16”x20” Oil on canvas 2026

"One of the Best Mornings of My Life" 16x20" Oil on Canvas 2026 the story: I had planned to go out to this barn to paint it. The morning of I woke up at 1:30am with anxiety about getting out there for the sunrise and getting a good painting. I couldn't fall back asleep. I left at 5:00am it took an hour to drive there. I could see that the mountains were obscured by clouds, my idea of the painting might be ruined. When I got to the locked gate I remembered that the road is closed in the winter, I looked at my ugg lows and said well looks like I'm hiking. 2 miles in the dark and snow. I got my equipment and started lightly jogging, the sun was going to rise in an hour and I wanted to be set up while it did. So I started jogging, punching thru the top layer of crust knowing that if I punched thru to water my day would be over before it started. I got tired so I started to walk, I estimated I was halfway there. Then I remembered that there were bears out here, I got scared. (I forgot they were hibernating). The stillness out there alone in the dark was amazing, it was just me and my mission. The grass swished in the wind. I got to the first barn and started to set up but something wasn't right. This didn't look like the pictures. I remembered that there were two barns and the other one was another quarter mile away. I packed up and started walking again. I got to the correct barn. I set up. I started painting. I started to get progressively colder. it started to snow. The paint was too thick. the snow started to mix into the paint. I quit. My friend Anna's advice in my head. I knew if I forced it it would come out bad. So I stood there and took it all in. The clouds broke around the Tetons, the sun was up. It was amazing. Just me, and this beautiful view. I learned when to quit. I soaked in the view and walked home. When I got back to the house they asked me how it went I said "horrible but it was one of the best mornings of my life."