Sunset Pond

12x9 acrylic on canvas board, © 1990
Private Collection

When I had a make-shift studio in the basement, I wanted to paint something. I went down one evening to find something to paint. I decided to derive a painting form a Walter Foster painting book "Landscapes You Can Paint" written by William Palluth. I painted it to learn the techniques that were being presented in the book. Marge came down when I started to paint and 90 minutes later when I had finished. Size and using a work that had some problems worked out helped with the time.

Gem Valley Canal at Grace

16x20, acrylic on canvas, © 1990
Collection of the Artist

One fun thing that we did on our annual visits to Grace, Idaho to visit my in-laws was to walk up to the Canal and skip rocks from the wooden bridge that crossed the water. This little falls was over some lava rock within sight of the bridge.

When we went back in 2007, we found that the water had been re-channeled and the small falls no longer exist. I went to the middle where the falls had been and picked up a piece of black lava rock which is now in the rock garden around the fountain in our back yard.

My wife's mother was showing someone a picture of the painting, and the fellow wanted a copy. He had it blown up and hung on his wall. That spot was where he was baptized into the Church as a young person before they had fonts in buildings.