The American West

I've always loved mountain scenes and marvel at the glories of the American West. Here are a view of my paintings inspired by those vistas, some from my earliest painting days to my most recent.

"Mountain Lake" by C Blair (Woodling), c. 1970s

The painting below was inspired by memories of the Snake River winding through Jackson Hole, Wyoming and the brilliant aspen leaves in the fall.

"Aspen Fall" by CB Woodling, c. 2008

We made a driving circuit of the Southwestern US, including Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. The skies were amazing and the colors in the rocks were unlike anything you see in the Eastern portions of America. So the following two paintings were inspired by the great deserts, valleys, and stone monuments of the American west.

"Adobe in the Sky" by CB Woodling, c.2008

"Sedona Moon", by CB Woodling, c. 2009

America's west is such a contrast of civilization against the backdrop of gloriously beautiful, but harsh, dry lands. In the face of such difficult environments, I was most impressed by the various "green" technologies to save energy...everyone drives a hybrid, solar panels abound, and recyling is a way of life. But I was truly fascinated by the enormity and stark beauty of the wind farms on what was non-farm-able land. The painting below was inspired by the wind farms I saw in California, and also by a truly fascinating photo of a wind farm by night from National Geographic (original photograph by Jeff Kroeze).


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"Wind Farm" by CB Woodling, 2008