To get the full effect of this magnificent country that I love portraying with camera and brush simply click on any image for enlargement.

[1]
March20,2010
Saturday morning and it is first light when I leave town traeling north on the Horse Creek Road. It is 17 degrees and we had an inch of snow yesterday. Not much compared to central and southern Wyoming who had up to a foot that left a number of roads closed and warnings to travel at your own risk on others. it seems a great morning to be out. Cold and brisk. This is still a great time to catch critters out and I have watched a number of grizzlies this early where I am going though not for several years now. They should be just now emerging from their winter dens and it will be pretty cool to get to see one. I drive pretty slow stopping occassionally to glass the mountain sides with my binoculars. Nothing. Not even any Deer this morning not to mention Elk, Moose or Grizzlies. From Brent Creek Road just off the Horse Creek Road I stop in a grove of Aspens still glassing the surrounding countryside enjoying the time just befor the sun breaks the eastern horizon.

[2]
March20,2010
As the sun rises and catches the Ramshorn to the west I cross the Horse Creek bridge. For some reason I am into the designs portrayed by melting ice on mountain streams. Having painted several paintings of such in the past couple of weeks it is pretty awesome to find Horse Creek at just that perfect stage of melting and I spend a while here along the creek searching for further compositions that might lead to "masterpieces" that I have conjured up in my mind.

[3]
March20,2010
From the Horse Creek bridge, Horse Creek flows through a small winding canyon and the road does a detour cutting through Aspen and Pine filled Rock faces and returns to the creek as both open out onto a beautiful flat basin ringed with mountains all around. Horse Creek meanders snake like across this basin. This is my kind of road. Narrow and one must pick a spot when meeting oncoming traffic so that both may pass. Ther is 8-10 inches of snow on the road and the temperature has taken a nosedive and reads an even zero on my truck thermometer. The fresh snow from yesterday makes everthing look pure and clean.

[4]

March20,2010

The creek again is alternating with ice cover and open pockets of moving water. More painting possiblilities and I shoot a few more pictures

[5]
March20,2010
The sun has yet to reach the valley floor but is shining on the peaks that panoramically spread across the north horizon. I don't know how many times I have photographed and painted this scene but it always seems new and full of possibilities. I never tire of this view. In years past doing workshops I always bring my classes here for painting. This next fall I have one schedualed and will do the same.

[6]

March20,2010

Individually picked out from the slyline is the Cathedral Peaks cold and inviting this morning in sub zero weather. There is a pretty good wind blowing up there as blowing snow is pluming off the tops in veils of mist hundreds of feet up and off those moutain faces.