Evening Comes on in the Eagle Caps

There is often a stillness, an eerie quiet as night comes on and darkness slowly envelopes the landscape in the eastern Oregon backcountry. It is at this time that the random sound, a fish jumping or the croak of a frog, is highly accentuated and takes on an almost otherworldly timbre.  

SOLD - "Evening at Tombstone Lake" • Acrylic on panel construction • 8.5"x6.5"

Grande Ronde Valley Foothills

A serene evening view from south La Grande looking south. I am always amazed at how the same scene varies so greatly not only with season but with the ever changing play of light and clouds throughout the day.

SOLD - "Fall Evening La Grande" • Acrylic on panel construction • 6.5"x8.5"

High Valley Oregon Landscape Painting

High Valley is a picturesque little area tucked away into the southeast corner of the Grande Ronde Valley. High Valley Road between the cities of Cove and Union makes for a leisurely scenic drive on a lazy weekend afternoon.

SOLD - "High Valley Barn" • Acrylic on panel construction • 6.5"x4.5"

Eagle Cap Wilderness Backcountry Northeast Oregon

In August 2011 my friend Joe and I went backpacking into the Eagle Cap wilderness. We camped for two nights along the shore of this beautiful alpine lake surrounded on three sides by soaring granite peaks. The southeast tip of the lake and ground was still covered in ice but the rest was dry. The scenery was stunningly gorgeous, the weather perfect and the insects manageable. 

"Tombstone Lake Eagle Caps Wilderness" • Acrylic on panel construction • 6"x5"

Grande Ronde River Northeast Oregon

This stretch of the Grande Ronde River near Bird Track Springs flows through a level flood plain with a great variety of trees and shrubs. The excellent cover provides nesting sites for more species of birds than can be found in the surrounding coniferous forests making the springs and riparian habitat of this area popular with bird watchers. 

"Grande Ronde River near Bird Track Springs" • Acrylic on board • 5"x7"

Eastern Oregon When Wood was Cheap


This old house in my back yard was built in 1920 with a solid 2x4 construction. The builders just laid out and nailed together 2x4's horizontally until the structure was completed. Incredibly, a fair number of the pieces were less that 24" long, and many had defects such as becoming slightly narrower down the length. I suspect someone had access to ends and imperfect pieces at a nearby lumber mill. There was an old Franklin Stove and a sewer hole, but no running water. Insulation was one thin layer of cardboard taken from old furniture packaging and carefully pieced together on the inside with a thin wood panel over that. The building had major problems so I took it apart by hand and reused the old lumber to make raised planter beds for gardening.

"Springtime La Grande" • Acrylic on board • 7"x5"

Snowscape La Grande Oregon


Winter in eastern Oregon can vary greatly year to year from mild to fairly severe. Some may begin to suffer cabin fever in an extended winter, but for the cross country or backcountry skier opportunities are always nearby.

"Winter View from the Artist's Studio" • Acrylic on board • 5"x7"