Finally, a blog

I must be the world's worst a keeping my blog page current.  I start painting, and paint before I type, but I decided that I must try harder to keep in touch.

Last summer I took a wonderful plein air landscape class, with Roger Dale Brown.  It was such fun and I learned a lot about planning and executing a landscape.  I would definitely take another class with Roger.  I usually try and incorporate wildlife, or livestock into my landscapes, I feel since taking the class that these paintings have also improved.

I have been honored this year, people have been willing to part with their hard earned money and buy my paintings.  I sold landscapes and paintings of horses.  I am finally painting once more after family needs, travel and holidays and it feels good.  I have my most recent almost finished and have several more that I am anxious to try.  You will see new additions on the website soon.  So I am off to paint, happy art everyone. 

 

Home again

My husband and I have just returned from our travels.  We did spend time with family, but we also toured the Canyon Lands of Southern Utah.  In our younger days we passed by the area several times, but never took time to stop, we had family and business obligations.

This time we ambled our way through Zion, Bryce Canyon, the Escalante Staircase National Monument, and Capital Reef National Park.  What an incredible feast for the senses. The canyons, the colors, the silence, I am in love.  If I were younger and less settled I could see moving to the area for a time to further explore all the wonders it has to offer.  It is so different from Montana's mountains, and valleys.

But, I am settled so I am settling for trying to capture with oils and canvas the splendor of the region.  I have a small study on the easel now, and so far-so good.  I am already planning a larger painting of the same subject. 

In other news, I had a clumsy moment and dropped my latest painting, unfortunately it fell on something sharp, and it has a tear in it.  I was very upset, but got over that and I have repaired the tear.  Google is a wonderful invention!  But it definitely has a "Friends and Family" price now.  Since I have to break out the paint to repair the tear I have decided to work on it a bit more.  We shall see if that is a good or bad decision.

Thank You

A big thank you to my wonderful daughter for making my website, and walking me through it so patiently!

Sold a Painting/Posted a Painting

"Waiting for Spring" is a painting that I had mostly finished, but I left it setting for a while and spent time studying it.  I added some finishing touches and after the painting was photographed have posted it.  You can see it at rosspeakcreations.com/waiting-for-spring.

This particular painting was based on a drive my husband and I took in Yellowstone Park on a gray dreary day in April.  In lower altitudes the ground was bare with a hint of green, but where these bison were the country was still gripped by winter.  The snow was icy and granular, and had started to withdraw only around the sage, and rocks.  The bison were consumed with browsing, but would morosely pause and consider the available feed.  It had approximately the nutritional value of cardboard.  I felt for them, they were thin, some would die before the grass came.  The cows were carrying the next generation, they robbed their bodies to provide for their babies.  This particular cow was thin, but still strong, and her baby was born strong.

I was drawn to the color that was predominate on that dreary day.  When the wind ruffled the dark coats of the bison they became a pallet of color, reflecting maroon and lavenders, blues and rusts.  I hope you enjoy it.  Thanks for looking...

The New Painting

Well, this is an interesting endeavor.  I love the idea of this painting, a trail in the snow through the woods, but it is hard work.  I am enjoying the painting time, however I am afraid this painting may be one of those that I term "A Learning Experience", and not ready for the website.  Some of it I quite like, some it, not so much.  In any event a day spent painting is a good day.

A family effort

Making this website has been a true family effort. Shirley's daughter helped her pick a domain name that represented her vision as an artist, a website service to host her work, and guided her through a multitude of decision points. Her daughter-in-law helped set up a Ross Peak Creations Facebook page. Once all these technical matters were set up, Shirley and her husband completed the hardest part: photographing her paintings. Thankfully her husband is a fantastic photographer. After weeks of effort, the photography was complete and we stitched together a gallery of works for sale representing the best of her life's work.

The fact we accomplished setting up this website when the artist lives in Montana, and her family lives in Utah and Oregon is a testament to the power of the technology tools available today. Here is what we used and how we used it...

  • Squarespace domain name registration and hosting
  • Google Drive Sheet to share a painting inventory including title, price, and painting photograph file name
  • Dropbox to share pictures of the paintings
  • Facebook page linked to Squarespace
  • Skype and specifically Skype's Desktop Sharing to train the artist
  • A good quality digital camera
  • A Cowboy Lightbox which is used to take photographs of artwork under diffuse lighting
  • Adobe Lightroom to add copyright watermark to photos

Here is what the Cowyboy Lightbox looks like in action.

Inspiring Winter Weather

Our winter here in the Gallatin Valley has been extraordinarily beautiful.  We were lucky enough to experience a full moon after a nice snow fall combined with temperatures that hovered below Zero F.  The result was achingly lovely, diamond like sparkle in the snow, crystal silver and hues of blue and lavender in areas of sun and shade.

I have completed three miniature paintings that will soon be on my website, and now am starting on a winter landscape inspired by our recent weather.  Wish me luck, it is going to be a learning experience, but lots of fun too.

Christmas 2016 and a new website

For Christmas 2016, Shirley Julian's family gifted her a website and a Facebook page to showcase her life's artistic endeavors and to share her vision with the world. She has painted hundreds of works in her life and we are presenting here the best of her more recent work. Enjoy!