Art Notes

In 1872, Ulysses S. Grant signed into being “Yellowstone” as the first national park in the United States. With that Presidential action, he protected one of the most beautiful landscapes on the planet and created a destination I have enjoyed visiting since my childhood. Every year, my brothers and I took road trips with my father, traveling about the American countryside with whim as our primary guide. However, even with our lack of decided destination, Yellowstone was a place we would come to land on several occasions. I saw my first wild Bison in that park and still remember how one of those great beasts caused our car to stop as it wandered across the road. I also stared in amazement at the geysers, cauldrons and boiling mud pots that dotted the landscape as testimony to awesome volcanic power that lies there just beneath the ground’s surface. “Spirit of Yellowstone” is my attempt to capture my childhood wonderment about this magic place. “Old Faithful” erupts shooting water into the air, creating steam and mist that breaks the late afternoon light into a rainbow of colors. Buffalo and grey wolves walk the terrain while a bald eagle soars above looking down on rabbits as potential prey. This painting is my third effort in my first series of paintings in which I pay homage to the wildlands of America and even further, to this country’s greatest treasure, its National Park system. I hope you enjoy this visit to Yellowstone and as always, I want to thank you for sharing my adventure in art.