Nebraska Artist Doug Marx Landscape Painter

Fresco Landscape Painting Sunset on the Platte River

Doug Marx — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 13:53:01 +0000

“Sunset on the Platte West of Plattsmouth” is a painting I did last fall. It is a fresco on a wood panel supported by a wood cradle. Plattsmouth is one of the older towns in Nebraska. Located at the convergence of the Platte river and the Missouri river. The town began it’s life as a trading post in the 1850’s known as “the barracks”. I spent most of my youth on the Platte river further West of this location, hiking the shore line and the river itself. Sunsets on the Platte are always spectacular as are the sunrises. If you’d like to mixing in some sandhill crane watching along with watching the sun rise or set the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has a great article about crane watching.

If you like to see more of my paintings click here to visit my gallery.

Plein Air Landscape Painting Salt Creek Sunset

Doug Marx — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:52:52 +0000

“Winter Sky North of Salt Creek” is a plein aire sunset I painted in January. I painted this in the parking lot of the Lincoln Salt Dog’s parking lot. The view is to north as Salt Creek takes an eastward bend through Lincoln. Salt Creek is part of Eastern Saline wetland habitat in Lancaster County in Nebraska. The Journal Star is reporting that the Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded Nebraska a grant to restore 80 acres of Saline Wetlands habitat, home of the Salt Creek tiger beetle. Here’s a link to the Journal Star Story.

To purchase this landscape painting “Winter Sky North of Salt Creek” go here.

To see more paintings that are available for sell visit my gallery.

Interstate 80 Lakes Landscape Painting at Dusk

Doug Marx — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:59:19 +0000

“Walk Back From the Third Lake” is a landscape painting I did at dusk in mid February. The third lake refers to the third lake at the Mormon Island State Recreation Area about 8 miles South of Grand Island, Nebraska, right off the junction of Interstate 80 and Nebraska Highway 281.

These three lakes are part of series of over 50 small lakes that run from Grand Island to around Hershey, Nebraska about 150 miles to the west. The lakes are man made “sand pits” that were excavated for the sand during the construction of the Interstate during the 1960’s.

You can see to more of my landscape paintings of Nebraska here.

Fresco Landscape West of Nebraska Boom Town

Doug Marx — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:29:22 +0000

This is a Landscape painting that I did last fall. “West of the Lowell Corner” is a fresco on wood panel. Lowell, Nebraska was a boom town in the 1870’s. At one time it was the most Western point on the Burlington and Missouri Rail Road. It’s about 2 miles south of the Platte river and around 15 miles Southeast of Kearney. There’s not much there anymore but in the early in 1870’s it was the third largest town in Nebraska with a population of over 2400. A railhead for the cattle drives from Texas and home of the U.S. Land Office for the area. There were four saloons and plenty of cowboys, gamblers, and homesteaders that often made for a violent mix. I was told years ago that just East of the town there is a boothill where more then a few unlucky or slow on the draw were laid to rest. My Great Grandma, Florence (Wilson) Saddler’s, family had homesteaded West and North of Lowell. As a girl, she went to Lowell on her birthday, to pick up a bicycle at the train station, that had been ordered for her from the Sears and Roebuck catalog.

Once the railroad progressed to Kearney and the land office moved, so did the people and with in a matter of a few years the population had dwindled to less then 50. The original train station is part of the collection of buildings at Pioneer Village in Minden, Nebraska.

To purchase this landscape painting, “West of the Lowell Corner” click here. To see more of my paintings click here to visit my gallery.

Plein Aire Landscape Painting Sunset Salt Creek

Doug Marx — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:40:18 +0000

During the first week of January the sun was still going down early and it was very cold. I painted this pleine aire landscape painting of a sunset from the comfort of my pickup truck. It is titled “Looking West Across Salt Creek”. Salt Creek is part of the saline wetlands area in Lancaster County in Nebraska. The rare and endangered Salt Creek Tiger Beetle makes its’ home further downstream from where this was painted. Salt Creek never really freezes. The Bald Eagles that migrate through the area will follow the creek towards the Platte River where some will nest.

To learn more about this painting or to purchase it click here.

If you’d like to see more of my artwork visit my gallery.

New Landscape Sunrise East of Exeter Nebraska

Doug Marx — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:06:42 +0000

I just finished this landscape painting of a sunrise, titled “East of Exeter Winter Sunrise”. I started the painting en plein aire then finished the painting up in the studio. Exeter is a small Nebraska town located on Nebraska Highway 6. It is halfway between Lincoln, Nebraska and Hastings, Nebraska. Exeter was settled in the 1870’s after the passing of the Homestead act in 1862. It’s rumored that is named after Exeter, New Hampshire suggested by some settlers who had moved west from there.

If you’d like to read more about this painting or to purchase it click here.

If you’d like to see more of my landscape paintings of the midwest click here.

Landscape Painting at Dusk West of the Lone Grave

Doug Marx — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 05:04:42 +0000

This painting was done in February on a Sunday night just as the sunset. I was looking South about a half mile West of the Lone Grave turn off just Northwest of Kenesaw, Nebraska, hence the paintings title “West of the Lone Grave Turnoff February Dusk”. Growing up I passed this intersection most Sunday evenings it’s an interesting mix of fields and what I consider to be the most southern foothills of the Sandhills. It’s interesting because this area is South of the Platte River and the Sandhills lie to the North and further West.

Lone Grave is a local landmark and the resting spot of a pioneer woman lost to cholera on her way west along the Oregon Trail. It became well known because her grave was marked with a marble headstone. Legend has it her husband traveled back to Omaha and purchased the marble grave marker and returned on foot pushing it in a wheel barrow. The Adams County Historical Society has an entire account of the grave of Susan Haile.

To find out more about this painting or to purchase it click here.

To see more of my paintings click here to visit the gallery.

Winter Landscape Painting Saline Wetlands Sunrise

Doug Marx — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:33:58 +0000

“Field North of the Granite Counter Top Place” is a painting of part of the Saline Wetlands that are now filled in and are part of an industrial park just west of Lincoln Nebraska… The Plovers still return though every year in the Summer. I painted this in late January it was early morning and the sunrise had happened about a half hour before I got out there.

I was reminded of what Alfred East wrote in his book” The Art of Landscape Painting in Oil Colour”, published in 1906 that “Your attitude towards Nature should be respectful, but at the same time confident. One should love Nature without giving up one’s authority. Do not grovel before Nature—be a man.

Stand to your work, and draw and paint from your shoulder in a confident and manly fashion, feeling that you know what you want, and go for it fearlessly, with a keen observation of Nature. Look long at her, consider carefully, and then, when you have made up your mind, express it confidently and in a manly fashion.”

I don’t think that I totally share East’s attitude completely but I thought it was interesting but somewhat naive and misogynistic. I think that his attitude toward nature results in actions such as filling in wetlands.

To lean more about his painting or to purchase it click here.

You can see more of my painting here.