Cedar Root

When conditions are right, the ground saturated with rain and the winds wild, one of our towering evergreens will lose it`s grip on the earth and topple, literally uprooted. If undisturbed the trunk will become a 'nurse' log and support abundant new life. The root system, now exposed, will take decades to break down. As it does it becomes dramatically sculptural.

Dark Pool Beneath the Cedars

This is the painting that confounded me last week. It`s hard to walk away from something that isn`t working out but it`s usually the right thing to do. By setting it aside, when I returned I could see that my source material was the problem. I got rid of some content, altered the scale and just began making random experiments. Now, I wasn`t so invested and my original response to the subject came through. There is something compelling in these Northwest rain forests, they are so dark yet so generous.

Cliff Study 2

Another from the Oneanta Gorge.

Arboretum Study

I began this before I left for Sitka.

Trail through the Winter Thicket

Another little study I did two days ago while thinking about a long composition. A way to proceed came to me on a run yesterday. After blocking in the forms last night with it`s multiple viewpoints, it looks like a travel poster for the Oregon coast.