During an interview for this article in early August, Denis Milhomme is concerned about the wildfires encroaching on his beloved Yosemite Valley. “It’s a little smokier right now than usual,” he says, lamenting that he can’t capture the photos and plein air paintings he relies on as the basis of his lavishly detailed oil landscapes. “It’s really bad, all these fires that are happening; it’s a lot of damage.”

Milhomme, whose home in Three Rivers, California, is not far from Sequoia National Park, treasures these scenic places and worries about their future. He conserves them in the ways that he can: by exploring them in person and by documenting them, rock by rock and leaf by leaf, in his paintings.

Denis Milhomme

Eternal Beauty
Oil
16″x24″

“El Capitan is quite the beautiful giant, when bathed in the evening light.”

Denis Milhomme

Morning Serenity
Oil
24″x36″

“I am very much drawn to these quiet, contemplative scenes. This autumn morning moment, with Half Dome reflecting in a quiet Merced River, beckoned me to stop and enjoy.”