Blue and White Porcelain - Watercolor

Blue and White Porcelain

5x7in watercolor on aqua board   $100. SOLD

This one was an experiment.
I was trying some new methods and was
surprised how this turned out. All transparent
watercolors on Aqua Board by Ampersand.

Georgia's View - Ghost Ranch, NM.

Georgia's View - Ghost Ranch, NM

6x8in oil on canvas panel $125. SOLD

Artist Note
Ghost Ranch near Abiquiu, NM. is a wondrous place
for an artist.
A painter friend and I would stay a full week and we
did it for several years in a row.
It is a place where you can rent
a cottage or room and meals are provided, another big draw!

Georgia O'Keeffe owned two houses. One on the ranch
and the other in the small village of Abiquiu, NM.
The above painting is from a plein air sketch I did a
few years ago and is one of the many fabulous
views O'Keeffe would see from her home on the ranch.
Below are a couple of my photos taken while at
Ghost Ranch. Be prepared for jaw dropping moment
if you love the colors of the desert.
click to enlarge.

Sunset on the Bosque

Sunset on the Bosque.

6x6in oil on canvas panel  $100. SOLD

A beautiful sunset reflecting on water and snow.

Artist Note.

Sometimes it is nice to do a small painting
which does not fight back.
One of the blogs I follow, Conservatively Bohemian,
showed this wonderful PHOTO
I wrote and asked Sherry if I could use
the photo and being the lovely person she is...
of course she said yes.
Thanks again Sherry!

The photo is full of mood and is of a sunrise.
As always, once I start painting it takes on
a life of its own and soon it became a sunset
reflecting on the water at the bosque.
Why the bosque? Most likely because I have
recently been painting it and it was fresh in
my mind. I have also painted the sunset
at the bosque quite a few times so the colors
and reflections are in my memory buds.
Funny how I can forget the grocery list but 
remember the visual stuff.
Anyone out there who can relate?

Georgia's Door

Georgia's Door

6x6in oil on canvas panel  $100. SOLD

This is influenced by a photo I took in Abiquiu, New Mexico
of the back of the Georgia O'Keeffe house...
looking over the wall with a zoom lens!

I was concerned about doing too much of a likeness as they
have copyrighted absolutely everything related to Georgia.
A visit to the home on tour is worth all the security and
scolding if one steps away from the strict directions. I loved
seeing her studio, kitchen and view.
I went back on a different day to explore the surroundings
and took lots of photos and painted color samples.

Artist Note
In my last post I showed how I use glass to explore options
when using a photo for reference.
Here is another way I find it INVALUABLE when showing.
artists options for improving their painting.
This painting below is by an artist friend who had copied an
old etching in oil and added color.

Placing the glass over it made it easy to explore some
changes before working on the canvas itself.
I like this method of showing the many different ways
the painting can be improved. FEARLESSLY.

Breaking up the
row of bushes
and not having
them all on the
same line.
Covering parts
of the straight
branch


The brush flows smoothly over the glass and it makes
one
wish all canvas felt the same way!
Easy to lift off with the paint scraper and I use a
Clorox wipe to clean it off completely.

Santa Fe Adobe and Development Steps.

Santa Fe Adobe

6x8in oil on canvas panel $125.

The color of the adobe clay is extra marvelous
in the snow. Adobe comes in many different
shades of earth colors according to the area and
type of soil it is made from.

Artist Note.

I always place a piece of glass over a photo reference
to make sure it can become a painting beyond just
copying a photo. 
Here are the steps I took in developing the painting above.

This old adobe has had
an addition
added to the top of the
house. The vigas -
(wooden posts) show
where the original roof
must have been. yes,
they pop tops in the old
adobe houses too!

Placing the glass over
the photo I paint the
roof line where
I want it to be.

Next I turn to the
foreground.

I am establishing
the colors of the
adobe

Then the gate color

Trees maybe?
Develop
foreground
and shadows

Because it is on glass
I can easily wipe off
and try something else.
It is important for me
to use my imagination
and try different colors
and ideas.
From this last  one I
arrived at the one above
changing to the horizontal
format and adding snow and
gray sky.

I sometimes bring out other reference photos  if I am
not sure. On this one I had some pics of the foreground
chamisa plants in the snow.

Colors of Winter

Colors of Winter

5x7in oil on canvas panel  $100.

Bosque Del Apache, New Mexico
Once again a mix from photos and imagination.

Artist Note.

I prefer this scene with winter colors rather than
the greens of summer. When out painting plein air
I always find green difficult to get the right harmony
and it is a real struggle to achieve a natural appearance
of the many subtle, different shades in front of me.
If I go more decorative then it can be fun and bright,
but if I try to mix what I actually "see" then all heck
happens and I have many frustrating attempts.
Back in the security of my studio I can work with green,
but then I lose the freshness I value from the outdoor
sketches. Any solutions or suggestions will be gratefully
received.

My outdoor/travel palette is:
T White
Black
Yellow Light
orange
perm Aliz
Cobalt blue or Ultra Blue
Transp Oxide Brown
I mix my purples from the alizarin and ultra
My ochres by adding purples to the yellow
My GREENS
from black and yellow or ochre
blue and yellow plus red or T brown.

(Phyllis - can you spot it?)

A Day of Love and Memories

A Day of Love and Memories

6x8in oil on canvas panel   SOLD

On Valentines Day I like to sit and think about all the
different types of love in my life - past and present

God
Family
Friends
and definitely Pets

I feel blessed, and I am grateful.

A love filled Valentines Day to you all.

The Bosque, N.M.

Sky and River

6x6in oil on canvas board  $100.

A painting from memory and photo.

Below are the awesome Sandhill Cranes which
winter at Bosque Del Apache, N.M.
Only a 100 minute drive north of where I live.

Artist Note.
Thanks for all the thoughtful inquiries about my
lack of blogging.  Nice to be missed.
Thank you also for the beautiful comments on
my being included in The Art Room feature
on Artists Who Blog.
Many interesting and wonderful artists are
being interviewed and I highly recommend it.
The link above is for today's piece.