Willow Creek Canyon, Part 2

willow
acrylic on canvas
36 x 24″
My painting, willow, is a tribute to Willow Creek Canyon, a beautiful canyon in Death Valley National Park. Inspired by a specific waterfall in the canyon, I used the following photo reference for my painting.
Canyoneering is a great sport, but one that takes some technical training and preparation. This journal of [...]

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Willow Creek Canyon, Part 1

There’s a magical oasis in the vast desert area known as Death Valley National Park. This is the story of my trip through Willow Creek Canyon and the painting it inspired. I knew I was going to paint something from this place. I had been wanting to see this canyon ever since I had heard [...]

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Grand Canyon Double-Crossing

I just finished my painting, river, which is a tribute to the double-crossing of the Grand Canyon my husband and I made in September of 2007. The painting, river, expresses the beautiful colors of the steep canyon walls as they drop into darkness. The Colorado River can appear to be strange shades of green when the sky is not reflected in it. When I follow the path of the river along the canyon it entices me move ahead and explore each new bend. My mind tells me the journey would be endless, but the longing to explore remains.

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Lower Waterholes Canyon, Page, Arizona

I just finished my painting, waterhole. This artwork was inspired by a trip through Lower Waterholes Canyon near Page, Arizona. It was mid-March of this year that we went there, only a few weeks before my wedding. I went with my husband and two friends, Luke and Paul. It was a beautiful canyon, but one [...]

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The Maze, Red Rock Canyon, Nevada

Last week I got to travel through the Maze! A local favorite here at Red Rock Canyon, Nevada, it is a true oasis in the desert. From above on the ridge near Bridge Mountain the Maze is a long deep crack. Being the middle of summer hiking up to drop in point in 108 degree [...]

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Heaps Canyon, part 2

There are canyons in Zion National Park so long and challenging that you have to plan to take two days to get through them. Heaps Canyon is one of these. When you are down in the narrows of a two-day canyon, you are truly in the belly of the beast. This is the sort of [...]

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Heaps Canyon, Zion National Park, UT

Day one:
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Our approach was a doozie! Temperatures were in the 100s, and that’s hot for Zion. This is where we Las Vegans go to escape our blistering summer heat, and this weekend we failed. Starting out at the Visitor Center, we carefully double checked our bags for redundant items. Should we bring [...]

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Mystery Canyon, part 3

mystery
What could be more mysterious than the ways of this woman? Perhaps her nature is unveiled by the line of a curve or the color of skin that has been denied the rays of the sun. She swoons and sways before me, luring me ever deeper into her folds. One more step, one more drop, [...]

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Mystery Canyon, part 2

These are from my sketch book. I start with tiny thumbnail studies like these two. I draw lots of them and quickly, and just try to see the image in black and white in a very simple way. This breaks the photograph down to it’s basic compositional elements.
  
From here, I might try it a [...]

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Mystery Canyon, Zion National Park, UT

Saturday, April 28th, 2007
A beautiful sunny and hot day at Zion National Park. Our destination today is Mystery Canyon. Hiking in from Weeping Rock, a convenient shuttle stop, we approached Mystery via Observation Point. Obviously a nice day trek in itself, we only lingered a few minutes to take in this immense view of Zion [...]

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