My artist friend, les Lefevre and myself did a little research trip yesterday morning north of Dubois and had a pretty eventful morning including watching this very young elk. I have posted our trip on my OUTDOOR ADVENTURE blog. Hope you will take the time to look it over.

http://www.silversagegallery.com

Spring has arrived in the high country with warmer night time temperatures and light rains other than snow falling nearly every day. We still have a good chance of seeing some snow by the end of the month which is normal but even with the mostly cloudy and very cool days folks are still kind of grumpy just because of mud in the mountains, high water, cool gray drippy skies and just hard to get into the back country. People have short memories as this is a yearly occurance. June is usually more miserable than May. But the leaves are about 75% out on the trees and the first wildflowers are now blooming and the wildlife as of this last week are being followed by their new born.
Thursday Vicki and I were invited up to Ring Lake Ranch for dinner that kind of kicks off their season along with volunteer groups who have come to help open the camp. It was great to visit with old and new friends. Dinner in the dining hall is always a treat looking out the large picture window across the cliff the building sits on, the lake below and the mountains and glacier above.
We were entertained by the fellow who is the new Grocery Store manager who is quite a violinist/fiddler and his mother who is a concert pianist. This fellow used to play some with several Nashville Bands . Just another one of the highly talented individuals who have found and call Dubois home.
this photo is of Torrey Creek from the bridge into the Ranch.

I have been working on this 11"x14" Oil Painting, Subalpine Stream off and on between several larger paintings for the past week. I will probably do some touch up yet but it is essentially done. I love these mountain streams that are found in the Sub alpine areas. They are past, for the most part, the tumultuous descent of falls and fast water and leisurly flow through mainly old growth forests on their way to join larger streams. Full of lush growth of grasses, sedges and wild flowers they are a quiet delight. And the same to paint.

This has been the year of graduations in our family. Our grand daughter Kassi Leseberg who is Kendra's older sister[see 2 posts ago]graduated as Doctor Kassi Leseberg out in California. She is now a Physical Therapist. It has been a long road for her to arrive at this point and we are really proud of her accomplishment. We ourselves were unable to attend the event but her mother [our daughter] and sisters and family were there. Here is Kassi with her dad, Harry Leseberg and mother, Kim Leseberg.

I have posted this photograph I took several falls ago of a nice Mule Deer Buck on my Wilderness Art Challenge blog. Hope you will check it out and try your concept of this fellow.
I think spring is finally arriving. Am home again and for a while. Did do a day up in Yellowstone Memorial Day. There is still more snow than bare ground there. A little less in the Tetons and the weather is now in 60's day time and only down to 44 last night. The trees are just now sprouting leaves and in a few days there should be a green canopy overhead.
Sure a lot of grumpy folks in Dubois. Particularly new people and a few more homes for sale from discouraged folks about our long winter and no spring. Just a normal year. Is a chance of snow for tonight. And winter begins again in 3+ months. LOL

Been away from painting for nearly a week again as we just had to take in my grand daughter's graduation. Kendra who plans on taking art in college and loves pottery. She does some nice work so stay tuned and see where that will take her.

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.

This is a painting of the Maroon Bells south of Aspen, Colorado that I did several years ago and have dug out to do some revamping. It reads a lot better than it did.
11"x14" Oil Painting

I think I have finished this Oil Painting, 16"x20". After looking at it for a week or so I may do some touchup but for now...

Spring is so long in coming to the high country and I have posted my observations of that fact on my latest OUTDOOR ADVENTURES blog.

The finished painting framed and ready for the auction. It is a 11"x22" image size, Gouache Watercolor. The auction was very slow and I was a little dissapointed in the results for all the artists. Sales were OK for the silent auction miniatures but prices were way down. First time in years I did not have a sellout of those paintings. This economy is scarey.
My gallery pardner also participated as did gallery artist, Dan Andrews. I will be posting more pictures on the gallery blog. Silversage Gallery.

Last night was the annual Petroleum Club of Casper show which featured a Quickdraw event where each artist participating has one hour to complete a painting which is then auctioned off. The artist receives 50% of the proceeds.
Yep. Thats me working on my piece.

This morning I was up befor dawn and drove up to the Glacier trailhead photographing a beautiful morning that included watching Bighorn Sheep through my binoculars and watching and photographing a zillion Mule Deer. By 8:00 am I was back home crossing the bridge into my yard when I spotted this Mule Deer doe getting a quick drink from the river. Best picture of the day was from my very own yard. Go figure.

Hallett Peak 14"x18" Oil Painting.
Back at work I have finished this Colorado scene of Hallett Peak located in Rocky Mountain National Park

After two weeks of pretty intensive work on the gallery doing some construction, and rehanging we are open and back to painting. I have even been back to Montana earlier this week and yep. got to visit again with the barking pig.
Tammy caught Tom and myself in our corners by the front window painting away. I have posted a number of photos of the gallery and our new additions and preparations for the season in the Silver Sage Gallery blog accessed from this site. Hope you will check it out and see what is new.

I finally have the Wilderness Art Challenge blog up and running. Hope you will check it out and participate.
Now I gotta' get mine painted.

I am not going to get much painting done for a few days as we are in the process of getting the gallery open for the season. Tom and Tammy are back from the Arizona show and are rehanging their gallery wall. Today we rehung Tom's wall and mine. Tomorrow we will begin work on rehanging other artists. We are moving things around a little and building a new Bronze display shelf which will be pretty nice. What with rehanging and some new touch ups it will give the Gallery a fresh look for the season. In spite of snow falling outside and winter storm warnings for tomorrow we even had a few folks in.

By popular demand here is Rudy the barking pig. The wagon is one my folks had at the ranch that we used to neighbor in [for the most part]when I was just a little fellow. It was miles to a neighbor made closer by this horse pulled freight wagon. it had been in early stages of disrepair and I had begun to try and restore it when Clay, my son-in-law took it upon himself to finish the job.

I asked my daughter to send me a picture of the fountain with the cowboy. I will ahve to ask her where this is installed as I don't know. The one I had seen featured this cowboy [smaller version]with a bronze background of waterfalls over rocks and water pouring out over the hat back into a small pool that the horse was standing in. I had not seen this particular one.

I took this photo outside the shop of another monument sized bronze by D Michael Thomas. Unfinished it depicts an old time cowboy who has reached down into a pool of water to fill his hat with water for a drink. Water will drip out of his hat back into the pool. It is designed to be a fountain if you will with the horse standing in the pool and water continually running. A background of rock and a falls accompany the bronze. I have seen one of these set up and it is quite impressive. As you can see I am accompanied by Mitze who considers herself extremely important. The kids have several dogs and a pot bellied pig who all run out to greet you. The pig thinks he is barking along with the others and seems quite excited about everything.

This is a small version[maquette]of the monument-not yet put together nor patinaed.

The bronze monument will have a guitar as a base that the bucking horse and rider will be set on. It is over 6 feet tall.

Back from our little trip to Frannie, Wyoming and into Montana. We took our daughter, husbsnd and son out to celebrate her 41st Birthday which involved a 120 mile round trip drive to Red Lodge, Montana for the event. Next day we were in Billings for business then back to Frannie. Vicki was set up by our daughter, Janet for a checkup at the Lovell, Wyoming hospital where she runs the emergency room as well as working as a surgical nurse. Small hospitals require a do-it-all for nurses. With that under our belts we did the return trip running into a wonderful snow storm on the way home. Snowed all day yesterday and this morning our spring temperature was +6 degrees.
Our son-in-law runs a finishing studio which is a large shop where he does welding and patina work on bronzes. I took a few pictures of his current project which is a monument of Chris Ledoux, the famous world champion Bronc rider and western-country singer who died way befor his time of cancer. The bronze is by D Michael Thomas who uses Clay to do all his bronze work. This bronze is over 15 feet tall and will be installed in Kaycee, Wyoming which is where Chris was from. It is being financed by the Ledoux family. Quite an undertaking.

I am off to Montana till mid week so I too will be busy getting to this Shira Moose. How about the month of April to do our Moose. Being as how I have a lot of comments and e-mails concerning this endeavor-I do believe I will add a new Blog covering my Wilderness and Wildlife Challenges. That should be fun and interesting.

CHALLENGE
I thought being as I am about to get real busy with opening the gallery and have to go to Montana for the next 4 or 5 days beginning sunday-this would be a good time to offer a new Wildlife Art challenge of this Cow Moose I took last spring. Thought it might be fun to work on a backlit animal. So have at it. I have posted it to a size that by clicking onto it-you can copy a large image of this old girl. When you are finished I hope you will send me a copy of your art to post on my blog as we did with the Bighorn Ram. If this goes like it seems to be going I am going to have to begin a new blog. It is fun though to put everyones submission together just to see how everyone interpretes what I am posting.

HALLETT PEAK
16"x20" Oil Painting
This view of Hallett Peak is from the road to Bear Lake. In modern times you must take a bus to get to the Lake. It is a case where the area has been loved to death and now they are trying to control access to this area. It is a very beautiful area with some great hikes into Loch Vale and west into the lakes immediately below Hallett. Another day or two I should be finished with both this painting as well as the Moraine Park painting.

In the past week while I have been working on my Deer painting I have worked on several other Oils while the deer was drying. This is a view across Moraine Park in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. As a teenager our pastor had a cabin on Fall River at the edge of Estes Park and we often went there for a week at a time. I had the opportunity to explore Rocky Mountain and later as newly married, my brother, the friend we grew up with and our wives were still able to stay in the cabin. What a life. In more recent years I had the opportunity to illustrate a guidebook on the park. An endeavor I am really proud of. I still love painting the area. Across Moraine Park, 15"x20" Oil Painting

Worked more on my Deer painting today. Blocking in the deer even more and the sagebrush to the point where I think I want most of it put. I did go back in and enlarge the buck. He just looked too small. Now wondering if the deer immediately behind him are a little too small looking? I had been comparing him with the ones at the bottom and the Doe at the top. Will have to go a ways on the painting and then decide.

Back to my Deer painting today. Worked on the Sagebrush on the left side and have begun blocking in the Deer

I intended to get back to work on my Deer painting today but this morning I finished up my watercolor and then did some gallery work in anticipation of our opening for the season in the next couple of weeks and finished the afternoon off by posting my latest outdoor adventure on my OUTDOOR ADVENTURE blog. Hope you will take the time to go over and take a look at it. After my saturday morning venture I just may have to do a few more stream-snow paintings.