I thought once the grandmother of the little boy laying on the grass, saw the painting, that it would be done. The decision would be made that they liked or disliked it and decide whether to buy it or not.

It didn't go that way. It went like this; the grandmother fell in love with it and decided it should be hers and that she would pay for it. Now the little boy, the one that it is of, saw it days earlier loves it, and wants it too. I believe he gave me instructions to place a few extra dandelions in very specific places. And of course, I complied and it did make it better.

So I spoke up and told them I would simply paint another so all could be happy.

It has been out in the gallery being viewed by many people and an offer has been made, by a total stranger to the little boy, so it looks like it may become a very popular piece to print. I may have to paint 3 originals but I'll make each one slightly different.

I'm very busy pulling all-nighters getting this surprise painting together. And if that were not enough we are in the process of moving the gallery across the hall.

It'll be a relief when I get the reaction on this painting sometime in the next few days. Pro or con it doesn't matter I'll share what happens.

I always like to ask what people they like or don't like about what I've painted. So if you come to the gallery be prepared to share your thoughts openly.

Just to have something for you to look at here is a progression of one, still unfinished, but on top of the list as the most important to be finished,

because of the interest in it. It may already be sold.

 

 

What I'm painting, I'm not at liberty to share just yet. But I'd like an opinion on this abstract with the painting of Mt. Shuksan or Picture Lake.

No, I didn't do the abstract. But I think they go together and I can sell the originals for a very reasonable price.

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone is pleased with the little boy laying on the grass. I can't show the progress of what I spent most of my time doing just yet. It's a surprise for someone that may tune in. I can show you the edges of the coyote and bear so here they are. I still need to the bottom on both. Tomorrow I hope to do a little on the aspens and the confidential commission.

 

 

This is the picture (Easy Rider) used on the gallery's ad in a Park City magazine called the Mountain Express ( summer issue 2008).

Today I'll get started by signing my name on my first true abstract and the commissioned piece of the little boy laying in the grass.

Just when I settled in to start painting a client stopped by to finish

paying for an original of mine. This cowboy ridding in a herd of horses.

A party was thinking of purchasing this sunflower.

I thought I would share on the web some pictures that have been sold: A racing BMW, a Spit Fire (World War II plane), a portrait of my brother and his wife painted some time ago, a Corsair (World War II plane), a Mustang (World War II plane) and the Pony Express rider the first one.

Here is the abstract signed and three edges painted. The bottom side remains to be painted.

I finally returned to the aspens and did a little painting before some

very good friends of my wife showed up. It was a wonderful break.

I decided to take a picture of what my wife has been painting. She did this with my old brushes and discarded egg tempera and watercolor,

 

 

on rocks. She's way to good not to have proper materials to work with. She now has the paint and I'll be certain she gets the canvas to do some master pieces.

Today I'm going finish the little boy in the field.

Here's a better picture of the abstract.

It has been very busy. Way too many people coming by (I love it). Couldn't get much done in the painting department. We sold two wood ducks, a card of the gettysburg address, and a print of ecstasy. Another individual showed great interest in my indian chief and some apaches coming home from a raid. Countless others have desired portraits in the future. I made a deal with a pet store at 592 Main in

Park City to fill up their entire top floor with paintings of dogs, cats, and a very large one of horses.

With all this going on, I still managed to finish the little boy. I'll

sign this and the abstract tomorrow.

And, by the way here's an unfinished picture of some wild horses kicking up some dust in monument valley.

Now if this wasn't enough to do my sister-in-law and her family came by to take my wife and I out to dinner after purchasing two of my cards.

I didn't get a chance to paint much today. I completed the little boy himself leaving a bit to do on the grass.

There is a place on Main street that has acupuncture for dogs that will have a gallery section. They have asked me to do some work for them for their gallery section. 

Park City, Utah 

This abstract was just an experiment. It really looks interesting in person.

I'm planning to paint a looser yet beautiful style sandwiched between two abstracts painted with like colors and brush strokes. Please tell me what you think.

I want to take a moment to explain why I think I'm so possessed with this need to paint:

 

In the beginning I was a paint matcher for Sherwin Williams, this went on for nearly 5 years. I was a natural at matching paint. Now, this was back when cars had colors on them, today the only thing on the road are shades of grey, white, black, and a occasional red or yellow.

It's a wonderful feeling to do something not many others can do that is greatly appreciated. It felt good but there wasn't enough challenge or any creativity involved.

My church needed a gold leaf sign and I was assigned to get the job done. The bid to do the work seemed very high. In my mind, it couldn't be that difficult to do. I won't go into much detail. I figured out how to do it myself. They were satisfied but I wasn't. I did it twice more, at my expense, staying up all night to accomplish it. It wasn't long before my weekends were full doing gold leaf signs. I could equal a months pay at my day job on one sign. Four months later I was doing it full time.

I contracted jobs with Hotel Utah, Utah First Bank, Zions, Temple Square Hotel, Tivoli Gallery, Ballet West, Voris Gallery,...... While I was painting the signs for the galleries I was puzzled why people would pay what they did for something... that to me, didn't seem to take talent.

It's taken me 20 years to begin to please myself enough to let others see what I've done in the fine art area. I'll occasionally share what happened during that time another day.

The point I wanted to make is, I love to constantly push myself to improve. When it comes to commission work the client must pleased. By the time I finish a painting I'd like to keep it. Like the little boy in the field of dandelions.

Well, lets get back to the aspens I've been working on. Today my wife borrowed my camera so these pictures are from my cell phone. As you can possibly see a little more has been painted. I've had many interested and interesting people come by today. I sold a print of my winchesters and an abstract scenery of Ron Cheek's.

I'll continue with the painting of the little boy; The client accepted my concern of putting a straw in his mouth (in other words I'll leave the straw out of the picture). It's a relief for me, because when you sweat to achieve such an expression as this little boy now has.... well, it something I rather not mess with... for something greater than myself must must have had a hand in how it turned out.

 

I feel I need to let the painting dry before I put the final touches on it. I'm going to share with you my next project. It's not too clear where I'm going with this painting because I wasn't certain where I wanted to go with it. Today I'll concentrate on the aspens making them the focus. Depending on how they turn out,

 

 

The customer today had a thought to put a straw in the boys mouth because its a common practice for him to do. I tried it. In my mind it didn't work for if he actually had a straw in his mouth his lips would be slightly different and the unbelievable feeling of peace he presently has could be affected or altogether lost.

I'll have to tell him tomorrow I would'nt recommend it.

 

Last Monday, Gary was hired to be the In House artist and manager for a gallery in Park City, called, The Art is In.

Gary Johnson is excited to start this new venture. Check in with the Gallery Website for upcoming events, new art and exciting news!

 

 

Bryce Canyon History

Long ago, at the end of the Ice Age, the Paleo-indians hunted among the magnificent fins and hoodoos of Bryce Canyon. Puzzle pieces of ancient artifacts have been gathered leading scientists to believe that the Ancestral Puebloan (Anasazi) Indians lived in the Bryce Canyon vicinity over 2000 years ago. It is thought that they entered the area to harvest pine nuts and hunt rabbits, but the environment there was harsh and other places offered a better life. The next inhabitants were the Fremont Indians who stayed until the 1200s. More recently, it was the Paiute Indians that lived and hunted around Bryce Canyon. John Wesley Powell reported the names that the Paiute Indians had given to many of the rock structures in Bryce Canyon. In the 1870's, it was the Mormon pioneers that settled near Bryce Canyon. Bryce Canyon was established as a National Park in 1928 and named after Ebenezer Bryce, an early Mormon settler, who homesteaded in Bryce in the mid 1870's. In about 1880 Ebenezer and family left the Bryce Canyon area, moved to the Gila River Valley in Arizona and established the town of Bryce.  Ebenezer died the 26th of September, 1913 and is buried in the Bryce Cemetery.

What's a Hoodoo?

A Paiute Indian myth says "the animal legend people who lived in Bryce Canyon long ago, displeased the coyote. Angered, he turned all the people to rock." Today, while visiting Bryce Canyon think of the legend when looking down into the amphitheaters and imagine the ancient people with their straight posture, in the form of hoodoos. The name Bryce Canyon in Paiute means:"bowl shaped canyon filled with red rocks standing up like men."

Geological History of Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon's geological history is intriguing, as the current display of rock would suggest. Bryce Canyon will cast it's spell on humankind with the magnificence of hoodoo temples, twisted rock spires and hat capped domes. An incredible geological story is told as wide flat rocks, called fins, are molded into windows. The windows collapse and form the multitudes of hoodoos that make up the fourteen amphitheaters of Bryce.

Bryce Canyon is not really a Canyon

Do not let the name of this Southwestern Utah park fool you. Bryce Canyon is not really a Canyon at all. Instead it is a series of breaks in fourteen enormous amphitheaters that extend down one thousand feet and span twenty miles long, encompassing 36,000 acres. Bryce Canyon is the eastern edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau, a high section of the Colorado Plateau. The tall, elegant limestone formations in Bryce Canyon literally crowd together to form magnificent castle-like scenes. Red Canyon, located in a section of Dixie National Forest, is 9-miles northwest of the entrance to Bryce Canyon. The hoodoos of Red Canyon are similar, but smaller and less detailed than those of Bryce Canyon. map

Bryce Canyon was once covered by seas, mountains, deserts and costal plains

Long ago, the rocky area of of Bryce Canyon was once covered by sea, mountains, desert and coastal plains. The existing geological formations were all subject to the violent storms and changes that occurred over millions of years.