I am calling this piece finished.
UNSEEN BUT SENSED DANGER
24"X36" Oil Painting
I may do a little touch up here and there but it is essentially finished.
SOLD

Saturday morning my gallery pardner, tom Lucas and artist friend, Les Lefevre spent the early morning searching for wildlife amidst new fallen snow from friday night into saturday morning. I have posted our morning adventure on my OUTDOOR ADVENTURE BLOG. As I write this it has finished snowing again after a night long fall of the heavy wet stuff. Winter will not leave the high country.

I think I am pretty well finished with this painting but will probably study it a while befor I make any final determinations. I have really fought the trees that are in the center and maybe I have them too centralized and tht is bothering me. We'll let it sit awhile. Maybe some gremlins will come by and take care of it?

I have returned after a great trip of about 1500 miles trading out gallery paintings and even picked up a new gallery in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The Deselms Gallery.
Our trip included taking Vicki's folks to Cheyenne where her stepdad was to fly out to Washington D C with the Honor Guard program. This is the 3d flight with another scedualed in September. It is to honor World War II vets for their service. There were 90 Wyoming fellows and 3 women honored and who departed on Tuesday morning. These folks are all in the 85-95 year age range and it was an experience to witness. They flew to D C where they are honored for service and spent the better part of two days touring the War memorials and seeing sights in our Capitol. I have never seen Bob[Vicki's dad] so excited nor her mother more nervous about his trip. A guardian is assigned to every three people who takes them in tow. The other two fellows with Bob were in wheel chairs and after the trip his guardian was telling me it was hard to keep track of Bob as she was hindered with them and Bob is so mobile and spry he was everywhere. He explained to me that he wanted to see all he could see. They were all sent off from Cheyenne after speeches and ceremony by the Governor, Military Brass and various state dignitaries. I was impressed with the whole program. Every state is doing this and if you know of any Vet from your state I would encourage you to check into the program.
During the two days Vicki, her mother and myself did our tour through northern Colorado and southern Wyoming. Dodging heavy rains and mixed snows the whole way. What a spring.
I worked on my deer yesterday quite extensively detailing out the rest of the forground and on the deer themselves. An easy task as it was a cold day[again]and snowing most of the day. No I have not forgotten the Bucks antlers but will get back onto it right away. I am really close to finishing this one off.

I will be packing for a trip into Colorado and southern Wyoming tomorrow. Changing out art in several galleries during most of this next week so today I spent a great deal of time painting on the three paintings I have going. Most of my time was on this East Fork Painting. I have continued on the detailing work and am feeling pretty good about it so far. Has been a struggle geting that bronzie-purple look to the willows that makes them appear as though they are on fire. When the sun hits them at this point befor or after leaves-they are captivating with their color.

I spent several hours working on my Deer Painting today. Continuing with detail work on the Buck and the three lower Does. I also worked more detail into the Sage brush on seft hand side. I am getting close to finishing it now.

the third painting that I worked on today. I had posted this painting's beginnings on an earlier post and have continued with detail work. I did take out the dead tree on the left side of the painting and am replacing it with this young Spruce. I am liking it a lot better now.

It has been another day of working the fire in the Gallery Wood Stove. Was supposed to be warmer and guess it did get into the lower 40's but snow squalls all day. Along with staying warm I worked on my East Fork Painting. Adding detail working top to bottom and left to right.

I don't really ever do this. Putting other than what pertains to my art and life on this blog but I have had so many friends and bloggers e-mailing and commenting on my reference to the train wreck yesterday so here is a pix of it. It is near the mouth of the canyon for those who are familiar with Wind River Canyon-near the wedding of the waters. The train hit a boulder that had fallen because of the recent snows and rains we have had and befor they could stop the train it hit the semi-truck sized boulder and this is the result. The engineers ended up a little wet and were taken to the hospital[no easy task as the tracks are on the opposite side of the canyon than access from the hiway on the east side]for observation and mild hypothermia. Are in good shape. All the oil and deisel from the engine leaked out and the fire Dept from Thermopolis were trying to contain it last night and today with booms similar to what is being used in the gulf. No easy task and as this is a blue ribbon trout fishery with tons of water fowl it is a mess. Every time I drive this canyon I think about a boulder coming off the canyon walls. Has happened and is a deal where one could be in the wrong place at the wrong time I suppose.
Interesting side note. At the mouth of the canyon the Wind River changes its name to the Bighorn River that flows northward into the Yellowstone River in Montana. I believe in the very early days folks thought it to be two seperate rivers and when they realized their mistake they simply decided on a point that it changes name and said we'll call it Wedding of the Waters and have a big party every year to celebrate. Which until recent times was done. I don't hear too much advertized about the party any more. Excuse me, Celebration.
My thanks to Michelle Coveluzi who sent me the picture. I don't know where she got it.

I got back to my Deer today. working out detail on most of them and even beginning detail on the Sagebrush. The sun even came out. Snow melting. Just east of here there was 40" along the Wind River Mountin range and 30" in the Owl Creeks on the north side of the Wind River Basin. Lander down country had 20" and Riverton close by had 10". A large boulder fell off the cliff faces in the Wind River Canyon and landed on the Railroad tracks which was then hit by a train derailing the engine and a number of cars behind. This evening there is Deisel and Oil flowing into the Wind River. Our own little Oil Spill. That is a little over 100 miles east of here.

Gor a lot of painting time in at the Gallery today what with a raging snow storm going it was pretty quiet and so with the wood stove blazing away I began this 15"x30" Oil Painting on Masonite depicting the East Fork Valley NE of Dubois, Wyoming. Getting a number of things going for an upcoming show and have had this in mind for a while.

Spring continues in Wyoming. My studio this morning. This is the 7th day of snow in last 8 days. After a whopping high yesterday of 39 degrees. We are being promised 70 degrees by sunday??

I have been given a few days reprieve from gallery duty and have been trying to get caught up on my picture framing and will for the next day too. I have been trying to get a photograph of this guy[gal]who has taken up residence on the big pond at the bridge to my house. I finally got a picture last evening. Will have to try more a little later this evening but it is snowing huge flakes right now and very wet out there.

I'm afraid this fellow may not last too long as most folks in the neigborhood don't like beavers and as soon as they notice one around they call in a trapper. I chicken wire all my trees up and figure if they cut the willows it simply lets them grow back in thicker than ever. We really enjoy going down to the bridge on moonlit nights and watch them going about their business. They are so industrious and real artists at what they do. I even a few years back wired up my immediate neighbors trees on my own but to no avail. People? Sure glad I ain't one?

My Son-in-Law's Aunt passed away this past week so he and my oldest daughter, Kim came yestrday for the funeral. Arrived late at night and had to leave right after the funeral but Kim did stop by the Gallery to visit a while. It was good to see them. They live near Devils Tower in NE Wyoming and both work in Gillette, Wyoming

The past several weeks I have worked on this 16"x20" Oil Painting on Linen Canvas and finished it today while working the gallery. It is a scene along the Platte River on the Wyoming-Colorado border and depicts back water off the river looking northward towards Kennady Peak. A part of the Snowy Range of Wyoming.

In a couple of weeks I will be heading to Colorado and Saratoga, Wyoming to trade out art work for the season.

gkeimig@dteworld.com

My kind of road. Really was a beautiful morning and soon after returning home it was clouding up again and snow falling off and on all day. Gallery sitting was pleasant with a wood stove stoked up and sitting in my corner painting away. Only 4 people in all day and yet one couple from Arizona were kind enough to support a poor artist and bought 2 of my Giclees and 2 Paper Prints. WHOOPEE!

At 5:00 this morning it was 15 degees F and had quite snowing with signs of clearing. Just perfect for a winter look on May 6. There is 2" of fresh snow on the ground and this is the 4th day in a row that we have had some snow. Yesterday we had a high of 31 degrees. This is May? We are used to very cool to cold springs and can get snow at any time of the year but we are getting no warm days whatsoever and the long range forcast is promising more of the same. A number of hiways in Wyoming are closed again including I-25 and I-90.
I just had to spend a couple of hours in the mountains and as it is my turn to run the gallery I have to be back by 8:00. So. Here I am photographing Elk that I have run into. Not as many seen as last few times out. They are moving higher and further back and harder to find. I did see a zillion Mule Deer and ended up shooting 60 pictures. Thank God for digital.

remember this painting? i have returned to it and believe me I have had several folks inquiring about what happened to it. I got really busy with gallery opening and several trips and to tell you the truth it was bugging me and I put it up for a while. I showed it as it was to a collector the other day and she has shown a serious interest in it so that is encouragement enough to finish it up. Today, after finally getting the Gallery heated up with the wood stove[it was 16 degrees this morning and by noon light snow falling. That is the third day in a row that is happening.]I got back to this and worked on the top 4 deer and begun on the buck.

Folks are beginning to think we missed spring and summer and are back into Fall.I have just returned home and the snow is falling heavier and accumulating. Yesterday it was 20 degrees with 60 mph wind and snow falling for about 2 hours. Nasty. They closed the pass.

Last week I began this Oil Painting by blocking in my painting on 1/4" Masonite with a wash. I have now begun painting in my detail and right away I am not too sure about the dead tree I wanted on the far left hand side. Will have to think about that.

This group were really taking advantage of the new green grass growing. And it looked as though they really needed it. Pretty thin looking. Was hard to get a good picture of them as they had their noses right to that grass.

Am actually working on several new paintings and have even gone back to working on the Deeer that I was taking everyone through befor I got involved in Gallery opening, trips etc. Will post that in next few days. I had to take a trip over to Jackson yesterday. No fun going over Togwotee Pass. Wind and falling snow. This morning Dubois is really getting it. A winter kind of storm with falling snow, howling wind and a temperature at 10:30 am of 20 degrees. Visibility is near zero.
Anyway ran into this gal standing in a nice mucky pond. "What? You want to take my picture? But I am not properly attired. Can't we do this later?"

While in Casper we celebrated our grand daughter's 19th Birthday. Calli, who is a student at Casper Jr College; my wife, Vicki and her mother, Marion Hildebrand.[Calli's great grandmother] Only one thing better than Ice Cream Cake-that we had-and that is Angelfood Cake with whipped cream and strawberries. My personal favorite.

Had to go to Casper this week for eye tests schedualed every two hours 8:00, 10:00, noon, 2:00 and 3:00. Fun day. Between 2 and 3 I didn't have much time to do anything so went up the road from Doc's office and photographed Pronghorn Antelope. This fellow was very obliging and I got a lot of pictures of him.

Guess I have some glaucoma in my left eye and get to have nightly drops.