Published

My work came out in the new issue of Strokes of Genius published by North Light Books. I was fortunate enough to get two figure drawings published and a lovely double page spread.  Thank you to Rachel and everyone who worked on this project to make it a success.  

Europe

Well Europe is here and gone and I am back in the great US of A.  I had an amazing time and learned so much and am so sorry I didn't keep you all better informed.  I will however send you to some great images from my trip on my facebook page.

Day Six Calais

Sorry it is out of order.  Don't know how that happened. :)

Today was wonderful.  We got up early and after a delicious breakfast of yes, croissants, regular and chocolate filled, hard boiled eggs, brie cheese and some other faint cheese, orange juice and blood oranges, we were full. :)  We packed some stuff for lunch and we went to the beach.  The beach was amazing and it was my first experience with the ocean.  I mean real ocean.  It was wonderful.  I still am still a mountain person if I have a preference, but it was awesome to see.  I picked up shells and took pictures of the sea gulls.  There were a ton of French Fishermen out there too, with large nets that they used to catch shrimp and crab.  I took a ton of their pictures.  One other Frenchman was using a strange tool and sucking up wet sand out of it and extracting sea worms that he then sold to deep sea fisherman.  Many people say that the French are rude or impolite etc. But so far my experience has been the complete opposite.  The English in London were far more rude than the French have been.  These people are wonderfully nice and in spite of a language barrier try their best to help.  After eating leftover fruit, rolls and cheese for lunch, Jennifer and I found a Patisserie, or pastry shop.  They are all over here actually and each one has a different variety of confection.  I posted pictures of these delicious treats on Facebook and believe me, they were as tasty as they are beautiful.  Then we went to the town hall where we saw Rodin's sculpture, the bourgoise de calais, and then we went to Le Muse de Rodin,(museum) and we spent the afternoon there.  We saw a lot of great art and it was a fun experience.  The receptionist spoke English and was very helpful.  We then went to this beautiful French park and garden by the old fort in Calais.  They have taken the moat and turned it into a gorgeous walking path with a river and lush gardens.  It is really nice.  We took lots of pictures and then went back to the pastry shop to get more pastries and Quiche's for dinner.  It was really tasty.  In Paris we might actually eat at a real restaurant but we don't want to spend all of our money in Calais.  

Day Seven & Eight

We woke up early and went across the street from our hotel to the loveliest little market.  The market in Calais opens twice weekly and all of the lovely Calais people do their shopping there.  Which means that those lucky chums get to eat fresh produce, fresh and delicious cheeses and meats, and being a shore town, of course they have fish of every variety.  We didn’t get breakfast that morning and opted to buy a variety of goods at the local market.  We got more pastries of course, a raisin and cream bun that was oh so delicious, and a strawberry tart.  The tarts here vary depending on the patisserie, some of the crusts taste more like a sugar cookie and other crusts taste more like a ghram cracker crust.  In any case, the tarts have a crust that is like an individual pie shell, and then they are filled with a cheese custard filling and topped with fresh fruit preserved in a lovely sauce.  I have yet to figure out what is in that sauce, but it is divine and it is in all the pastries that have fresh fruit.  It preserves them perfectly for a day or so, and doesn’t have a strong flavor which would distract from the fruit itself.  The best I can describe it is like a clear sugar gelatin that is a little on the thin side.

Anyway, we ate that and bought some other special things for some other special people we know… Then we got some great produce to snack on the train.  Having really eaten no veggies recently my body is crying out for them.  So we got peas, a very strange looking tomato, some DELICEOUS radishes which are long, (more carrot shaped) small, soft, and somewhat spongey, and have a much softer flavor than the round radishes.  They were perfect to snack on and we ate most of them on the train as well as four blood oranges and the rest of our market finds.  J  We then got our train to Paris and rode there.  The countryside is very similar to England but much more open and sunnier.  It is still very green and this is where I’ve found the rolling green hills I was telling you about.  Pulling into Paris Nord I was NERVOUS, first of all, this place had WAY more graffiti than London, and the people were no longer the conservatively dressed, assertive Londoners.  But getting off the train I Immediately recognized the difference.  Parisians don’t hurry anywhere.  In London I always felt like I was in people’s road.  Here you still can be, but people are much more laid back.  The pace is much slower.  So getting through the train station was much less scary.  What was more scary however was not knowing the language.  And people don’t know a ton of English here.  Most ticket people or retail people know enough to help you, but it is a little nerve wracking.  Paris also smells gross.  For some reason, many people here (and there are MANY) have not heard of or do not believe in deodorant.  BELIEVE ME PEOPLE:  YOU ALL NEED IT.  You may think you don’t or think you are being healthy or whatever, but you are a gross festering mass of foul stench.  SICK!  Paris is also more multicultural than even London.  I’ve seen every nationality here, and people dress to express.  As for the porn advertising, I can tell you now it is a myth.  Some very conservative people may be terrified of a woman’s bare back, but those are the same people who think that women shouldn’t wear shoulder bags at BYU.  It is in no way pornographic.  I’ve only seen a few advertisements that are “risqué” and even then they aren’t sexually suggestive, just more skin than would be shown in the US. 

Getting to our hotel was a struggle through the rail system.  I hope every town doesn’t have a learning curve, but it probably will.  We got there safe though and it is a nice room, though unfortunately in spite of it being a nice hotel, you have to pay for internet.  I’m not paying 100 Euro a week for internet, so Jennifer and I are going to buy an hour or a day and then send you one email this week.  I hope I have good internet access at the next place, but expect the internet to be spotty in Italy, which is where we are headed next. 

Day 7

Today was a great day, though tired and stressful.  Jennifer ate something bad so she was throwing up in the night.  I have no clue what made her sick but am glad I didn’t eat it.  I’m praying it wasn’t the flu or anything.  We hung out this morning until her stomach calmed down and she could take some medicine.  Then we walked to the train station and went to La Musee du Luvre.  We were going to go to church today but our eurorail passes can’t be activated until next week or we’ll have to pay through the nose to get out of Belgum.  The only two branches in Paris are on the other side of the city in zone 4 and our cheap day tickets were only good for zone one.  Anyway we went to the Luvre and it was an amazing experience.  We estimate walking around seven miles just inside the Luvre.  Our legs are KILLING US. J We’ll be sleeping sound for sure.  Anyway, I saw the most amazing stuff today and pictures can’t even touch it.  I hope they can though.  I saw Michaelangelo’s slave sculptures, I saw ancient Greek statues, Phrudon, Rembrandt, Halz, Van Eyke, and so many more.  My mind is still reeling with all of the art I saw.  The Luvre is enormous but even so we might only go back for another day.  I had planned three days but there is so much of the Luvre which is more old and historic art.  It is good for history but I don’t want to study it for hours.  Tomorrow we’ll go to La Musee de D’Orsay which has Bouguereau, etc.  More technically skilled works which I like.  I did get to see some greatly skilled works though.  I saw the Gericault room, Ingres, David, etc.  I also saw many new artists that I haven’t heard before.  I am very excited to look them up and see more of their works.  I loved seeing their brushwork, etc.  There is just so much that I can’t remember without looking at my pictures.  I want to see more of it but think La muse d’orsey is probably the better bet though, as I saw a huge amount of more historic art.  Don’t get me wrong, gothic art is fascinating and wonderful but not as much my favorite as far as learning from it technically.  I do feel like I had a very spiritual experience today though, one swing through the Luvre and you get a history of art depicting Christ clear through the 18^th century.  All 19^th and 20^th century works go to La Muse D’Orsey.

We came back to the hotel and re-grouped, then came down the street to a Laundromat and are now doing our “lavage”.  I SO wish I had the internet and could keep you all informed, but I would rather pay for souvenirs for all of you than a few hours of internet. So don't expect an update for a few says but I'll still journal and you can get a ton of updates all at once.  


Love you all. 

London Day 5

Today.  Oh what a day.  It ended up being wonderful, though the entire day was composed of traveling.  We got up early and bid the horror hostile goodbye.  I forgot to mention previously that one night we were just barely asleep when we were awoken through very thin walls by the sound of a man violently vomiting.  He coughed and hacked and I think I heard splashing and I was so disgusted and horrified that the next day I did not even go near that restroom.  I could barely sleep thinking of his head so close to that molded toilet.  GROSS.  ANYWAY, we left the dear town of North Cross behind us and purchased a train ticket from London to Dover, the coast of Great Britain.  IT was a very long train ride which was very nice as we got to see much of the charming rural areas of Britain that we hadn’t before.  There really are rolling green hills and beautiful farms.  But it was frustrating trying to get pictures.  Britain is SO green that you barely have gaps in the trees to take a picture.  I managed to get some pictures of our trip though.  When we got into Dover we got a bus to the port where we got tickets to pass through the English channel.  Long story short, we boarded a boat and I got my very first look at the sea.  It was a beautiful sea filled with mystery and drama.  In spite of it being mid-day it was blanketed in a cloud of fog and a cold spray of mist.  I expected Mary Shelly’s monster from Frankenstein to come from the deep English sea.  When the ship took off I began to feel queasy, so spent some time leaning over the side, breathing deeply of the cold misty air.  I didn’t throw up the cheese and onion tart that I’d eaten earlier either.  OH that reminds me, a day ago in Britain I tried this fruit juice that I’ve never had before.  IT’s called Liche.  It has the strangest flavor that has the texture of a pinia colada, somewhat creamy and milky, but tastes more like a cherry/mango/ coconut flavor.  It was tasty but not life changing.  After we got to the dock we entered France.  And straight away we needed to speak French.  People know enough English and we know enough French that we can get by, but it is still strange and nerve wracking.  I’m way excited for France though, I want to eat good food, see great art, paint great paintings and maybe eat more good food.  J I love you all! Tomorrow we are going to the French Beach and painting Calias. J Then on to Paris. 

London Day 4

Today was a wonderful day.  Why?  Because we knew where we were going!!! J We didn’t get lost once, and we got to our destinations without any grief.  Getting home was another story, but at least we weren’t lost.  The Jubilee subway line was closed so EVERYONE was going the direction we were.  We would get in an already tight subway and people would keep coming in, and keep coming in, pushing themselves into EVERY available air pocket.  We were literally pushed into each other like a car in a trash compactor.  I send out a huge apology to everyone I unintentionally bumped groped or in any way violated.  I don’t feel too badly though, because you all were probably the ones doing that to me.  Regardless we still made it home without mishap. 

Two words about breakfast.  Very good. We got pastries at this little shop called Pret A Manger.  They were a puff pastry loaded with wonderful butter and goodness, and then the savory one had ham and cheese and a tomato basil sauce folded inside, and then the sweet one, was like a Raisin cheese pinwheel that looked like a cinnamon bun but was very deferent.  After breakfast we went and saw London Bridge and did a tour of this most AMAZING old castle/fortress.  It was a huge collection of buildings built centuries before our country was even the thought of a thorn of its parent’s side.  The castle was all stone and cobblestone streets and the castle included rooms in the outer wall and towers, but also a large conglomeration of buildings inside the outer wall creating more of a village than just a royal family.  We also went on this walking tour with this crazy awesome guy who was so animated and funny.  He gave a whole history of England and the fortress all in his own British sense of humor.  They are really funny if you can get their jokes.  He had a great accent too.  Though when he got going super fast it became difficult to understand him.  After a long Morning we hit the trains and Upper Crust.  This time we got lunch foot-long Baguettes and they were DELISH.  British people are all so skinny because they use public transportation, and they eat hardly anything, and what they do eat seems generally healthy.  We got two kinds of sandwiches, one was tomato slices, lettuce, brie Cheese, and whole basil leaves.  That’s it.  How healthy right? But it was actually tasty too.  The other had bacon, spinach, brie and cranberry sauce.  So simple but also very tasty.  They have brie everywhere here, and other hard to get in America items like shrimp or “prawns” and Duck.  Almost every corner shop will have something like that.  British food seems very simple, not very spicy or overly flavorful but a humble cuisine.  You have to pay attention to the flavors or you might miss them, but they are good. 

After we ate on the train we arrived at the town of Winsor and did a tour of Winsor castle.  Wow.  Really. Wow.  It was amazing to me that a centuries old castle is still working and functioning as a 21^st century structure.  The queen still uses it as her weekend home.  This “home” is also home to over five hundred live in employees and government workers.  Winsor castle is home of the Queens dollhouse or rather doll mansion, a fully down scaled home with miniature paintings, miniature forks and spoons, miniature everything.  It also has fully functioning electricity and pluming.  Here we also saw the china that Obama ate on when he came and saw the queen.  We saw a small section of their art collection which included no less than five Rembrandt’s, Reubens, Van Dyke, among others.  It was way cool to see some of these works in person.  Totally worth it.  I can now see what all the hype about Rembrandt is.  Seeing the originals was an amazing experience. 

After some studies and nearly falling asleep on our feet we returned home and got more Chinese but from a different place.  IT was much better. J  Tomorrow we go to Chislehurst caves and then take a train to Calais.  Then two days to Paris. J Calais is a hotel so happiness for clean showers!!!

London Day 3

Wow.  What a day.  We had a great day today sightseeing, and a good day overall for public transportation.  The day ended horribly, but we’ll capitalize on the good.  We woke up bright and early, the sun was already out, or as out as it gets here.  The ambient light that you see all over due to it being almost perpetually overcast makes telling time difficult without a watch… Which we don’t have.  We woke up just sure we’d slept the morning away and found that it wasn’t even 6:00 yet.  So we hit the train station, foregoing toast and marmalade for a baguette breakfast sandwich from a shop called “upper crust” In the London Bridge train station.  We got several things there, two breakfast sandwiches on a baguette, and two pastries.  We of course shared to taste every variety we could and it was interesting tasting a fairly British on the go breakfast.  They have a spread called egg mayo which they simply puree boiled egg into mayo, and then add scrambled egg chunks.  They spread that on the baguette with bacon and or sausage and cheese and you take it on the go in a little tissue paper wrap.  It was actually quite good.  We also got a few pastries for a snack a little later.  We got our breakfast and continued onward through the subway trying to get to Tate Britain.  An hour later we were still trying.  No we did not get lost this time, on the contrary, we had every train easily picked out and very quickly too.  This time it was due to signal failures on the Victoria line.  We waited in the sardine packed subway train in the middle of a tunnel for almost an hour.  I was just hoping I wasn’t going to throw up from claustrophobia.  We finally made it up top though and walked straight to Tate Britain.  We sketched the exterior for awhile while we waited for the museum to open.  When it did we were in for a wonderful day.  We saw so much wonderful art, and some very historic bad art.  I saw nine new Sargents, as well as paintings by Waterhouse, John Everett Millais, Lanseer, Whistler and (gag) yes even Picasso, Mondrian, Rouchenburg, Schwitters and more.

I was so moved by the Sargents.  It was wonderful.  But the British are inconsistent with their gallery rules.  For example, in the National portrait gallery you can’t take any pictures, but you can do drawings and paintings, including watercolor.  In the Tate modern you can take pictures (not that you’d want to), and the Tate Britain you can take pictures in most sections of the gallery and nowhere can you use watercolor, because they contain water and there is a no water policy in the Gallery.  Isn’t that interesting?  So we did watercolors until the very polite guard asked us not to, then we switched to graphite studies.  The British have a lovely way of saying things, you just can’t be mad at them for it.  “excuse me, is that lovely piece a woatacalla?”  “Yes it is actually.”  “Oh deah… woatacalla is not pehmitted in this gallahry I’m afraid.” J he was evah so nice about it. 

Then we having seen as much as possible, we left with our art meter on full and our bodies on empty.  We then stopped and ate the pastries we had “purchased” earlier that day.  You don’t buy things here, strangely it confuses people.  You purchase things.  We split a maple pecan braid of puff pastry… It was very delicious.  We also slit a large almond croissant with toasted almond slices and sugar on top and an almond butter/pudding center.  It was also delicious.  Then feeling mostly full we went on a perambulate through the streets of London, joyously happy to see that the sun had come out.  Not even just partially.  It came out and it was a full sunny and even hot afternoon.  It was beautiful.   We walked to the Jewel tower which was the coolest old building that they used to count money in.  Lots of pictures to come I promise.  It is right by big ben so I also got more big ben pictures.  Then we went to Westminster abbey.  We saw Westminster Cathedral yesterday but Westminster abbey is a crazy amazing church/crypt for all of their dead royalty.  Each royal would try to outdo another by their wing/family plot.  The result is a huge and opulent building with creepy/ awesome tombs everywhere.  The floor is also paved with “here lies the body of…” for the less important royals.  It is somewhat creepy to be walking on dead people, but you get used to it.  They also had a section for notable people and I saw the tomb of Robert Browning, Alfred Lord Tennyson, George Elliot, William Shakespeare, etc.  It was pretty cool.  From there we took a boat tour on the Themes which was really fun and we got to see everything we’d seen up close and personal from a different view.  The ride was nice and it was refreshing to be around tourists who were even more touristy than us.  After the boat tour we took a while getting back to London Bridge station because we were um sort of, eh… became misplaced in our whereabouts.  But in my defense, we were actually heading the right direction the whole time.  It was just tricky.  I hate walking this city in rush hour.  There are literally thousands of people moving together independent of each other.  Did you know that London stupidly claims to be the smallest city in the world though, just because “London” proper is only a one square mile.  Everywhere else is a little town around “London.”  Get with it people, you may think you are from Waterloo, but you are from London.  Anyway we got back, ran out of pounds but finally exchanged some, almost got stranded at a train station with no food or money.  But all of that got worked out and we are alive and well.  J  Love you all.  Tomorrow we are going to London Tower and then Winsor Castle. J Wish us luck! J

GASP.  I forgot to mention that I ate a prawn chip!!  It is basically flavored Styrofoam, but it is so delish! I also ate British Chinese food, which is very different than American Chinese food.  I’m guessing neither is authentic.  It was good, but out of five restaurants, none had orange chicken and none had Lo mien.  Isn’t that fascinating?  Also did you know they don’t use the word Exit? No, on EVERYTHING they have an arrow sign with “way out” so you find your way out of the street and your way out of the subway, etc.  They also don’t give you food “to go” you get “take away.”  Oh dear me, I also forgot to mention that after one horrific encounter with a moldy, filty, scary shower that dripped either scalding or freezing water, I have taken up experiencing my inner hobo with sink baths.  It is sincerely awkward but it will work for one more day.  Then on to France! J  Also, all of the British people dress so well.  I covet their clothes for the most part.  The differences are interesting but more on that later.  

London Day 2

Day 2

We had a somewhat restless and biologically confusing night, as our bodies were used to a seven hour difference.  In spite of it we woke refreshed and eager for another day.  We had many things planned, but plans change.  Instead we saw some other things which were unplanned for but still great.  We initially were planning on going to the Tate modern, buying the London tour pass, taking a boat ride to the Tate Britain and then spending the day at the museum and around Big Ben.

First going through public transport at eight AM was… nothing short of terrifying and insane.  But don’t fear, we came off conquerors.  We were sardined through the subway and came out at London Bridge station where we followed the crowd for fear of being either trampled, accosted, or lost if we were to loiter.  In the mass of people we found sanctuary literally in the most charming little garden courtyard of the beautiful Southwark Cathedral.  We painted studies of it and after we were frozen by the British spring morning we went inside to look around.  The stained glass windows were awesome and beautiful as well as the general architecture of the building.  We couldn’t take pictures though, because you had to get a pass which was a euro, the only problem was that they didn’t take cards, and we had no British pounds yet.  So we continued our walk toward the Tate.  Jennifer convinced me that I was a tourist and would shake myself later for not taking pictures.  So I resorted to looking like a tourist and taking lots of pictures while we walked.  The streets are so… So European! I wanted to take a picture around every corner, and did for a while, until I began to be more selective about the buildings we passed. 

Upon arrival at Tate Modern however they had no London pass, so after a skimpy view of the horrendous Damian Hurst we got help from the most charming and helpful lady who told us specifically that we needed to take five trains to Piccadilly to buy passes.  So off we went, wasting about an hour getting our London Passes and then went to go to the Tate Britain…. But we got lost… and stumbled upon Big Ben! J So we took his picture.  The tour sounded lame so we didn’t go tour it.  We then wandered into The Churchill war rooms which is the labyrinth under a large government building.  The prime minister basically lived underground in these rooms and tunnels during the war, with all his chief of staff and even his wife.  There was an extensive tour and I thoroughly enjoyed it, having read a biography on Churchill. 

The war rooms exited into St. James park I believe it was called where a royal someone or other had a bird park.  It was awesome and just for me bird galore.  They were just laying and nesting and preening all over the place we took tons of photos.  There was even a little cottage where the bird caretaker  lived.  Squirrels and pigeons  were also in abundance and a family of swans and I could go on and on.  We even took a good picture of us. 

Then we saw a collection of Davinci anatomy drawings at the Queen’s gallery.  It too was fascinating he had some mad drawing skills as well as patience to tackle such a project.  Simply amazing.

At this point we stumbled around trying to get back to the Tate Brittain.  Rode on a bus got lost decided the heck with it all and went back to the National portrait gallery.  I saw a few more sergeant paintings.  And we both went to see a Lucien Freud exhibit and it was fascinating, I vastly prefer his work in person and I'm glad I had a chance to see it. 

London Day 1

Shell shock is the best way to describe my first day in Europe.  London specifically.  Upon leaving the hot and sticky weather of Las Vegas we boarded a flight to the UK.  Boarding the flight, no sense of pending excitement came over me, but a simple resolution that I was finally fulfilling my dream of seeing the world.  I must confess it has been nothing like I imagined, but in spite of that it is still thrilling and intriguing. 

                For some reason in my own imaginings I pictured England with rolling green hills dotted with sheep and friendly people who call, “top of the mornin’” as they take out their “rubbish”. J While I still hope to see the charms of the countryside, the big city of London is more than enough to keep me occupied with things to do and see.  When we flew into London we hustled through customs and I received my first ever stamp in my passport.  From the heat of Las Vegas we entered the cold chill of Great Britain.  I needed my jacket the whole time.  From the airport we had bought train tickets to “Charring Cross,” A supposedly quant little town somewhere in the UK.  To get to the train to take us to Charring Cross we needed to board three different trains all of which needed to be sought out carefully on a map.  When we finally did make it to Charring cross I was thoroughly charmed by the plentiful graffiti that littered the beautiful Victorian style townhouses that are so caked in city grime that they look even more charming.  The city was jammed with a hubbub of people, ranging in all the colors of the rainbow and all the nationalities of the earth.  I am fascinated by the diversity of accents within the UK itself.  You have your upper class speakers, none of which can be found in Charring cross, but rather Trafalgar square which I’ll get to post haste.  You have your cockney speakers, you have your, “what language is that? Oh it is English speakers” and then you have the ethnic British speakers who sound something like, “Hey sista’ Cohme on’ daeh an don call da bobbie bouys.”  All of these people are trying to get to different places and the masses of bodies are hurled together in this nerve wracking game called “public transportation”, which seems to have gleaned some rules from the American game of “Twister”.  Public transportation was a nightmare and sent Jennifer into a hive covered emotional frenzy.  BUT never fear, we got back on track and finally located after several places were closed a venue for buying “Oyster cards” Which are handy public transport cards with a picture of the Queen on them, which you swipe ever so swiftly before you can go board a train.  IT is much faster and much more cost effective.  After we got the cards and figured out the stops we needed we felt much better about the entire process.  Take the waterloo subway to the Canada stop, then walk through a maze to board northbound Jubilee, then switch to east charring and then northbound which is closed so board a red bus (Yes I road on one.  Hopefully never again.)  It was terrifying driving on the left side of the road by a person who drives similarly to the purple midnight bus in Harry Potter.  Funny side note, all of the pedestrian traffic in London is the same way, walk on the left!  It finally dawned on us as we were juggling our way through the crowds of people.  We went to the National Gallery and the National portrait gallery in which we saw some Amazing artwork and did some studies.  I saw Titian, I saw Ingres, I saw many more Sargents J Monet, Manet, etc.  Halfway through the museum though, we had to stop and move our shaky, jet lagged and hungry selves out onto Trafalgar Square and go get some lunch.  A relatively cheep lunch for Trafalgar Square standards consisted of the “Tea time special.”  With tea, no thanks, cucumber sandwiches, yes please and scones with strawberry preserves and clotted cream, then the meal finished with a very rich chocolate cupcake.  It was actually very good for we starving artists and we went back to the museum, revived and ready to tackle a Sargent copy.  I did a building study from the window before we left and I think the waiter was anxious for us to free a table.  Our card was declined also, meaning that our well intentioned though anal retentive bank did not heed our warning that we were going out of the country!  Luckily we have another card until we can call them as well as American currency which we have yet to exchange for British pounds sterling. 

 Now for the hostel.  I think they call them hostels for a reason.  This place is a total dive.  Paint is peeling off the walls, the mattresses literally poke your behind with their springs and oh glory there is some seemingly bodily fluid on the window curtain! Gross.  BUT after three days of this, we will be going to a private hotel, then a five star resort in Paris so I’m fine.  Jennifer assures me that this is the worst place we are staying at, and it is actually livable.  The room is private with a bunkbed, and has a beautiful view of the quaint chimney tops through original hand blown glass panes.  While Jennifer is showering I opened the window and am looking out on the city.  It really is charming here in spite of the nerves of the day.  Any time I’m expecting Dick Van Dyke to come tumbling over the roof and give an impromptu performance.  I love and miss you all!  Pray for me!  But so far the trip is going well. 

Flying away from the home we love. 

We are in London :) 

LOVE the chimneys 

On the plane 

Charming street near Trafalgar Square. Complete with hobo. 

Daily Paintings

I have been doing a lot of painting recently, and a heavy number of studies.  These daily paintings have been ever mounting and after throwing many away, the better ones have been building in my storage.  I recently discovered a great venue for the sale of these paintings and am offering my daily studies for sale through the art collection website Daily Paintworks.  These studies are offered at a fraction of my normal gallery price due to the speed and volume of the work.  I enjoy working quickly and breaking a subject down to the basics.  I'll be posting my weekly studies here on my blog and linking them to my paintworks gallery.

I am also presenting my thesis proposal this semester for my MFA.  I am excited for a new phase in my work and the opportunity to work in series.  Keep checking in for my new work and updates on my thesis show.  

Have a great day! 

Tourists

As I was landscape painting in Kolob Canyon of Zions National Park, I had a strange thing happen. I was set up off the road, painting a composition that just couldn't wait until tomorrow when a car stopped and a French Tourist got out. He came forward slowly, watching me as I painted. When I turned to him he asked in rather stilted English if he could take my picture. I laughed and nodded, after all, this was not the first time I have been the subject of tourist interest. The man then waved his assistant out of the car and she brings him not just a camera, but video equipment while she carries her own camera.

I am used to people watching me paint, and it doesn't bother me at all, but I have do say I was somewhat self conscious with a large camera slowly circling me, pausing over my shoulder and then zooming into my face.

His assistant then explained that he was a french filmmaker who was doing a documentary on the national parks. I had to sign my life away for them to use the clip and the short interview they did, but for a fellow artist I had no problem with it. I got their information and they promised to keep me posted when the film is complete.

That was only a little more funny than the time I was painting at big bend in Zions when a busload of Japanese tourists got out and one by one stood behind me while the tour guide took their picture.

Thomas Moran Continued

After a great week it was fantastic to see the work produced by everyone. The reception had a great turnout and was so fun.

My wonderful supportive mother came down for the event.

It was great talking to all of the artist. Here are Travis Humphreys left, Myself, and Brad Holt right.

Here's a shot of my work hanging in the black frames.

In the Footsteps of Thomas Moran 2010

This year I was invited to the Zion National Park Invitational show In The Footsteps of Thomas Moran. It was a week long of fantastic painting fun and I wanted to share with you a little of what went on.

I averaged four paintings a day, which meant I was quite busy. I got up early each morning to hit the canyon before sunrise and then just painted through the day.

On Friday they had a quick draw which was super fun. We started gathering at 11:30 with high anticipation and artists staking out locations. At noon the signal was given and 21 artists set to rapid work. We had to have a finished painting at one o'clock--a painting that would be immediately auctioned off (No pressure to do something worth signing). I painted Mountain of the Sun which had great (But rapid changing) shadows. I was so focused on painting quickly that it came together a lot faster than I expected. This is a picture of me about a half hour into the painting. Anne Weiler helped head up the event and this is her working on her piece

Roland Lee did a fantastic piece as always. I've loved his watercolors for a long time and he is as nice of a person as his work is.
Doug Braithewaite had a cool setup to keep cool.

It was wonderful to meet Donal Jolly and Jolly describes him very well.
This fantastic lady bought my piece in the auction and this is the winning bid shot

Red Canyon October 13, 2010

For those who don't know, I have a solo show in the Red Canyon Visitor Center that will be opening Easter weekend. I have decided to blog my thoughts and experiences as I create the body of work and hopefully make it a more interesting show because of it.

Today October thirteenth, I woke up early today and hit the road by seven A.M. My hope was to get to Red Canyon early enough to see the cliffs glowing with the morning light. I'm glad I arrived a little later than daybreak, because the ride over the mountain was equally as breathtaking. The light was unquestionably cool as hints of heat radiated off the frost coated landscape.

I was driving past a river and spotted these wonderful creatures, grazing peacefully on the morning ice. I had to stop and snap some photos but in tourist country such as this, one stopped car just invites others to pile around like sardines in a can. Needless to say the bison got spooked and took off through the river, but even that was a beautiful shot.

I made it to Red Canyon and it did not disappoint. The morning light was wonderful with the soft cool cast broken up by flaming heat of reflected light between the rock faces.
I drove through the canyon a while, just wanting to get a feel for the different formations and looking for interesting shadow shapes. I stopped off at a few places but nothing felt right. There was just so much of an overload of information. I am ashamed to say that though a southern Utah native, this was my first time I'd really stopped and walked around Red Canyon. Because of this I think I was a little awed by the craggy rock to just pick one spot. After a little while though, I got the stars out of my eyes and went back to the mouth of the canyon where a certain rock group had caught my eye. SIMPLIFY YOUR SUBJECT, was my motto and I picked something that could be simplified into a great composition.

Oh, yeah, while I was walking around looking for a composition, I saw this person flying a hang-glider or something like it over the canyon. How fun, beautiful, but not to mention terrifying would that be?

After the morning painting, I stopped by to see Richard Costigan at the Visitor center to talk about the exhibit space. It was informative talking to him, but I have to admit I'm getting a lot more ideas about the exhibit by just writing about it.

After a quick bite to eat I found a spot for an afternoon painting and did another work. This is me working on the last one. A friend of mine took the picture. (Note the Red Canyon shirt. Richard gave it to me and I felt it was only appropriate. When in Rome right?) I heard somewhere that the parks die the shirts with the red dirt. I'm not sure if that's true, but if so, that's pretty cool.


I have to say, both paintings turned out really well and It was tremendously fun experimenting with the colors of Red Canyon. To see the final images check back Easter weekend when I'll be posting the show, or better yet, come to Red Canyon and see for yourself.

Check back for more :)

Rob, the muralist

Painting a mural is such a fun experience. I rarely get the opportunity to paint so huge and I really love it. The mural is 6 feet by 18 feet and I didn't want it to take over my studio, so I painted this downstairs with the basement north windows.

This was after the first day, the cliffs mainly done with the foreground blocked in.
The next day I refined all the foreground space and added the animals.
The third and fourth days were spent on the other section of the mural, adding animals, etc.
This is a detail of an action scene in the mural.

I have two murals left to do, so check back on how they progress. The official opening of the office and viewing of the murals is October first. I'll be posting the time and location as it gets closer.

Update

So goals are funny things, you make them and then life seems to speed up around you. I've been commissioned to do two murals of the magnificent Southern Utah landscape in a new to be opened business. Sorry all, I can't disclose just yet which business, its still on the down low. Needless to say, I haven't been able to make my daily life study goal. I've been driving all over looking for places to use as inspiration. I've been getting a lot of references as well as plein aire studies and I thought I'd share a few.

This was a small daily study I did of a clove of garlic from the garden before I got this commission.


God's Country, looking from Cedar breaks. The master painter never continues to amaze me.

While picnicking at Cedar Breaks I got in two studies of trees and thought you might like to see them before I officially put them on my website.

both are 9 x 13.5 odd size I know, but I love the long format. I'm going to prepare more panels in that size so I can work that way more.
The top one took a little longer but they were about an hour a piece.

New Goal

We've been re-landscaping our yard and it's my job to water the plants. I have been caring for the new growth with little reward but today our lilies were in bloom. They were so enchanting that and I just had to do a little study.

A little pipe cleaner and tape to secure my still life.

There were the funnest leaves that I had to include.

Lilies 8 x 12 oil on linen

I had so much fun that I hope to do a daily life study. They will probably be small and under three hours like this one, but there is nothing that can top the endorphins you get when working from life.
A detail of the main flower. I loved the surprising colors that I found in the soft, cool north light.

Announcing

To all my collectors, family and friends I would like to announce that I am going to be participating in the November invitational art event In The Footsteps Of Thomas Moran, hosted by Zion National Park. I will get you details about the event and schedules etc. as the event draws closer. In the meantime you can view Zions website posted below.

http://www.zionpark.org/ArtInvitational2010

Random Sketches

I thought I would share a few random sketches from my sketchbook.

My friend Jennifer Posed for a few minutes during a lecture
I love copying the old masters. If you have an eye for it they can be some of the greatest teachers you will ever have and their lessons can be learned across time and space. This is a copy I did after the American Master John Singer Sargent.

My cousin was extremely bored so I put it to good use.

DVD Stills

So it is no secret that while it lasted I was a Lost junkie. I don't watch much TV, finding it a total waste of time, but whenever I do I make sure that it doubles as artistic experience. I like to find fun expressions, great characters and good cinematography and pause the movie and do a quick sketch. I do two , five, ten and fifteen minute studies depending on how I like the pose. I thought I would share a few.