Tongue River Autumn

Tongue River Autumn

10x10

On this trip, whenever I've asked people where I should paint, what I might miss that they, as residents of the area treasure, I've been sent to beautiful places, stunning places, places that take my breath away. Believe me, this isn't always the case! 

A woman I talked with in the Cowboy Cafe in Sheridan sent me to the Tongue River Canyon, and what a delight that was! I painted there one afternoon, and went back to paint there again the next day. 

It's just outside Sheridan,  near the metropolis of Dayton. You turn just before the town, and drive down a dirt road. Beautiful meadows line one side of the road, and the Tongue River runs along the other side. Again, I didn't go all the way in to the canyon, but stopped where the road narrowed - there was already so much to paint, I was overwhelmed. 

In addition to the beautiful homes, lovely horses, expansive fields and meadows, the autumn light caught a bright, chaotic tangle of trees and underbrush and brought out their colors, copper and brass and the shimmering orange-green-yellow of the tamarack and cottonwood trees. 

It was breath-taking, and it brought me this painting, which is a true breakthrough piece in my painting life. It's hard for me to describe what makes this piece so special, but I can say that I held the knife loosely and I saw the colors and the bits and splashed of light more clearly than I ever have. I painted this small piece with a rush of energy and abandon that I've never known, and it is still thrilling to me. I hope you like it! 

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Tongue River Canyon

I'll post some more photos of the area in the next post! 

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Cowboy Cafe

The Cowboy Cafe was a really fun place for breakfast! And the breakfast was big enough that I had it for lunch, too, which is always a nice bonus. Pleasant wait staff, happy customers, good food at reasonable prices - a pleasant place to eat in downtown Sheridan, Wyoming. 

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Dog of the Day 

You might have to click on this to see it larger... Best Halloween yard yet! 

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A Thought about the West

"Those roads provided breath-taking views. There's something special about an empty road going on and on and on to the horizon where the sun burns the world away into a dancing, shimmering heat haze that reflects the crystal blue sky, literally blurring the line between heaven and earth." 

- Dave Gorman