Hope Chest Progression

Well, I've been working!

This is the stage before outlining.

And there is still cleaning to be done, things like making sure all edges are straight, etc.

The gold actually has a layer of rust underneath and I'm thinking of sanding little parts of it off to give it an older look. I will post the final when I'm done. Good night!

HOPE CHEST

Following the progress on my hope chest. The hope chest is actually just a nice unfinished pine box. Normally my painted hope chests are very bright and colorful, but I've decided to change things up. I found this old antique frame in a shop and the photo is one of my older paintings of a wild path of flowers. I hope to recreate this look on the chest. I will have an update tonight.

WORK IN PROGRESS

"SEVEN SUNS"

10"X8"

This painting is a work in progress I hope to finish tomorrow.

I am working on some small paintings I want to finish up for a friend and collector

and I am also rushing to finish a painted hope chest for Casa Esperanza.

I will post my original idea and photos for the hope chest tomorrow.

It was absolutely beautiful outside today and is supposed to be

for the next 4 days. How am I supposed to paint?!!

"THE LAZY RIVER"

"THE LAZY RIVER"

8"X10"

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This is tonight's painting and it looks nothing like the photo I took it from.

The river was a bright blue and everything around it was green, green, green.

The sky was one color - white.

I think my version has more interest.

I wouldn't mind taking a nap by this river. Enjoy!

"GOLDEN SUNSET"

"GOLDEN SUNSET" 8"X10"

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SOLD

Today I decided to take a break and not overthink everything so much. I just played with a photo I had and this was the result. I'm happy with it. I already have tomorrow's post ready too! That's a good thing because tomorrow I start working on a hope chest I'm painting for a Casa Esperanza event. Sorry about the way this text is aligned, there's something wrong with my blog posting site.

"SWEET SPRING, ARROYO SECO

"SWEET SPRING, ARROYO SECO"

8"X10"

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Well, here it is, the final painting. I read everyone's comments about the adobe and I thought about keeping it, but when someone said the adobe seemed to have "eyes", I saw them and I just couldn't do it! So I adapted it and I love how it turned out. The sky feels like a watercolor and the trees remind me of cotton candy. This is actually from a photo taken up at my brother-in-law's place. The trees were in full blossom and I can't remember if they're apple or Indian plums. So, you will just have to look at them and imagine yourself walking through them, up the hill, to see what's on the other side.

I had to post this photo my friend sent me of her puppies just born,

a momma and her seven babies. Three males, four females.

All daschunds and all different colors.

What beautiful little miracles!

"SPRING IN TAOS"

WORK IN PROGRESS

8"X10"

As you can see, I am still working on tonight's painting.

Not sure I like the adobe yet.

It may look totally different when I'm finished. Stay tuned...

Okay, you guys, now that I've looked at it on the blog,

I definitely do not like the adobe.

I may remove it all together. Comments?

STUDIO VIEW

Hi everyone.

I've been working on my taxes so I haven't been able to paint for a couple of days.

This is a view of my studio and an older work.

The Kimo "ON THE STREET" show starts tomorrow

with a reception from 10am-12pm.

There will be refreshments and music,

so I invite everyone to come down to see the show.

The Kimo - a beautiful southwestern historical building,

is located at the corner of 5th and Central.

I have errands and meetings today

but I hope to have a small painting done by tonight.

Enjoy your day!

KIMO SHOW

Preview of KIMO show: "ON THE STREET"

Hi everyone! As you can see, I'm getting ready for a show at the KIMO THEATER in Albuquerque called "ON THE STREET." The exhibition is being held by a group I just joined called the Rainbow Artists. I still have two paintings in the works and will post those as soon as they're complete. If you're interested in purchasing from the KIMO, I will have that information tomorrow.

"LITTLE VALLEY"

"LITTLE VALLEY"

8"X10"

Price: $99.00 plus $10.00 s/h Or, EMAIL ME

Tonight I wanted to paint something different.

I dug out some old quick loose sketches I had done in watercolor

while on a painting trip up in Taos two years ago.

The initial sketch was just a loose burnt sienna so I had to improvise

when I painted, thinking about what the colors might have been.

I was there in the fall so the trees are obviously turning,

the fields might be corn fields that have already been harvested,

and I interspersed complementary colors side by side;

reds next to greens, yellow next to lavender, etc.

This is the valley below the road to Taos Ski Valley,

just as you pass the small village of Arroyo Seco.

"OCATE EVENING"

"OCATE MORNING"

8"X10"

SOLD

to Beth who provided the beautiful photo

Here it is. I hope I did the photo justice.

I would have loved to have painted it out on location. What a beautiful sky...

I couldn't get everything exactly the way I wanted it.

but I think I got the mood right and that's what I was going for.

I had originally titled the piece "OCATE EVENING"

and then found out it was actually a sunrise.

Can you believe that? What a fantastic way to wake up!

"BETH'S BARN"

This is a photo from one of my friends. It's a photo of a really cool barn at a place in Ocate, New Mexico. I'm going to try to paint it tonight and post it tomorrow. They sky is absolutely beautiful. The mountain in the background has a LOT of pink in it, I will try to tone that down and add some warm yellows and oranges to the foreground. Wish me luck! Beth will have a chance for first purchase. Enjoy your evening!

"TAOS GLOW VARIATIONS1"

"TAOS GLOW VARIATIONS1"

8"x10"

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Tonight is a variation on last night's painting. If you compare the two, you will see that this painting has more rose and orange in the sky. Also, the tall tree on the left and the foreground have a warmer glow. Hmm, hard for me to choose the one I like the best. I guess I would have to say the first one because it's the first one I painted, therefore has more emotion and the second one for the romantic vibrancy. I have one more for tomorrow. I think I may paint a larger piece for my upcoming show, maybe 30x40.

"TAOS GLOW"

"TAOS GLOW"

8'X10"

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SOLD

Oh my gosh, I LOVE this painting.

I love it so much that I've already done two more variations of it.

The pastel sky seems so warm and the sun hitting the trees, yep, I want to be there right now.

I also love the little spots of bright orange that peek through the trees and show the underpainting. One of these variations may end up being my postcard for my April show.

"NESTLED"

"NESTLED"

8"X10"

SOLD

This is a commissioned painting and I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out!

"SWEET GERANIUMS"

8"X8"

This painting is a rendition of an earlier piece.

It's very hard to get that same "zing" factor in a painting for someone, mostly because you're trying to copy what once was natural and unforced. Hope I did okay.

SOLD

A GIFT

Another gift for one of my framer friends, Polly.

I'm hoping to have a new daily up tonight.

A GIFT

"MOUNTAIN SUNSET"

12"X16"

This painting was supposed to be a Christmas gift for someone but I didn't quite get it done in time. John is a framer, stretches canvas for me, and he and Polly always go the extra mile when I need something done "yesterday." Polly has a painting too, but I will post it tomorrow.

"ESTA'S LADY"

"ESTA'S LADY"

10"X8"

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SOLD

This lady is a first-attempt painting of a sculpture I have by an artist friend of mine, Esta Bain. We've been in shows together and she wasn't in the last one and I really missed her. She has many many admirers and I know at least one person who has over 50 of her pieces. We all call them her "ladies", so Esta, this is to pay tribute to your talent and your ladies.

She is hidden inside a cozy little nicho.

"THE RETREAT"

"THE RETREAT"

8"X8"

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SOLD

I must admit, I would like to be in this cozy little house right now.

The painting is from a picture I took up in Arroyo Seco, NM in the fall of last year. The "house" is actually a haybarn and there were cows grazing right on the other side staring at me! The view is from my brother-in-law's house and is incredible. I will be up there painting and taking pics this spring and summer. If you'd like to see the original photo, let me know.

Have a great day tomorrow.

"HIDDEN ADOBE, CANYON ROAD"

"HIDDEN ADOBE, CANYON ROAD"

8"X8"

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SOLD

I'm finally back to my daily painting.

I really miss it if I let a day or two go by!

This painting is from a photo I took when I spent a few days up in Santa Fe,

painting all around the Canyon Road neighborhood.. The adobes are really beautiful and it had been raining so I had to create some light myself. I love these old houses.

I'm itching to get back up to Santa Fe and Taos, but right now there's several inches of snow on the ground and more coming, so I think I'll just wait until spring. I have several upcoming shows I am organizing for, and need to be painting for, but I just seem to want to lay around and read.

The Winner's Photos

These are the photos I chose to paint.

I hope I captured a small portion of how beautiful they are.