Frozen Hearts

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

I'll Whisper My Secrets to the Stones

I'll Whisper My Secrets to the Stones

18X24, Oil on Panel

This was the first real bushwhack waterfall that we ever went and found.  It is called School House Falls and it's in Van Buren County.  It began to rain on us as we were heading back to the car and we took shelter for a while in an old abandoned barn.  

March 1

This one was started on site at Falling Water Falls the week after I broke my wrist.  This was the third time I've painted here.  This one will still need a bit more work but it's starting to take shape.

In the Deep Cathedrals

In the Deep Cathedrals

9X12, Oil on Panel
SOLD

This is Swamp Falls.  It is in a deep, deep holler in the heights of the Ozarks Mountains in Johnson County.  This was one of the most fascinating places I've been in the Ozarks.  The amount of water that was flowing was incredible and all the while I was there I imagined some other civilization besides our materialist culture which had made this place into hallowed ground...

I started this in plein air using the Golden Opens but they refused to dry and I had to completely redo it in the studio with oils.

Seljaland, Iceland

Seljaland, Iceland

6X8, Oil on Panel

Available

For a couple of days during the trip to Iceland, we stayed in the country in southern Iceland, under the shadow of the mighty Eyjafjallajokull volcano.  At the end of this shield of rock is the large waterfall Seljalandsfoss.  This view was looking in that direction.  From a few miles back down the road, you could make out the waterfall even from this far away.

Natural Dam, Crawford County

Natural Dam

8X10, Oil on Panel

SOLD

Sometimes, a plein air painting will sit and gather dust for quite some time before I either decide it's done or figure out what it is I want to really to do with it.  This is one of those.  I painted this after I dropped off paintings for a solos show at the Van Buren Center for Arts and Education toward the end of 2012.  It has sat in a corner ever since then.  I got tired of some of other things I was working on one night and just decided I had nothing to lose by throwing some more paint at this one.  I don't like to leave paintings totally abandoned so I'm glad I was finally able to make myself happy with this one.

Impression of Bridal Veil Falls, Cleburne County

Impression of Bridal Veil Falls

6X8, Oil on Panel

Available

 

 

About 2 and a half weeks ago I took a trip up to Heber Springs to deliver a new batch of paintings to Ellen Hobgood Gallery and I took the opportunity to stop off at this local landmark to paint.  It was a very cold morning and the box canyon this fall is in does not have a very easy way in.  Luckily I was using my new Guerilla Painter box and ultra light tripod so it was at least manageable to get everything down in one trip.  I set up on the side of the canyon that got some sunshine in hopes of staying somewhat warm as I did not really dress appropriately for the cold.  I managed to tough it out for about and hour before I realized I just wasn't going to finish it there.  Because of the wet painting, it took 2 trips to get everything out and I was freezing by the time I hit the car.  Made me retire to the warmth of the coffee shop in Heber while I waited for the gallery to open.

Fuzzybutt Falls, Searcy County

Fuzzybutt Falls

11X14, Oil on Panel

Available

 

 

 

Fuzzybutt Falls is a fairly easily accessible fall in the Ozark National Forest.  It's tucked back into a box canyon near Six Finger Falls.  The stream here feeds Falling Water Creek.  I can only speculate as to why it is called Fuzzybutt Falls and perhaps I would rather not know.  Still, beautiful little water fall.



Laura's Falls

Laura's Falls

10X14, Oil on Panel

NFS

Here's some new work for a change!  A few years back my family went on a waterfall hunting trip and found this little cascade upstream of the main waterfall we were trying to find.  It was a grey and humid day but the water was freezing cold.  I told my wife that if she would get into this waterfall, I would do a painting of it and name it Laura's Falls.  And she did.  Shortly after getting back I did a 5X7 of this scene but was not happy enough with it to post it so I finally got around to redoing a larger version with which I would be happy.  I think we need to go back some time and visit this place again.

Six Finger Falls Cascade, Searcy County

Six Finger Falls Cascade

8X10, Oil on Panel

Available

 

 

After I got a really good solid start on my painting of Falling Water Falls a few weeks ago, we drove on up the road to another nice multi-cascade fall called Six Finger Falls.  Here, thin layers of shale have been shaped into multiple "fingers" (six I guess, I have never bothered to count them) in between which roar cascades of water.  This fall is more impressive in higher water but if it gets too high then the water covers over the finger effect.  I was not very pleased with the result I got on-site so at the end of my session I wiped away basically all of the rock area to a mid tone gray and took it home and worked it into this a few weeks later.

 

We had been planning a camping trip to the Buffalo this weekend but with the government shutdown, all national park and forest service campgrounds are closed.  Looks like we may be venturing to a new place instead.

Falling Water Falls, Summer 2013

Falling Water Falls, A Wet Summer

8X10, Oil on Panel

It's rare that any waterfalls run in August in Arkansas but due to a fairly yet summer I was able to take a trip to a few a couple of weeks ago.  This one and another are more apt to run year around but another that I was able to visit is typically very dry.  Did all but a few minor touch ups on this one on site.

Falling Water Falls, Pope County

Falling Water Falls

11X14, Oil on Birch Panel

SOLD

A few weeks ago, I took my son waterfall hunting in the Ozarks.  We've had a phenomenally long waterfall season in this year.  Usually by this time of year, they are starting to trickle.  the downside to the long waterfall season is flooding and severe weather.  I started this one en plein air with a value sketch and then colored it in the studio.  Falling Water Falls is one of the easiest falls in the state to get to and as a result is a favorite target of photographers.  I've never seen a painting of it before though.  It lies at the extreme northern end of Pope County just a bit before crossing into Searcy County on Falling Water Creek in the Ozark National Forest.  On this same day, we saw Six Finger Falls and Keefe Falls.  I packed my 13 lb pochade the .5 mile bushwhack into Keefe Falls and did a value sketch there as well as the rain fell.