January Scenes

Scenes from just outside my studio (eagles filmed through my studio window). This is where I draw my inspiration, the endless well. North Idaho is snow country which can be tough but it is also incredibly gorgeous.

I had a friend in college named Andrew Hofmeister. He was a retired art professor at Washington State University. He was a huge artistic influence on me, I wish I would have told him that. At the time he owned a family vacation home on Flathead Lake in Montana. He let me stay up there periodically, in the basement of his cabin. Mr Hofmeister told me “be inspired but don’t let the view dictate your painting”. I think about that a lot, I hope he would appreciate my work now. I am pretty directly influenced by nature but it is the mood and movement of paint that are my key subjects. Now I have a studio and live roughly half way between WSU and his former cabin in Montana.

Can’t we all just get along?

Pine Siskins

We have had some late season Pine Siskin fledglings. Hanging around complaining and begging to be fed. They are able to eat on their own but they are at the awkward stage wanting parents but sort of able to fly (I personally never left this stage). I was lacing up my hiking boots on the front porch when one of these little guys started hoped up to me and chirping. I baby birded it some water. Without effort I picked it up and carried around the house to the “Siskin Zone”. Another young bird immediately hopped over and this video was the result. I hope they will be ok. I know there isn’t much that I can do. There is bird seed and other Pine Siskins… Live Free?