Art Formats for Southwest Landscape Art & Wall Décor
Luminous Metal Print
Canvas Gallery Wrap
Luxurious Float-Frame
Gift Art Photo-Plaque
Giclée Art Print
Limited Edition
Hand-Embellished Giclée
Steamboat Springs Balloon: Cold Mornings and Wide Horizons
Living in northwest New Jersey—an area often called the snowbelt—I grew up surrounded by winter. I was a downhill skier, and every year I traveled north with close friends, chasing snow across Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, Maine, and farther west to places like Colorado, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, British Columbia, and northern California.
One of those trips took us to Steamboat Springs, Colorado. It was an especially cold morning, the kind where your breath catches in your chest. I paused near the ski trails to rest, and as I looked out across the snow, a brightly colored hot air balloon began to rise quietly into the sky.
I reached for my 35mm SLR camera and took a photograph of Steamboat Springs Balloon not knowing that was going ot be the title of this image would stay with me for decades.
A Photograph Waiting for Its Moment
Back in the late 1970s, I wasn’t yet painting. I didn’t start working seriously with watercolor until the early 1990s. Still, I kept the photograph. Something about the contrast—the balloon drifting upward against the frozen landscape—felt timeless.
Later, I learned that the barn in the foreground of Steamboat Springs Balloon, was the More Barn, a historic structure in Steamboat Springs. That discovery added another layer of meaning, anchoring the image in place and history. When I eventually returned to the photo as a watercolor artist, I realized it carried the same quiet balance I often seek in my Sedona watercolor paintings: motion set against stillness.
From Snowfields to Watercolor
When I finally painted “Steamboat Springs Balloon,” I approached it with the same curiosity that characterized my early watercolor works. I concentrated on how light moves across snow, the softness of the atmosphere, and the sense of lift created by the balloon itself.
Although this is a snow scene rather than a desert landscape painting, it directly connects to my Southwest artwork. The open sky, sense of scale, and emotional calm reflect paintings like Transient Sky, Pitiado, and Enchantment. Another snow-inspired piece from my current style, using fluorescent acrylics, is Mesmerized, which explores similar themes of reflection and quiet wonder.
As a watercolor artist followed by Sedona collectors, I see this painting of “Steamboat Springs Balloon,” as a key bridge—connecting my early mountain influences to the work that would later define my Sedona artwork.
Personal Marks and Hidden Stories
One of the pleasures of revisiting this painting, Steamboat Springs Balloon over the years has been customizing it for collectors. I sometimes cleverly hide names within the snow—details so well integrated that viewers often don’t notice them until I point them out.
That quiet interaction reflects what I love most about watercolor art: its ability to hold personal significance without being overt. These small gestures mirror my approach across my Sedona wall art, Arizona art prints, and mystical paintings.
From Winter to the Southwest
Before I ever painted Sedona, I was attracted to wide-open spaces—Jackson Hole, Wyoming, being one of my earliest artistic influences. That desire for space, sky, and stillness eventually guided me south, shaping my Sedona watercolor paintings and Southwest wall art.
Today,Steamboat Springs Balloon and my other artwork is displayed at The Village Gallery, considered the top art gallery in Sedona. It’s an inspiring space where collectors can view my Sedona artwork, feel the energy of my watercolor paintings and Southwest art, and see how moments like a balloon rising over snow influenced my artistic journey.
The Heart of It All
Art lights up the same part of your brain as
falling in love—it’s an unforgettable feeling.
Collector’s Note
“Steamboat Springs Balloon” is a watercolor created during my years in New Jersey, inspired by a photograph I took while skiing in Colorado many years ago. It captures memory, movement, and the early stages of my work as a Sedona artist and emerging painter.
Steamboat Springs Balloon – A Watercolor Memory Lifted by Winter Light
Price range: $49 through $705
“Steamboat Springs Balloon” is a watercolor artwork inspired by a winter morning in Colorado, painted during my years in New Jersey. This desert landscape painting—grounded in snow, memory, and motion—captures an early moment when observation, travel, and imagination started shaping my Sedona artwork.
Steamboat Springs Balloon – A Watercolor Memory Lifted by Winter Light
Price range: $49 through $705
“Steamboat Springs Balloon” is a watercolor artwork inspired by a winter morning in Colorado, painted during my years in New Jersey. This desert landscape painting—grounded in snow, memory, and motion—captures an early moment when observation, travel, and imagination started shaping my Sedona artwork.
Art Formats for Southwest Landscape Art & Wall Décor
Luminous Metal Print
Canvas Gallery Wrap
Luxurious Float-Frame
Gift Art Photo-Plaque
Giclée Art Print
Limited Edition
Hand-Embellished Giclée
Steamboat Springs Balloon: Cold Mornings and Wide Horizons
Living in northwest New Jersey—an area often called the snowbelt—I grew up surrounded by winter. I was a downhill skier, and every year I traveled north with close friends, chasing snow across Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, Maine, and farther west to places like Colorado, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, British Columbia, and northern California.
One of those trips took us to Steamboat Springs, Colorado. It was an especially cold morning, the kind where your breath catches in your chest. I paused near the ski trails to rest, and as I looked out across the snow, a brightly colored hot air balloon began to rise quietly into the sky.
I reached for my 35mm SLR camera and took a photograph of Steamboat Springs Balloon not knowing that was going ot be the title of this image would stay with me for decades.
A Photograph Waiting for Its Moment
Back in the late 1970s, I wasn’t yet painting. I didn’t start working seriously with watercolor until the early 1990s. Still, I kept the photograph. Something about the contrast—the balloon drifting upward against the frozen landscape—felt timeless.
Later, I learned that the barn in the foreground of Steamboat Springs Balloon, was the More Barn, a historic structure in Steamboat Springs. That discovery added another layer of meaning, anchoring the image in place and history. When I eventually returned to the photo as a watercolor artist, I realized it carried the same quiet balance I often seek in my Sedona watercolor paintings: motion set against stillness.
From Snowfields to Watercolor
When I finally painted “Steamboat Springs Balloon,” I approached it with the same curiosity that characterized my early watercolor works. I concentrated on how light moves across snow, the softness of the atmosphere, and the sense of lift created by the balloon itself.
Although this is a snow scene rather than a desert landscape painting, it directly connects to my Southwest artwork. The open sky, sense of scale, and emotional calm reflect paintings like Transient Sky, Pitiado, and Enchantment. Another snow-inspired piece from my current style, using fluorescent acrylics, is Mesmerized, which explores similar themes of reflection and quiet wonder.
As a watercolor artist followed by Sedona collectors, I see this painting of “Steamboat Springs Balloon,” as a key bridge—connecting my early mountain influences to the work that would later define my Sedona artwork.
Personal Marks and Hidden Stories
One of the pleasures of revisiting this painting, Steamboat Springs Balloon over the years has been customizing it for collectors. I sometimes cleverly hide names within the snow—details so well integrated that viewers often don’t notice them until I point them out.
That quiet interaction reflects what I love most about watercolor art: its ability to hold personal significance without being overt. These small gestures mirror my approach across my Sedona wall art, Arizona art prints, and mystical paintings.
From Winter to the Southwest
Before I ever painted Sedona, I was attracted to wide-open spaces—Jackson Hole, Wyoming, being one of my earliest artistic influences. That desire for space, sky, and stillness eventually guided me south, shaping my Sedona watercolor paintings and Southwest wall art.
Today,Steamboat Springs Balloon and my other artwork is displayed at The Village Gallery, considered the top art gallery in Sedona. It’s an inspiring space where collectors can view my Sedona artwork, feel the energy of my watercolor paintings and Southwest art, and see how moments like a balloon rising over snow influenced my artistic journey.
The Heart of It All
Art lights up the same part of your brain as
falling in love—it’s an unforgettable feeling.
Collector’s Note
“Steamboat Springs Balloon” is a watercolor created during my years in New Jersey, inspired by a photograph I took while skiing in Colorado many years ago. It captures memory, movement, and the early stages of my work as a Sedona artist and emerging painter.