Ketchum—1969

                         14" x 11", Acrylic on linen canvas panel
                       Collection of the artist

In 1969 my bride and I made a trip to the Ketchum/Sun Valley. This was on an excursion in the area. It was November but the winter had not yet begun. We started a new live together and it now has been 55 years. I originally started this several years ago, but it didn't do it for me and I would look at it occasionally and by now I had a bit of faith and decided to move mountains. I pushed them back and brought the foreground into focus and it worked. Now it represents two young people starting out a life together. It was cold so a cozy fire at night was a nice touch.

Dusk in the Marsh

                                

                      8" x 10" Acrylic on canvas panel

                      Collection of artist

When you start, you might have an idea of what a painting might be. When you finish the painting has spoken and it turns into something different. This was a black and while photograph and I wanted to make it into a colored painting. Not knowing what the original color composition was. I ended up with what is a relatively monochromatic evening painting of the marsh. It's peaceful and serene. But where are the ducks? 

 

Light Through the Trees

10" x 8", acrylic on aluminum panel © 2024
Collection of the artist

Jump starts are often very productive times even though they may not be finished for a time after the event. "Light Through the Trees" was such a painting. I really didn't know what I wanted to do to finish it; then one day in a flash of inspiration brought on by watching some YouTubers—I thought that's what it needs. I then finished it in a day. I must say that there are a lot of layers to the work as there was experimentation and then there was the use of almost forgotten techniques and newer techniques never used as successfully. It worked and is finished, and I can breathe a bit easier.

It reminds me of another piece I did in 2016, "Deep Forest Fall." That one was also a closed landscape with light coming through the trees.

The Ancestors

 9" x 12", acrylic on canvas panel © 2024
Collection of the artist

In 1864, Eric Øhlenschlæger and family settled in Fountain Green, Utah. He had three sons and two daughters (who died in Denmark). He died on 4 January 1865—it must have been a cold winter. His sons were Peder, Ludvig, and, my ancestor, Hans Peter. Two of the three adopted patronymic names of Ericksen and the third maintained the family name of  Øhlenschlæger (spelling was Americanized). His death in January made for difficult burial and he happened to have been buried outside of the official cemetery—he was buried in a dry creek bed. A flood came years later and washed the body away; there was no sign of the burial. As close as we can come to the site, it was the "bush" | "tree" which is the focal point of the painting. I contacted the city and found that there was no official record of the burial or the site. So he is immortalized in this painting and the photo that it was taken from.

Japanese Forest

14" x 11", acrylic on canvas panel © 2024

Collection of the artist

I've never been to Japan—the closest I've come is Hong Kong. A granddaughter, however, has a young Japanese man as a significant other, and she went to Japan to meet his parents. This is my interpretation of an image that she took and posted. I like the depth of the image, and the abstraction of the flowers in the foreground. It invited me into another world, and took me on a trip of exploration from which I returned with this image.

Peaceful Harbor

8" x 10", acrylic on canvas panel © 2024
Collection of the artist

I explained the process of getting a jump start in the last post. This is another royalty-free prompt with my interpretation. It languished in my inventory until one day I looked at it with a new eye for its simple beauty. It provided me with a peaceful feeling and a joy to have created it.

 

Evening Mist

 

8" x 10", acrylic on canvas board © 2024

Collection of the artist

Sometimes after a period of artistic inactivity I have to get a jump-start—that jump-start can come in many ways. In the past I have participated in live workshops; those are the best but often expensive. Sometimes I've participated in a longer learning-experiences through distance learning, which are plentiful today. And there is a hybrid when online workshops are offered free and this is the result of one of those. They offer the prompt, royalty-free, and you are to work on the product in your style or using what has been offered as an approach. This is my interpretation of the prompt—not exactly the same; but my vision of it. I particularly like the halation effect where the tree-line meets the sky. The frame works perfectly to set off the fire in the sky.