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

I have worked a little more on this Painting, GRAND TETON FALL EVENING 24"x36" Oil on canvas. The cottonwoods are looking a little better. Now for detailing the forground.

I continued working on this 24"x36" Oil Painting of the Grand Tetons. I have begun detail work and am presently not very excited about where it is going. The cottonwoods are way too scattered out so after I took this pix I began changing a number of things. Tomorrow I will post the changes.

Today I worked pretty diligently on my Aspen painting and have pretty well finished it. I see a few touchups I have to attend to but it is essentially finished.
ASPEN GROVE
15"x20" Gouache/Acrylic. on illustration board.
I see no problems in painting the acrylic over the thin washes of Gouache. That has been a question and only time will tell if that is a problem.

Spent the last few days in Casper where I had my annual cancer checkup which came out great. A OK. Spent a few days with family and returned yesterday stopping off in Shoshoni, Wyoming where we watched our grandson play football for the Rocky Mountain Grizzlies against the Shoshoni Wranglers. He is a sophomore and therefor only gets to play back-up but with a lopsided score by halftime he and other underclassmen were able to get a lot of playing time during the 2nd half. He plays halfback and linebacker on defense where he did great in both categories even scoring a touchdown. A great looking fellow[O K I am biased]his real game is basketball where all are expecting great things from him.

I had worked up the watercolor portion of my experiment over the weekend and now have begun using Acrylics and working my light and shadow as I go along with my detailing. It is turning out to be an interesting experiment.

While working on several oils and waiting for them to dry I have begun this Aspen painting using gouache watercolors for an underpainting on illustration board. This is an experimental painting as I plan to go back over it with Acrylics

I have had to put aside some of my ongoing paintings to get on several commissions such as this Oil on canvas of the Grand Tetons. It is 24"x36" and I have it blocked in and will now begin the detail work.

As everyone seemed pretty busy during the last few months I had put off issuing any Wilderness Challenge paintings but am going to begin again with October. Be sure and check the Wilderness Art Challenge and see what I am offering up.

Continuing with my Aspen paintings, I have finished this one.

ASPEN COLORS

11"x14" Oil Painting

I was a shop keeper today manning the gallery and painting while doing so. It was just busy enough that I spent a great deal of time with the public but I did manage to get some work done on my Gouache Painting of the Moose-Grizzly. have not picked out a name for this one yet. I am up to any sugggestions...

I worked most of today on ABOVE KEPLAR CASCADES, 20"x24" Oil Painting on masonite. I think I am pretty well finishd with it except maybe a tweak or two as I study it over the next few days. The blue looks way too blue in the shadow at top middle. That needs to be adjusted.

Several weeks ago artist friend, Les Lefevre and myself spent most of the day in the Togwotee Pass and Spread Creek areas that I have posted on my OUTDOOR ADVENTURE blog. I hope you will take the time to check it out.

BlACK ROCK CREEK BELOW TOGWOTEE PASS

I dug this gouache watercolor painting out of my possible bin and put a few hours work into it and think I have resurected it to the point I am going to frame it up and put it into the gallery. A GRAND TETON DAY is a gouache watercolor on 300# watercolor paper and is 22"x27" image size

I have been working on this 8"x10" Oil Painting the last few days while other work dries. Am pretty happy with the way it turned out. Our Aspens are pretty well changed out now and it is a painters paradise. The Susan Black workshop just ended and I think the over 100 participants were pretty well impressed with the Upper Wind River. We did get a white covering of snow on the mountains last night and I have a fire going in my wood stove in the studio as I write this.
SOLD

I have been working a little on my Moose-Grizzly painting the last few days. I had begun this as an Oil Painting but did not like where it was going so restarted with gouache and enlarged the size. Now a little happier with it. I'll get on it today.

I worked quite a bit yesterday on my Oil Painting, ABOVE KEPLAR CASCADES. It is finally beginning to look like something but I need to adjust darks and lights and just getting into detail on the grasses. I really fought the water trying to get transparency and yet shadows to all work together.

This year they gave us 90 minutes to do our quick-draw which seemd like a long time when one is used to doing them in 45 or 60 minutes. So I got to do a lot more detail than usual. It auctioned for $2200.00 so maybe that was worth it. I was certainly happy with it.
We spent the better portion of the day then running into old artist friends and meeting new ones at all the gallery shows going on. Also took in the Miniature Show and the Western Visions show at the Wildlife Art Museum. Both great shows.
By sunset we were on Pacific Creek which has been closed off to all tent and pop-up campers due to Grizzly activity. We hiked along the stream bed until running across a very large grizzly track in a sand bar. Vicki declared the day over. And it was after a hamburger at the Hatchet Restaurant on the way home.

Yesterday was the annual Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival which I am always one of the Quick-draw artists. Here I am working away at my watercolor with gouache painting, TETON COLORS.

Back from Oregon and traveling the back roads of Idaho where we shot a lot of research material for future paintings. Visiting with family and friends at and along the way we are now back in the studio and gallery and painting away. I have several paintings that I am working on and spent yesterday working on the water of my Firehole River, ABOVE KEPLAR CASCADES, an oil painting. I am finally feeling better with the water trying to get both transparancy and shadow work into it. I have blocked in the right hand side which will be mostly grasses with maybe a few small trees. Undecided at this point. Tomorrow is my big day painting in Jackson at the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival where I will be doing a quick-draw in the town park. Will post that later.