2009 Artist Ride

Another year, another Artist Ride...and this year was one of the best. Every year, this invitational only event takes place in South Dakota. Artists come from all over the country to photograph at the Shearer Ranch. Native American models, cowboys, civil war recreationists, mountain man recreationists...you name it, are made available to us. I call it eye candy and I take on average 7 to 10 thousand photos over the course of four days. This is just a sampling of what I took...This is Chelsea, the Shearer's youngest daughter. She turned 17 this weekend and is probably the best rider I have ever seen.

This little foal was born on Friday night. The funny thing about his birth was that no one knew the mare was pregnant!!! Talk about a surprise...

My favorite little Lakota model.

Another great weekend and a lifetime of paintings just waiting to be done.

Many thanks to Jim Hatzell and the Shearers for making this once in a lifetime event possible. Be sure to check out www.artistride.com to see a sampling of some of the very special artists and models included in this amazing weekend.

Finished...but still no title...

On the board...

This is my newest painting. It is a commission that I have been working on for a couple of weeks. As you can see, it is running horses...a big stretch for me! I can't come up with a title, so any suggestions would be welcome. It is a pastel.

Happy Anniversary

18 years ago today I married my best friend...it has been an amazing 18 years. Here is to 18+ more!

Freak storm...

We have had one of the coolest summers in Minnesota history...not that I am complaining. I am not one of those that likes the hot, hot, hot. It has been breezy and pleasant. But yesterday, we were hit with a HUGE thunderstorm and it dropped these quarter size pieces of hail. It was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time!!!

This is on our back porch...it was 3-4 inches deep!

Our birdbath got a little chilly!

This is our front porch...you can see how big some of the hail got. Good news is, we got a lot of much needed rain for our farmers...bad news is the hail beat the you-know-what out of our flowers and garden.

Oh, well...that is how quick things can change. I remember hail in Hollywood and in Newport Beach, so no-one is safe!