It has been a pretty wild month. Lots of cold and we are going to have a white Christmas. Dec. 12 and 13 I was in Torrington for the Annual 2-Shot Goose Hunt. It is a great time to be had for all and one of my favorite shows to do. I have always sold well there and have won several Purchase Awards over the years but never the top purchase award. Sales were terrible through most of the show until the last night banquet when awards were handed out. I finally did it. I won the top purchase award. That kinda got the ball rolling. Will never understand how that happens but after winning an award it seems like your work is sudddenly in demand. Oh well. I'll go along with it. By nights end I had sold 2 major paintings and another midsize watercolor.
The show always has a quick draw on opening night and I along with my gallery pardner Tom Lucas, took top earnings with our respective 45 minute paintings. This photo is of me discussing my piece depicting a grove of sun struck Aspens to a potential bidder shortly after completing the Gouache watercolor painting.
The Banquet night also sports an auction of art that each artist is required to submit. We do receive 50% of the proceeds fromn that auction and again both Tom and I tied for top money. That all makes for a great show and again a great time. They sure treat you good there and the food is worth going for even if an artist never sold a thing.
We did pack out in a raging blizzard and half of the trip back home was not fun.
On the 14th I went into the Lander hospital for a hernia surgery and am just now getting back to some semblance of normal. All I can say about recuperating is it is very boring. Once this thing heals up pretty well I am looking at my last surgery from Cancer complications in Denver probably 2 months from now. It has been a long 3 1/2 years but the end is in sight.

Another opportunity for deer pictures included these nicely posed does. The lighting was perfect and they posed beautifully

This morning I went back up to Torrey Creek, home of the largest Bighorn Sheep herd in the world. I spotted a number of them high on a ridge well out of my time frame for reaching them this day. It is -9 degrees so pretty brisk temperature wise. The slopes of Whiskey Mountain are also full of Elk slowly retreating towards the timber to spend a day resting after grazing the cold slopes all night. There are many deer out and I spend a good portion of the early morning photographing them including this nice buck skylined against a cloudless blue sky. A little different from yesterday that found us with falling temperatures and nearly 5" of snow.

It was a very windy day and a high overcast sky lent itself to being almost dismal except for the sheep and many deer. Was surprised that I did not find any Bucks but probably 100 does and fawns scattered throughout the area.

This is the spetacular season when the Bighorn Rams battle and vie for position in the Bighorn Sheep world. I spent the other morning watching some of the posturing and behavioral patterns of these beautiful critters. This was by far the largest and oldest Ram in the bunch and there was no fighting going on as it was no question as far as how 3 other small rams matched up. It was interesting and fun though to watch how they all interzacted with one another. They and 8 ewes and lambs were on a natural salt lick south of Dubois[this is the largest Bighorn Sheep herd in the world] I shot a large number of photos which will work great for future paintings. After I left several friends of mine were in the area and hiked up on the rim where they encountered a large number of sheep and watched a lone wolf. Early in the morning I found a Doe Mule deer carcass being worked on by natures garbage detail[Ravens and Magpies]I speculated on just what might have happened and a wolf kill is an entirely plausable explanation.??

This morning sunrise found me climbing up to a low pass between Bear Creek and the Wiggins Fork River seen in this shot coursing its way through pure wilderness. Under threatening skies all morning I traipsed this area along with a hike along Bear Creek itself. Fighting through old growth Spruce, Cottonwoods, Alders and Western Red Birch. But a great source of exercise. Great Grizzly country too.

Last sunday Vicki and I took off for the northern Teton National Park as well as the Lewis River area of southern Yellowstone. Doing a little research for upcoming paintings. The posted Lewis River Bull is one of the resuts of this excursion. This is the Lewis Falls from beside and above. It was a rather trecherous trail with snow and ice. But what a beautiful waterfall and what a beautiful river the Lewis River is.

This is another smaller painting I did from sketches done last winter. It is a scene from above Togwotee Lodge. It is a 8"x16" Acrylic painting on canvas.

This is another recently completed painting I have done. Torrey Creek is a 14"x18" Oil painting. If interested in this or any others contact me through Silversage @dteworld.com.

This 8"x10" Acrylic painting is another I have entered in the miniature show.

I have entered 5 paintings in an upcoming miniature show. One is the Oregon Grape that I have posted here earlier. Another is this gouache watercolor painting, Lewis River Bull. It is 6'x14.5"
SOLD

This is the second of two paintings I am sending for consideration for the C M Russell auction. It i a 15"x30" Oil Painting, Stoney Point Crossing.

One of the recent paintings that I have completed is this oil 20"x24" Teton Cottonwoods.

I have sent it for jurying to the C M Russell Show for their art auction this coming march.

I didn't make it into the C M Russell this year and was a little dissapointed being turned down on this painting but I did enter it into the National 2-Shot Goose hunt show and won the top purchase award with it which was probably worth more than what I would have received in the Russell auction. So I am very happy. Plus. I have a commission to do another similar to this.

SOLD

Went by the turn off to Brooks Lake and thought how fast things change. This pix of the outlet is now buried in snow. Was so inviting looking just a few days befor. Will be July befor we see this pix again. It is just begging for a painting though. It is formost in my mind.

The October snow has painted Dubois as a winter wonderland. This scene in town is almost Christmas card looking. Temps have warmed up to 50 daytime and that snow is melting. Will be in the back country till July next year though. Winter is closer than we want to think.

Was at Brooks Lake last week and caught this pack string coming in from the Teton Wilderness. 2 guys and 2 girls with a pretty good string of horses. Was meat hanging off the last horse string so they had had some success. Was a great time to come out as it started snowing the next day and put down 2-3 feet in the back country. We had 8" in Dubois and temperatures were in the single digit range.

The fall colors are in full swing and the ground cover matches the trees. This is a small,5"x7" oil painting of Oregon Grape which actually has green leaves similar to Holly in appearance and some of the leaves will stay green all winter, but also displays golds, oranges and rust colors. A truely magnificent ground cover in the pine forests and along riparian areas. The berries are used for jelly but is difficult to find enough to make picking a very worthwhile endeavor.

This is another Oil painting I have finished. It is 14"x18" and I call it Winter Doe and Fawn.

This is a recent oil painting I have finished. It is an 8"x10"oil painting study of a Pronghorn Antelope.

Gary Keimig Art

In the afternoon I dropped down on the Snake River at Scwabachers Landing where I hiked along one of the rivers myrids of channels. Lots of color and the afternoon light on the Tetons and waterfowl which afforded me numerous photo opportunities and more ideas for future paintings. What a beautiful day.

I continue to do my weekly hikes and this past week I hiked into Phelps Lake in the Tetons. This lake has been non accessable to the public as it was once a dude ranch run by the Rockefellers and later a wilderness retreat for their family. I once knew the ranch manager who invited me up but never took advantage of it. The ranch was given to the Teton National Park several years ago and has been completely restored to its wilderness setting with only the trail into the lake[about 1 1/2 miles from a information building and kiosk.] There is a fancy outdoor bathroom and a pretty groomed out trail to the lake and the lake is worth hiking into. It is a clear warm day and at this time of year not much for traffic on the trail. I spend some time there reflecting on its beauty and getting lots of ideas for paintings. I watch a lone Merganser on the lake and a nice sized trout sitting below the water surface just below the lake outlet from a nice wooden bridge that crosses the lake.
I had earlier gone to the Wildlife art museum and checked out the Robert Bateman display. Great work. So simply painted yet no wasted colors or strokes to convey what he wants to do. Loved it.

Some of my discovered wildlife. These two provided me with a number of photo opps. Waterfowl cruising the creek. A coyote too far away for a good pix but still fun to watch, an Osprey perched on a Spruce and tracking a moose that I decided was a little too close for comfort was some of those wildlife encounters for the day

I spent the morning doing a little research by hiking along Torrey Creek. Getting good and wet in a pretty strong east wind with mist and fog. Hiking through willow jungles, swamps and Spruce forests. Encountering some wildlife and all the while getting good research for paintings. Its a great country.

This is an Oil Painting I have just competed. FISH CREEK is 22"x28" and if interested please contact me through http://www.silversage.com/

This has proved to be a pretty popular painting and upon some artist friends urging I have reproduced it in a Giclee Print series. It is in an addition of 50 and sells for $250.00 framed.
The original is now sold

Fall really is descending onto the high country. Labor Day weekend has seen a big change with most mornings now getting frost in Dubois and snow falling in the mountains. That is not that unusual but what is is the fact that it is staying on so long. Usually this time of year we get a storm like this and within a few days it is warm again. I hiked into the Wiggins Fork canyon area the other day through about an inch of snow with heavier amounts higher up. It was an exhilerating trip and good exercise but I should have worn my gaiters as it got a little damp brushing against willows full of snow

Another recently completed painting is this oil of Mule Deer. Trees here are just beginning to change and I wanted to capture that transition from summer to fall. It is 12"x24" image size.

This is a recently completed painting I have done. It is a 14"x18" oil, and can be checked out with more information through www.silversagegallery.com

Stoney Point Gold
This is the second painting of ranch scenes I have completed. I did this painting in the gallery and it like the preceeding one sold befor I had it finished. It will go to a collector in California.
SOLD

Old cow camps hidden deep in the mountains offer many possibilities for paintings

Magnificent stream shots offer plenty of painting ideas such as this on Warm Springs Creek. Now where is my fly pole?

I have been going out 1 day a week doing research and hiking right at daybreak S W of Dubois for both painting material and exercise. It has afforded me with some beautiful ideas and experiences. Ramshorn Peak from the DuNoir

I tried doing several times a painting with old ranch buildings with horses for a show in Douglas, Wyoming which is an invited western Art Show that kicks off the State Fair every year. I sold this one off the easle befor the show ever got started. It was a 12"x24" Oil Painting
SOLD

Wyomings state flower the Indian Paintbrush is at its peak along with Lupine which is blooming everywhere in the montains and forms a perfect frame for Kitten Creek. Sneaking up to the edge of the creek I watch cutthroat trout lazily drifting with the slow current

I took an afternoon off last week and did a little hiking along Kitten Creek off Union Pass road. The wild flowers were magnificent and I jumped 2 cow elk. This one waited around awhile while I got some good reference photos.

this is another recently completed painting. Brooks Lake Creek is an 18"x24" Gouache watercolor. Brooks Lake Creek is a mountain stream found nw of Dubois, Wyoming. It is easy fishing and where I took nephews, nieces and my kids fishing. It was a great stream to teach kids how to fish. And it is a beautiful area.

SOLD

I got a little wild with this painting. Indian Paintbrush, the Wyoming State flower. Is actually a parasite and the red is leaves while the flower part is a very inconspicuous green. Like a Poinsetta. I thought a reddish background with its sagebrush host would make an interesting painting. 8"x10" Oil.
SOLD

This is a recent 18"x24" Oil Painting that I did for the WRVAG Show which won an honorable mention in the oil category. It is a scene depicting Boedicker Butte on Horse Creek north of Dubois, Wyoming. early season snow squalls are crossing the Absarokas cloaking the mountains in the first signs of approaching winter. This can happen any time after mid September.

It has ben a pretty hectic month and I have fallen behind a little on posting.
The gallery has been very busy which means long hours and lots of work. I was in Saratoga. Wyoming for the annual Upper Platte Valley Art show which was held in their new Art Center. It is quit a building and very well designed and a great place for a show. They had cut the show down to just one day and began it on the evening of the 4th with the quick-draw that same evening. I think that hurt the show and the attendance for that evening. Folks really came out on the 5th though. I was the featured artist and they used one of my paintings for this years poster. I won a merit award on the judging. For Landscape which was for the painting, Sheep Mountain posted earlier on this site. Had several sales and my quick draw went very well.
From Saratoga we went on down to Golden, Colorado to replenish the Spirits in the Wind Gallery that handles my work. Check them out. It is a nice gallery located in the heart of downtown Golden and is run by some really wonderful people. Also got to see some family down that way in Granby and in Golden. Nice long day trip.
The National WRVAG Show is now going on. It is a judged show and what with the gallery in full swing I entered several paintings at the last minute. I did win an honorable mention in the oil division but really should not have entered as I pretty hastily entered what I didn't think was my best things, wanting to save them for my own gallery.

Lower Ramshorn Lake. What a pristine beautiful spot and unheard of by many Dubois residents.

As has become our habit this spring, my pardner, Tom Lucas and myself rose early in the morning this past saturday to check things out in the high country. We ran into snow at the 9,000 foot level while trying the road[trail] into the Ramshorn Lakes north of Dubois. There is still more snow on the ground there than bare ground but the lakes were unfrozen and it was a beautiful morning. On the way up we watched two Bull elk climbing a pretty steep hill which was sure winding them. Just to get out of the way of two old cowboy artists. On our return we ran into two fawn Mule Deer fawns and I got a number of pictures of them.

In preparation for the Saratoga Art Show I have been busy painting the landscape from that area. Saratoga and the upper Platte river valley of southern Wyoming is a very rural beautiful and interesting area for landscapes and I have always loved painting it. Many residents have supported that effort for which I am very grateful. This is an 18"x24" Oil Painting of a rain shower passing over the irrigated meadows of the river valley.

This painting has sold through the Blackhawk Gallery this summer.

SOLD

This weekend I will be in Saratoga, Wyoming for the annual 4th of July Art Show there at the new Art Center just completed this year. I haven't been in the building yet but pictures of it are impressive. I will be the featured artist and this painting will be the Show Poster. Saratoga is always a lot of fun and I have always done very well there.
I have returned from that show and it was pretty slow with a number of artists being skunked. I did pretty well though and am happy with the results.
SOLD

Our 3d anniversary Open House Show was a tremendous success. We are now busy rearranging art on the walls to cover up empty holes. Just the thing you want to see in a gallery. We estimate well over 200 people in attendance and it may be closer to 300. Pictured here are the gallery pardners, left to right, Tom and Tammy Lucas, Chris Phelps, Vicki and Gary Keimig, Verna and Bud Boller. That chocolate cake buried in Strawberries was a surprise for us-ordered by our daughter Kim. It was day befor my birthday and week befor both Vicki and Chris so it had all our names on it. Was a real favorite being loaded with cholesterol.

This is another recently completed painting 18"x24" Oil. I love doing cloud scapes and this was for the show in Saratoga but was bought off the easle by some really great folks who came into the gallery in Dubois. It is of Platte River Valley at Saratoga, Wyoming.
SOLD

I have been pretty busy with my painting as I have a show in saratoga, Wyoming coming up the 4th. Then on to Golden, Colorado to trade out paintings at the Spirits of the Wind Gallery. Not to mention the 3d Anniversary Open House

at our gallery here in Dubois. It was a great event and sales were very good.

This is an 18"x24" Oil Painting for the Colorado Gallery, Sheep Lake, depicting a view just inside Rocky Mountain Natl Park near Estes Park.

This painting won the Landscape Award at the Saratoga Wyoming show and is now offered for sale through the Spirits in the Wind Gallery in Golden, Colorado

Ran across this recently weaned Moose calf and spent some time watching, photographing and seemingly visiting with her. She would browse awhile then watch me as if trying to explain her world to me. Her various expressions were priceless

This is an oil painting that I have put some finishing touches on and calling complete. It is 11"x14". Aspens through Snow

I just finished this gouache watercolor painting, GRAND EVENING, depicting a clearing thunderstorm over the Grand Teton at evening. It is 18"x24"
SOLD

This is the first time Tom has been on top of the rim and he agrees that I have shocked and awed him by the experience as I promised. He spent some time with the glasses searching out the wonders of the glacial carved Torrey valley below. The remnants of the fast dissapearing glacier can be seen on the skyline. That canyon below in the granite contains some of the most beautiful glacial lakes, cascades and waterfalls I have ever seen.

Passing within yards of Bighorn Sheep. We counted 13 Rams all sunning themselves in the rocks and brush. There are ten in this picture. We lost count on the number of Elk we jumped up and saw through glasses grazing on distant mountain parks. On top of the Rim we spotted several other bunches of both Rams and Ewes on the mountainside

My gallery pardner, Tom Lucas and I did manage to get out this morning and climb up onto Torrey Rim south of Dubois. With a hot cup of coffee in hand and in 4-wheel drive we chugged our way up the mountain passing many deer, elk and Bighorns on the way. With the early morning sun shining on mountains, glaciers, and wildlife everywhere we are sure we were truely blessed to participate in Natures show. It is inspirations like this that get the creative juices going. One can't help but want to get back to the easle and get that paintbrush going.