Thursday 19th February 2009 - Ray's Class

I brought in my still life with the champagne bottle to see what Ray would say about it and he said although it was well painted, the composition was just terrible. I said "don't sugar coat it Ray, tell me what you really think!" He showed me some still lifes by Richard Scmidt where the composition is much fuller and that got me thinking about changes I could make.



Then I settled down to painting this one from a photo I took on Monday on a walk with Jane out to the Morada. The snow is melting now and we're getting warm spring like days, which around here means MUD. It was a claggy, hard going trudge to reach the cross at the end of the walk but the views were worth it.

The Morada itself has been taken back by the church as it was falling into disrepair, the adobe turning back into mud. While it is picturesque (for a while) to see it crumbling, I am delighted to see it restored and protected from the elements.

It was Ray that suggested the Native American in a blanket, leaning against the wall. In my first attempt, my fellow classmates were laughing that it looked like a hobo peeing against the wall! so I implied his face to show him facing away from the wall.

Melting Snow at the Morada - 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

Tueaday 23rd October - Morada

I met up with my good friend Michelle Chrisman for lunch and then we went off looking for a spot to paint. The cold snap over the weekend had turned all the yellow leaves brown, so many of the spots we had in mind were no longer as interesting.

We ended up at the Morada, always a good spot to paint, and caught the hills behind in the late afternoon light.

Morada - oil on canvas - 11 x 14" - SOLD

Thursday 4th October - Morada

I go to this morada very often, it is a 40 minute walk there and back from my house. Beyond this run down old adobe building, which used to house monks of the self flagellating kind, is a strip of land given to the morada by the Indians with a big cross at the end. By the time you get to the cross you are well into Indian land and the views of the mountains are stunning. it's a great place to do a sunset walk as well.



My friend Rich Nichols was running a workshop with Don Ward and they invited me to come out and paint with them. I originally was going to work on a small square canvas but then I wanter to fit in Taos Mountain and then I wanted to squeeze in El Salto, the mountain to the left of Taos Mountain that looks like a breast and a pregnant belly. i trudged the distance back to my car where I had this long canvas ready for such an occasion.
I really enjoyed this morning's painting and felt happy with the colours I had mixed for the mountains and the sagebrush.

Morada - oil on canvas - 15x30" - $1,350