A Special Visit

Meeting a Fellow Blogger.

Anne Winthrop Cordin 

Anne and Cooper

I was delighted to get a message
from Anne

asking if we could meet as 

she passed through Las Cruces
with her husband (and dog).
Are you kidding...Absolutely!

I have followed Anne for a few years.

I love her blog and work. She paints 

with a wonderful abstract vision,
and writes amazingly well
about her process,
including personal ruminations
which are always interesting.

See for your self

 ANNE

Look what Anne painted while in Las Cruces.

A White Winged Dove.

Thank you, dear Anne, for taking the time to visit
and for making it such an interesting
and stimulating time. I loved every moment.
Hope you come again.

My Mountains - day 27

My Mountains

6x8in oil on canvas panel $130.

click to buy

The view from my studio at the "golden hour."

I never get tired of it.

Organ Mountains, Las Cruces, NM.

Artist Note,

Only three more days to go in the challenge.

The Facebook Challenge was on at the same 

time and I thank everyone who invited me 

to take part. I would have loved 

to have participated, but it just would 

have been too much on top doing this 

challenge PLUS working.

I must be getting old when I cannot

do everything I want to!

Old or sensible!

Sensible is old!

Squirrel, Mountains and Thoughts on Critiques

Still relaxing over the holidays.
Hope you are all doing the same.

We have a ground squirrel who loves
to relax and view the grandeur from
our deck. Below you can see him
stretched out in the sun.

These are the Organ Mountains in
Las Cruces, New Mexico. They are
different every day. Here are some
of the many different moods I see
from my window every day.

cold front
moving in

stormy

sunrise

clouds cast
shadows

the start of
a sunset

early snow










I love to paint my view and I remember being
crushed when a more Avant-garde type artist
said in a group critique - he would puke if he 
saw one more mountain painting. Cruel and
arrogant. If painting is from the heart then
who has the right to condemn it?

Unfortunately, his comment in front of a group
of my peers set me back on my heels and my
confidence suffered.
A year later I visited a gallery
where I saw this soulless exhibition of cartoon,
straight-edged, non representational hangings
which did not feed my art soul one bit, and
discovered the work was by the same man
who condemned my vision.  I realized I had just
silently done the same thing about his work
as he vocally had done with mine.
The perfect example of taste being subjective.

I feel blessed to belong to a group of supportive
bloggers who need not say anything if they do not
like a piece, but speak up with praise and
encouragement when they do.
I am grateful to you all.

Farmers Market #23 - Musicians

Farmers Market #23 - Musicians

8x8in  oil on canvas panel  $150. SOLD

These are two guys who entertain us at our farmers market
on Saturdays, here in Las Cruces, NM.
It was the market in Santa Cruz, California which got me started
on painting this series, but the one here in Las Cruces was
voted the #1 Farmers and Craft market in the country
two years ago. Who would ever "thunk it"
Right outside my door!
The Artists Guild building is on Main Street, downtown, and
the market occupies three city blocks of the street every
Saturday. I have been out regularly with my camera and sketching.

Artist Note.
I went to a larger size with this one after I had complete
failures trying to get this one on the smaller square.
For some reason this was one of the hardest paintings I
have done in quite a while.The success is having recognizable
figures. The features are almost non existent but body type
comes across and someone saw it and knew who these
guys were right away.

New Mexico Storm

New Mexico Storm

watercolor

Day 8

Our afternoon stormy weather will soon be gone and the clear
blue skies of fall will be with us.

A fresh week starts with the
Leslie Saeta 30 in 30 Challenge
I have enjoyed seeing some amazing artist's work and I would
not have known about them if it wasn't for this challenge.
Our thanks to Leslie...again. Hope you take the time to check
it out .

Cloudy Skies over the Organ Mountain, N.M.

Cloudy Skies

6x8in  oil on canvas  $125. SOLD

This is the view from my house. Those are the Organ Mountains,
here in beautiful Las Cruces. Directly behind them about 40 miles is the
White Sands Missile Range. One of the thrills I remember was watching
the space shuttle land in the early 80's and later today (Thursday) the
Space Shuttle Endeavoris scheduled to fly over here on its way to California.

Artist Note.

I have a deck I can set up my paints on and wait for the golden hour.
Remembering the motto when I was in the Girl Scouts
Be prepared!

It was strange painting in a straight forward manner and not fracturing.
It went a lot faster for sure.
I wanted to do a cloud study so I painted the large creamy mass first.
I was careful to have the clouds in perspective, receding back behind the mountains.
Honestly, I saw the sky turn this amazing aqua blue right in front of my eyes.

This is the time of year we have clouds and I hate to see them go.
Come October, our skies turn pure Cobalt Blue and the glorious yellows
and golds of the cottonwood trees vibrate beautifully against it. Maybe,
just maybe, there will be a puff of white here and there but nothing as
dramatic as this.