waving we not forget the motto on the Statue of Liberty: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free." This country would not exist, nor would it be as amazing and creative and diverse, without its influx of immigrants. We are all immigrants here in a sense. The truly brave welcome those from diverse backgrounds and cultures with open arms. Perfect love casteth out  fear.

Back in May we visited the Newseum in Washington, D.C. It was one of the more fascinating museums we've visited. One display showed a color-coded world map of the range of countries with a free press. I was amazed to see what a small percentage of the world has a truly free press. Thank heaven for a democracy where we live, and a press that remains free (regardless of white house bullying). 

I remember after 9/11 feeling an urgent need to purchase a flag to display. I was surprised to see how many people had the same idea....there were long lines of people, from every ethnicity and socioeconomic background waiting to buy flags. It was so important to show unity, solidarity, and support for our nation under attack. 

A divisive presidential election and its aftermath has left the country divided, hurting, and often angry. Hopefully it won't require another vicious terrorist attack to remind us that when all is said and done we are all Americans. That flag was designed as a symbol to lift and unify us all.

​O say, can you see an opportunity to to figuratively join hands and embrace others with tolerance and compassion, including those who think and feel differently?

Question: Which of our many freedoms are you most grateful for?