Blue Mountains - Southern Colorado

Blue Mountains -   Southern Colorado

8x6in  oil on canvas panel   $125.

The season's dead grass and weeds
form intricate patterns of muted colors
against the backdrop of beautiful
blue mountains.

Artist Note.

I lived in Denver for 8 years and really
enjoyed the beautiful scenery all over
Colorado. The grandeur of the Rockies
knocked my socks off, but I often
discovered my heart beating faster with
the closer, more intimate beauty of the
patterns created  by the weeds...
or water skimming over a rock.

Fall Challenge

Late September Weeds on Studio Chair

6x6in oil on canvas board 85.

This weeks Fall Challenge is a difficult one for me in sunny New Mexico. The comparison of temperature differences to other more northern parts of the country is obvious when I look entries showing pumpkins and beautiful fall leaves. In the spirit of the challenge I walked out onto the open desert next to my studio looking for inspiration and all I could see were these tiny, yellow flowers in great abundance. When I say tiny, I mean tiny. I have no idea what they are but they must be in the daisy/aster family...little spiky petals. Northern New Mexico most likely has the magnificent Chamisa blooming at the moment and I have photos of those but I wanted to paint from life.

I did enjoy painting the chair and will try several from different positions.

Tiny Nest

Tiny Nest 8"X6" oil on canvas $100.

After three days of painting flowers it is good to be back to the bird nest series.

This tiny nest is only three inches across. Made carefully with tightly woven, thinner branches than the larger nests and is lined with dead leaves.
Most of the leaves inside appear to be from the berry weed I have painted behind it. I also thought I had better paint something which would show the scale of the nest.

I do not think this is a humming birds nest...but not quite sure.