Monumental Highway

In 1917, Dolph Andrus and William Hopkins set out to log a road between Bluff in southeastern Utah and St George. Their trip took them through the heart of Monument Valley. Many roads today follow closely to the motor path they pioneered. This design highlights Monument valley, while remembering their contribution to tourism in the West.

This picture was taken just off Highway 163 in the Valley.

The final rendering, of course, features them in their motor carriage, a 1916 Maxwell Roadster.

Domain of the Dinosaurs

Dinosaur National Monument is a paradise for young imaginations. Gazing at the wall of bones is an amazing trip back in time to a land of monumental movie-like monsters. It is for this reason I wanted to dramatize a young boy's experience while gazing up at a skeleton of one of the most prominent dinosaurs found at the monument, the Allosaurus.

My son seems to think the skeleton on display in Quarry Hall is after him. I had to explain that the meat-eating creature was indeed extinct.

The drawing I did for the poster seem less threatening somehow.

So, instead of cowering before the creature, the young boy featured is, instead, impressed and excited by the almost mythical.

Dead Horse Point

I am slightly behind on posting new art. Dead Horse Point was finished a while ago, but here is a reference photo I took and the finished product anyway for your viewing pleasure:

Deserted Valley

Typically, I like to show people in my art, driving or hiking or something. Hovenweep, in all of its abandon glory, feels so isolated, that I wanted to accentuate this in my work. The single window in Stronghold House frames only the sky, focusing attention on the singularity of the subject. I promise I will have a person in my next project.

Natural Bridges

Cedar Night

Night skies are amazing when you can see them as you did when you were 10. Cedar Breaks offers views like those I remember from my childhood neighborhood (likely even better). Star gazing naturally follows when the view is this good. I took pictures while scouting for the last project. The challenge is Iwas there during the day, so I had to convert the drawings to look like night. It is amazing how dark blue and gray so effectively convey nighttime.

Here is the reference picture I used to build the landscape

And here is the drawing made from the top photo. Below is the finished product

Beauty at the Breaks

I thought it would be warmer the day we visited Cedar Breaks. The sky was clear, the sun was out, it was a beautiful day! Just cold. The contrasts of the high-plateau are stark if not stunning, especially along Spectra Point where the Bristlecone pines have grown for as long as 1,600 years. I wanted to do something relating to automobile travel in the parks as usual. The view of the amphitheater below, however, isn't visible from the road. And the view from the spectacular rim is everything.

I usually don't recommend viewing the canyon from the rim with a coat on your head, but as I mentioned before, it was cold that day!

This picture of a Bristlecone was the inspiration for the poster. I couldn't quite comprehend the branches, so I used a different tree for reference. I also later decided I needed a figure, so my kind wife posed once again for the reference photo.

The tree was a challenge to draw, but I felt good about the outcome. The study is pictured below:

And finally, the final product: