Artquez

Art Show

2011-12-12T07:32:00.000-08:00

This show is gonna be fun! Hope you can make it.

My New Etsy shop!

2011-12-06T07:15:00.000-08:00

This is a link to my Etsy shop. I have Giclee prints of my watercolors and some of the other things I make. Please stop by and say ' Hey! '

The Last Buffalo

2011-10-27T05:41:00.000-07:00

Acrylic on canvas 36x48"
It's interesting how some things come about. The buffalo and shadow in this painting were laid in as a rough sketch, my intent being to render them in a more finished manner. This initial painting was so appealing that I decided to leave it and see what would happen. Even though this is not the way I usually work it seems to be good for this painting.

" Jumping Rope "

2011-09-07T08:46:00.000-07:00

watercolor on paper 9 x 22"
A cool, cloudy late-Summer day here in Denver makes one think of the coming change of seasons. Here's a little reminder of Summer.

Foxglove

2011-08-31T06:25:00.000-07:00

Watercolor on paper 15 x 22"
This watercolor was fun, cast shadows and translucent places where the light sneaks in. I like it.

2011-08-20T08:55:00.000-07:00

"Canyonlands" watercolor on paper
15 x 22"

One tends to take for granted that which becomes familiar and I am no exception. Having lived all my life in the West I reckon I look to other places to find beauty. It is especially gratifying then, when people from other regions remark on how beautiful the western United States must be. It is doubly so when I can be a small part of that message.

Sunflower

2011-08-07T14:27:00.000-07:00

Watercolor on paper 15x22"
I have, on occasion painted flowers and this is a favorite. The light is particularly nice on this piece and having not looked at this image for a bit I am reminded how much fun I had painting this.

One Buffalo

2011-08-07T14:17:00.000-07:00

Acrylic on Canvas 24x36"
This piece was fun and I am quite happy with the results. At a recent show one of the attendees commented that even though the Buffalo is lying down and at rest it looks like he could jump up at any moment. I like when people react to my work.

2011-07-14T19:01:00.000-07:00

This painting of the Sacramento Basin was done for Veneco Oil Company in Denver. It measures 4x8' and is an Acrylic on Canvas, the piece has four mounted panels that illustrate the wildlife of this beautiful area. I am very excited to be included in the prestigious Corporate Collections show at Republic Plaza in Downtown Denver.

" Study in Blue "

2011-06-25T07:02:00.000-07:00

The Aspen tree is an iconic image in Colorado and these lovely trees are painted over and over. I tried to paint an image of Aspens that honoured the tree but was a bit different from the traditional images.
" Study in Blue ", Aspens in the snow. Diptych, each panel measures 18x36". Acrylic on canvas.

2011-03-25T19:47:00.000-07:00

I've always painted clouds, as part of paintings but seldom as the subject. I've spent a great part of my life looking at clouds. This piece was just to have a little fun and try something different. I like it.
Acrylic on canvas 18x24"

Sun-up. Eastern Colorado

2011-02-11T10:04:00.000-08:00

Acrylic on canvas 36 x 48"
This painting is just about finished, as if being done was a real thing! I'm just tightening the tree up and I can see the clouds need to be 'warmed' up a bit.

2011-02-01T08:23:00.000-08:00

I am very excited to be chosen to participate in the Tails Of Painted Cats, an auction/ fund raiser for the Cat Care Society in Denver. Artists from the area submitted proposals and were juried in to this event. The cats will be displayed throughout the Denver metro area in the Spring and Summer and auctioned off later in the year.
My design is titled "Memphis" and is inspired by a cat I knew that would sit amongst the rose bushes and just watch the world go by. He is long gone but I have many good memories associated with that cat and here we are.

2010-12-10T15:53:00.000-08:00

I first did this drawing about ten years ago and yesterday I pulled it out and added a little color. I kinda like it but, as will happen, I can see some changes I can make.
Watercolor on Fabriano Artistico 300# paper 10 x 15 "

2010-11-14T09:31:00.000-08:00

Still more color! It is interesting to see these photos from a couple of days ago and compare them to the painting on the easel right now. This painting seems to be working and that feels good. Working on this piece reminds me of when I was a kid and was very happy just drawing. The pure act of drawing, no mistakes, no frustrations if it didn't turn out right, just drawing.

2010-11-12T06:32:00.000-08:00

Okay, now we start to add some color. I am doing this by adding thin glazes of color and gradually building up color. Clouds have always fascinated me , from down here they appear to have mass and even be solid. They catch and reflect light much as we would expect but, being gaseous they fill with light and glow in a way that is quite unique and I find this challenging and exciting.

Cloud Value Study

2010-11-11T20:15:00.000-08:00

This painting was originally to be about birds and as I was developing the values for the clouds it took on a life of it's own. This study was done to establish the lights and darks and I used Payne's Gray and White.
Acrylic on canvas 36x48"

Bass a la Cart

2010-10-25T07:46:00.000-07:00

And now, for something a little different. This is a Bass I carved and mounted on wheels.
Initially the idea was to make a statement about the silliness that goes on in creating 'natural carvings'. But, as will happen the idea sort of grew on it's own. This is not a childs toy, this is a sculptural piece and is appreciated by artist and fisherman.
The fish is hand- carved from a block of Solid Basswood and measures seventeen inches from tip to tail. The entire sculpture stands twelve-and-a-half inches tall.
I am selling this sculpture for $350.00 USD plus shipping.
I also have a Pike to sell and am working on other fish. I would be happy to discuss creating a custom sculpture if there is a certain fish you are interested in. Thank you, Greg

The Summer Game

2010-08-16T19:24:00.000-07:00

I'm putting the finishing touches (I hope) on this piece inspired by my son and his playing the beautiful game. He's the catcher in this piece and if I may so he's pretty good. I love baseball and better poets than I have written about the game so I'll refrain from trying to be too clever.
I hope this piece will be the starting point for more paintings.

Acrylic on canvas 36x48"

Sacramento Basin Commission

2009-12-20T09:57:00.000-08:00

These are photos for a recently completed commission for Venoco Oil in Denver. After opening a floor for their Sacramento Basin group I was brought in to create a painting representing that region.
I wanted to show the landscape and how, after you look you begin to see. I had this vision to create a piece that almost becomes sculptural. To achieve the desired effect I mounted canvas to a plywood panel that had been affixed to stretchers. The small panels were then attached to the large panel and stand proud about one-inch.
The client was very happy with the end result.

Late summer Eleven-mile Canyon, CO

2009-10-29T16:25:00.000-07:00

My son and I took a late-summer camping and fishing trip to Eleven-mile Canyon in south-central Colorado. I am amazed at what an excellent fisherman he has become, he is still quite young and he is already a much better fly-fisherman than I.
This painting is from a photo I took of several people fishing that weekend.

Rainy Day

2008-12-26T07:29:00.000-08:00

I just finished this little watercolor as a commission for a Christmas gift and even though I slammed it out in two days I am very happy with this painting. Because of the flat light in the scene I was forced to flatten my colors and there-by developed a style that I have been working at for quite awhile.
I'm not sure if these surprises are the essence of Art but they sure make it fun.

2008-08-14T09:10:00.000-07:00

This watercolor is a scene just a little north of Gunnison, Colorado. It had just finished raining and the sun was starting to pop out.
The Gunnison Valley and surrounding area is a very beautiful place and I miss it and the people very much, I might go back someday.

Floyd and Delta Dawn

2008-06-29T17:33:00.000-07:00

As a kid the Fourth-of-July was always a favorite, family, fireworks all the usual fun. But for the past twenty or so years the Fourth-of-July meant driving up to the Black Hills of South Dakota to visit my ex-wifes family. I loved those visits and miss them very much but the person I'll miss the most is Floyd Tetrault. Sitting out on the front porch on a hot afternoon just shootin' the breeze with Floyd talking about life, politics, bucking horses, fishing, it was all good. Floyd passed away recently and I miss him, a good cowboy and a great friend. Vaya con Dios.

Work in Progress

2008-05-09T05:33:00.000-07:00

This piece is pretty obvious. This was one of those things when you set your coffee cup down and Boom! there's a painting. I don't have a lot to say about this piece but I do like all the blue.

Happy Spring!

2008-03-14T21:11:00.000-07:00

Here's a little watercolor to celebrate the beginning of Spring!
Spring has sprung, the grass has riz.
I wonder where the froggies is.

Just joined !

2008-01-30T07:22:00.000-08:00

"Denver"

2008-01-27T16:53:00.000-08:00

Every so often people ask me if I have a favorite painting and my usual response is " they're all my favorites" or "it's too hard to decide". This little painting is one of my favorites, it shows an unusual view of Denver, not the typical tourist view. No mountains, no drama, just the plains and the sky.

"Venice Beach,CA"

2008-01-20T06:57:00.000-08:00

This piece is a favorite. To me Venice Beach means a lot of things, some of them not so great. It is a beautiful, interesting slice of life in Southern California but is also a pretty rough area with a dangerous side.
This scene alludes to the sun and surf element of SoCal but illustrates the fact that even in paradise people have to make a living.

2007-11-15T08:22:00.000-08:00

These two pieces were done for an oil company in downtown Denver. They are Acrylic on canvas and both measure five feet by nine feet
I must admit, I viewed these oil rigs in a fairly negative light. These rigs are often seen as blights on the landscape and noted for their harsh impact on the environment. From the beginning, I wanted to offer a positive view of the subject but not do a mere "puff" piece.

After a great deal of research I was a little surprised to find out that these structures often created biomes that had a very high concentration of sea-life. Under these artificial environments exist rich, very diverse communities of ocean dwellers.
The surface piece was inspired by a photo the client had that showed a large group of sea-lions resting on an oil drum used as a marker. I simplified the view showing three sea-lions and painting the barrel in a plain manner. The rest followed fairly easily. The landscape is a loose interpretation of the Santa Barbara coast.
The underwater scene was a little more difficult. I took liberties with the scale of the structure and the animals, to portray this scene accurately the vertical legs of the rig would of been much bigger. This painting is successful because the viewer understands the environment but the focus is on the animals. The movement through this painting is good and avoids the "aquarium" effect.

2007-11-05T06:08:00.000-08:00

Another alley. When I started painting alleys in my neighborhood I had no idea I would strike such a chord with viewers. People have universally been drawn to these paintings and always seem to know right where that alley is. Alleys seem to have a life of their own and lend themselves to a more intimate view of a neighborhood.
When we were kids the alley behind my grandparents house beckoned with the promise of great adventure. Being allowed to explore and play in the "Alley" was almost a rite of passage.
Walking an alley affords one a glimpse into others lives that is not allowed from the street. People and even dogs seem more friendly in an alley and conversation is invited and you are able to linger and slow down.
I suppose I could go around and find alleys to paint but I think I will stick to those I know even though that will limit my output.

"Crested Butte, CO"

2007-11-05T05:48:00.001-08:00

My maternal Grandmother was from Crested Butte and I have family buried in the old cemetery that is included in this painting.

A favorite family story is that my Great-grandfather "snowshoed" from the Floresta mine, several miles above Crested Butte, on Christmas Eve to marry my Great-grandmother. I love this story and even though things have changed considerably in this part of the world I like to think I've made some sort of connection. Circle of life indeed.

"Utah Highway"

2007-10-27T09:47:00.001-07:00

Okay, back to the landscapes. As much as I like to paint wilderness, the element of landscapes that fascinates is the intrusion of people. This painting includes the roadway for what it is. I'm not trying to make some big-statement, it's there, it is.

"Sea Lion"

2007-10-23T07:18:00.001-07:00

This watercolor was done from a photograph of a Sea Lion taken at the Denver Zoo. I do a lot of on-the-spot sketching and also take photos. I certainly have mixed feelings about animals in captivity but zoos present a marvelous opportunity to draw animals up close.
I am fascinated by water and the way light bounces off of and passes through it. I like this vignette style of painting. Leaving only that which is important to tell the story. Or maybe I'm just lazy.

"Great Blue Heron"

2007-10-18T10:28:00.001-07:00

Thought I'd change it up a bit. When I was younger I painted a lot of birds. I tired of the paint-every-feather mind-set and drifted away from animal art. I really love painting animals but now I'm exploring ways to be accurate , realizing the whole not the parts.
I like this painting because it reminds me of a lot of the small lakes and ponds in this part of the world.

"Tire Swing"

2007-10-10T20:39:00.001-07:00

The Taylor river above Gunnison, CO provided this scene. This is one of my favorite spots in Colorado and the fishing ain't bad neither. I like this piece because the winters here are beautiful but we still can't forget summer.

"Wyoming"

2007-10-09T08:11:00.001-07:00

This watercolor shows a view of eastern Wyoming, approaching the Black Hills. Though not as obvious as western parts of the state, the eastern parts of the Cowboy State are very beautiful.

" In Zion National Park "

2007-09-25T06:57:00.001-07:00

This is a favorite.

" Denver Alley "

2007-09-14T10:14:00.000-07:00