# 27 River's Gold

To an artist, some things can be more exciting than real gold..... Like seeing a glowing,  bright golden bush down the river, while in Montana painting with a bunch of like-minded creative souls! I seem to have my camera in hand more often than the paint brush. Sometimes, it is a good thing, as you can only paint so many hours on location in a days time! That's when the camera comes in handy. I started this plein air and scrapped it....it almost made it to the burn pile, but instead, it got a reprieve today and I tried again. The good thing about the studio is you are more relaxed and have more time to make color/value decisions.

It takes me right back to that afternoon, to standing on that road while dodging the huge, lumber trucks that were hauling trees to the mill. ( We thought we had chosen a quiet little back road that no one used!)

                                      #27 River's Gold
                                     8 x 10" oil on mat board   $75

Standing in the Shadows

Staying with my western theme, here a few more aspens. I traveled all the way to Montana to paint and the first ranch we painted at was.............."Buckeye Ranch"   .........they had both been originally from Ohio! Go figure. They even had an entire room ....aka the bar.........done in Buckeye decor.

Anyway, they were fabulous people and gave us free rein of the house and grounds.  The aspens had not started to turn while I was there in August but the shade of the barn was inviting and got me out of the glaring light. I took hundreds of photos while there and this is the result of the one looking towards the road leading to the ranch.

                                                   

                            Standing in the Shadows

                                                  9 x 12" oil on museum matboard     $75

I think I need to make a few adjustments, esp. the trees at the top but here it is today...
thanks for looking..........Ruth Ann

# 6 of 30 paintings in 30 days

Well, this one was started 'en plein air' in Montana. A friend had given me the surface to try; a resin treated  paper made specially to be light weight for travel. That it was. It also grabbed the paint. I struggled with it and finally gave up, knowing I needed extra time to deal with the properties of this new surface.

I found I rather like it. The oil painting looks almost as if it were done with pastel. So here it is, reworked. Still not quit what I was going for but I was so enamored with the incredible vista of those monstrous mountains, it was a difficult capture!

I still can put myself right back at that moment, painting, the wind blowing and how wonderful it all was!

                                                         Glacier View  

                                                       9 x 12" oil on resin paper  $75

# 4 of 30 paintings in 30 days 2013

On the bucket list was seeing the aspens turn golden! That one got it's checkmark this last fall, as I had the priviledge to explore Montana then Wyoming while they were gloriosly in full splendor.

                                                        9 x 12" oil on panel

Huckleberry picking

Wanda and I after climbing down from the mountainside with our huckleberries! Slim pickins' due to late in the season and being the bear's favorite snack! Since Wanda and Les disappeared to the top of the mountain with the bear spray, I am grateful none showed up.........

Saturday the sun was shining and making for a perfect day on the lake in the boat with fellow artists...including ret. Vice Admiral of the US fleets,  Roger Bacon....

Along the way we were rewarded with a visit from an eagle in the treetop..........

 

We also crossed the Canadian border; marked with a fence on Lake Koocanusa...

 

 

Nothing like finishing off the day with these margaritas.....

 

 

Thanks, Les...........Cheers!

 

Montana views: white snow on the mountaintops

Large expanses of open land.........the way it was made!

 Wanda's green thumb showing here! The patios were covered with planters spilling over with blooms.

 Heavenly views.............deer everywhere!  Sunshine and warm on our level..........watching a storm pass overhead and lay a cover of crystal white snow on the mountaintop!   Montana is truly beautiful!