landscapes

Thursday 2nd July 2009

I finished this one off in the studio. If you'd like to compare it to the earlier photo, you'll find that I sharpened up the values by lightening the sky and the road/paving, took out the blue gate which wasn't adding anything, warmed up the shadows under the portale of the shops behind and brightened up the flowers.

Hollyhocks at Caffe Tazza - 16 x 12" - oil on canvas - $750

Tuesday 30th June 2009 - Hollyhocks at Caffe Tazza

Jane and I walked around looking for the perfect painting spot for the wonderful hollyhocks that are blooming all over Taos but ended up in our favourite spot at the Caffe Tazza - the other places were either too close to traffic or too exposed - easy to get sunburn this time of year at this altitude. I finished this one off later in the studio.

Hollyhocks at Caffe Tazza - 8 x 10" - oil on canvas panel - $395

Monday 29th June 2009 - Lush Green in the Gorge

A big group of painters got together at an overlook of the gorge I hadn't been to before. Clarence Medina, Kemper Coley, Michelle Chrisman, Sheila O'Malley along with my regular painting buddies Shari Kestenbaum-Ubeschell and Jane Grover.

The gorge looked so green after all the rain we've been having. I found a shady spot by a tree but packed up earlier than I might have when nasty biting insects appeared - my goodness those bites were itchy in the following days!

Here is a photo of the lovely Shari that I took that day



Lush Green in the Gorge - 8 x 10" - oil on canvas panel - $395

Thursday 11th June 2009 - Ray's Group

The finished Taos Pueblo painting! I went to the Memorial Day celebrations at the Pueblo with my friend Tony who was visiting from London. There were various speeches and a 21 gun salute followed by a feast to which we were invited. It was quite a special day. I was also allowed to take photographs, which is not always the case, so I took dozens to do paintings from.



Taos Pueblo - 10 x 30" - oil on canvas - $975
Pueblo Scene - 12 x 12" - oil on canvas panel - $575

Friday 29th May 2009 - Bent Street Bench

I met up with Jane and Shari and another painting buddy, Michelle Chrisman, at Bent Street where the flowers were looking lovely.

Bent Street Bench - 12 x 16" - oil on canvas - $750

Friday 21st May 2009 - Dancing Tree

My goodness this painting has taken me a long time! I like to get a painting finished in one or two sessions so that my energy stays fresh and this one took at least four sessions on it and much looking at it in between. I was determined to make it work! I finally got it to a place where I was happy with it on Friday.

Dancing Tree - 24 x 30" - oil on canvas - $1,750

Wednesday 20th May 2009 - Irises at Cafe Renato

The lilacs are already over and the irises are coming into full bloom. These ones outside Cafe Renato are just gorgeous.

Irises at Cafe Renato - oil on canvas panel - 12 x 16" - $750

Friday 15th May 2009 - Lilacs on Ledoux Street

A gorgeous day out painting with Shari and Jane, enjoying the colours of Spring.

Lilacs on Ledoux Street - 11 x 14" - oil on canvas panel - $595

Wednesday 13th may 2009 Lilacs at the Couse House

The Lilacs have been amazing this year, must have been the wet winter and the warm Spring. Shari and I painted these lovely lilac bushes at the Couse House on a glorious Spring morning.

Lilacs at the Couse House - 14 x 18" - oil on canvas - $625

Monday 11th May 2009 - Hacienda del Sol

A new home for my paintings!

Some good friends of mine, Reg and Dale, have taken over the running of a luxury B & B here in Taos and invited me to hang some of my paintings in their communal areas. This is me with Reg and my recently reworked truck painting.

It truly is a lovely place with south-west style interiors and great gardens with views of Taos mountain. They also invited me and my artist friends to come paint in their gardens.

"One of the 10 most Romantic Inns in the U.S." - USA Today

www.taoshaciendadelsol.com

Friday 1st May 2009 - Pink Trees

It was great to get back out Plein Aire painting with Shari and Jane - it felt like it had been a long time. We walked around the centre of town looking for pink blossom trees next to adobe buildings, taking photographs and choosing our spots. I picked this spot outside the Bent Street Deli.

It was early and quiet when we set up but became busy and then my 'maestro' Ray Vinella came to eat breakfast at teh Bent Street Del and parked right in the middle of my composition, so I painted around the cars.

The painting looks empty to me, like it needs a stronger focal point, so I plan to paint in a girl walking her dog or something.

Taos Love Letter - 12 x 16" - oil on canvas panel - unfinished

Thursday 30th April 2009

I continued my theme of painting massive scale views onto ever smaller canvasses, this is a gorge scene on an 8 x 10" canvas panel. Good fun!

Trees in the Crack - oil on canvas panel - 8 x 10" - $295

Thursday 16th April 2009 - Ray's group

I painted this one in 3 sessions as well, the same as the gorge painting from last week. I block in the overall composition as a second painting in Ray's group, work on it when I am on duty in the gallery and then bring it to Ray to finish it off. Ray really liked this one and urged me to put a higher price on it.

Now I have learned so much about creating a sense of perspective, I am enjoying getting a sense of the massive on a small canvas. The one I started after I finished this one off is on an even smaller canvas, just to see if I can do it!

Rocky Gorge - 12 x 12" - oil on canvas panel - $575

Thursday 9th April 2009 - Ray's

I painted this one over about 3 sessions. It's a new size of canvas for me, 10 x 30" which seemed quite extreme when it was blank but as soon as the drawing of the gorge went in it made complete sense.

Wide Gorge - 10 x 30" - oil on canvas - $975

Friday 20th February 2009 - still life again

In the background of one of the Richard Scmidt still lifes that Ray showed me were a couple of paintings and drawings and I got the idea of putting one of my own paintings in the composition.

I was back on duty at the gallery on Friday so i set up the still life as before (without the rose - it was pretty wilted) and took a painting off my display wall. I chose the one that looked the most like Taos to continue the theme of art and Taos. I like that my signature is on the painting in the painting rather than in the corner.

Thanks Ray, I think it is a better painting - tell me what you think!

Still Life with Champagne - oil on canvas - 20 x 20" - not for sale until after the competition.

Thursday 12th February 2009 - Ray's

I did most of this painting when I was on duty at the gallery last Tuesday and brought it in to Ray to see if he could help me make it a better painting. He suggested making the buildings on the right a little brighter - they were very washed out in the photo I was working from. It made a big difference. It was easier to sharpen the definition in the big tree with the paint nearly dry than it was on Tuesday.



Another sunset of the mountain, the light was just delicious and completely irresistible to me. This one is not finished.

Kit Carson Road Shade - 12 x 12" - oil on canvas panel - $575
Late Afternoon Light on Taos Mountain - 12 x 12" - oil on canvas panel - $575

Thursday 5th February 2009 - Ray Vinella, superstar!

Another Wednesday class with Ray Vinella. I've told him that I write a blog about my painting but it took a mutual friend, Jan Mellor, to tell him that I write about my Thursday lessons on the blog for him to ask me about it! Here is a photo of Ray and I at this morning's group along with a portrait I painted of him a year and a half ago.



In this week's class i finished off this evening painting of the Plaza with the pretty twinkle lights in the trees in front of Ogelvie's and painted this scene of the main road through Taos with fresh snow and Taos Mountain behind. The red sign on the building on the right is Jan Mellor's gallery - the Taos Gallery.



Late Night Shopping on the Plaza - 12 x 12" - oil on canvas panel - $575
Beautiful Downtown Taos - 12 x 12" - oil on canvas panel - $575

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

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