Saturday 22nd November 2008 - Orange Trees

Again, something a little different. I've been wanting to push my composition and colour a little, to make my paintings more exciting and dramatic. I worked from a photograph I took a couple of weeks ago while the trees were still orange. I really liked the way the bright colour was contrasting with the blue of the distant hills behind.

Orange Trees - 20 x 20" - oil on canvas - $1,200

Monday 10th November 2008 - Fall Colours on the Rio Grande

Another chilly day in Taos, working in the gallery. I painted this one from a photo I took of the Rio Grande, a little south of Pilar.

I had an interesting conversation with a good friend and fellow artist, Rich Nichols. I had noticed that I paint differently when I'm in the gallery. Something to do with being interrupted and strangely I find it easier to focus on smaller details than when I am solely focussed on painting or out painting Plein Aire. I enjoyed painting in details like the rocks in the river and their reflections and the bushes and grasses by the water, whereas when I get into my usual painting flow, it's more about broad strokes. Rich said he paints the same way and usually does 80% of his paintings plein aire and then does the finishing in his studio in the gallery. I find this kind of thing fascinating.

Fall Colours on the Rio Grande - 12 x 16" - oil on canvas panel - sold

Tuesday 7th October 2008 - Golden trees

Jane and I went plein aire painting near a friend's house in Valle Escondido as she had told us that the trees next to the pond were in full autumn colour. We ran out of time so this one is so far unfinished.

Valle Escondido - 20 x 20" - oil on canvas - unfinished

Friday 19th September 2008 - Taos Ski Valley

Shari and I took a drive up t the ski valley to see if we could find some aspen trees with Fall colours. They are only just starting to turn, little patches of bright yellow here and there. We found a shady spot to paint in but got quite cold when the sun went behind a cloud and then too hot when it came out again - these high altitudes!



Taos Ski Valley - 12 x 16" - oil on canvas panel - $750

Tuesday 9th September 2008 - a Field of Sunflowers

It was a glorious day! A whole bunch of us painters gathered in the field of sunflowers to paint - Barbara Bartels, Ken Daggett, Kemper Coley, Michelle Chrisman, Shari and I. It would have been hard not to be cheerful with such glorious yellow shining out at me.


A Field of Sunflowers - 12 x 16" - oil on canvas panel - $750

Friday 2nd November - Embudo

I met up with Jane and Shari for lunch in the Guadalahara Grill in Taos and then we all piled into one car with our paints and easels and headed South out of town. Shari had noticed there were still some brightly coloured trees along the river so we set off to find a good spot to paint. We stopped and hiked around a number of times until we found this spot, at Embudo Station. We were able to stand under the brigde and get some shade while looking downriver with everything beautifully backlit as the sun lowered in the sky. It was a lovely day out with my friends as well as a productive one!
Embudo - oil on canvas - 16 x 12" - $575

Friday 19th October 2007 - Shannon in Sagebrush

A beautiful Fall day and the Friday Alla Prima group met at the San Geronimo Inn to paint Shannon. We spotted this patch of sagebrush and chamisa with the Fall colours behind and got Shannon to walk around in this scene until she looked just right. I particularly like the colours of her clothes against the sagebrush.

Kemper reminded me that there are a number of miniature events coming up so I chose a smaller canvas than usual. it was fun for me to do a figure in a landscape for a change rather than a portrait OR a landscape.

Shannon in Sagebrush - oil on canvas - 8x10" - $295

Monday 15th October 2007 - Basalt Fall

Another day to paint in Colorado and i went up to look at Maroon Bells, a local beauty spot. It was fabulous, the red rock formations and the reflections in the lake but it was definitely winter and I wasn't really prepared for it, no hat, no gloves. Instead I drove down the valley where it was much more of a Fall scene and quite a lot warmer.

This is the view from the bridge going into Basalt. The Fall colours were wonderful and got prettier as the sun started to lower in the sky.

Basalt Fall - Oil on Canvas - 12x12" - $425

Monday 8th October - Embudo

On Sunday I was told that the best photographers and painters do their work at sunrise or sunset as the light is at it's most interesting. I usually paint in the morning so the painting session is coming to a close when the light is most directly overhead and flat. I wondered idly about how I would change my routine.

How strange that the very next day, Shari should change our morning meeting time to mid-afternoon when some unforseen problems had to be dealt with! At 3PM we drove south out of Taos towards Embudo. I had it in my head that I wanted to paint Fall colours next to the river and we drove around until we found a spot that inspired both of us.



Once the sun started setting, the light moved very fast and it was exciting to try to capture it and so very beautiful. I thought this was not bad for a second attempt at sunset painting (there is a gorge painting earlier in the blog that was painted late afternoon) and that I shall enjoy developing these skills further.
Embudo - oil on canvas - 20x20 - sold