Working in Series

What can we learn by working in a series?

Sometimes I like to work on an idea and take it in slightly different directions. Each new step allows me to say something a little different about the same scene. Often what I initially wanted to say morphs into something very different from my original vision. I love expanding on an idea like this, conducting ever changing experiments. 

In the images above, the painting on the lower left was the starting point. This little 9"x 12" 'Court of the Patriarchs' started as a plein air study I did in Zion National Park last November. I didn't complete the painting on sight, in fact I repainted the sky in the studio. But I like this view of the 'Patriarchs Emerging'. - $600

I decided to go a bit bigger so I could say more about it, and show more of the beautiful complexities of the rocks, the result is this 18"x 24" (top photo) 'Colors of the Court'. - $1800

Upon completing the second painting, I thought, what about a vertical format? This gave me the opportunity to show the Virgin River as a great lead in, and to show the autumn trees in a more prominent (and more colorful) way. 'Evening Approaches' 36"x 24" - $3000

Each painting presented it's own challenges and unique opportunities. Each stands on it's own, yet they are all related and came from the same basic inspiration. I like each one for different reasons. 

P.S. these are all framed and available in case you're wondering. Email if you have any interest - [email protected]  

You can see a larger version of any of these, and many more on my freshly updated website anytime. 

I just returned from a 4 -day trip to some remote locations in southern Utah. We travelled on dirt roads for many hours and saw almost no one. It was just what I needed to get some new material and recharge my batteries. I'm already planning some new works from this trip so stay tuned...

Home instruction. I have one plein air video of me painting along Oak Creek in Sedona, and one studio video about painting old trucks from a photo. I'm keeping these very affordable at just $35 each. There are also some FREE videos. Videos Page here.