brush alert

BRUSH ALERT!

I needed new brushes. Bad.

All the brushes I had were either choppy, worn down, 

the hairs were coming out, 

or the wood of the handle was separating from the metal.

Well, I went to Artisan yesterday, our local art store.

I wasn't looking for brushes, I was looking for flat panels

for some upcoming painting excursions.

I found the panels I wanted, plus an art book, and an art magazine, 

then I walked by the brushes and these Grey Matters brushes

jumped out at me.

Grey Matters are made by Jack Richeson

and are pretty affordable.

Plus, I liked the fact that they were grey,

I mean everything about them was grey!

 So I brought these home.

I figure I will use them on an upcoming paint out

and see how they hold up.

I am notoriously hard on brushes, so

they will really be put to the test.

I did use them for the two paintings below and

they give a softer look to my work.

"CHIMAYO ROAD"

8x8"

oil

"TRUCHAS OVERLOOK"

8x8"

oil

These paintings will be available in the next day or so.
For the site, CLICK HERE.

We'll see how they do once they've been

worn in and worn down.

I was told that Rosemary brushes are really good

but pricey. Is that true?

Please let me know if you have favorite brushes that we 
should know about!!

path through the flowers

"PATH THROUGH THE FLOWERS"

8x10" 

oil

$150

I love this painting.

I've had this photo in my collection for about a year.

Every time I was looking for a reference photo,

I would see this one and say, "Nope, not yet. This will be

a hard one, I'll wait."

I must have handled the photo at least 50 times.

Finally, tonight I wanted to paint something soft.

Not rocks or mountain formations.

And if I painted mountains,

they had to be soft.

And even though this painting has mountains,

I feel like they're soft and romantic.

Not hard and craggy.

Pretty happy about the clouds too!
It's been a good day.

For purchase information, CLICK HERE.

say hi

Two paintings I've been working on:

 

A LITTLE MAGIC

10x8"

oil
$150
(Contact me to purchase)

"JEMEZ ARROYO"

8x10"

oil
$150

(To purchase, click HERE.)

I am back in the groove of painting in the studio for a few days.

So different from plein air painting!

These are the things I love about my studio:

a ceiling fan

windows and french doors

decent lighting (could be WAY better)

my computer is next to me

great cds to listen to

all supplies at hand or nearby

bathroom just a few steps away.

TV in the other room if I want a break

art magazines on a table if I need inspiration

my puppies can join me

nice comfy chairs

can go read or take a nap if the mood strikes

being alone

A little different from plein air painting:

no gas or car wear and tear

no lugging of painting gear 

no wind

no rain

no dust or sand

no bugs 
no potty

no sun beating down

no deciding where to go

no "forgetting" of equipment or paint

 no paying for food at expensive restaurants

no having to look for a place to stay

being alone

 The moral of the story is that no matter where an artist works,

whether it be in the field or in the studio,

we spend a lot of time alone.  

Too much time sometimes.

But we need that time to come up with ideas.

To get motivated and inspired.

To plan for shows and paint outs and events.

I live art. I breathe art. When I'm on vacation, 
when everyone else is enjoying themselves,
I am scouting. Scouting locations.
Scouting compositions.
I can't turn it off.
And not everyone understands that.

One of my favorite things is to get together with a group

of artists and just hang out. Just chill.

Talk about art.

Eat some good food.

Talk about marketing.

Talk about sales. Or lack of sales.

We're just hanging out, being ALONE together.

And it's a nice place to be.

So if you see someone out painting

and feel moved to do so.....

Stop and say hi and say, Nice work!"
Or say, "It's coming along."
Or, "How long does it take you to do that?"

That will keep us going for at least a week.
That's all us artist loners need.

 One person being interested in the work.

One compliment goes a long way for a loner.

P.S. If you are interested in either of the above paintings,
please email me at dshadowtail@aol.com

.

diana stetson

Diana Stetson

Today I am bragging about my friend, Diana Stetson.

She has a beautiful new website 

and I want to share it because her work is so

unique and wonderful.

 Diana lives in Albuquerque and I met her when we were 

forming the Alameda Studio Tour.

 Diana's artwork is BEAUTIFUL.

Stunning and serene.

Recurring themes are trees and birds,

but her art is much deeper than that.

 I think I'm attracted to her work because

it's so different from mine.

I feel like sometimes I attack the canvas

 to get in the darks and highlights and the main color notes

before the light changes.

And her work is not like that.

Diana's work is built up in many layers

and uses many different materials.

This piece is a more abstract version of lily pads.

 Gorgeous

Please don't take my word about his beautiful artwork.

Please visit Diana's website and read about her history, 

vision, and her journey.

www.dianastetson.com

To go directly to her site,

CLICK HERE.

new things

NEW THINGS

Sometimes it is good to turn your brain to new things.

When my daughter asked me to create a logo for her new business, 

she knew exactly what she wanted.

I was busy with all kind of plein air things at that time, 

and had to STOP what I was working on 

and thinking about and turn my attention back to drawing.

I admit, I don't draw very much anymore.

Just loose sketching for my paintings.

So I thought it as going to be difficult.

This was total fun for me.

We started out with seven flower pods (too many), 

went to three (too few), and ended up with five (just right).

I also had much more root material at the bottom, so, 

as per her instruction, 

I toned it way down and ended up with what you see above.

I think it's very pretty!

I will post the final and beautiful business card as soon 

as it is back from the printer.

Now, on to other new things:

My next event is a three-day plein air trip

to northern New Mexico.

My favorite place in the whole world!

I've never painted at this location and am SO excited!

It's out of my comfort zone, but hey, "out of my comfort zone"
is a place we should all go sometime.

I am also using this time as a brainstorming and 

planning time for my next series.

I'm almost done with my 150 CHALLENGE paintings 

(I know, it's taken me FOREVER),

and I want this new series to be something that I'm

totally uncomfortable with so I can be challenged.

I'm thinking it's figures and nudes.

Ugh. Scary to think about.

I want to think of these paintings as beautiful 

"people" landscapes and not as a face or body.

Excited to see what happens!

When I get back, 

I will be painting on a regular basis at

 Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm.

Which is new for me.

The Inn is just about the most beautiful place in the north valley.

It's almost time for the lavender harvest and I hope to catch that.

 The lotus pond

 The farm

 Someone wearing my poster T-shirt

Selling my paintings at the Festival several years ago

AND LAST, BUT NOT LEAST:

Start thinking about attending my annual 

ART GARDEN PARTY!

It's happening on Sunday, September 3rd from 4-8pm

and features Mexican food, music by Mezcla Latina,

and a Studio Show and Sale.

It's free and limited to the first 75 people who register

and you MUST be registered to attend.

To register, email Dee at dshadowtail@aol.com

or call me at 505-792-1030
Get on the list now....

Also, if you haven't checked out the plein air show at 
CORRALES FINE ARTS, please do it before it's over.
Some beautiful work there!

Corrales Fine Arts
4685 Corrales Road
Corrales, NM  87048

Also, if you haven't seen my website, it's been up dated a bit.
To view, click HERE.

And, if you want to see all of the 150 CHALLENGE paintings 
completed thus far, Click HERE.

Lots of "clicking!"

That's it for now.

Have a fantastic day!

time flies...

Oh my goodness, I haven't blogged since April 19!

That is crazy to me.

Life has gotten busy and I will fill you in

on what's been going on in my artworld.

First off, I am STILL working on my 150 CHALLENGE paintings.

They don't call me the Queen on Procrastination for nothing.

But I will get them done!

Here are some recent 150 CHALLENGE paintings:

 Sandia mountains

 Jemez river

 Abiquiu

I painted for a week in Jemez in early May with the 

Plein Air Painters of New Mexico and loved it!

Jemez is majestic and beautiful.

Pictures really don't do it justice.

These are a couple of the paintings that I created:

 SOLD

The gallery is lovely and run by such nice people.

I will definitely come back to paint soon.

Then, I painted for the Placitas Garden Tour.

Here is the landscape:

And the block-in of one of the paintings I painted.

This painting is SOLD.

Whew, a lot of work.

Next, a group of twelve plein air painters (including myself)

were painting for the 2017 Corrales Garden Tour.

We decided to paint the beautiful village of Corrales 

for the month of May, paint for the Garden Tour,

and have an awesome exhibition at Corrales Fine Arts,

a new gallery from my friends Barb Clark, and Susana Erling.

Here are a few of the sites we painted:

Wow, I have never had such a fun month of painting!

Here are some garden images:

Some of the paintings I completed:

These paintings (along with the gorgeous work of eleven

other artists), are all at Corrales Fine Art,

4685 Corrales Road, through the end of June.

Stop by and have a peek!

Next time, I will chat about

what is coming up this summer and Fall!!