I recently had the opportunity to take a cruise on the Columbia and Snake rivers in Washington State. We ended our water journey at Clarkston, WA and took a ground transfer to our final destination of Spokane. This transfer took us through the Palouse Hills of Southeastern Washington, a place I had never been before, but a place I will never forget. As our bus meandered its way through the unfolding countryside, I was astonished at what I was witnessing. Rolling hills covered in luxurious, verdant fields of color extended as far as the eye could see. The emotions that welled up inside me reminded me of the first time I saw the Great Redwood Forest – a combination of surprise and astonishment. I was humbled at the natural and the power that had created such an extraordinary place. It affected me deeply.
Although I had not visited this region before, I had business ties to a very famous family that farmed these hills for over a century. Alex McGregor and The McGregor Company first began raising sheep in these hills more than 100 years ago.
Immigrants from Scotland, they built their business from literally nothing to what is now the largest independent, agri-chemical, & equipment supplier in the Pacific Northwest.
As I rested my head on the seat and quietly absorbed the scenery out of the bus window, I thought about the McGregor family and the many memories Alex had shared with me about living and working in this special part of the world. I was reminded that the McGregor family history mirrored my own in many ways. They too were immigrants who came to America to work the land and make a life for them. Like my ancestors, these early settlers laid the foundation for what American agriculture has become today.
The rich hills and steep fields made such an impression on me that I had a hard time erasing them from my conscience. When I returned back home, the images were so fresh and strong in my mind that I knew I had to capture them on canvas. What resulted was “McGregor Ranch”, my attempt to tie the powerful images of the landscape with the rich history of my friends the McGregor’s.
There are several storylines happening in the piece: The hills; the yellow path zig-zagging through the painting; the lone sheep on the far right looking to rejoin the herd. A Ying and Yang effect is evident with the contrast of the darker hills versus the red. The yellow strokes represent a trail, and a way to move your eye back and forth.
My technique was to use broad brushstrokes under large shocks of color created with a palette knife. A palette knife is just like a tool you would use to apply putty to fix a small hole in the wall of your house. Transferring the paint from the knife to the canvas is much like spreading peanut butter and jelly on a sandwich. I like this tool and use it often as it allows me to create large, textured, thick layers. These layers add dimension, and visually stand on their own against the prepared canvas.
My hope is that the viewer will enjoy the color and movement in McGregor Ranch and perhaps derive their own story and meaning from the painting.