Grand Canyon South View - 12" x 16" - Acrylic - available The South Rim at sunrise reveals a slow shift in light, where the canyon walls begin as silhouettes and gradually come alive with soft color. In this painting, the focus is on the way the early haze hangs in the air, cooling the shadows and giving depth to the layers of rock and time.
Rim Light Evening- 11" x 17" - Acrylic – available Late in the day, the Grand Canyon turns golden — the sun rakes across the cliffs, lighting them with amber and rust tones. This view is just before sunset, drawn to how the long shadows stretch across the formations and add a sense of stillness to the vast space.
Dead Horse Point - 11" x 14" - Acrylic - available A dramatic overlook where the Colorado River carves through layered stone, highlighting the vast scale and geological rhythm of the canyon landscape.
Kissing Couple - 12" x 16" - Acrylic - available Overlooking vast mesas and sheer cliffs, this spot in the Colorado National Monument offers expansive views shaped by time and weather. Note the bold forms and layered rock structures — this painting aims to capture the clarity of light and space that define this high desert landscape.
Three Sisters and the Thumb - 12" x 16" - Acrylic - available The Three Sisters and the Thumb are slender rock formations that stand apart from the larger buttes, each with its own character. From this angle, they seem almost figurative, like dancers frozen mid-step. I painted this view in strong light, focusing on the contrast between the delicate forms and the surrounding open space.
White House Overlook - 11" x 14" - Acrylic - available From above the canyon floor, cultivated land and ancient walls are woven together by light and shadow at Canyon de Chelly National Monument.
Upper Inspiration Point - 11" x 14" - Acrylic - available Looking across layered hoodoos and eroded plateaus, this painting explores the rhythm of landforms and the expansive sense of space at Bryce Canyon National Park.
Maynard’s View - 11" x 14" - Acrylic - available Painted from the hillside vantage near Maynard Dixon Monument, this view looks out across the high desert toward the surrounding mesas and canyonlands. The perspective reflects a place long associated with Maynard, where light, land, and distance converge.
Zion Riverwalk - 12" x 16" - Acrylic – available Zion Riverwalk captures a quiet moment along the Virgin River as light moves across the canyon floor and climbs the towering sandstone walls of Zion National Park. The composition is shaped by the interplay of reflected light, deep shadow, and the shifting color of stone, water, and vegetation. Rather than describing a single instant, the painting suggests a passage through space—where scale, atmosphere, and subtle changes in light invite a slower, more attentive way of seeing.
The Alcove Bend View - 11" x 14" - Acrylic - available A bend in the Virgin River where reflected light and towering canyon walls create a quiet interplay of movement, shadow, and scale within the Narrows of Zion National Park.
Mystery Canyon Falls - 11" x 14" - Acrylic - available Filtered light descends into a narrow canyon corridor, where water, stone, and vegetation converge in a fleeting, intimate moment deep within Zion National Park.
Near Grotto Wall - 11" x 14" - Acrylic - available Steep canyon walls press close to the river’s edge, focusing attention on texture, reflected light, and the sense of enclosure characteristic of the Narrows in Zion National Park.
East Bay Open Studios — December 2025
This page features the paintings I exhibited during East Bay Open Studios as part of the Jingletown Winter Art Walk at Gray Loft Gallery in Oakland, California. Together, the paintings trace a slow passage through the American Southwest’s “Grand Circle,” moving from expansive, elevated views into the quieter, more intimate spaces of canyon and river. As scale compresses and light shifts, the work invites a transition from observation toward immersion.
Paintings from the American Southwest’s “Grand Circle”
Most of the paintings in this series were developed from on-site sketches and reference photos — some taken during my travels, and others generously provided by my teacher and friend, Chris Kolupski, whose feedback was also invaluable throughout the process.
Presenting this work during East Bay Open Studios allowed newer paintings to come into dialogue with earlier pieces, clarifying the direction of this evolving series. The experience reinforced my commitment to continued studio practice, plein air studies, and future exhibitions. As this exploration of the American Southwest continues, I look forward to sharing new work as it unfolds.