Parklane Miniature & Small Works 2020 Exhibition Kicks off.

 The Parklane Gallery Miniature & Small Works 2020 Exhibition kicks off today (five days later than earlier stated), and I've sold two works on opening day. The following link will take you straight to my seven; four Miniatures & three Small Works:

See my works in the show here.

Click the above link to see them in the exhibition or to make one or more your own. I am also displaying them here as a reminder.

C1698

“Orange Moon Rising”

(Oregon High Desert)

 

Miniature Oil on Richeson Gesso Panel

Image: 3” x 5”

Outside Frame: 5.5” x 7.38”

$500

 

Camping and painting since April 1st in the Wild places of the Pacific Northwest, has allowed me to experience the rythms of Nature, among them cycles of the Moon. The atmosphere determines the colour of each rising; here a storm passed away to the east, and the Moon rose orange through the remnant vapours, as the sun set behind me.

 

*****

C1699

“The Long Shadows of Evening”

(Oregon High Desert)

 

Miniature Oil on Richeson Gesso Panel

Image: 3” x 5”

Outside Frame: 5” x 7”

$600

 

There are certain campsites that are not particularly spectacular of themselves, but which will reward you, if you keep an eye out through the hours of the day. This was one such place, where the rewards came in the various lightings of the landscape that occurred, such as here as afternoon showers give way to the long shadows of evening.

 

*****

C1700

 

“Early Morning Reverie”

(Reflection Lakes, Mt. Rainier NP, Washington Cascades)

 

Miniature Oil on Pannelli Telati fine Cotton Panel

Image: 4” x 6”

Outside Frame: 6.13” x 8.13”

$650

 

Breakfasting here in the pre-dawn, while awaiting for reflections to appear, gave way to a different experience of cloud and mist arising in the dawn light. And while watching the subtle light show a Grey Jay landed on my foot, stretched out upon a rock, and had a conversation with me.

 

*****

C1701

 

“Slot Canyon Afternoon”

(Mount Rainier NP, Washington Cascades)

 

Miniature Oil on Pannelli Telati fine Cotton Panel

Image: 4” x 6”

Outside Frame: 6.5” x 8.5”

Sold

 

Slot Canyon is reminiscent of a millrace, in its straightness, and width ... of course its depth is quite a bit more! Not only is this natural phenomenon highly accessible ( the road passes over it), but one may see Mount Adams to the south from here, and a stroll of a few yards to the north brings one to this great view of Mount Rainier.

 

*****

C1703

 

“Last Light on the Mountain & New Moon”

(Mount Rainier NP, Washington Cascades)

 

Small Oil on Pannelli Telati fine Cotton Panel

Image: 4” x 6”

Outside Frame: 5.5” x 7.5”

Sold

 

A wonderful evening stroll, up near Sunrise Visitors Center, brought me this wonderful experience ... worth getting back to camp after dark.

 

*****

C1659

“Voices of the Ancients ”

(Hovenweep National Monument, Utah)

 

Small Oil on Pannelli Telati fine Cotton Panel

Image: 5” x 7”

Outside Frame: 8” x 10”

$425

 

Hovenweep, is worth a visit, for the interesting set of 800 year old structures built by an outlying community of nearby Mesa Verde. The main unit features a two mile circular walk, with many interesting ruins.The keen, such as I, should visit every unit of the extended Monument.

 

*****

C1665

“Evening Gold in the Valley of the Gods”

(Utah)

 

Small Oil on Centurian Oil Primed Linen Panel

Image: 5” x 7”

Outside Frame: 8” x 10”

$350

 

One of several colourful sunsets experienced in the Valley of the Gods, Utah; on the horizon can be seen several of the monumental buttes at Monument Valley, 20 miles away in nearby Arizona.

*****

Enjoy!

All Seven Paintings accepted into the Parklane MiniSmall 2020 Exhibition.

My last post was three weeks ago, in which I mentioned framing Small and Miniature paintings. They were for the Parklane Gallery MiniSmall 2020 Exhibition up in Kirkland Washington, a satellite town or suburb (I don't know what they consider themselves as), of Seattle. At that point I had sorted frames for the seven paintings I was to submit, and temporarily placed them in their frames to photograph them for submission online. Normally with a Miniature Show, you send the originals in for submission, so they can be judged, but this is a Miniature & Small Works show, so, I guess that made it too difficult to accept the original Small Works. The problem I had was in the photography of the framed works, since the paintings were a bit washed out in colour, when including the frame. I ended up pulling an all-nighter, working on the images in Photoshop and getting them submitted before the deadline the next day, all the while hoping the images would be acceptable to the jury. Evidently they were, as all seven (the maximum allowed), were accepted into the Show, which kicks off on the 1st of November. Once they were accepted it took an inordinate amount of time to actually frame them and get them ready for shipping. Since then I've been working on another Miniature that I had intended to submit as well, but which remained at the drawing stage, by the time the submission deadline rolled around ... I cut it fine as it was. Thank goodness that no one else was camped at the picnic table site, even though it was hunting season, as I definitely needed that table for the framing!

 

In times past Parklane Gallery has held their exclusively Miniature show in the Spring, but that pesky virus has had an effect on just about everything. Thus the gallery combined the Miniatures with the Small Works show this year. They also reserve the right to change the category of a work, from Miniature to a Small Work, for example. So, you may find that the categories I have listed below have changed when viewing the exhibition.

 

The exhibition may be viewed online at: ParkLaneGallery.org

 

*****

 

Here follows the photographs of the framed works I submitted to the show.

C1698

“Orange Moon Rising”

(Oregon High Desert)

 

Miniature Oil on Richeson Gesso Panel

Image: 3” x 5”

Outside Frame: 5.5” x 7.38”

$500

 

Camping and painting since April 1st in the Wild places of the Pacific Northwest, has allowed me to experience the rythms of Nature, among them cycles of the Moon. The atmosphere determines the colour of each rising; here a storm passed away to the east, and the Moon rose orange through the remnant vapours, as the sun set behind me.

 

*****

C1699

“The Long Shadows of Evening”

(Oregon High Desert)

 

Miniature Oil on Richeson Gesso Panel

Image: 3” x 5”

Outside Frame: 5” x 7”

$600

 

There are certain campsites that are not particularly spectacular of themselves, but which will reward you, if you keep an eye out through the hours of the day. This was one such place, where the rewards came in the various lightings of the landscape that occurred, such as here as afternoon showers give way to the long shadows of evening.

 

*****

C1700

 

“Early Morning Reverie”

(Reflection Lakes, Mt. Rainier NP, Washington Cascades)

 

Miniature Oil on Pannelli Telati fine Cotton Panel

Image: 4” x 6”

Outside Frame: 6.13” x 8.13”

$650

 

Breakfasting here in the pre-dawn, while awaiting for reflections to appear, gave way to a different experience of cloud and mist arising in the dawn light. And while watching the subtle light show a Grey Jay landed on my foot, stretched out upon a rock, and had a conversation with me.

 

*****

C1701

 

“Slot Canyon Afternoon”

(Mount Rainier NP, Washington Cascades)

 

Miniature Oil on Pannelli Telati fine Cotton Panel

Image: 4” x 6”

Outside Frame: 6.5” x 8.5”

$700

 

Slot Canyon is reminiscent of a millrace, in its straightness, and width ... of course its depth is quite a bit more! Not only is this natural phenomenon highly accessible ( the road passes over it), but one may see Mount Adams to the south from here, and a stroll of a few yards to the north brings one to this great view of Mount Rainier.

 

*****

C1703

 

“Last Light on the Mountain & New Moon”

(Mount Rainier NP, Washington Cascades)

 

Small Oil on Pannelli Telati fine Cotton Panel

Image: 4” x 6”

Outside Frame: 5.5” x 7.5”

$500

 

A wonderful evening stroll, up near Sunrise Visitors Center, brought me this wonderful experience ... worth getting back to camp after dark.

*****

 

C1659

“Voices of the Ancients ”

(Hovenweep National Monument, Utah)

 

Small Oil on Pannelli Telati fine Cotton Panel

Image: 5” x 7”

Outside Frame: 8” x 10”

$425

Hovenweep, is worth a visit, for the interesting set of 800 year old structures built by an outlying community of nearby Mesa Verde. The main unit features a two mile circular walk, with many interesting ruins.The keen, such as I, should visit every unit of the extended Monument.

 

*****

C1665

“Evening Gold in the Valley of the Gods”

(Utah)

 

Small Oil on Centurian Oil Primed Linen Panel

Image: 5” x 7”

Outside Frame: 8” x 10”

$350

 

One of several colourful sunsets experienced in the Valley of the Gods, Utah; on the horizon can be seen several of the monumental buttes at Monument Valley, 20 miles away in nearby Arizona.

*****

Regular readers will have seen the last two before, but before framing. They were presented in this blog back in 2018 on my year long journey from Minnesota to Oregon through the Southwest. Evening Gold is signed with my monogram rather than my “S.T.Johanneson” signature.

Again, the exhibition may be viewed online at:  ParkLaneGallery.org

C1696

“Green River Reverie”

(Dinosaur National Monument, Utah)

Oil on Pannelli Telati fine cotton Panel

6”  x  8”

Click here to make this your Own

Imprimatura & Drawing

Block-in 

The Green River arises in the northern end of the Wind River Range in western Wyoming, first briefly flowing northwest, then loops out of the mountains to flow south along their western edge. It continues through western Wyoming, cutting the Flaming Gorge south of the town of Green River (where those of you familiar with the works of Thomas Moran will recognize the buttes and bluffs in some of his paintings). It enters Utah at the south end of the Flaming Gorge, turning east as it is blocked by the Uinta Mountains, flows into Browns Park, in extreme northwestern Colorado (definitely in Butch Cassidy country here), until it cuts through the eastern extension of the Uintas, at the Gates of Lodore. We are now in the northern section of Dinosaur National Monument. Rafting trips begin here. It now flows through deep canyons in the Monument, past the campground at Echo Park, near its junction with the Yampa River (an interesting descent of 3000” by car to get to), flows westerly from here, back into Utah and the western end of the Monument (Dinosaur National Monument, straddles the Utah/Colorado  border).

It is here where I came up on this quiet scene, not far from its egress at Split Mountain, and less than a mile or so below the Green River Campground. I have thought about painting this ever since my few brief moments here. I passed this spot several times in my explorations of this end of the Monument, and this time the lighting was just perfect. The contrasts of the purples and blues of the shadowed canyon wall (with its dark streaks of desert varnish), with the yellows, oranges and greens of the foliage, and the milky jade greens of the River itself, has stayed in my mind since those days I spent in the area in Autumn of 2017.  I stayed one night in the Green River Campground,  and it is quite pleasant as far as campgrounds go, with the River quietly flowing past. I spent the next 8 nights dispersed camping just outside the Monument on BLM land. The dinosaur bones are what bring most people to this monument, but if you are interested in geology and hiking intersting landscapes, Dinosaur National Monument is an interesting area to explore.

From here the Green winds south through eastern Utah, until its meeting with the Colorado River in Canyonlands National Park. I did not see the source of the River, but I could see the Canyon of the source south from where I camped at Mosquito Lake up on Union Pass, after I witnessed the  2017 eclipse of the Sun. I travelled the length of the Green through western Wyoming; saw it in Browns Park; saw it enter the Gates of Lodore; enjoyed the cooling shade of the cottonwoods for awhile at Echo Park; witnessed its emergence at Split Mountain; and enjoyed this little scene near the Green River Campground. I am not familiar with the River between here and Canyonlands NP, but I did see it from high places in Canyonlands, and just like not seeing the actual souces, I did not see its endgame, but I did see the canyon junctions where it joins its waters to the Colorado, from a distance. There are rivers that stay in the mind, and this is one ... I would see it again, should I ever go that way.

Pigments used in the painting were:

Imprimatura & Drawing: Rublev French Red Ochre;

Pigments: W&N Cadmiums Orange & Yellow Pale, Ultramarine Deep Blue, Titanium White;

Rublev:  Blue Ridge Yellow Ochre, French Red Ochre, Lead White #1;

Schmincke: Caput Mortuum;

Great Basin National Park, Nevada

Wednesday, 16^th May 2018 to Friday, 18^th May; Great Basin National Park, Nevada.

C1670

“Forest Waters”

(Great Basin National Park, Nevada)

Oil Study on Pannelli Telati fine Cotton Panel

5” x 7”

SOLD

(Take Note: for those of you who have signed up to be notified by email of new postings to this blog, you have been receiving not just a notification, but an actual copy of the new blog posting as the email.  As this does not show the images of the paintings in the best possible light, you should click on the title of the latest blog posting at the top of the post, and not the title of the painting itself; this will open up the actual blog itself, and you may then enjoy the paintings at their best.)

To refresh your memory … the campground at Baker Creek, Great Basin NP is down there in amongst the Spring Aspens.

Except for my three weeks down in the Tonto National Forest in Arizona, and the couple of days spent in the Sedona area, my Winter and Spring was spent on the Colorado Plateau.  This geographical province, roughly centered on the four corners region, has been rising for some millions of years as a unit, and has generally maintained its layers of strata in the horizontal sequence in which they were laid down.  From the west of this area all the way across the remaining part of Utah, and all of Nevada, to the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California, lies the Basin & Range geographical province, which I am crossing to reach Oregon, and in which lies the Great Basin National Park, just inside the Nevada border from Utah.  The Earth's crust within the Basin & Range is being stretched and thus thinned, causing north/south faults, which in turn cause the land in between these faults (fault blocks), to be either tilted and uplifted, in the form of “horsts” and mountain ranges, or to subside in the form of “grabens” and valleys between the mountain ranges; there are some three hundred north/south mountain ranges and their flanking valleys within the Basin & Range, making Nevada the most mountainous State in the Union.  I will let you look up on the Internet the terms “graben” and “horst.”  The sediments eroding down from all these mountain ranges have filled the original deep valleys, changing them into broad flat plains, or basins of alluvial soil.

View of Mt. Wheeler
from the Baker Creek Trailhead,
a mile up the road from the campground
… we are at 8000’ here.

Oregon Grape in blossom …
the leaves resemble Holly,
and the berry clusters will be reminiscent
of blue berries in colour and size,
and the clusters like grapes.

Orange-yellow flowers.

The Great Basin National Park has several peaks over 11,000’, with the highest, Mount Wheeler, at just over 13,000'.  Thus as I approached the Snake Range, which these mountains are a part of, they loomed six to eight thousand feet above he roughly mile high valley I was travelling down.  Once you leave the town of Baker, Nevada, within the valley, and climb up to the Visitors Center, you ascend about 1800’ during those intervening six miles; Baker Creek Campground, where I have my campsite is at about 7700’.

In the morning I proceeded to the trailhead at the end of the road above the campground, and after consulting the signs there, decided on a short walk; or so I thought.  I had been thinking of a mile at the most, kind of stroll, and then on to another part of the Park, but it turned out to be 3.2 miles, ascending from 8000' to just under 9000'.  It was worth it in the end, even though I spent four hours doing it, what with all my photo-stops and Nature observations.  At the high point there was a lovely alpine meadow, with a small creek running through the grass.  After time spent taking photos from various spots, I spotted movement on the far side, which I at first took to be a Porcupine, but which turned out to be a Turkey, once I trained my binoculars on it.  Later, on the descending part of the loop trail, I spotted three more, and further observations and photos ensued.

Spring Aspens, near the beginning of the trail.

Manzanita blossoms.

Butterfly absorbing some mineral
or other.

Down at my campsite, a thousand feet below, I had noticed the Aspen leaves were a lovely Spring green, and pretty much full size.  At the trailhead, they were a bit less further along, but still of goodly size and shape.  As I had worked my way up the trail, I had noticed they were less and less developed, until they were just small leaflets breaking out of their buds, and finally at the altitude of the alpine meadow, they were just buds awaiting the right temperature before risking opening themselves to the World; all in a thousand feet.  Interesting to think that these higher altitude Aspens will also be turning colour in the Autumn before their brethren lower down, so their growing season is more compressed.

Spring Aspens further up the trail,
with less advanced leaves.

Now … patches of snow.

On the descent there was a grove of deciduous trees that was not aware of ever having seen before.  They reminded me, superficially, of the Hackberry trees I had first seen at Hovenweep in January.  The bark was a dark charcoal grey, deeply furrowed on the more mature specimens, and a lighter blue grey, and smoother on the young trees.  The leaves were about an inch and a half long, and lanceolate in shape.  The older trees were about twenty feet tall with decent sized boles, and beneath them old fallen leaves were red and yellow.  Later at the Visitors Center, a Ranger and I worked out that it was Curl-leafed Mountain-Mahogany that I had seen; not a true Mahogany, which is a tropical tree; always nice to learn a new tree.

In a grove of Curl Leafed Mountain Mahogany.

Curl leafed Mountain Mahogany.

Mountain Meadow.

Stream in the meadow.

Turkey through the Aspens.

Hmmmmm.

Blue Flowers.

Indian Paintbrush.

After the hike and spending time at the Visitors Center, it was really too late to take the drive up to the Mather Overlook, so I left that for the morning, where I had breakfast.  There at the Overlook you have just crossed the 9000’ mark and have a view across the valley to Jeff Davis Peak (12,771'), and Wheeler Peak (13,063'), the patterns highest in the Park.  Beyond this point the road is closed, being expected to open by Memorial Day, at month's end.  It goes for another five miles and gains another thousand feet to just over ten thousand, to the Wheeler Peak Trailhead.  There you can walk to groves of Bristlecone Pines, a couple of which I saw at Bryce Canyon.  These ancient trees are in eminent danger through Global Warming, for where can they go from their various mountaintops?  Animals and birds and even many plants can migrate north, but you're kind of stuck on the top of a mountain, if that is your only habitat.  I should have liked to go see the better specimens here; perhaps in a future Autumn, when the Aspens are glowing gold, and before the return of the Winter snows.

From Mather Viewpoint …
Jeff Davis Peak on the left, Wheeler Peak on the Right.

Note the barren Aspens down below,
at this 9000’ altitude.

Closer.

They call this the Thumb, so I’m told …
looks like a finger to me.

An hour later.

At the Overlook I met Tom from North Carolina, who was doing an extensive circular driving tour of Nevada.  He had been in parts of Nevada in the past, and was enjoying the chance to see more of it.  We talked about lonely roads and myriad mountain ranges, desert valleys and the fact that the majority of people, sadly, think of Las Vegas & Reno and gambling when Nevada is mentioned.  He had left his disabled brother at a cathouse near Pahrump, for the duration of his travels, which was the reason for his opportunity to visit Nevada again … his brother needed help to travel to Nevada brothel; bucket list I guess.  I hope he doesn't return to find his brother has suffered a heart attack from all the excitement, when he picks him up in a few days’ time!

Jeff Davis Peak on the right,
from the lower Visitors’ Center in Baker.

Great Basin NP as seen from the
700 year old Baker Archaeological Site,
a mile from town.

Pigments used in the painting:

Imprimatura: Rublev  Ercolano Red;

Drawing: Rublev Cyprus Dark Umber, and W&N Ultra Deep Blue;

Pigments: W&N Cerulean, Cobalt and Ultramarine Deep Blues, Cadmiums Orange & Yellow Pale;

Rublev: Ercolano Red, Purple Ochre, Blue Ridge Yellow Ochre, Italian Burnt Sienna, Cyrus Dark Umber, Orange Molybdate (just a tad) & Lead White #2.