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

Friday 26th June 2009 - Hollyhocks at Caffe Tazza

I love "hollyhock season" here in Taos, they are such glorious flowers.

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

Friday 5th June 2009 - A Grey Day in Pilar

Jane, Shari and another painting buddy, Marian Jackson, went to Pilar looking for ruins to paint for a local art event. In the end I chose to paint this overlook instead. The relative cool of the day made a nice change as it has been getting quite hot. The downside was that we were bitten my mosquitos.

I will be entering this painting in the local fundraiser for the Fechin House Art Museum event called "Russian Nights" where it will be auctioned off for charity.

A Grey Day in Pilar - 8 x 10" - oil on canvas panel -

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

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

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

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

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

Tuesday 25th November 2008 - Watermelon Rock

Shari and I took a drive down to a little south of Pilar to paint the Rio Grande river with the famous local landmark, Watermelon Rock, so named because it changes all kinds of shades of red during the day. It was a grey, cloudy day so when a shaft of light hit the rock and turned it a pinky orange, I painted quickly to get it down.

Watermelon Rock - 16 x 12" - oil on canvas panel - sold

Tuesday 11th November 2008 - Taos Teepee

I had a painting date with Shari and we talked on the phone in the morning and we had both had the idea of painting the mountain and laughed that the mountain was calling us. We arranged to meet by the Overland Sheepskin Ranch where they have great views of the mountain and right next to the sushi place for lunch. I made a couple of calls and both Jane and Lina joined us, so we were a busy little group of artists and a fun lunch party too.

Since the last time I painted there, they have put up this teepee so I decided to make it central to my composition, with the snow on the mountains and the grazing buffalo in the mid ground. I have never painted a teepee before and I found it great fun.


The Teepee and the Mountain - 16 x 12" - oil on canvas - $750

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

Thursday 2nd October 2008 - Ray's

Finally finished this one of the Grand Canyon after 3 sessions on it at Ray's class. I took this photo a while ago while travelling in Arizona. I think I'll start a smaller piece next time...

Grand Canyon - 24 x 30" - oil on canvas - $1,750

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

Thursday 11th September 2008 - Misty Gorge

I painted this one over 2 sessions at Ray's class. I originally did a small painting of 8 x 10" on the day I took the photo. This piece sold in a fundraiser at the Country Club last year. I thought a larger sized piece would work quite well - not as big as the 30 x 40 Elk at Maroon Bells but still larger than I usually paint landscapes.

I really enjoyed the colour mixing for the gorge and sky in the distance. I told Ray that I was going to paint the sky a shade of orange and he fought me all the way but when it was done he agreed with me that it worked.

Misty Gorge - 24 x 30" - oil on canvas - sold

Friday 29th August 2008 - Hollyhocks at the Blumenschein

I met up with Michelle and a painter friend of hers from Santa Fe and we painted the flowers at the Blumenschein Home and Museum.

I did one like this a few weeks ago and it sold very quickly - the hollyhocks and adobe theme is quite popular.

Hollyhocks at the Blumenschein - 9 x 12" - oil on canvas panel - $475

Thursday 28th August 2008 - Ray's Class

I liked this portrait of Ruben that I did a couple of weeks ago but I felt it could be better, so I took it to Ray's class to see what his feedback would be. He told me the background colour was too close to the colour of the face, so I changed it to the dark blue grey and I think it works very well. I had noticed that the forearm wasn't quite long enough to be in proportion so I changed that too. A couple more little details and i think the painting is much better for it.


Portrait of Ruben Machado - 20 x 16" - oil on canvas - $1,175

Friday 15th August 2008 - Ruben

A new painting group, held in an empty gallery on the main street in Taos. Our painting session was open to the public and we had quite a few people coming in to watch the painters at work. It was fun.

Ruben Machado - 20 x 16" - oil on canvas - $975