Dix Baines Colorado Landscape Artist
  • Out and About
  • Original Paintings
    • Available Paintings
    • Landscape Archive
    • Architecture Archive
    • Contact
    • Angling Archive
  • Prints
  • About the Artist
    • Publications
  • Dix Baines Studio Store
  • Blog
  • Studio Auctions
  • Images of Faith - The Stories Behind The Paint
  • Frame Preview

GATEWAY CANYONS JOURNAL SUMMER MAY 22, 2008

5/22/2008

1 Comment

 
Very somber and dark outside today. Not much of a sunrise – just a touch of light rested upon the scene outside my room. It was brief but dramatic. I plan to work out on the patio today as the weather does not look to lift anytime soon today. I feel I can paint and push that (light) moment into the view. The pallet today is so somber – a very different mix of color from what seems typical when painting here. I feel that some of my decisions about mixing color and composition is stronger on this trip. I really have been excited about returning to Gateway. The colors and wildflowers have surpassed my expectations.
(fig 23 drawing/ small painting 4 of 4 )
Picture
At Lee Bowden’s request, I returned again in June to paint upon selected rocks that were being incorporated into a Medicine Wheel alongside the Deloros river. I painted twelve petra glyph replications upon perimeter rocks that surrounded the
tee-pees of a wellness and therapy center. 
On Fathers Day, Lee took us on a sunrise to sunset 4 wheel adventure. We saw everything north, south, east and west that he could cram into a day. The greatest thing about the gateway experience was the depth that the opportunity gave to spend so much time in a single area, and the chance to revisit special places in sequential seasons. It was an extremely challenging exercise. All of the elements heaped upon the burden of packing, lugging, and moving my equipment. Many of the field studies were painted off the back of an ATV, others were created under the protection of the back door of my SUV. Every morning was early, the days were long, and the winds and rains frequent. If you were not sweating then you were freezing to death (at least there are no bugs in winter). Food was a constant labor in itself preparing lunches and snacks to satisfy my never ending appetite. In the evenings, restaurant was closed by the time I returned from the back country. Microwave dinners soon fell short to the lunches. I am proud that I did not lose a single valuable piece of equipment, or drop a sketch into the dirt. Upon my return home from Gateway trips I would often need physical recuperation for a good 3 days before I could resume normal and effective studio production.
The process tempered me and I feel it honed my skills like no other experience could. It forced me to quickly learn and embrace a subject matter that I was less experienced with. Observation and trial and error were continually the keys to learning how to better depict the subtle harmonies of this southwest wonderland. It also revealed to me the drama of light in landscapes that few can ever witness outside of such a wild, remote and vast typography. I had so much time to be with my thoughts, to breath in the scenery, to read and study other kindred spirits in the writings/ paintings of artists I admire. of Inness, Cole, Church, Moran, Payne, Bierstadt, Gifford, Homer and Hill. Each was utterly connected to the views that they depicted. Each also depicted a quality of the life force, an artistic acknowledgement of God as the originator and central point of all life, and that everything in creation could be taken as evidence of the divine order of the universe
Picture
Picture
"Evening Grandeur" 32×40 oil on board SOLD

Nearly forty field studies were painted on location, in addition to the 8 commissioned pieces. All of these works have been added to the collection housed in the Gateway Canyons property. In addition, I continually am painting views from this year of discovery. To date, I have produced over 50 Gateway images, and yet, I feel it is just the beginning of what I might be able to voice of this land.
Picture
1 Comment

GATEWAY CANYONS JOURNAL SUMMER MAY 21, 2008

5/21/2008

1 Comment

 
Some scattered light last night. Clouds cleared off enough to offer a nice sunrise. Spring light!
Picture
"Morning Palisade" 6×12 oil on board SOLD

Painted (another) morning view – wind chased me off – pretty windy now.
Picture
Picture
"Morning Shadows" 8×10 oil on board SOLD
Clouds continue to roll in and it looks like it will be scattered enough to offer storm light. The bright setting sun on the rock formations make for stunning compositions. I love the combination of warm land and cool sky. The sky also carries such drama and mystery as the rains blow across.
Picture
Picture
"Drama of Geology" 6×12 oil on board SOLD

A ribbon of light stretched across this scene as the storm clouds pushed through.
Picture
"Spring Palisade" 8×10 oil on board SOLD
Picture
"Evening Light of Spring" 9×12 oil on board SOLD
Picture
"Afternoon Meadow" 6×12 oil on board SOLD
1 Comment

GATEWAY CANYONS JOURNAL SUMMER MAY 20, 2008

5/20/2008

0 Comments

 
Onward through the Canyons of Moab. For the first time I drove the back way through Castle Valley (to Gateway). What an incredible and varied drive! The Colorado River Canyon turns into an Indian Red or Vermillion land. As you climb toward the Manti La Sal mountains you enter lush grazing meadows. You turn upwards into a mix of scrub oak and alpine foliage. Higher up, the La Sals soar above alpine meadows and streams. Runoff is beginning to saturate the land. Cattle have been moved up to graze in these pastures. Then the familiar descent down John Brown Road, the landscape is distinctly more arid, the rock formations on the mesa’s are rough, red and stained. Junipers and pinion and grasses mix with the new leaves of spring. How beautiful are the fresh new leaves which vibrate against the red and purple backdrops. Extreme contrasts of light and dark, complimentary warms and cools.
I am very excited to return to Gateway – the familiar terrain is a welcomed site. The change of the season’s and the warm temperature is also welcomed. I left a cool Denver to suddenly be in 85 degree days. Wildflowers are dotting the scenery. This could be a good year for them as the winter moisture was good this year. I returned to what was a favorite winter scene on the back side of the Palisade along the deloros River. It is full – 3000+ CFS
Picture
Picture
"Spring River" 8×10 oil on board SOLD

Warm afternoon light with purples and greens


0 Comments

GATEWAY CANYONS JOURNAL SUMMER MAY 19, 2008

5/19/2008

0 Comments

 
Prior to coming to Gateway, I was on the Navaho Reservation near Kaibito. We traveled up from the desert through the diverse and varied southwest country. Always a joy to behold Monument Valley at last light!

0 Comments
    Picture

    Dix Baines 

    ​“I am drawn to the things which speak to the senses; the light and atmosphere of landscapes, the impressions of a moment or place, and the spirit of nature and of people. It is important to me to strive as an artist to paint a variety of subjects and to paint each equally well. I  paint often on location, or from life.  Whether researching sporting life images, landscapes, or places from abroad, painting directly from the subject is essential to capturing the impression of what I see.” -DIX BAINES

    Archives

    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2008
    February 2008
    October 2007
    August 2007

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

ORIGINAL OIL PAINTING COMMISSIONS, ARE ALWAYS
WELCOM
E.  CONTACT THE STUDIO FOR
MORE INFORMATION.

DIX BAINES STUDIO
6742 EAST HILLS DRIVE
PARKER, COLORADO 80138
720.353.2670
ALL IMAGES ARE UNDER COPYRIGHT. THEY ARE THE PROPERTY OF THE ARTIST AND MAY NOT BE USED WITHOUT PERMISSION.
www.dixbaines.com
Proudly powered by Weebly