Sage Steppe Basalt, landscape painting

I went down to Moses Coulee, WA to check out the Nature Conservancy's new acquistion and field station at Wisper Lake. I had the opportunity to walk in the Sage Steppe habitat so important to such species as the sharp tailed grouse. The Sage Steppe has been the victim of the plow for some time and all that is left of this unique habitat is in the coulees and rim rock.
In an effort to preserve some of this habitat The Nature Conservancy,is setting aside tracks of land in the hope that it is not too late for some of the species dependent upon this habitat.
It is a harsh landscape, hot in the summer and cold in the winter, open to the wind and very arid. Water is a premium.
Working with horses in the woods, logging, I have learned that it is easy to damage eco systems and it is important to walk lightly and be aware of our impact as we are just borrowing the resources that our children will inherit and unless we are careful they will not have what we have had the pleasure to enjoy and resources to sustain us. It is all about sustainability. To have a future we must learn from the past while we reap what we sow in the present

Gold Mountains, Republic, WA 12x48 oil, sold

> Gold Mt Republic, WA 12"x48" This little town nestled in the mountains of Eastern Washington is a bootstrap community in the throes of re-inventing their economy that went the way of so many rural communities dependent on natural resources of logging, mining and ranching. The golden mountain was just that, the Knob Hill Gold Mine which was the oldest longest producing gold mine in the U.S. before it shut down.
Since then, mines have come and gone as is the nature of the boom or bust industry of mining. Today like so many communities where the economy has hit the bottom artists and craftsman such as myself are some of the few that have discovered what's left, the beauty and quality of life that has always been here. Deer, bear, moose and eagles all thrive in this land of mountains and clear streams, a haven that I am grateful to live and paint in. It's not surprising that a community that was nurtured by the blood, sweat and tears of the mining life should have such a difficult time re-inventing its economy. Ghost towns do happen.
This painting leapt off the easle into the home of one of my favorite patrons, Kate Kienast. Thanks Kate and Merry Christmas to you and Peter. Cheers! to All!

Knob Hill and Republic, WA 12"x48" This little town nestled in the mountains of Eastern Washington is a bootstrap community in the throes of re-inventing their economy that went the way of so many rural communities dependent on natural resources of logging, mining and ranching. The golden mountain was just that, the Knob Hill Gold Mine which was the oldest longest producing gold mine in the U.S. before it shut down. It's not surprising that a community that was nurtured by the blood, sweat and tears that the mining life is should have such a difficult time re-inventing its economy. Rural America threatens to disappear.