After the Wind Blew

plein air, 8" x 10", oil, 'Sundown'

Desert Aire

plein air, 8" x 10", oil, 'Other Side of Torrey'

Anything Can Happen

plein air, 8" x 10", oil, 'Anything Can Happen'

You Are What You Give

plein air, 9" x 12", oil, 'September Reservoir'

Escalante Petrified Forest State Park is located in beautiful southern Utah, just 44 miles east of Bryce Canyon National Park, outside the town of Escalante. Hike along park nature trails through a petrified forest, camp along the shores of Wide Hollow Reservoir. At the Visitor Center, view displays of plant and marine fossils, petrified wood and fossilized dinosaur bones over 100 million years old.

Wide Hollow Reservoir was constructed in 1954 to provide irrigation for the town of Escalante. The small reservoir is also popular for water sports including swimming, boating and fishing. Over time, the Wide Hollow Reservoir filled up with silt, so in 2009 the reservoir was drained.  The project included

reconstruction of the existing earthen dam to restore water storage capacity that had been lost to sedimentation and to bring the facility to present-day dam safety requirements.

This is what the Wide Hollow Reservoir looked like after completion in 2011. FANTASTIC!!

All Kinds of Goodness

plein air, 9" x 12", oil, 'Western Sky with Field'

No Farm, No Food

plein air, 9" x 12", oil, 'Growing Green'

Then Came the Power and Determination

plein air, 11" x 16", oil, 'First Autumn Color'

Finding My Own Way

plein air, 10" x 12", oil, 'Parson's Escape'

The Clock is Ticking

plein air, 8" x 10", oil, 'Warm Afternoon'

Newly Wed and Almost Dead

still life, 4" x 5", acrylic, 'Blossomed Out'

Her Last Steps

studio, 16" x 20", oil, 'Who Will Take Care of Me and My Purse?'

Ocean Zen Friday

plein air, 8" x 10", oil, 'Ocean Zen Friday'

Beach Cruisers

plein air, 6" x 9", oil, 'Beach Cruisers Study'

I Love Today!

plein air, 6" x 9", oil, 'Monterey Bay'

2nd Plein Air Convention 2013 in Monterey

plein air, 6" x 9", oil, 'First Ocean View'

Bye Bye Sister!

plein air, 10" x 12", oil, 'Sanpete Sunset'

Summer Green

plein air, 9" x 12", oil, 'Summer Green'

Olson Homestead

plein air, 9" x 12", oil, 'Olson Homestead'

Pinky Up

studio, 10" x 8", oil, 'Cello Man'

The Wood Hollow Fire

plein air, 6" x 8", oil, 'Cedar Hills Beauty'

The 2012 Wood Hollow fire in Sanpete County will go down in history as Utah's most frightening wildfires. Fueled by erratic winds, destroying 160 structures, including 52 homes, and claiming the life of one person.

The wildfire started June 23, 2012 and burned 47,387 acres in 10 days. It was fought by 789 people, as well as seven helicopters and eight airplane tankers. Total costing nearly $4 million to fight.

The 75-square-mile blaze began near Fountain Green when winds caused two sets of high-voltage power lines to either touch or swing close enough to each other to create a surge then swept down the poles into dry brush.

Sunday, June 24, 2012 by my home on 5th West in Mt. Pleasant

Monday, June 25, 2012 in the meadow looking west

Tuesday, June 26, 2012 approaching the range-land

As I drove farther into the Cedar Hills, north-west of Mt. Pleasant, it seemed the fire had shifted to the south. I thought for sure I would never see the old granary again. 

Instead, the wind changed directions and raced towards the north saving the structure and fences on our property. The town of Fairview was evacuated and highway 89 was closed soon after I took these parting shots of the Cedar Hills.

                              

Simplified Shapes and Values

Go Take a Hike!

plein air, 4" x 7", oil, 'Distant Glow'

1st Plein Air Convention 2012 in Las Vegas

plein air, 8" x 10", oil, 'Spring Mountain Ranch, Nevada'

Standards and the Limbo

plein air, 9" x 16", oil, 'Cedar Hills View'

Have you ever taken a shortcut to save time or money? Here are a few examples.

Jaywalking, no-bake cookies, hot gluing merit badges on a scout uniform, drying your hair with the car's heater on the way to work. Not always the safest route or the best quality but at least we get 'er done!

How about computer shortcuts to expedite online time? Easy, fast, and convenient, we want to compress time right? Nothing wrong with that, eh?  

stand·ard  

/ˈstandərd/

Noun

A level of quality or attainment

But what about standards of what matters most. Can they be set and then  changed for our weaknesses or conveniences?                         Does raising the bar make  life easier or harder?        It may seem more difficult at first to raise  our standards but isn't  it like doing the limbo? The lower the  bar gets the harder it gets to do. When  we lower the bar of our standards doesn't life get harder too?                      Does the quality of our                          life change? What do you think?    Can you limbo?

Air Force

plein air,10" x 12", oil, 'Mount Carmel Thunderhead'

What an awesome cloud to watch at Mount Carmel, Utah

Get Ready to Do Something Daring!

plein air, 10" x 12", oil, 'Painted Rock'

Yuba State Park located approximately 25 miles (40 km) south of Nephi, Utah got its name from the individuals who built the dam. Local farmers and ranchers had to build the dam themselves or risk losing their water rights. The men working on the structure called it the U.B. Dam. As they worked they sang a song that stated they were damned if they worked and damned if they didn't. The phonetic sound of the reservoirs name was eventually spelled Yuba.

Visitors with a good eye can sometimes find evidence of the ancient Native Americans that once lived in the area. Rock art, pieces of pottery, and stone tools are among items that have been found around the reservoir.

The High Uintas, I Know the Way!

studio, 9" x 12", oil, 'Follow Me'

The Uintas includes a high, pristine mountain area in northeastern Utah that is popular for fishing, hiking, backpacking, horsepacking, hunting and other outdoor activities. Much of the area is designated as a roadless wilderness where vehicles are prohibited.The Uinta Range is the highest in Utah, and is the only major range in the contiguous United States with an east-west orientation. Elevations range from 8,000 feet in the lower canyons to 13,528 feet atop Kings Peak - the highest point in Utah. Ridges divide the area into large, scenic basins; many ridges rise abruptly several thousand feet above the basins.

What Are You Waiting For?

studio, 8" x 10", oil, 'Salt Lake Early Evening'

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time.

We are the ones we've been waiting for.

We are the change that we seek.

Sowing Time

plein air, 12" x 9", oil, 'Crop Edge'

PAINT...

plein air, 9" x 16", oil, 'Red Cliffs'