Bill Jehle Projects

Colony Ink Drawings From 2017 and 2018


These ink sketches were made over the summers of 2017 and 2018 at our family’s cabin near Westcliffe Colorado. These were all constructed basically the same way. I walked around until I saw something I liked. Then I would do a quick pencil sketch or even better just an ink sketch, work in some basic shapes and note some details, snap a picture (to jog memory later) and just about the time I got tired of sitting (or standing) in one place I would take the drawings to the studio.

Summer of 2017 was dry, Summer of 2018 was even drier, the wild flowers, grasses and weeds took on an aggressive, desperate exuberance. The clouds were iridescent in the afternoons and the cloudless mornings presented a sky that rang with a persistent clarity that took your breath away. If you’ve been to the Wet Mountain Valley you know what I mean.

My choice of subjects was probably not what you would expect in a picturesque Rocky Mountain valley. In fact most are pretty pedestrian. The things that caught my attention that summer were the hay fields stretching to the horizon, distant barns, curious cows, rain coming in, fence row perspectives, clouds like galleons loading up and scooting out over the plains, sun through the trees and the complex path of a creek.

I was making pictures, not creating mementos of dramatic landscape. I don’t like the mawkish sentimentality of rustic western scenes or to be patronized with photo realism (often painted from photos) unless it is a photo. If you want landscape drama you can come to Westcliffe and look around for yourself.

I used pencil and ink (dip pen and Sailor fountain pen with “Sailor Black Ink” and Staedtler pigment liner) on a 9x12in. LEUCHTTURM drawing pad or 12×16½in. smooth Holbein watercolor paper.

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edge of the trees south meadow

edge of the trees south meadow, ink on paper, 11x14in

lake deweese dam

ink on paper, 11x14in

edge of south meadow

edge of south meadow, ink on paper, 11x14in

last of the cone flowers on middle colony two

last of the cone flowers on middle colony two, ink on paper, 11x14in

last of the cone flowers on middle colony

last of the cone flowers on middle colony, ink on paper, 11x14in

trees at edge of south meadow

trees at edge of south meadow, ink on paper, 11x14in

coleman barn

coleman barn, ink on paper, 11x14in

steve bribach’s 36 chevy truck

steve bribach’s 36 chevy truck, ink on paper, 11x14in

beckwith ranch

beckwith ranch, ink on paper, 11x14in

backyard aspens 2017

backyard aspens 2017, ink on paper, 11x14in

willows school

willows school, ink on paper, 11x14in

view from Bribach home Rosita, CO

view from Bribach home Rosita, CO, ink on paper, 11x14in

south meadow with mr. higgins

south meadow with mr. higgins, ink on paper, 11x14in

south meadow cottonwoods

south meadow cottonwoods, ink on paper, 11x14in

south meadow and marble mountain

south meadow and marble mountain, ink on paper, 11x14in

westcliffe workshed

ink drawing of a westcliffe workshed from 2017, 9in by 12in, ink and pencil on paper

treehouse off colony lane

ink drawing of a treehouse off colony lane from 2017, 9in by 12in, ink and pencil on paper

mine shack in silver cliff

ink drawing of a mine shack in silver cliff from 2017, 9in by 12in, ink and pencil on paper

colony lane flora sampler, ponderosa, cone flower, aspen

ink drawing of colony lane flora sampler, ponderosa, cone flower, aspen from 2017, 9in by 12in, ink and pencil on paper

dwarf ponderosa and some other shrubs

ink drawing of dwarf ponderosa and some other shrubs from 2017, 9in by 12in, ink and pencil on paper

dwarf aspen and some other native shrub

ink drawing of dwarf aspen and some other native shrub from 2017, 9in by 12in, ink and pencil on paper

funny looking cottonwoods

ink drawing of funny looking cottonwoods, 2018, 9in by 12in, ink and pencil on paper

2 co-op tractor (second version)

ink drawing of 2 co-op tractors (second version) from 2018, 9in by 12in, ink and pencil on paper

2 co-op tractors (first version)

ink drawing of 2 co-op tractors (first version) from 2018, 9in by 12in, ink and pencil on paper

bribach mine 1

ink drawing (first version) of the goodhope mine site, rosita hills, co from 2018, 9in by 12in, ink and pencil on paper

bribach mine 2

ink drawing of the goodhope mine site, rosita hills, co from 2018, 9in by 12in, ink and pencil on paper

view from bob and carolines house

ink drawing of the view from bob and carolines house, silver cliff, co from 2018, 9in by 12in, ink and pencil on paper

black cottonwoods near the creek

ink drawing of black cottonwoods from 2018, 9in by 12in, ink and pencil on paper

bigponderosa-3

ink drawing of a huge ponderosa from 2018, 9in by 12in, ink and pencil on paper

bigponderosa-2

ink drawing of a very large ponderosa from 2018, 9in by 12in, ink and pencil on paper

bigponderosa-1

ink drawing of a big ponderosa from 2018, 9in by 12in, ink and pencil on paper

bassickshack-2

ink drawing of remaining shack at bassick mine from 2018, 9in by 12in, ink and pencil on paper

babyponderosa-1

ink drawing of baby trees from 2018, 9in by 12in, ink and pencil on paper

aspenforest-2

ink drawing of aspen forest from 2018, 9in by 12in, ink and pencil on paper

woodshed-1

ink drawing from 2018 of old woodshed near colony road westcliffe, 9in by 12in, ink and pencil on paper

westcliffeindustrial-3

Ink drawing from 2018 of old warehouse and train parts in Westcliffe, 9in by 12in, ink and pencil on paper

westcliffeindustrial-2

ink drawing from 2018 of industrial section of Westcliffe, 9in by 12in, ink and pencil on paper

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