What's on the Easel

Easel is a term that I'm using to describe what's in progress but I actually paint on a drafting table. I have a show coming up in Ellensburg, WA this May 21-23 and a show coming up in October (Wild Wings Fall Festival). Needless to say, I am working to finish several new paintings. Below are some (not all) of the ones I am currently working on with a few notes about each one....


This 18" x 24" painting is nearly complete and titled First Light - Pintail. When they are close to being finished, I take time and stare at each painting. Sometimes, after a bit of time, I'll get an idea to add something, or something will stick out that needs changing. But, I am happy with this one and do not foresee any changes. It will be going to the Fall Festival.

I am excited about this one! Those are the Grand Tetons in the background and it is a different angle of them. I'm not sure yet if I am going to incorporate wildlife inot the paintitng. If I do, whatever species it is will be secondary and much smaller in the landscape because the striking light in the aspens is the main subject. This painting is 18" x 32".

Here is 16" x 20" painting that is just started. If you can't tell what it is yet - those are a coastal rock formation that will have tons of lichens, mollusks, algae, etc on them in the near future. I am pretty sure that I am going to put loons in this one.

This painting has been in progress for a couple of years It is large at 24" x 36" but I have been feeling a need to get back to it. The distant shoreline needs to drop a bit lower to make it closer and a few more species may be added as well. It is a good example of a painting in the middle stages. There will be a lot more water detail as well.

See below for the detailed progress of this painting. Like the first painting (First Light - Pintails), I have been sitting on this one seeing if it might need a change or if an idea hits. This one has also been chosen for the Fall Festival.

Another older painting that I thought was finished, but an idea hit recently and it is being changed - a butterfly will grace this summer meadow - not sure what kind yet though. It is 8" x 10".

Another older painting that I haven't really exhibited anywhere. The background is being reworked to include a horizon line and some water detail. It will completely change the dynamic of this painting for the better. Something was missing and I couldn't put my finger on it for the longest time. Also, I love the color variation in the rocks. This one measures 16" x 20"

This painting was finished as a landscape a year ago, but will have a swooping Cooper's Hawk added, or possible a Harris' Hawk. I'll do sketches of both and whichever one it is, the bird will be backlit and small in the background echoing the directional lines of the Catalina Mountains. 9" x 12".

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Greater Scaup Painting

A few posts down, there is a photo of hundreds of scaup on the Columbia River in the Lewis and Clark National Wildlife Refuge. That day on the river was spectacular and I wanted to do a painting that captured a memorable morning. Waves of greater scaup would emerge from the fog and land just outside the decoys. After landing they would audibly mill around on the water before diving for their food. This painting depicts a flock of several species of ducks that are being joined by greater scaup. To start with, a gray background is painted in then the birds are sketched onto the board and each individual duck gets started.

More ducks have been added both in the water and coming in...

Alot has happened here.... Value has been added to the background and water; more ducks have been added and some females have been turned into males.

More species have been added as has fog. The species in the painting are three canvasbacks, one common goldeneye, one bufflehead, and lots of greater scaup (26, I think). If you look at the image above and the one below, you can see that one of the scaup has been changed into a goldeneye. The bird looked to small for the rest, so to add a bit of variety and interest, I made the duck larger and turned it into a goldeneye. Stay tuned to see the painting finished...

New Miniature Show

The inaugural Nature in Miniature opens this weekend at the Fallbrook Art Center in Fallbrook, CA. The show will run in conjunction with Reflections in Nature and will feature 5 of my miniature originals including "Tundra Swan" pictured to the left. None of my paintings in the show are larger than 5" x 7" inches. More information is available at the link above.

The Progression of a Painting - Blue Jay 5" x 7" acrylic

Below is the progression of a recent commissioned painting of a blue jay on a whitetail shed. In this first image, the shed is painted in with Titanium White and a touch of Raw Umber as is the bird. The bird hs a unique, transparent and ghostly look to it. The only parts painted on the bird so far are the white feathers so all of the blue and black are not there yet.

Here, the blue has been started. The entire painting was done with a Connoisseur #2 liner. The leaves in the background were painted in very loosely using Paynes Gray and Raw Umber for the dark areas. Then, they were covered with very watery washes of Burnt Siena and Orange.

Here the footless bird is nearly comleted and the only thing left to do is tighten the leaves, the antler and the bird then add some extra branches and leaves to help anchor the antler into the ground a bit more.

...more habitat added

...and, the finished product.

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Late Season Waterfowl

The end of the waterfow season brought many opportunities to hunt and gather reference material for future paintings. Hunts included a local pond north of town that I have already painted several times, a diving duck hunt, a hunt on some open sheet water, and a trip to Sauvie Island. All are completely different types of habitat and attract different species of waterfowl. Here are a few highlights and many paintings will follow over the next weeks, months and even years...

A nice flock of northern pintail

Hundreds of greater scaup out on the Columbia R.

2010 Texas Stamp Paintings

Here are my two most recent paintitngs. The wigeon can be seen in the blog post below in progress. It will be the 2010 Texas Migratory Gamebird Stamp. The Cedar Waxwings will be the 2010 Texas Nongame Stamp.

Both stamps and prints will be released within the next couple of months will be used to raise monies to acquire and/or enhance wildlife habitat in the state of Texas. Currently there is more information available about these paintings on my daily paintings blog. As the dates near for the release of the stamps and prints more information will be available as well.
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Wigeon Painting in Progress

Here is a picture of my studio desk and the painting I am working on which consists of a pair of wigeon drakes standing among some marsh grasses. On my desk is also a pair of actual wigeon drakes that I was lucky enough to get while hunting this past weekend. These "in hand" specimens are allowing me to add incredible feather detail to my painting. It reminds me of the way John James Audubon used to paint for his field guides. He shot his birds first, which enabled him to closely observe the feathers and the anatomy of birds. There truly is no better reference than a bird in hand (better than two in the bush).

On the computer are wigeon photographs that I have taken and am also using for various parts of the painting, but they compare little to the actual birds. I will post the finished painting soon.
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Happy New Year

I hope you have a safe and very Happy New Year!

My family and I traveled to the Lake Tahoe area for the Christmas Holiday and have returned after a wonderful vacation. Check back soon for the first blog post of 2010!
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Robert Paul Galleries

I am very excited to announce that Robert Paul Galleries in Stowe, Vermont will be representing my artwork in the New England area. Stowe is a 200 year old ski town that thrives year around in a picturesque part of our country. Robert Paul Galleries, whose main emphasis is on realistic art, showcases both local Vermont artists as well as artists from around the world. Two of the paintings that will be exhibited in the gallery are pictured here. The first is Evening Waters that features a flyfisherman on a misty, evening trout stream. The second is Icy Ride featuring a pair of hooded mergansers cascading down a wintery tributary. These birds love fishing in open moving water when everything else is frozen. For more informationa and more paintings and prints that they will be carrying feel free to click on the website link above.
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Audubon Wild Arts Festival

It's been a crazy couple of weeks with the Thanksgiving holiday and lots of family in town. And just before that was the Audubon Wild Arts Festival in which I set up a booth to exhibit my work. The show was a success and, hopefully, a sign of things to come as the crowds were large and people were purchasing artwork from everybody. Despite the rainy weather, there was an energy at the show that I haven't seen in a while and it was definitely a welcome sight. Here are a few pictures of my booth before the show started on Saturday morning.

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Collector's Covey

This past Friday, the annual miniatures show took place at Collector's Covey in Dallas, Texas. Well known artists from around the country sent their work to this fantastic show and I was honored to be included for the second year in a row. If you click on the link above it will take you to the exhibition page where you can view all of the artwork they had in this year's show as well as from previous years' shows.

My two paintings are pictured here. The first features a flock of wood ducks peacefully cruising through a secluded backwater. The painting measures 6" x 17" and is titled Backwater Bounty. The second was one of my daily paintings titled Drake Pintails and it depicts a pair of male Northern Pintails resting in the cover of a wetland. At 5" x 5" it is truely a miniature original painting.

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New Print - Ending Rain

The new print has arrived! Ending Rain is a giclee on canvas that measures 16" x 24". A giclee print is an elegant, state-of-the-art reproduction that gives a vibrant color rendition of the original painting. Giclees are produced one print at a time and depending on their size, the intricate process can take up to an hour or more. The result is always the same: a beautifully reproduced work of art with the look and feel of the original. For more information you can click on the above link.
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Teal Reflections - 2011 DU National Package Selection

I was recently informed of some great news - the above painting, Teal Reflections, has been selected for the 2011 Ducks Unlimited National Art Package! The print will be distributed to Ducks Unlimited banquets and auctions throughout the country to help raise money for wetland habitat throughout North America. Ducks Unlimited invests millions of dollars annually into projects and land acquisitions to ensure that our children and their children have a place to enjoy the waterfowl that fill our skies each fall and winter. Each year artwork plays a vital role in their fundraising efforts and it is an incredible honor to be a part of it by being included in the national package.

The painting depicts a lone drake greenwing teal resting during the early evening hours. This shallow, marshy habitat is perfect for this smallest species of dabbling duck. Greenwing teal have always been a favorite of mine as much for their handsome plumage as for their exciting, twisting, turning flights.
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7th Place - Federal Duck Stamp Contest

This wood duck is my entry into the recent 2009 Federal Duck Stamp Contest and it tied for 7th place. This is my highest finish ever and it was my highest point total ever. Winning the federal is one of the hardest things to do in the entire art world and, hopefully, I will get the chance to come out on top one day. Robert Bealle of Waldorf, MD won this year's competition with a beautiful painting of an American Wigeon. Fortunately, my painting placed high enough to travel with the top twenty on a national tour with the first stop being the Waterfowl Festival in Easton, MD.
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Yellowstone Trips

In August and September I took two separate trips to Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park as well as surrounding areas. I came away with tons of reference material of elk, grizzly bears, bison, pronghorns and numerous other animals. If you have never been, it is an incredible experience not only for the wildlife, but for the geological features as well.

One of the highlights from the first trip was seeing a grizzly bear up close. Normally, these cause huge traffic jams but it was right at first light and we had him all to ourselves for about 15 mins. as he lifted deadfall searching for insects as close as 20 yards at times. A car finally pulled up behind us as the bear sauntered off into the willows. The guy in the car looked intently to see what we were looking at but must not have seen him as he quickly drove off. He had no idea! I got some fantastic and unique photos that will inspire several paintings. I am trying to figure out how best to approach these shots to create a great painting that best captures the thrill of a grizzly bear encounter.

Above is a finished painting of the Lamar Valley titled Lamar Evening. I was trying to capture the essence of this valley where heards of bison, elk and pronghorn roam. Predators are attracted to the number of animals in this place as it harkens back to a day when there great herds of animals throughout our country. On this particular evening several flocks of Canada Geese lifted off the river and flew by.

Currently I have three paintings in the works from the trip - a coyote, a bull elk (the rut was in full swing in September) and a landscape of some aspens in front of the Tetons. I'll post them as soon as I finish them. Normally, I have posted the paintings as they have progressed, but each is far enough along now that I'll just wait until the finished product.

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The C Gallery

The C Gallery of Los Alamos, CA has a miniatures show opening tomorrow night. I have three pieces in the show and fourth piece in the gallery. Picture here are two of them Long-Billed Curlew 5"x5" acrylic on board and Feeding Pintail 4"x4" acrylic on board.

I have family that lives in the area and will attend the show and the owner, Connie Rohde used to teach with my brother-in-law at Santa Ynez High School - small world! It will be great to get some artwork back into the area as the long standing Peppertree Art Show (see older posts) has closed it doors due to the sale of the Peppertree Ranch.
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Back from the Dormant

This blog has been essentially dormant for the past 3 months and barely had a pulse for a couple of months before that. I plan on changing that as there is so much going on. I'll talk about what has happened for the first few posts though. My other blog - Daily Paintings by Peter Mathios - has been going strong if you would like to see recent completed works. In the meantime, stay tuned over the next couple of weeks as I share about two recent trips to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, shows, works in progress and anything related to art. Pictured is Last Light, 5"x5", acrylic on board.
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Road to Emmaus (painting in progress)

This large 24" x 48" painting is a departure from what I normally do and is getting close to completion. It is for the church I attend and will be placed in the foyer in a cafe area they have named Emmaus. The story of Emmaus is when Jesus joins two disciples on the road to Emmaus, which is a desert town roughly 30 miles from Jerusalem. The disciples do not recognize the man as Jesus until later in the evening when they broke bread at one of their homes. Jesus then vanished and the disciples went to spread the good news.

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Ellensburg National

This weekend I will be travelling to Ellensburg, WA to participate in the 37th annual Ellensburg National Western Art Show and Auction which features the following attractions:

- Talented new artists and nationally-acclaimed artists display and sell original art and prints
- Quick draws and artist demonstrations
- Auction includes original artwork and quick draw pieces
- Over 14,000 square feet of climate controlled show space
- Free parking
- Food vendors - Three Peaks Outfitters of Cle Elum, WA will be serving delicious cast iron cooking for all to enjoy. Stop by the encampment for a unique and filling meal. Beverages are being run by Young Life of Ellensburg.

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"Lessons" Available on Cabela's Website

The print Lessons, which features one of those important moments in life that happen between a father and a son, is now available on the Cabela's website. It has been available in their stores for about a year, but now is available online as well. Artist Proofs of the print are available through my website - www.mathiosstudios.net.