Coastal Rainforest[s]

                                                            watermedia on Yupo 10x5

 Once again this configuration of trees near the Sitka Center has claimed my attention. They are growing in a little watershed flowing off Cascade Head. I walked by them almost daily when I was there. I don`t understand why something purely visual would have such a grip. There is no story here, yet this arrangement is so compelling I would just stand there and admire all the different elements. It`s an archetype for me, something I`ll see even in a dream. Below are some earlier versions.
 Twenty one paintings left the studio this week for three different galleries. All of my representatives do the majority of their business in the summer so spring has become a very busy time. Big relief to get them out the door and on their way to new lives [hopefully] out in the world. My relationship with finished work is as conflicted as everything else in being a painter. I`m protective and often proud but once they`re gone, they`re gone. It`s strange to care so deeply about something and then be so utterly detached.

                                                                oil on canvas 40x30

                                                    oil on canvas mounted on panel 12x9

                                                                  oil on panel 14x11


updated available work now in my studio

Winter Fir

The Douglas Fir is the iconic tree of the Pacific Northwest. They are the original source of Oregon`s wealth along with the salmon. Even after a couple of centuries of logging, they are everywhere. I have two in my front yard! When left in peace they can become truly massive and are worth the effort to see in the protected groves of the Cascades or on the coast.
watercolor on Yupo 6x6


available work in the studio

Rainforest Light 2

Kind of spring like but I just did it a week ago.
watercolor on Yupo 12x9


available work in my studio

Rainforest Light

Accuracy isn`t too important, getting the mood of a place at a certain time, is. When I paint these Dr. Seuss trees, I wonder if people outside the Pacific Northwest understand them? They`re green because of moss and they are distorted for the same reason. Big clumps of moss high up into the branches disrupt the expected proportions and give the trees a truly 'other world' look.
watercolor on Yupo 12x9


available work in the studio

The Marsh in March

I`m sitting with this one for a while. It`s either exuberant with winter funk or way too busy and muddy. This comes from my plein air outing in early March. While walking around to warm up, I got some photos of incredibly dense tangles of swampy trees. So far I have done five paintings of the wetlands since then and two painted at the site. It`s good to get out there and paint with friends, it can lead to productivity.
oil on cradled panel 18"x24"


available work in the studio

Ice Fog settles on the Winter Oak

From a walk last week in the Camassia Natural Area, a jewel like hilltop directly above busy Interstate 205. I had never heard of ice fog before moving here, but just like the other, it`s extremely beautiful. It frosts all the small branches and grasses and when walking through it, tiny ice particles tickle your face.
watermedia on Yupo 12"x9"


available work in my studio

Forest Memory

Every once in a while, a painting just comes through me with a will of its own. This exhilarating experience is all too rare but so much fun when it happens. I just banged this out, free of all planning or concern! I`ve been aimless in my studio and I needed a success. I like to have a plan, a series in process preferably, but I`ve been hesitant to begin new projects because I`m taking my dream trip to Kauai in a couple of weeks. We are going to the wettest part and I have a feeling, that rainforest with the beautiful sea beside it, will shake my world. All my life I`ve wanted to see a tropical forest. In 1985, I thought my chance had come with a trip to the Yucatan. The forests were there alright, about 8 feet tall, blanketing the flat landscape like a cornfield. Not what I had hoped for.
I have rain gear and new trail shoes and I`m ready for the Na Pali coast.
watermedia on Yupo 12"x26"

Winter Wetlands-Fanno Creek

Another on the paper Arches formulated for oil paints. This time I sprayed the surface with a matte acrylic and the paint still managed to sink in. It wasn't my intention to do something so pale but I think it worked in suggesting the delicacy of the dormant wetland. Fighting my materials is frustrating, but tonight I talked with my friend Jillian Conrad and heard of a struggle that dwarfs absorbent paper. She is a conceptual sculptor. When the 'idea' is the art, there isn`t a consistent craft employed from piece to piece. It`s all problem solving in the execution of each sculpture. She needs to learn different skills all the time, never having a comfortable familiarity with any of them. Yikes!, I think I`m going to be grateful for paints in a tube and brushes.

Finally, I set up a Facebook page for my art. I thought I could keep it separate from my personal one but no such luck. So forgive me nieces and nephews, my childhood friends, my former co-workers, I`m sorry to flood your feeds with Randall the Artist stuff. I didn`t want to.

By the way, for any local people who might read this, the wetlands of Fanno Creek on the east side of Cook`s Park in Tigard are magnificent right now. When the weather warms up some, I`m going to go sit there and paint some watercolors.
12"x16"


some available work

Bryant Woods Winter

The trees in our temperate rainforests lose their leaves in winter. I am happy for this as I can now see into the woods. There is a visual paradox too which is beautiful, dormant bare trees surrounded by lushly green ferns and mosses.
oil on paper 16"x12"

Northwest November 5

oil on panel 6"x6"

Poplars in the Gloaming

From a visit to Menucha.
oil on canvas 20"x16"

Fanno Creek Wetlands

I`ve been walking Cook Park in Tigard which is mostly closed to cars  in the winter. The marshes look sensational though I got wet feet getting close enough to see them well. In summer, there are baseball and soccer games going on and it`s filled with people. This time of year, the park is empty and wild.
oil on panel 9"x12"

Winter Woods along the River

With the short days and weak winter light seeping through the heavy cloud layer, the flooded forests along the Tualatin River are looking sort of Gothic.
oil on panel 10"x8"


some available work now in my studio [bottom rows updated]

December Runoff 2

oil on panel 6"x6"



available work in the studio

December Runoff

The rivers here are swollen, flowing fast and full of silt. The murky color looks great behind the last autumn color.
oil on panel 8"x8"


available work

Northwest November 4

 There are many hours involved in this small painting. Getting the right mood was elusive. Twice I painted over the whole thing then scraped that off and went into the 'ghost' of what had been there before. Eventually, something sort of tremulous happened and I was satisfied.
 In between massive though typical fall storms, we`ve had a couple of dry days. What gifts they are!
The forests are muddy and wild with ferns and mosses. And still, some lingering bright maple leaves which are stunning against the blue fog and deep green firs.
oil on panel 8"x8"


available work

Lakeside

 I don`t think I ever posted this watercolor. It was inspired by Sauvie Island and is now owned by the talented Brent Perkins.
 After percolating for six months, I`m working on a big oil painting of a grove of cottonwoods that have just budded out in early Spring. From my residency at the Brush Creek Ranch in Wyoming. The place was still kind of bleak from the winter, lots of downed trees and debris. But the tiny green leaves were a hint of color and life. Suggesting that delicacy in contrast to a battered dormancy is my challenge. I`ll post a progression of photos when it`s finished.
watercolor on Yupo 12"x9"


available work

Northwest November Study 3

oil on cradled panel 12"x9"

Across the Field

This began as the demonstration painting for a class I taught last weekend. The topic was working from a drawing. When doing a sketch on location, one immediately emphasizes the elements that are interesting. Painting from that first interpretation offers a more personal response to the subject without too much confusing detail. Though I use photography as an integral part of my process, I find that if I`ve drawn something first, I begin with more confidence.
watermedia on paper 24"x18"
graphite on paper 6"x3.5"


available work

Northwest November Study 2

I`ve heard that because our summer was so dry, autumn came early. And it seems to be going fast. Every day I`ve been out walking in it and in these final days, I think it`s most beautiful. Because of the rain, the ferns and mosses are vividly healthy yet the forest floor is covered with bright decaying leaves. Now that they`ve fallen, you can see deep into the trees. That spatial element with the rich autumn color is rewarding even in the rain.
oil on panel 12"x12"


Available Work