Finished Cobra Commander

Hello, First off I would like to say that 'YES' Spokane is struggling though the wildfires right now. I am not going to post photos, you can search online and see hundreds of vids depicting people losing their homes. We have 3 major wildfires, two of which have converged. North West of Spokane is burning and is the 'Nations TOP PRIORITY in fires right now.' The amount of evacuees is about one third of the population here in Spokane. That's over 60,000 evacuees with 0% containment as of this afternoon. Okay, so despite the wildfires burning, I have a couple cool pieces of info to share. I know it's been a few months since my last post. I've been busy at my new job and about to come to the close of my first season. There have been a couple obstacles but I am learning to work around those and still maintain/grow the stock. I guess I can let you know off the bat that I have been hired as not only a level 1 ski instructor for Spokane but as an Advanced U8 race coach with MSSRT (Mount Spokane Ski Race Team)! I am excited to add this adventure to my resume. I've said it before...'I love woking with racers' everywhere you go is fast. My age brackett is 7, so I will be coaching and skiing with the youngest of the competetive racers. These are fundamental years for them and I feel honored to be picked to help shape those fundamentals into strong skills. I'm hoping to have some new and exciting adventures to post about along with some pics. The team has been scouting new areas to train north of the border due to out lack of snow last year and probably this year. So I may be travelling to Canada for this gig as well. In closing I wanted to post a shot of my finished Cobra Commander. I just wrapped this one up this afternoon. It took me waaaaay longer than expected as I work five days a week this time of year VS two or three during the winters. Without further ado..here is Cobra Commander

As usual I appreciate your time, and please keep Spokane in your thoughts...if you pray, pray for Spokane, if not, just summon some good energies for us. We and all of our indigenous animal friends need all the help we can get.

End of Season, and High Treason.

Howdy folks! I hate to say it but Mt. Spokane had to take us all off the schedule due to lack of snow. Normally we have a longer season but warm temps and high wind gusts are melting all that is left up there. Our home mountain (Silver Mountain) is still open and getting snow. It's a little wet and a little heavy, but the powder has been phenomenal. We may go up again on Wed. or Thur. after they get another 6". (From the top of Heaven)

Kat and I have been challenging ourselves this season with some tougher black diamonds at Silver. One of my particular favorites this season has been a run called 'Heaven'. In the powder this run lives up to its name. It's about shifting that weight to a more centered stance when you hit the pow on skis. Shallow turns and big frickin smiles. I did want to post a shot of part of Mt. Spokane a couple weeks ago. (It was a beautiful bluebird day at Mt. Spokane in this shot).

This is getting off of chair five looking out towards chair 1. The groomers were tasty this day, and I ate up as much as I possibly could between my classes. I had my last day of classes last Saturday and I think it ended on a really high note. I had a group lesson of level 2's which was 5 people total and everyone had a really fun time. That's all I ask for, is for the students to learn at least one thing and to have fun challenging themselves throughout the day. Okay, so what in the heck do I mean by 'High Treason' in my title? I'm referring to my new piece! I can't wait to get started on this one. I have painted this subject before, but felt the comp was pretty boring. So, I am going to ramp it up and make it more dynamic. This is based on the cover of an old issue of the comic. This cover always stood out to me. (The subject is Cobra Commander from the G.I. JOE universe.)

I was pretty happy with the very first sketch I did of this. I normally do at least 3 and if I'm unsure I will draw it for a month. This time though, I really do like the gesture and feel of this one. I will make the eyes more intense in the painted piece however. I love the obsession in this piece. There is a total of six Cobra logos in this relatively simple idea and that's just what I wanted. I wanted to start this piece today but it will hafta wait. It looks like I will be going in for orientation tomorrow for my seasonal horticulture job! The garden centers and nurseries are getting ready to open up for what I'm thinking is going to be a hot and dry summer based on our lack of water/rain this year. I truly had hoped for far more days cutting lines in the mountains but am pretty excited for the change in season and getting back outside and around plants!

Wolf It Down

So, I've been instructing classes both private and groups up at Mt. Spokane for a few weeks now. I love it, though it has been tough. The mental and physical strain it puts on the body and mind is huge. Especially for people who actually care about what we do. How we are perceived (am I professional, do I sound professional?). I think it's important to constantly recognize yourself and your actions, especially in a work environment. I started a log book that pertains to my ski certification and things I've learned in my classes/clinics. This helps to get my jumbled thoughts out and see what the real issues are, without the distractive thoughts, of which I have many. I have had some real learning experiences with people as well as my damn self. This is one of the infinite reasons I love to ride. My progress on the mountain is helping my progress in everyday life/society.

For me riding has meant freedom for so long, but that has to change now. I have to be there for the students now, not for myself. It may sound strange, but it takes getting used to. After skiing for about 40+ years, I now show up to the mountain and nurture someone else's love for snowsports. Sure, I get to freeride and work on my own tasks between classes until my little heart is content, and attained a season pass. These sessions feel more like 'palette cleansers' now and the times I get to ride with Kat actually feel like freerides! We are still hurting for snow, and our ops team has resorted to 'farming' snow from surrounding areas. I have to say though, the groomers yesterday were great as can be for the amount of snow weve gotten this season thus far.

To wrap it up I have a current shot of my newest acrylic piece. I showed a quick study sketch in my last post and have progressed a bit since then.

My next session I will re-claim some of the hair detail in his body and probably add some texture to the fur using the same method I used on the rocks. So, yeah, this has been a fairly quick update to my online blog/journal and the goings on in my life. As usual I appreciate you reading my spillings and we will blog at ya soon.