paintings from photographs

As an artist we don't always have time to record a moment or memory with paints, so sometimes we record it with a camera, and try to give the photo a little more life, painting the photograph later. Here are four of my favorite paintings from photographs I have taken.

This first is of a road south of Oshkosh, Nebraska, that we called, or I called West Canyon Road. This road led to some of my favorite places growing up, because this was the road we took when we went to cut a Christmas tree. This was also the road we would go on to find a place to go sledding, and this road also led to a famous place in the canyons we called "The Devil's Washbasin". This photo was snapped on a trip to go sledding one winter. Not too many years after this photo, my family moved away from this area of the state. But looking at this painting, brings many memories back for me. The first thing I think of, is waking up to a  cold winter room full of brothers sleeping in three or four beds . .(including a bunk bed of course)

When my family moved, we moved to the sand hills of Nebraska, and this next painting, was painted of a photograph taken at a ranch my father owned for a while. This is along the Dismal River. It is a view from a high hill on the north side of the river looking south. My family eventually had to sell the ranch, but this painting captures much of the beauty and wildness of the area. I have many many memories of ranch work and horse back rides, and wonderful wonderful outdoor experiences.

After I was married, I moved to a city in Nebraska, which had a light house in the park. This painting is from a photograph of the light house in Harmon Park in Kearney, Nebraska. This was the city where I attended college, and I always loved this park. Ironically, the woman I married, lived in this park as a young girl, and her grandfather, who was park superintendent had his office in the top of this light house. Her father also became park superintendent. Sadly both gentlemen had passed away before I met my wife. But this painting brings many many happy memories with it, about times spent in the park here in Kearney.

This final painting from a photograph is a painting of one of my boys. I call it "opening day". As a child, he loved playing baseball, and even before the snow was gone, he was wanting to play. We lived in a small town, Ansley, Ne, and had a field mapped out in our front yard and the road in front of our house, which almost never had any traffic. My son, was approximately four when this photo was taken. He is at home plate ready to hit.  I love all the memories it captures of the days of play with my boys.