Oregon is really a large state. If you’re like me, much of my time is spent along the I-5 corridor. There are a lot of interesting places in these comfortable valleys along I-5 - there’s great food, lovely oak savannas, convenience. Lots of people. Etc. It’s also pretty easy to spent a lot of time exploring the 101 coastal highway area - camping, beach-walking, fish and chipping. You can, and should, explore the Cascades and go over the Cascades to explore the less populated highway 97 which has the fantastic Columbia Gorge, the high desert of Bend and bird watching around Klamath Falls. But that’s all really just western Oregon. Even if you venture as far as Lakeview, you’re barely over halfway across the state!
Most Oregonians - even ones who love to explore, have not had a chance to see the vast majority of this state. I’ve been trying to correct this for myself during the past few years, taking my paint kit wherever I go. (On a side note, I was in Bloomsbury Books the other evening and got a new book - Oregon Rocks, A Guide To 60 Amazing Geologic Sites by Marli B. Miller. It’s helping me plan further expeditions. Oregon has incredible geologic diversity, which holds the key it's varied landscapes and biodiversity, so if you want to better understand Oregon, study geology!)
The pandemic was the catalyst I needed to jump start a serious exploration of Eastern Oregon. We started in May of 2020 by visiting John Day Fossil Beds. This is the home of the famous Painted Hills. I struggled for two days to paint the epic colored mountains. To get the view I wanted I hiked up a large hill, slathered in sunscreen to protect my skin from the constant UV exposure. No shade there. I could not express the beauty and vastness of these hills. After two days of work I gave up on this painting and eventually painted over it with something else. My painting seriously paled in comparison with the broadness of the land and sky. To capture the feeling I wanted here needed much more time than I had.
John Day Fossil Beds - Painted Hills with a failed painting.
So, humbled, I moved on. About 45 min drive from the Painted Hills, but still inside the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is Sheep Rock. There is an old ranch that’s now part of the monument - Cant Ranch. After spending two days in the open over at Painted Hills, I was quite attracted to the ranch’s orchard shade. The freshly mown lawn was pretty cushy too.
The bushes nearby looked great but every other place in this region is called Rattlesnake This or Rattlesnake That. LOL - I’m pretty interested in avoiding rattlesnakes! I can handle a hike where there might be snakes - but I get pretty distracted when I’m painting! Maybe I’m paranoid, but safety first!!! I might dedicate a lot to my painting practice, but I’m not prepared to risk serious bodily harm or death.
So happily I spent a day in relative quiet and comfort, painting this ancient wonder called Sheep Rock. I enjoyed a few La Croix and listened to a bunch of podcasts. The forms and subtle colors absorbed me for hours.
Here is the finished piece:
Sheep Rock at John Day Fossil Beds, Oil on Gesso Board, 16” x 20”, $700, Framed in Maple
If you have not visited this monument, I recommend you make time for this!
If you love this place, you can purchase this piece here - it’s available now!