Zion Speaks No. V

The beauty of the Southwest will never cease to amaze me.  I would be perfectly happy if I could spend the rest of my life plein air painting in AZ - NM - Utah.


With watery paint and large brush I put in some "directional lines" and a suggested "road map" as to where I think the painting will go.  I don't draw or sketch with a pencil as this tends to bring about "detail" which is not my style - I am a firm believer in "less is more"

Hope you enjoyed

JR       :>)

Desert Vista No. I

20 x 20 on gallery wrapped heavy canvas - painted out onto all 4 edges - Chroma Interactive acrylics - big brushes - alla prima - in a painterly style.

The beauty of the Southwest desert will never cease to amaze me.

Hope you enjoyed your visit. 

JR       :>)

Desert Giant

24 x 18 - heavy linen paper - Chroma Interactive acrylics - large brushes - alla prima- the southwest desert is DOTTED with these majestic desert giants.

However they do not live in the higher elevations - when driving up the highway and going up in elevation you can see them thinning out and pretty soon they just no longer appear as part of the high country desertscape.

Pretty much all cacti are started from seed - if a Saguaro seed lands at the base of a tree, the tree will shade the seed and when a young cacti starts growing the tree protects the seedling - however the cacti as it starts to mature will kill the tree and will rob the tree of its water - they can consumer a ton of water and most every thing around it dies.

:>)       JR

West Fork Of Oak Creek Canyon - Sedona AZ

This past April we spend some time out in Arizona - most of it in Sedona.  After living in AZ for 7 years this was the first time we have been back in 10 years!!!!!  I got some of my heart and mojo back!!!!

Oak Creek was running fast which is a result of the snow melt from Flagstaff.

A most beautiful area of our country which is going to require a much longer stay next year. - I'm thinking about 2 months!!!!

24 x 18 on acid free heavy linen paper - Professional Chroma Interactive acrylics done with large brushes in a "think paint"  painterly style.

Hope y'all enjoyed

JR       :>)

Summer's Preview

In Southwest Florida on the Gulf of Mexico summer does not wait until the calendar says:

HEY!!!!!!  It's summer - wake up!!!!"

Nope - summer pretty much starts when it wants and ends when it wants!!!

Summer's Preview
12 x 16

This past weekend - Mother's Day - was as perfect as weather could be - very low 80's with a nice strong breeze and endless sunshine and this painting represents a view of our surroundings.   We went to a Blues concert at a botanical gardens which is on Sarasota Bay and the trees seemed to wave with the beat of the music.

Heavy linen paper - alla prima - big brushes - Chroma Interactive acrylics and a few highlights with WSO.  Painted in a painterly style with gusto & efficiency of brush strokes.

Hope you enjoyed

JR       :>)

Lecho del rio seco so'lo unos restos de goteo

Living in AZ for seven years I have seen river beds - washes and streams overflow their banks by 2 - 3 times the depth of the bottom soil - it is an amazing sight to see when all of a sudden water gushes as tho someone opened the flood gates - everything in its way is washed away!!!

Mid April we took a trip back to AZ -or- The Mother Land as I call it ( I love it there) and 99% of the river beds - washes and streams were all but dried up and the vegetation around them parched - this being said - they are still IMHO beautiful.

"Lecho del rio seco so'lo unos restos de goteo"
"Dry river Bed Only A Trickle Remains"

18 x 24 on heavy linen paper - Chroma Interactive acrylics with embellishments in WSO for textural purposes and highlights. WSO is a new medium I am trying out. This was done alla prima - with 2 1/2 inch brush - gusto and a love for the SW land.

JR       :>)

Cathedral Rock - Sedona No. IV

While vacationing in Sedona AZ this past April I did many paintings of Cathedral Rock - one of my most favorite rock formations.   This one is 24 x 18 and presents the majestic beauty of this amazing formation.   This is done in a painterly style with attention to the textures of the formation as well as the landscape around the formation.  Portions of it are done in a "thick paint style" using quick deliberate brush strokes.

JR       :>)

High Desert Callin'

12 x 18 representing the high county landscape in and around the Sedona AZ area.  With this painting I am trying out WSO's - water soluble oil paints.  They afford a great drying time than acrylics do.  Although they allow cleanup with water, depending on the thickness applied they can take 3 - 12 months to dry as they are still an "OIL" based product.  They do however do not have the "OIL SMELL" of standard oil paints which is very refreshing and the cleanup with water as compared to smelly toxic chemicals is a "godsend' to the painting world.

Slow drying time can be a problem for artists such as my self who like to sell their paintings so my next adventure into this medium is to us a product that will speed up the drying process.

My main intention in using WSO's is to allow myself more "plein air" painting time as in Florida & the Southwest acrylics dry almost too quickly - certainly within one hour of being applied.
The acrylics I use ( Chroma Interactive ) dry (cure) slower than most others on the market but in the heat they still dry too quickly in a plein air environment.

JR       :>)

Cathedral Rock Sedona

Just returned from a vacation in Sedona AZ - one of the most viewed rock formations is Cathedral Rock.  This painting is done with large brushes - 2 1/2 & 2 inch brushes and is done in a "thick paint" style much like that of Brad Teare.

18 x 24 on heavy linen paper - alla prima - Chroma Interactive acrylics - gusto and a deep love for the lands of the Southwest.

Living in AZ for 7 years, Cathedral Rock was my "signature painting" - there are many rock formations in Sedona but Cathedral is IMHO the most magnificent of them all.  It is simply dominates the landscape and has a majestic appearance.

JR     :>)