Sheep Family Portrait

oil on gessoboard, 9" x 12"

A quick palette knife portrait of three sheep at Covelo Ranch, painted from a photo because sheep, like horses and cows, do not sit still long enough to have their portrait painted.  

Looking South, Covelo Ranch on a Misty Winter Day

acrylic on canvas, 12" x 36"

This was done in the studio from a photo I had taken at the ranch, and I loved the subtle layers the mist made out of the distant hills.  I'm not quite done with this one, but will not be able to get back to it for a few days.  Who knows, it may be finished now.  I never know these things.  I find it helpful to sit with a painting for as long as it takes to receive the answer to that question.  I've heard it said you never finish a painting; you just stop working on it.

Sheep in the Field, Early Spring at Covelo Ranch

acrylic on canvasboard, 12" x 16"

This started as a plein air painting which was finished later in the studio.  I wanted to paint the sheep relaxing in the white flowered grass, against the subtle color variations in the trees beyond, but as soon as I set my gear up, they were gone.  How dare they!  Luckily, I took a photo where some of the sheep were still lingering and used it as reference for the studio work.

Ron's Barn

oil on gessoed hardboard panel, 6" x 12"

This palette knife painting was done on site at my friends Ron and Marilyn's ranch in Covelo, looking south to a brown barn just over the property line that Ron had built and lived in years ago.  

Three Sheep

iPad painting, 14" x 10"

I'm back at Covelo Ranch, where sheep abound, getting some practice painting their sheep shapes so that when I attempt a plein air painting in the spring I will have a better handle on it.  Sheep, like cows, move surprisingly fast when you're trying to capture their essence.

Grazers

acrylic on canvas, 18" x 24"

Working from a photo for this one, there was a monolithic, cliff-like effect I was getting from the background trees and so I just went with it.

Davis Lane

acrylic on canvas, 10" x 20"

Another barn painting, this time on Davis Lane in Penngrove.  The two sheep were hunkered down against this beautiful barn, perhaps awaiting a storm.  The sheep, the gorgeous barn, the sunlight on the distant hills and that neon yellow mustard field in the mid-ground all begged to be painted!

Yamdrok Tso Lake

acrylic on canvas, 8" x 16"

Driving through the mountains of Tibet, the lake in the mid-ground is considered one of three sacred lakes in Tibet, loved for its turquoise color.