Monday, April 29

Yesterday Victor and I went skiing up at Alta, it was their last day.  The temperatures were up in the 70's here in the valley and up there it felt about the same in the glaring sunlight. With that kind of weather the snow rapidly changes into the consistency of wet concrete and plowing through it will wear down the leg muscles very quickly. Most of the skiers resorted to beer drinking instead of the hard labor. The parking lot was filled with portable grills and coolers for the days event, people hanging out in deck chairs with a cold one in hand.

Around three in the afternoon both of us were beat and headed back down to the valley.

I worked today on this painting, laying in the water and defining the head. It all needs to be done by Friday for the deadline.

Richard Boyer 

Thursday

I added the highlights on the water and defined some of the smaller rigging. It's ready for the critique session to get some outside view points. So maybe tomorrow I can say that it is really done.

As a signature member of the ASMA (American Society of Marine Artists) I am required to enter in several of their shows each year. In July they have their western regional show coming up at Coos Bay, Oregon in the summer, so I started my piece for the show. This 24x18 will be of my daughter walking through the water. A similar subject got me into the Oil Painters of America show, so why not try it here. Now they have never really been good at selling work, I have a feeling the market in that area is a little depressed. We were there once for the show and judging from the beat up, rusted pick-up trucks driving around, a strong contrast from the Mercedes and BMW's in Scottsdale, the clientele just are not there.

But still I'll wait and see, afterwards I can always sent to off to Mockingbird Gallery in Bend.

Richard Boyer 

Wednesday

Still working on the Stockholm boats and quite far along actually. It's now to the point where I'll start orchestrating parts to bring up the light more. The water I blocked in and need to finish up, along with some of the ropes holding the boats in place.  All of which I should be able to get done tomorrow before crit session.

Richard Boyer 

Monday, April 22

While over in Sweden I found out that my painting "Morning Bath" was excepted into the Oil Painters of America Salon show at the Crooked Tree Gallery in Michigan.  I was surprised that they let two naked girls in the show, several OPA members told me they were generally more conservative about that kind of subject matter.

I don't know if I will be heading back for that show since it would be quite expensive with the airlines, hotels and car rental.

Today it was back to the boat painting for Howard/Mandville Gallery. I need to get this done ASAP. In May I have a San Juan river trip from the 8th to the 16th and I need to get a bunch of paintings done before that.

Richard Boyer 

Sunday

So yesterday I flew away from this in Sweden.

To this in Salt Lake City.  Actually much of the snow had melted in Osthammar, it was just the harbor still locked in ice.

I had a fun time visiting Markus and family in Sweden and wish I could have stayed longer, but its back to reality and painting again. The flight went well and I was back in Salt Lake at 4:00 in the afternoon.

Richard Boyer

Thursday

Yesterday Markus and I rode bikes around Osthammar, down to the harbor where we saw everything still locked in ice. This might take some time to melt, but there is hope, light at the end of the tunnel as they say!

Sunday

Third day in the arctic, we have eaten all the dogs and are contemplating our existence in this featureless snow covered world. 

  Suddenly Markus found one of the many hamburger- restaurants halfway down the mountain; we stopped for lunch and contemplated a cold beer.

  I might be exaggerating a little but my legs are screaming form three days of constant skiing. With no lift lines I have been riding up and skiing down all day long nonstop.  Markus took off work today and we explored around the big mountain, actually he knew all the runs and I just followed.  The top at 1400 meters was an ice field and a little challenging to ski, but it was still fun to do.

Tomorrow I am just going to walk around the town and explore, give the legs a rest. On Tuesday we will take the train down to Östhammar and visit family. 

Friday

Location: Åre, Sweden

The flight over was as usual not without hiccups, Chicago was closed and the flight was canceled. I had to cancel the day, head home and try again the next.  Thursday it worked, but of course it threw off all the plans.  I was hoping to have slept that day and travel up to Åre rested, but instead I had to arrive, take the bus to Uppsala and then catch the train direct up to the middle of Sweden. A six hour train ride.

It was good to see Markus, our son again, even though I was in a daze.  He is spending a year over in Sweden and now works at the main ski resort in the town.

After a good ten hours of sleep I bought a three day ski pass and went up on the mountain, Markus was operating one of the lifts so I started to learn the mountain.  He was the local expert on where to ski. I started with a few runs at the resort in Duved, where he lives and works and then moved over to Åre to ski the big mountain at 1420 meters. 

The wind at the top was gusting to around 60 mph with ice, it was to say the least an adventure in the arctic up there.

There is a small storm moving in tomorrow so that should make it all even more of a challenge;  Right now it’s time for a little red wine and bed with the jet lag.

Richard Boyer 

Monday, April 8

I'm back from Bend, Oregon and tomorrow I'm off again to Sweden for ten days to visit my son. It's going to be a lot of traveling for me!

The show went well Friday evening. Jim had a small band playing in the back of the gallery and served wine and cheese to the guests. It was the gallery walk evening for the town with many of the businesses staying open later. We were there until nine and had at sometimes a crowded situation at the gallery with all the people milling around.

They sold four works that evening as well as many the days before. So far Jim is up to eleven sold and as he puts it, it's not even their season yet!

The figurative pieces had the best attention, several paintings we could have sold many times over…yes!!!

This painting I started today, it's a Stockholm harbor view 24x36 that I did as a small work for the May Gallery.

Richard Boyer 

Tuesday

Here is the larger version, finished it off today. I have one more day of painting tomorrow and then I'll leave on Thursday for the ten hour drive to Bend.

Richard Boyer

Monday, April 1

This is the larger 30x20 I did on Friday and Saturday. I spent two long sessions to get it done and then of course tweaked it a bit the next day on Sunday.  The family are in southern Utah, so I am painting like a mad man before the show.

We had a good crit night on Saturday. Craig Srebnik and his girl friend were staying at Bryce Liston's house. Craig is another Oil Painters of America artist, quite well established. So it was good to meet him and chat about the business. We had about fourteen artists with significant others over here for a Julia Child's dinner. I opened the page to a mustard chicken recipe and made that, everyone else brought some dish or another for the grand fest. And of course the wine was flowing, what else when you get a bunch of artists together!

Today I started a larger 20x16 block-in of the girl reading a book. The smaller 16x12 version of this the Mockingbird Gallery sold before they even got the painting. They had another client request a larger piece, so for me its good practice to do it.

Richard Boyer