Back from a paint out

I spent 4 days last week with three friends ( one old and two new) painting in Surprise Valley.  The valley straddles the Nevada and California line about 180 miles north of Reno.  It was not hard to see how the valley possibly got it's name...remarkable scenery.  The only down side of the trip was the wind and rain; almost continuous.  But despite the weather I came away with many photos for future work and a few windblown and rain-soaked paintings that can be fixed in the studio.  I was also able to learn from three very good artists that willingly shared their thoughts and techniques...thanks to: Mike Callahan (the ultimate organizer and chef!!!); Ron Spears and John Youssi.  Each of these guys have a blog using their full name and blog spot.com.  You can see their work on their blogs.  The two attached pictures are a couple recent works.  The portrait is Ken as a Confederate artillery Captain painted at the Reno portrait society on June 9.  My plan is to finish this from some photos I took.The landscape is of the Nevada desert near Thompson (an abandoned town and mill site in Mason Valley).  I started this painting before going on the paint-out; it is 20 X 30 and will be in a Scenic Nevada show later this summer.