Pulley #1

This is called Pulley #1 because I have an even bigger pulley waiting in the wings, so I know there will be at least one more pulley painting, and I might not stop there. I really like these things. Thanks to our friend Paul for lending me this one!



10" x 12" oil on linen panel

To purchase, contact me at info@carollambertarts.com
$720 plus shipping, unframed

Self on Palette

Every November the University of Alaska Student Union Gallery hosts a juried exhibition of self portraits. It's called No Big Heads, for its requirement that no portrait exceed 12" in any dimension. My submission, painted on a very beat up old palette, slightly cut down to meet the size requirements, was just juried in. It's really handy to have the paints laid out on the painting!

I always try to do something a bit whimsical for this show. Here are some entries from past years:

Self with Copper Ore (on copper)

Self with Drapery


Self with Bowling Girl and Giant Goose


Self with Magpie


Oil on wooden palette
Approximately 12" x 9.5"

This one is not for sale.

Tributary of the Thoroughfare

On our sixth and last painting day in Denali National Park, I went back to Eilson Visitor's Center to catch the afternoon shadows. This little river joins up with the Thoroughfare River, which runs roughly parallel to the Alaska Range. What a gorgeous last day!


Mary Bee came down from her hike on a nearby ridge, found me painting, and took this excellent photo.


The next morning we all went back to the north side of the lake for an early walk. We came across this old truck (no, it wasn't abandoned), and wished we could just get in and have our own adventure vehicle. I can't imagine two better people to have adventures with!


Mary Bee caught this photo of Paul and me having one last walk before leaving the park. Just another beautiful morning in one of the most beautiful spots on earth.

This is the last post of the Denali National Park series. Thanks to Mary Bee, to Paul, to friends who helped make this trip possible, and to all of you for being an appreciative audience!


9" x 12" oil on linen panel

To purchase, contact me at info@carollambertarts.com
$325 plus shipping, unframed

Fireweed in Autumn

These fireweed, gone to seed, were just a few feet from our tent. I admired them every time I walked past, so on our fifth day of painting in Denali National Park, I set up the easel and got to work. I thought for once I would not have the big mountain in my painting, but it got in somehow, just faintly in the background.


Here is a photo of the mountain a few hours later, flushed with alpenglow as the setting sun slanted through the atmosphere. This phenomenon comes on quickly, and the peak of color lasts less than 5 minutes, then twilight sets in. Hard to paint that fast.


Here's the rest of our view that night, the Alaska Range stretching out before us.

9" x 12" oil on linen panel

To purchase, contact me at info@carollambertarts.com
$325 plus shipping, unframed

Wonder Lake, September Morning

On our fourth painting day in Denali National Park, we rode the bus to this spot on the north side of Wonder Lake, at the opposite end from the campground. Wonder Lake provides some great reflections of the mountain.


Mary Bee was amused by how carried away I get with the brushes, so she took this photo. Interesting angles! It says everything about how intense this experience was for me.


Mary Bee, looking very focused as well.


Paul hiked along the lakeshore to join us an hour or so into our painting session, and did some sketching, too! This photo by Mary Bee is one of my all time favorite shots of Paul. He really looks like he belongs in that landscape, which he most definitely does!

10" x 8" oil on linen panel

To purchase, contact me at info@carollambertarts.com
$240 plus shipping, unframed

Kantishna Hillside

Our third day of painting in Denali National Park was a bit damp. Luckily, Mary Bee's artist friend, Matt Unterberger, works at at Kantishna Air Taxi (and has a studio/gallery) in Kantishna, a small community just outside the park. The air service staff were busy ending their season, packing up equipment and cleaning their offices, but they graciously provided a deck with a sweeping view of the surroundings. The overcast light brought out all the colors of the turning leaves and tundra, this hillside was like a kaleidoscope.




Thanks to Mary Bee, here is a photo of me, my big palette, and the big round brushes I used on this trip. Also thanks to Kantishna Air Taxi for the use of their deck! Click on the next link to see more views of their chalet and overnight visitor accomodations, Skyline Lodge.



Here's Mary Bee Kaufman, intrepid plein air painter, watercolorist, wildlife photographer, hiker, and adventurer, and all around font of knowledge about the park.


10" x 8" oil on linen panel

To purchase, contact me at info@carollambertarts.com
$240 plus shipping, unframed

Brooks Mountain and Tundra

In the afternoon of our second painting day in Denali National Park, I hiked a short way up the path from our camp spot, sat on a little hillock, and painted this. Mary Bee and I had discussed the most difficult problem we faced in our project: the landscape was so information-rich it was hard to know how to organize all the visual input. I think this piece illustrates that problem. Trees, tundra colors, and mountain all get similar emphasis. It was great fun to sit in the warm sun and paint it, but it also brought home the lesson: pick a primary focus and be sparing with details.




Mary Bee took this photo of me coming back to the campsite with my kit and wheelie. Yes, that's a can of bear spray tied at my waist, even though there were no bears near us. I figured it was a good habit to carry it along, since I had been sitting alone, very quietly, and might have inadvertently surprised the wildlife.



Here is a beautful sow and one of her two cubs, trying to find berries on a very dry year. We saw them about 40 miles from Wonder Lake campground, on one of our bus rides.

16" x 12" oil on linen panel

This one is not for sale.