Thursday 21st January 2009 - Adobe Glow

After a day in the gallery last week, I walked back to where I park my car and there was this fabulous slanting light making the Cabot Plaza tower glow a rich shade of orange, brightening the winter trees and making Taos Mountain glow softly in the distance. I took a photo and worked from it in Ray's Class this week.

Adobe Glow - 12 x 16" - oil on canvas panel - $750

Wednesday 21st January 2009 - Allessanda

A second week of the same pose with Allessanda. I think last week's painting was stronger in composition but I prefer the skin tones in this one.

The page turner - 16 x 12" - oil on canvas - $750

Saturday 17th January 2009 - Portrait of Danea

This Saturday, Danea was the model for our regular portrait painting group.

Danea - oil on canvas panel - 16 x 12" - sold

Friday 16th January 2009 - Taos Truck

A day in the gallery and I finished off the truck painting that I started plein aire on Tuesday. I was interested to see it side by side with the painting I did with the same composition at the same time of year 2 years ago, to have a sense of how my painting has changed in that time. Please feel free to post your comments...




Taos Truck - 20 x 20" - oil on canvas - $1,200

Thursday 14th January 2009 - Ray Vinella's class

A picture of the famous Ranchos de Taos church as painted by Georgia O'Keefe and many other famous painters, Ray Vinella included. I think it looks quite lovely in the snow.

Ranchos Church in the Snow - oil on canvas panel - 8 x 10" - $395

Wednesday 14th January 2009 - Lost in a good book

The lovely Allessandra posed for us again - I did a couple of paintings of her last year that both turned out well, so she is a 'lucky model' for me!

Lost in a Good Book - oil on canvas - 16 x 12" - $750

Tuesday 13th January 2009 - truck!

I painted a similar painting nearly 2 years ago and people are still asking me about it. The original sold at the bank show in April 2008. I'm interested to see the difference that 2 years of intensive study and experience will look like.

Taos Truck - 20 x 20" - oil on canvas - unfinished

Saturday 10th January 2009 - Ruschan

This Saturday at the portrait we had this very handsome man from Sri Lanka to model for us. He posed quite a challenge for skin tones, quite out of the ordinary here in Taos!

Ruschan - 16 x 12" - oil on canvas panel - $750

Thursday 8th January 2009 - Ray Vinella's class

Not a bad start to the new year. I started this painting with Shari last week, we had lunch together for a catch up and then took a walk in the snow by this stream at a trailhead just outside of town. We were looking for a good spot to paint in, a good view with some sunshine on us to keep us warm but didn't find one - the good spots were all in the shade or on precarious looking ice. We took photographs and went back to my house, printed the photos up and worked in my warm studio instead.



At the end of the session I felt sure the painting could be better and took it to Ray's class yesterday to work on it some more. he made some good suggestions and I was much happier with it when I finished. Ray mostly encourages me to use brighter, stronger colour.



That lunch with Shari was at the sushi place north of town and I took a photograph of the teepee behind it on that bright sunny day with a recent fall of thick snow. I used that photograph to make this painting in Ray's session too. I think the feeling of light works well in this one.

Ice Bridge - 16 x 12" - oil on canvas - $750
Shelter from the Snow - 10 x 20" - oil on canvas - $795

Wednesday 31st December 2008 - New year's Eve

I was on duty in the gallery on New Year's Eve, did the monthly accounts in the morning - how I ended up with that job, I don't know! and painted this one in the afternoon. The day before I had taken a walk up to the Morada which is my favourite walk. It was a beautiful sunny day bit the ice on the road and then the deep snow around the Morada made it heavy going. I loved these big icicles hanging down from the gutters.

While painting this piece I was more aware than usual how Ray's classes have really helped, mostly about asking myself the right questions and pushing the painting a little farther than I used to.

Morada Icicles - 8 x 10" - oil on canvas panel - $395

Tuesday 23rd December 2008 - Tara and David

I spent Xmas day with my good friends Tara and David and gave them this portrait as a Christmas present. I worked from several photos of them that I had, particularly one I took of them out on Hallowe'en wearing their Renaissance Fair gear. They loved the picture and hung it straightaway in a place of honour.

Tara and David - 16 x 12" - oil on canvas panel - not for sale