We have returned from browsing about the state doing the Christmas thing with family beginning in the Bighorn Basin where we stayed with our youngest daughter and family in Frannie, Wyoming. Even taking in a sunday smorgasboard in Cody at the Irma Hotel built by Buffalo Bill. It is quite a place and the food was great.
We were even able to watch a highschool basketball game and our grandson who is a sophomore playing for the Rocky Mountain Grizzlies. He is fun to watch and is a rising star. Scored 9 points with limited time in this game as he also plays for the JV team. Bryce, #44 leads the state of Wyoming with 3-point percentage shooting.
We continued on having Christmas with our eldest daughter and her family picking up Vicki's parents in Casper. Christmas in the Black Hills of Wyoming was definitely white with lots of cold snow.
I have added additional photos on my facebook albums.

I worked today on my Aspen painting. Still manipulating, I added another bright sunlit tree to the left of the one I had. Things look a little centered now but I am going to proceed and then decide how it looks later. Tomorrow I have just a little time to work on it as we plan to take off for Deaver, Wyoming to visit our daughter and kids. For Christmas it look like the plan it to go to Pine Haven where our other daughter lives. Not only are we celebrating Christmas but our grand daughter, Kassi took her board exams the other day and passed so after 8 grueling years of medical school she is Dr. Kassi Leseberg. A doctor of Physical Therapy. Now I have someone to officially go to for all my owies.

While waiting yesterday for my Aspen Painting to dry I worked up this 9"x12" Oil on canvas. Tetons from Pilgrim Creek
gkeimig@dteworld.com

I worked a lot more on this painting the last couple of days beginning detail work and adding and subtracting elements. More to add and subtract yet but am getting it figured out. I think.

Attendance at the show was good and attendees even included the Governor and the newly elected Governor of Wyoming as well as several professional sports figures. Sales were a little sparce and the art auctuon items were really low. This is the Gouache watercolor painting I did. we were given an hour to complete them.

I have just returnd from the National 2-Shot Goose Hunt Art Show in Torrington, Wyoming. My wife, Vicki is making sure I have everything hanging straight. I of course tell her that the paintings are straight it is the walls that are crooked.

I photographed this sow and cub several years ago and have made it the December Painting challenge. Check out my Wilderness Art Challenge blog for details and what folks are doing in answer to the monthly challenges.

I have begun a new commissioned painting, ASPEN WORLD 24"x36" Oil On Masonite. I spent the day underpainting it in Acrylic and now will begin to work Oils into it. I will spend a little time on it today but will be loading art and materials for a show I leave for tomorrow in Torrington, Wyoming. It is a yearly attended show that is a lot of fun and I have done pretty well at over the years.

INDIAN PAINTBRUSH
16"x20" Oil Painting
Finished at last.
gkeimig@dteworld.com

I spent the day in the gallery as a shop keeper and working on this 16"x20" Oil Painting. INDIAN PAINTBRUSH. I have another sitting or two to go but it is progressing. It is one of the paintings I am putting up for one of the purchase awards at a show next weekend. I ended the day working on a commissioned miniature of a horse that I have posted on my Miniature Art blog.

E-Mail-gkeimig@dteworld.com

With only a couple of hours to spare I ran up to the Bighorn Sheep range as I heard there were some large rams down. This is the season to witness their incredible fighting for dominance. I found only a small band way out on the meadow grazing with some browsing deer near the Glacier trailhead and did spot one big fellow way high on the ridge. I watched him traverse it for some time but all were too far away for pictures. It was a beautiful afternoon although pretty cool with a stiff wind blowing. The Ramshorn Peak over the Dubois badlands was an incredible late afternoon photo opportunity.

I also began work on this 12"x16" Oil Painting for the auction piece at next weeks show. I had a painting all ready to go but had an opportunity to sell it the other day so with only a week to go I jumped into this painting today.

I even took a couple of hours off to go up to the Bighorn Sheep range as I heard the big Rams are down.

I was back on my Elk painting again today working on the sagebrush. The grasses are still a little light in value for the rest of the painting so that will be the next step along with working again on the Elk themselves.

Today I worked on the foreground sagebrush and grasses and added the elk I had taken out and repositioned her on the right of where I had her when I first started the painting.

While waiting for my Elk painting to dry for a few days-I blocked in and now starting to detail the logs and far background in. this is for a show purchase award I have coming up and is an Oil painting 18"x24".

On the way back home I was greeted with a number of Mule Deer Bucks who seemed to be everywhere. This fellow was next to the hiway and paid me little attention as I photographed him.

I had dropped by Kathys Koffee yesterday morning and had a cup with Skip who is a fellow I actually knew as a kid who lived west of where I grew up. He told me a big Black Bear had been seen along the hiway on an Elk carcass that had apparantely been hit by a vehicle and died on up the hillside.
Befor daylight I drove the 20 miles west of town to the spot and right away spotted this fellow. He is not a black bear but a Grizzly. And most folks thought they were all in hibernation?? This fellow was not and in the falling snow and first light of morning I sat and watched him from the safety of my truck. With both binoculars and shooting a number of photos {I shot over 40 pixs]I enjoyed the early morning. There were a number of Ravens circling overhead and sitting in a dead tree above him. Interestingly none flew down to take part in the banquet but a number of Magpies would light very near and did not seem to be bothered in the least by him. Every once in a while a truck or car would drive by and he would rise up to look and sniff the air.
Quite a sunday morning experience.

I have now finished blocking in the painting and begun detailing the Bull Elk.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Hope you all have so much to be thankful for this season. God has certainly blessed me and my house.

Downtown Dubois this morning from the Silversage Gallery at 7:30 A M. Not a soul on the street. -8 degrees

We had a pretty good blast of cold air hit last night. Heavy snow was forcast but that fizzled out and we only had about an inch. Last night it hit -8 and hovered about zero all day. Having gallery duty I spent more time doing projects around the wood stove than painting but did manage to git a little bit done on this piece. blocking in trees, the Bull itself, and more work on the background mountains. I raised the height of the peaks behind the Bulls Antlers to give them more contrast. Tomorrow is a day off-THANKSGIVING-and the next day is our Christmas Art Show at the Gallery so probably won't accomplish too much in next few days.

Don then just had to sign his name below mine. I am impressed that he really dressed up just for me. :0)
I recognize a number of names from Dubois in this photo. My grand daughter had signed her name but it was further down the truck.
Pretty cool.
E-mail: gkeimig@dteworld.com

I could not resist posting this photo taken by an old friend who spent many years in the outdoors with me. Don Anderson now of Britt, Iowa went to see the Nations Christmas tree as it went through Britt and found my name from about 10 days ago. Sending the photo on to me. Thanks Don.

My newest started painting using the Bull Elk from my Challenge art. This will be my submission.

HORSE CREEK ELK 20"X30" Oil Painting

I spent the other morning exploring Torrey Creek in off and on blizzard conditions all the while enjoying the area and wildlife such as these Bighorns. I have recorded the mornings adventure in my OUTDOOR ADVENTURE blog and hope you will mosey on over and find it just as enjoyable.

I think I am finally finished with my SNOW Painting. 16"x20" Oil Painting on gessoed masonite.

WHAT A GRAND MORNING
9"x12" Oil Painting on canvas
I finished this small oil while waiting for several other paintings to dry enough to get back on to them.

A big event for a little town that seems to have a lot of little events. The nations Christmas tree that will be installed in Washington D C was escorted into town by a number of horseback riders all carrying Wyoming flags as well as our nations flag. State police, Sherriff deputies, Forest Service police and Secret Service agents were everywhere. Speeches were made and anyone wanting to signed their names on the side of the truck. Mine included. Interestingly it was accompanyed by a second semi that carried support equipment for the tree including watering devices for it. Even though it is cut down it is fed 1600 gallons of water/day.
After an hour the police escort and all headed out eastward and towards Washington. I had never thought of Secret Service people being involved with something like this but guess in this day it has to be done. Who knows what some idiot or terrorist might attempt. It certainly brought out the town populace which is pretty lean now with everyone off to Arizona and Florida for the winter. That is what happens to a small summer mountain town. A number of folks found their way into the gallery just to warm up over our blazing wood stove.

Had a nice visit with family members this weekend while still doing Gallery duty.
from left is grand daughter, Kassi,newly graduated Dr. Leseberg now.[Physical Therapist.] Grand daughter, Calli Ward, her boy friend, Adam who came up from college for the weekend. My daughter, Kim. great grand son Jude, Benjie[Kims dog]myself keeping our gallery agent in tow, Tinker. In the front is her royal majesty, Evie Anna. Her parents and another grand daughter were on their way to a concert in Denver but harrowingly made it only as far as Cheyenne where they are currently snowed in. Ahh. Winter in Wyoming

For the last week to 10 days leading up to this last weekend we have had unbelievably warm and dry weather. Vicki and I went to Jackson to see the W R Leigh African show at the Wildlife Art Museum. It consisted of Pen & Inks he did along with his diary from one of his trips to Africa. Incredible work. If you have never been to the museum it is well worth the trip to Jackson, Wyoming just to see.
We left town towards evening to do a little hiking around Schwabachers Landing on the Snake River. I have posted a few pixs of that on my OUTDOOR ADVENTURE Blog. The sun set over the Tetons unveiling the coming change in weather. It has now turned quite cold though we in Dubois got very little snow.

PRONGHORN

10"x15" Oil Painting

While waiting for several paintings that I am working on to dry I have worked off and on on this small Oil Painting depicting a lone Pronghorn Antelope. I used a butte that is several miles north of Dubois and a part of the Dubois badlands as a backdrop.

I worked some more on my winter scene. Doing a little more detail work and trying to get things in a proper order so that everything makes some sort of sense.

GRAND TETON CLEARING

16"x20" Oil Painting

I have put the finishing touches to my painting depicting the Grand Teton clearing out after an early morning rain shower.

I should be getting quite a bit of work done in the next 8-10 days as my pardner in the gallery is off to Death Valley Days in Nevada for an art show and I am left to run the gallery which is extremely slow this time of year afording me the opportunity to get a lot of painting time in. Yesterday I worked further on my Monkey Flower-Stream painting. No. The monkey flowers are not in yet. Maybe today or tomorrow I will get to them. I had started with acrylic for the underpainting and am now working Oil over the top and detailing out with them.
MONKEY FLOWERS 16"X20" Oil Painting on gessoed panel.

While waiting for several other oils to dry I began this painting with the idea of including Monkey Flowers along a clear mountain stream. It is underpainted at this point with Acrylic.
Monkey Flowers is a 16"x20" Painting.

ALONG THE ROCK SLIDE-Bull Elk
9"x12" Oil Painting
I have been working on this for the past week off and on while waiting for other oils to dry.

I have been working off and on with this Gouache Watercolor for the past week and think I am pretty well finished with it. I was really intrigued with the sky reflection whcih was such a deep blue contrasting with the purple-orange of the Willows that have now lost their leaves exposing that beautiful winter color of branches.
TORREY CREEK BACKWATER
15"x18" Goauche Watercolor Painting
gkeimig@dteworld.com

I have continued working on this Oil Painting by adding more detail to the trees and working out some light and darks in the snow along with the water detail.

This time of year Little Warm Springs Creek is just a trickle and I am trying to show the shallowness of the water.

This magnificent Bull Elk that I photographed in Yellowstone last year is my November Wilderness Art Challenge. Hope you will all participate. Do be sure and check out my Wilderness Art Challenge blog.

I have several other Oil Paintings going as I await others drying. I started this yesterday and worked on it quite a while today. BATCHELOR CREEK SNOW is a 16"x20" Oil Painting on Masonite. I have pretty well blocked it in and am now getting into the detail work.

Finished.
Mt Moran Beaver Ponds
24"x36" Oil Painting on masonite gessoed panel.

I spent some time working on my Moran Beaver Ponds painting. I raised the tree line on the left hand side and worked more on the islands as well as the Dam and Beaver house. I was hoping to finish it today but there is a building[repair]job on my studio that needs attention and the weather is a litle warmer and with my pardner offering to help...No I am not allowed to go to the lumber yard for material-alone anyway-as that is what led to my crushed foot last year. My wife has given strict orders to not go near high edges. LOL

I have worked further on my Grand Teton piece. Detailing from the left hand side. I have been fighting several things but have decided to finish detailing the right hand side and maybe what is bothering me won't seem so bad or at least see where I can make neccessary changes.

I have been working on this 12"x16" Oil Painting over a period of a week and think I am pretty well finished with it. WINTER STROLL

I continued working on my oil today adding detail to the trees on the right and water reflections as well as blocking in the water below the grass islands. I have decided that I am not happy with the trees from the halfway point to the left. They look way too small so tomorrow I am going to enlarge them. I have also blocked in the Beaver Dam and House.

I have begun another Painting depicting the east face of the Grand Teton experimenting with an early morning light and clearing fog off the top of the peak. It is an Oil painting on Ray-Mar canvas 12"x16"

Continuing on with my Painting of the Tetons[Mt Moran from the Beaver Ponds along the Snake River I have pretty well established and detailed ,for the most part the trees to the right of the painting and begun putting in the water.

I have continued adding to my painting working today on the trees to the left and adding the deer onto the grass islands.

MT. MORAN
24"x30" Oil Painting
I have begun this Oil on masonite and have blocked in the mountains and the background trees. I plan and have drawn out Mule Deer crossing grass islands along a backwater pond created by beavers along a meandering stream channel of the Snake River. The Dam will also be in evidence as well as the beaver house itself when I have finished.

I have just posted a new OUTDOOR ADVENTURE on my blog. I hope you will take the time to check out ASPENS and fall in the high country of the Upper Wind River Valley. [the reds of Fireweed and the greens of Wild Geranium]

I believe I have finished my Grand Teton Painting. Detailed out the sage brush and tweaked the cottonwoods and those two large trees. 24"x36" Oil Painting