I mentioned I had spent the better part of a month on the Indian Paintbrush Painting. In between times of working on it just to keep my sanity I have worked on a few other pieces such as the stream and Monkey flower piece I posted the other day. I also have been working on several Arizona desert paintings such as this 12"x16" Oil Painting I call "Arizona Sunset"

Finally finished. It has been a pretty steady month working on this oil painting of INDIAN PAINTBRUSH 24"x30". At least I think I am finished with it. I'm sure after a few days of observation I will be doing some tune up.
It is to be my entry for the Casper Petroleum Club Art Show. It is due for jurying later in February but I wanted to finish it to display in a local show just to show off and maybe get some feedback and comments on by the general public. I actually am doing two different pieces using Indian paintbrush and will decide which one I want to actually submit after I finish the 2nd piece. It is Indian Paintbrush but with rocks and Bluebells to spice up the color. Will post it when finished. May be a few weeks.
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This is a watercolor painting that I actually did in 1997. The Art Center director in Lander, Wyoming told me several months ago that she ran across 2 paintings of mine in the dark recesses of storage at the Art Center. I didn't have a clue as to what she was talking about. I certainly didn't remember ever having the paintings there and for what reason? Anyway I finally stopped by there and sure enough there they were. I remember having the work and guess I never missed it but still don't know the circumstances of how they came about being there. This little Watercolor Gouache of Trumpeter Swans 8"x10"I thought was a nice little piece and worthy of putting on my blog.
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I have been working on a series of Wildflower Paintings. I have just finished this 16x20 Oil I call MOUNTAIN STREAM. It is more about the boulders and stream than the flower pieces I am working on but is so typical of the headwater streams of our area. Boulders, Willows and small cascading streams. When I first started the painting I was fighting the left side as I felt it needed something of interest and finally settled on the pink Monkey Flower so prevalent in this environment.

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It is years end and my wife Vicki who is a brilliant book keeper for the local lumber yard in Dubois is indespensible for the Silver Sage Gallery in doing their books. She is pretty busy these days getting the Gallery taxes ready for that wonderful day, April 15. Sure is messing up her weekends.

The artist at work. My corner of the world. I do have a window to right, left and just to the right of working table where I have a bird feeder. Many feathered friends keep me company and at present 2 Pine Squirrells fight over who is king of the feeder. They have to climb up outside wall to access it. I have a deck off the studio and used to keep the feeder on it but Vicki complained about the mess brought on by the wind that seemed to blow it on over house roof to the front deck. From our dining and living room both we have a great view of the river as well as from my north studio window and deck. Fun to watch the critters who come by way of the river to pay their respects

The house and studio from bridge crossing the Wind River. Yep. There is great Trout fishing in there. Other wildlife frequenting the area are myrids of species of songbirds, Waterfowl, Wading birds. Eagles, Hawks and Owls. Mule Deer, Moose, Bear on occassion, Cougar once in a while. Have seen Bobcats and Coyotes in the yard. Heaven for a wildlife artist

My home on the Wind River. Had an inch of snow last night and it sure puts a clean look to the world. My studio is on the top floor with workshop and framing down below.

The past several weeks while recuperating from a hernia surgery [yuck] I have taken on a little project of doing sunrises and early morning jaunts in my pickup just within a few miles of town. I have spotted 4 different elk herds and have had fun following them with the binoculars. This doe and last years fawn were catching the first mornings sun rays yesterday morning.

I have taken a little time off my painting and became a carpenter by remodeling and building cabinets in my studio. I have that project pretty well under control and yesterday got back to the brush. I can finish up my project by doing a little every day. I'll post a pix when I have it pretty well finished.

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This is a scene from up on the South Fork of Shoshone River south of Cody, Wyoming. A favorite area of mine to paint and I was really happy with the way it came out so was planning to submit it for jurying to the Powell Show. But. A lady and a good collector of mine came by about the time I was finishing it up and bought it . So. Being as how the deadline for the painting was Wednesday the 31st. I opted to submit a painting of Mule Deer that I had at the gallery. This was an Oil Painting, 14"x18".

For the second year I have been invited to submit a painting for jurying into a show in Powell, Wyoming which is just north of Cody, Wyoming. I did pretty good there last year and am trying again this year. One of the paintings I have just finished that I though about submitting is this oil painting, 12"x16" HEART MOUNTAIN.

December has been a pretty busy month for me. After the 2-Shot Show in Torrington I had Hernia surgery which put me out of commission for at least a week and I am still not back to full speed but I have been painting away in the studio. The gallery has closed down for the 3 month period January through March except by appointment. We will be reopening April 1st. My pardner, Tom is now in Arizona preparing for the Celebration In Fine Art Show which will run for 10 weeks. It is quite an experience and I hope at least by March to get down there myself. I will be working on a few Desert Landscapes in preparation for the trip down. I have been working on several pieces and have completed this painting from inspiration in the Trail Lake area south of Dubois. It is full of Glacial boulders and I have tried portraying one of these massive rocks with fresh fallen snow with the just breaking out sun hitting that snow in a burst of light. Mule Deer and Bighorn Sheep frequent the area and I thought it fitting to include this Mule Deer buck with snow still clinging to his back. It is 12"x16" Oil Painting and if interested please contact me through the gallery at silversage@dteworld.com or my personal e-mail, gkeimig@dteworld.com

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"
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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.

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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.
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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
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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.

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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.
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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.