Red Afternoon

Red Afternoon

10x10

When I set out for the West in October, I really didn't know what to expect in terms of color, scene, foliage. I knew that, no matter what, there would be amazing landscapes to see and paint - the mountains, hills and sky out here have always been enough for me, no matter what the season. 

Even though we lived in Idaho for a few years, I either didn't notice or didn't remember the colors being as rich and mesmerizing as I am finding on this trip. People I've asked say this is a good autumn for color, but not out of the ordinary. Maybe Boise was different? Maybe I just wasn't paying attention. I was working nights then, and honestly, didn't spend much time outside. 

How is autumn where you are? Are the colors brighter than usual this year? Are you noticing them more? I'd love to hear - or see photos if you feel like sending them. 

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Saw this house on the way to Red Lodge, Montana. I will surely paint this in upcoming weeks! 

Tongue River Canyon Road again. 

Here's downtown Red Lodge. It's a small, wealthy-looking town, with the feeling of a ski town. It was very pretty, very upscale, but had that pheeling of phoniness, so I phled less phabricated places. 

Home of Wile E. Coyote? 

This what, gas factory? is just outside of Billings, Montana. Really jars the eye. 

The hanging wall in my van, early in the trip. I'll post a more current photo soon. Pretty much every available inch in my van is covered with paintings right now. I had contemplated bringing Koko, my dog, and I am so very glad I didn't! 

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Dog of the Day

As I was packing up after making my final painting on the Tongue River Canyon Road, I saw another dog running along beside another car. By now, I understood that this was the way the people exercised their dog. I was on one side of the van, and the dog apparently stopped its run to investigate the van, but it was on the other side. By the time I came around, the car had stopped and the dog had taken off. I began to take photos, at which point, a passenger got out of the van and started posing for me!