Painting retreat in Yosemite last November

The fruits of my labors!

Yes, I'm aware that it's January, and that November 2010 was 3 months ago. Well, better late than never! I'm trying to capture the experience of doing art full time, and get thoughts out of my head and into writing more often. So I have to start somewhere.

Fall in Yosemite is, I've discovered, a gift to painters. It tends to be a bit less crowded, and the colors are glorious. So I've made a habit of heading up there to paint for at least a few days in the fall, as a sort of gift to my self.

On my most recent trip, I made the discovery of the quite inexpensive tent cabins in Curry Village. This left much more of my day for painting since I didn't need to drive into the Valley from the less expensive lodging just outside. Fall days are short and crisp in the valley. Next time I will definitely plunk down the extra $10/night for a heated tent cabin! Brrrrrr.

Over the years I have noticed that while plein-air painting I have lots of animal encounters. It's probably from standing still for so long. Animals start to take you for part of the scenery.

This year was the best so far for mixing with the furry set. I saw a coyote, many many deer, and a giant black bear! The coyote was the first I'd ever seen in Yosemite, after years of visits there.

"Doe and Fawn" Silkscreen, starring Mommy Deerest

While the encounter with a coyote was very magical, I doubt it will inspire a painting. Growing up in the Southwest permanently ruined me for coyote art. I could see the bear showing up somewhere, and the deer already have. A mother deer and her fawn that I ran into repeatedly while painting became the models for "Doe and Fawn". I saw this deer so often in the week I was there that I began to think of her as "Mommy Deerest".