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     I finally escaped for the weekend to Canyon de Chelly. I arrived late in afternoon on Friday. The dogs were ready to get out of the truck for a long walk. Jack drug me out onto a plateau when I turned around a saw this scene. I hurried back to my painting equipment and hiked back over to capture the last light into this enchanted valley. I could see the hogans down below where the occupants of the canyon live in the summer. There were some trucks passing through the river bed as well. It was very restful, while at the same time totally exciting.
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   This is the third time I have painted this particular plane. It is just a tiny bit larger and I have started to experiment a little with the design and colors.
   My largest paintings usually evolve from a small field study. I paint many of these out on location over a period of time. As I look over some of these smaller works, or sometimes as I'm painting them I will notice a strong feeling of some sort that comes over me. Sometimes it is very exhilarating. I will then many times paint that painting a little larger, maybe re-design it a little, experiment toward improving the piece in some way. I must always have a continued strong inspiration for doing this particular process. I think it has helped my painting abilities from a learning point of view. This is the value of doing studio paintings and enlargements. It will number one magnify any weaknesses in the painting and number two in the process of solving these problems you learn what to look for when you are back out in nature painting again next time. You must continue to paint from nature if you want that life giving energy to continue in your paintings. So one supports the other. Painting from nature keeps the spark in your studio pieces and painting in the studio gives you more time to think and improves your work out of doors.
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     This was a huge plane as you can tell by the tiny pilot windows. In many of these planes at the museum, you can go up inside and check them out. The older Service Planes weren't built for comfort; Just a metal frame with sheet metal covering, no insulation or inside covering. It was very cold for the service men, that why they had those really nice Air Force leather flight coats. Read More