Southwest Inspired Landscapes

Oil paintings celebrating the untamed beauty and danger of the American Southwest.

"Dirt Road Town Revised”

Oil on stretched canvas, 12”x 12” (2025)

There’s something mysterious, lonely, yet strangely beautiful about the dirt road town. There’s the obvious charm, but also a sense of deja vu on any given Main Street. This painting revisits an older work of mine, and I feel I really captured the essence of this scene through atmospheric perspective, dark stretching shadows, and contrasted highlights. “Dirt Road Town Revised” is one of my favorite pieces I’ve done recently, and I learned so much from the process.

"Taking In A Scene At A Rest Stop”

Oil on stretched canvas, 18”x 24” (2025)

This oil painting is inspired by the little pleasures while traveling the extensive highways and rambling roads on the great American road trip: the rest stop. It’s not always crowded public restrooms and expensive vending machines; it can be a religious experience. It’s all a matter of just hopping the wooden fence and absorbing the latest breathtaking landscape. It’s no secret that I love Joshua Trees, and I really wanted to play with perspective and depth in this piece.

"A Mountain Scene ”

Oil on stretched canvas, 8”x 10” (2024)

This moody little mountain scene is the smallest of my oil paintings, but I really love the foggy, early morning atmosphere this piece exudes. The soft glow on the farthest peaks of this mountain drifts it’s way into the distant light, and really sets a serene tone in this desert landscape.

"To The Mountains”

Oil on stretched canvas, 16”x 20” (2023)

It took me a long time to feel comfortable with my compositions, and this particular piece marked the first feeling of triumph when it came to my oil painting. I wanted my viewer to discern a long dirt road, leading to an undetermined mountain range, and get a sense of uncertainty and excitement. There is a feeling of peace and adventure, so I know wherever the path leads, it will be somewhere memorable and worthwhile. When I painted this, I still hadn’t found the color palette I wanted, but the use of strong values and perspective really remedied this landscape scene.

"A Sedona Road Trip ”

Oil on stretched canvas, 11”x 14” (2025)

This is possibly one of my favorite oil paintings, and for the short amount of time it took me to paint, it stands out as one of my most successful. This piece was inspired by a photo I took on a beautiful road trip through Sedona, AZ with my wife. We’ve been numerous times since, living only a few hours south, and each trip is even more magical and romantic every time we visit. “A Sedona Road Trip” is dedicated to adventurers and road trippers everywhere, and the secret knowledge in the joy of traveling with the love of your life.

“Dancing Trees On A Hill ”

Oil on stretched canvas, 16”x 20” (2025)

When I decided to paint a few trees I liked near my place of work, I knew I wanted to experiment a bit with form, color, perspective, and technique. I took my two trees and made a scene around them, exclusively using my palette knife for my highlights and the grass in the foreground. Some of my best work happens when I forget about the rules and just paint what I feel.

"A Path Near Dusk”

Oil on stretched canvas, 18”x 24” (2023)

I painted this dusky scene of a sturdy Joshua Tree early in 2023. I was still learning what made an oil painting a success, and quite frankly, how to paint one in general! I’m still proud of this piece, and I think I really caught the afternoon light and the feeling of peace.

"The Blue Shed ”

Oil on stretched canvas, 11”x 16” (2025)

My house is in a pretty a pretty urban neighborhood in Mesa, but if I walk across the street and down a block, there is a special little farm on someone’s property. I pass this farm on my bicycle often, and have always wanted to paint the blue shed in the back, with it’s big tree and shadows everywhere. This piece will always remind me that no matter where you live, there’s always something across the street and down a block that can make you smile.

"Observer ”

Oil on stretched canvas, 14”x 14” (2025)

I don’t generally have a lot of clouds in my paintings, but on the way back from a trip with my wife to Prescott, AZ I took some pictures of a single, gargantuan cloud looming just above a suburban neighborhood in the distance. It was very ominous, and it really made me want to try my hand at painting this fluffy, detailed sky sentinel. Aside from the cloud, I kept the rest of the composition very simple, as to have my viewers focus on the hero of this piece.

"Praying Hands ”