“that’s some beautiful country”

is what people say, with a far away look in their eyes, when talk turns to the rugged Hells Canyon country of the Snake River, and the nearby Wallowa Mountains.

I spent all spring on the divides and in the canyons of Snake River tributaries, trying to learn how to translate the undulating ripples of bunchgrass and bands of rock - the endless subtle variations of browns and greens - to watercolor.

I painted through rain, snow, hail, and burning sun in my effort to connect with this unique landscape.

As I painted I listened to the wind moving across the hillsides and the rivers rushing below through tight canyons, carrying snowmelt from the high country down to the Snake.

The meadowlarks and canyon wrens, the racers and bull snakes, the blooming cactus, bright lichen, and circling ravens and hawks each told me a story, as did the untamed apricot and plum trees blooming along talus slopes far from the old homesteads of their origin.

With my plein air sketches and plenty of reference photos in hand, I went back to the studio to coalesce all the inspiring images, sounds, smells, and feelings into a collection of full-size landscape paintings.

The result is “That’s Some Beautiful Country,” a collection of pieces that takes you from the depths of Hells Canyon to the shores of Wallowa Lake, with a view toward the alpine peaks of this wild corner of Oregon.

I hope it makes you fall a little more in love with this beautiful, wild land.