Fishing has always been a big part of my life and my connection to the West.
Growing up in Utah, some of my favorite memories are summers spent fishing with my dad. It was one of the ways I learned the landscape. It got me outside and taught me to slow down and pay attention to the water, the mountains, the weather, and the changing light.
Fishing has also been part of the West for generations. Rivers, lakes, and streams weren’t just beautiful places to visit. They were places where people found food, made a living, traveled, gathered, and passed down traditions. It became part of the rhythm of life in the West.
And honestly, time on the water has a funny way of leading me to great painting locations. I’ll find myself beside a lake or river and think, damn, I need to paint this.
Lately, that connection feels stronger than it ever has. Maybe I’m just paying more attention, but being out there feels less like something I simply do and more like another way I connect with the West.
That’s what this series is about for me.
These aren’t meant to be a history lesson or a collection of what I think the West is supposed to look like. They’re the stories, memories, places, and experiences of the West that I’ve carried with me and have wanted to tell for a long time.
Rainbow Reverie is one of those stories.
It’s my West. My memories. My experiences. My way of seeing it.
Painting 2 of 30.
