Summer with Family

For months, I have been promising to visit my siblings and their families in Utah and Wyoming. I drove through the breathtaking Sierras on my way. But for me, nothing compared to Wyoming, where I grew up and had not been back to in eight years. For several days, I was in the Pinedale, Wyoming area in a lakefront cabin. Besides boating, relaxing and catching up with family, I painted. This scene is from the cabin porch and a view of Fremont Lake in the Wind River Mountain Range. During the trip, we went to Jackson Hole and the Teton Wilderness. We were looking for an old miner's cabin in the Kelly Wyoming area. Our exploration took us to places where plein air painters normally would not go. I have been wanting to paint more landscapes and this trip provided the opportunity and the scenery. The Tetons were even more beautiful than when I visited as a child. I have had several instances when I return someplace now that I paint full-time. Experiencing the landscape from that vantage point takes on an entirely new perspective.

I ended the trip in Porterville, Utah at a family BBQ. Relatives I haven't seen in years stopped by to catch up on our respective lives. It was an amazing trip filled with memories I will never forget. The mixture of seeing family and painting some of America's most beautiful scenery was a perfect balance for a painter.

Yes, I have a lot of siblings (4 sisters and 2 brothers).