Buttes, Buddies and Buffalo!

Andrea and me at Yellowstone Falls

Andrea and I just returned from an amazing 6-day painting trip to Montana and Yellowstone with our friends Ryan Mellody, Daniel Keys, and Tyler Murphy. Though we traveled far and wide in search of the very best painting spots, our "base of operations" was Tyler's hometown of Red Lodge, MT, where he has recently opened the impressive Montana Gallery. It was a fantastic time of painting, and a joy to spend time with these incredible artists. Check out some of the highlights from our trip below!

By Adam
(plein air study)

By Andrea
(plein air study)

L to R: Me, Dan, Ryan (Ryan is painting a deer skull
hanging inside the shed. No, the shed did not fall on him!)

Breaks from Landscapes
Andrea and Ryan were kind to model for the rest of us to paint. Life doesn't get better than this!

Painting Andrea in a tent house

Painting Ryan at Montana Gallery

Ryan by Adam
(alla prima study)

Ryan by Andrea
(alla prima study)

Yellowstone

L to R: Tyler, Me, Ryan, Dan at Yellowstone Falls
(I need to get me some rad shades like these guys!)

On our way to MT, Andrea and I passed signs for Yellowstone and regretted being so close without time to stop. After we arrived in MT, we were surprised and excited to learn the guys had planned to take a painting day-trip there!

On Saturday, the five of us piled into a minivan and headed out from Red Lodge to Yellowstone. The drive took 6 hours one-way, but it was so worth it! The diversity of Yellowstone's geography and wildlife is astounding. The landscape is characterized by vast mountains and valleys, bubbling hot springs, and the magnificent Yellowstone River and Falls. We saw elk, antelope, a coyote, dozens and dozens of buffalo, and even a black bear cub!

Ryan painting Old Faithful

A steaming thermal hot spring by Adam
(plein air study)

Beartooth Mountains

Back in MT, we visited the breathtaking Beartooth Mountains. As I sat on the ground with an expanse of valleys and lakes displayed before me, I was awed by God's creation and felt very small! I prayed that God would allow me to capture just a small portion of the stunning scene before me. I determined to put all distractions from my mind and simply make my painting a celebration of His glory.

By Adam
(plein air study)

Ryan met a curious friend!

L to R: Ryan, Loren, Keith (friend of
Tyler's fam), Tyler, Andrea, Me
Everywhere: Mosquitoes

It was a treat to have Tyler's mentor, Loren Entz, join us. We gathered around to watch as he made a beautiful painting, finishing just as a glorious sunset completely changed the landscape. To see Loren's work, visit his website here.










Signing Off

We accumulated quite a collection of paintings!
And this doesn't even include the last day's work
(Works in progress)

Early Tuesday morning, Andrea and I headed home feeling energized and inspired, with lots of studies and photos we're excited to work from. It was an incredible time with great friends, and we can't wait to do it again!

Check out these links to see our friends' amazing work and more photos from the trip:
• www.TylerMurphyFineArt.com
• www.MontanaGallery.net
• www.DanielKeysFineArt.com 
• www.RyanMellodyArt.com
• Ryan's Facebook
• Daniel's Facebook

Tinker Bell and TobyMac

More Whipped Cream
Oil on linen • 24" x 14" • Sold
Portrait Award of Excellence,
2013 OPA National

I never thought I'd mention Tinker Bell and TobyMac in the same post! Here goes...

The painting to the left is a recent one of my 5-year-old cousin. Her family was in town visiting, and I decided to take the opportunity to paint her. She was a terrific little model, especially when entertained with her favorite Tinker Bell movie and supplied with plenty of ice cream and repeated servings of whipped cream (hence the title)! Of course, even the best-behaved 5-year-olds can't sit still forever. When the whipped cream ran out, she found it much more interesting to hop off the couch and "help" Andrea and me with our paintings. She had a lot of fun putting strokes on our paintings as we directed. Maybe she is an artist in the making!

I did this simple sketch of my cousin from life. Although the sketch is very basic, it helped me keep my colors more life-like while working from photographs for the larger painting.

Study for "More
Whipped Cream"
Oil in linen • 5.5" x 4.5"

I don't know about you, but the music I listen to while I paint has a great impact on my work. One song in particular, "Steal My Show" by TobyMac, has had a big influence on me lately (listen below). The songwriter asks God to steal his show, recognizing that his own performance is of much less importance than the work God can do through him. That kind of humility is inspiring. Naturally, every artist wants people to enjoy his work. But when I seek man's recognition instead of God's, I set myself up for disaster. When people praise my work, it's easy to let it go to my head and forget that it's God that gave me my talents. This song reminds me to ask the Lord to "steal my show" and do more with my life than I ever could on my own.