Wednesday, May 22

I'm back from the river trip and the Oil Painters of America show. 

Our river trip was done in the lowest water level I have ever experienced. The snow melt from the San Juan mountains was being collected in the reservoirs by the ranchers due to the low snow level. So our rafts kept getting hung up on rocks left and right.  The river should have been flowing at 1500 cubic feet a second, but instead was down to 375, a rather large difference in flow.

We did stop off to view River House Ruin on the top section, which I have never seen.  

In case you are wondering why the doorway is shaped so odd, its designed so the Anazasi could enter the dwelling with a backpack on carrying goods and supplies. 

The next day I was off to Fredericksburg for the art show, welcome to the deep south. The show went well and it seems like they sold a lot, except me of course. It will hang at the gallery for a few more weeks, so there still is a chance. Saturday night I waited in suspense with all the other artists as they called out the names of those who won. Again I failed to hear my name called!

As they say there is always next year.

I did manage to do a little plain air painting with Marc Hanson out in the countryside.  The wild flowers were abundant to say the least.

My flight back gave me a view out the right side of the plane of all the destruction in Oklahoma. There I saw a monstrous thunder head rising up 40,000 feet and spreading out over a thousand miles. Little did I know it was causing so much harm below.

Richard Boyer 

Wednesday

It's been rather busy lately. Tomorrow I am off on a week long river trip down the San Juan in the four corners area of Utah. Looks like the first day could see some rain then clear warm weather after that.  I'm going to bring along the paints as well. I have a military rocket box I use to make sure everything stays dry through the rapids.

I worked a little more on this piece with the highlights and some of the values. The image I sent off on Friday for the American Society of Marine Artists show in Coos Bay, Oregon.  So any changes that happen now will be for myself only. 

This 40x30 I also started for the Howard/Mandville Gallery, but it to will have to wait until I get back. Actually the very next day we get back from the river trip I am off to Fredericksburg, Texas for the Oil Painters of America show. That should be fun to hob nob with some of the more well known artists.

Richard Boyer 

Wednesday

Did you ever have the feeling of a time bomb just waiting to go off?

A few days ago Lina came down sick, throwing up everything for two days in a row. Then Victor ending up getting the same bug, staying home from school and now Karin has it.  I'm just waiting to be the next victum, it's inevitable the way I see it.

I worked more on my daughter today, defining more of the water, face and sea grass.  Basically I was bouncing all over the place trying to orchestrate the work so it has that look of harmony.

Richard Boyer