Monday, March 28, 2011

"NIGHT FLORAL"

"NIGHT FLORAL"

18"X24"


This painting is one of my favorite lined pieces. It is a night garden of white and red poppies mingling with a vast array of other small flowers. I love the light coming from the upper right hand corner and the light on shining on the white poppies. I am seemingly unable to get the exact color saturation, but it is really nice in person. This painting is available for purchase. Please email me at deesanchezart@hotmail.com for purchase information.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

"PASTELES"

"PASTELES"

6"X6"



Buy this painting on PayPal Price: $75.00 plus $10.00 s/h Or, send me an email


BACK TO WORK


Okay, I'm back to work now. I think I just needed a little breather before I kick into the spring/summer/fall season of shows and exhibitions. I got to take some really nice day trips and am back with great photo references. It will be a long time before I need to search out more inspiration, although, there are quite a few exciting paint-outs coming up with PAPNM....it's easy to be inspired when you're working out in the New Mexico landscape!



150 CHALLENGE

You will start seeing daily 150 Challenge paintings this week. To stay up to date and get an early start on picking your favorites for the show in June at Weems Old Town, go to: www.150challenge2011.blogspot.com.


SMALL DAILY PAINTINGS

I will continue offering small oil paintings available for purchase on this blog as time permits between my work on the 150 show and working on some really large oils for Weems Gallery in Uptown. I am aiming for 3-4 per week. The small oil paintings will be available at a special price of $75 each plus $10 shipping until June 1. There will be a Paypal button under each available painting, so if you see a little painting that speaks to you, please click and purchase.

I may also offer some larger paintings if they become available.


VIDEOS

I know, I know, I keep saying that I want to do some videotaping of my working process. I promise, it's coming....


CASA ESPERANZA

The event last night was SO fun. I think they raised more money this year than any other. I will be painting a 6ft. fiberglass permanent outdoor balloon for their patio that will be unveiled during their 20th anniversary next year. Any ideas? The continual theme at Casa is hope, so I'm thinking.....


Okay, thanks for listening and putting up with my craziness. I love you all and I thank you for supporting me and my art. Oh, and if you have any photos you'd like me to consider for the 150 Challenge, please email them to me at deesanchezart@hotmail.com

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

boy, what a day trip!

I have a friend in town and guess, what? I get to take another day trip! We took off and went to eat at a restaurant in Santa Fe, La Choza. The food was delicious - I love it when they give you real pinto beans instead of refrieds. Then we went to Abiquiu, stopped at the Abiquiu Inn and the Catholic church, then went on the Ghost Ranch, then up to Tierra Amarilla (THAT was one cool old town - lots of Land Grant uprisings there in the 60's and 70's), and then we decided just to go on to Chama, because it wasn't THAT far! We saw signs for Pagosa Springs, Colorado, so I guess we went almost as far north as we can go. The photo above is the beautiful hills and formations in Abiquiu. Man, over 200 photos for painting resources...

This photo is of the Echo Ampitheater, along the road to Tierra Amarilla. I don't know what they do there, but they have trails and it looks like it would be great for outdoor concerts.


This is cuz Goldie and I, hanging out at the Abiquiu Inn.


Umm, can you move, sweet cow?



This is a black and white view of Pedernal, the mountain that Georgia O'Keefe loved to paint, and thought of as her very own. It was a great day. Now I can only procrastinate one more time, then I REALLY have to get to work. I had new large tubes of paint delivered today, so I know, once I start, I won't stop until November! More photos below...





What a wonderful day...

My friend Tom at the old morada in Abiquiu, right next to Georgia O'Keefe's home overlooking the valley.

Okay, this is the overlook of the Rio Chama. It's not spring yet, so nothing is green, but isn't this lovely? I think it will make an awesome painting.



This was our wonderful find of the day. We turned on a little road outside of Abiquiu that said, "Monastery, 13 miles." The road was dirt all the way and the scenery was so incredibly beautiful. The Rio Chama ran right alongside the road with majestic and colorful outcroppings and hills - they were pastel-colored and reminded me of candy or colored chalk. Cows were grazing in the middle of the road. When we got to the end, the image above is what we saw. This is a church built by a Japanese architect, and there are also all of the monks' housing and a guesthouse. Everyone is welcome here, no matter your religion. They have a beautiful gift shop (they make everything they sell), the whole site is off the grid and uses solar for power. We got to sit in the church for one of their prayer services. To learn more about this serene and beautiful place, go to: www.christdesert.org.


These are only a few of the candy-colored outcroppings we passed on the way.



Sunday, March 20, 2011

a couple of adventures....

Well, I think I am almost through procrastinating. I have cleaned my bathroom medicine cabinets, cleaned out my recipe and cookbook cabinets (threw away four plastic bags full of stuff), trimmed bushes and cleaned off the side courtyard where my studio French door is located. I have trimmed almost 50 rosebushes, started work on cleaning out a triangle flower bed and need to start working on the garden (yes, I am determined to have a garden this year, no matter how small).
One of my good friends is in town and we have a couple of day adventures planned. We are going to Abiquiu, one of my favorite places in NM. I know, nothing is really green yet, but just the drive is beautiful. To see those hills covered by pinon and juniper trees, maybe have lunch at the Abiquiu Inn, then on to Ghost Ranch, the Chama River, and Pedernal.
We will also be doing another day trip in totally the opposite direction. Taking off down HS14, through the backroads of the Manzano Mountains, to see some ruins, go through the town of Mountainair (a quick stop at the old Schaffer Hotel, which I've never seen), then on to Willard, the little town where most of my husband's relatives grew up. We will visit my Auntie Francis and probably have some beans, papitas, chile, and tortillas. We will check out the church and the Willard Cantina (the only two really scenic items of interest there).
Then back towards Estancia, to drop off an old painting that I have varnished to go into the Blue Ribbon Bar, which is owned by familia. The painting is on really old barn wood and is of my husband's grandfather. They wanted me to restore it, but the wood is so old and has so many grooves in it, that I didn't want to take the chance of ruining it. So I am giving it a few good coats of varnish and returning it to its proper place inside the bar.
I should have lots of great photos for inspiration and when I come back, I will be full time in the studio through November. Have a great week!

Friday, March 18, 2011

A Painting to Help Japan

A CHALLENGE TO HELP JAPAN
I have accepted a painting challenge through a group called DAILY PAINTWORKS to help victims of the terrible tragedy in Japan that is still happening as we speak. One of their members, Keiko Tanabe, is Japanese, and has family in Japan. The painting that I choose will be loaded onto the site and auctioned for 7 days. The winner will purchase from me and I will send the proceeds, minus shipping and Paypal fees to the charity of my choice that will send aid to the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
For details, click here. If the winner has a charity choice, we will choose that one.
The painting will is an 18x24 piece and I will post it over the weekend. If this painting speaks to you and you would like, in some small way, to help the victims in Japan, please consider purchasing this painting. More to come....

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

"PLAYING"

"PLAYING"

6"X6"

SOLD

I have my studio cleaned up and ready to go n ow. I played a little bit today too - this is my rendition of a poppy photo I took last year. Just playing with the paints and the colors - tried to keep it really loose. Purchase information is below - a steal!


Long beautiful day trip to northern New Mexico

Okay, so here's the story: The Plein Air Painters of NM (of which I am a member) had a paint-out scheduled for Chimayo yesterday. Early in the morning. I got my cousin to go with me (she HATES getting out early, especially before she's had coffee). So we left the house at about 8:15am.
Got to Chimayo, didn't see any painters anywhere and I chose not to paint because it was so cold outside. So we took off and went to the small village of Cordova, then on to Truchas. Those villages are so quaint and beautiful - we chose old houses all along the way that we would turn into working studios and galleries!
Then back to Chimayo for lunch but the Rancho de Chimayo Restaurant was closed on Mondays (bummer, they have the BEST sopapillas), so we went on down to Tesuque, right outside of Santa Fe, to this cute little market/restaurant in the middle of the village. The restaurant has old plank floors and a fantastic fresh-baked pastry section.
From there, we went to Cochiti, then on to the Dixon Apple Farms, then back to Albuquerque by way of the villages of Pena Blanca, and Algodones. I felt like we had been gone about a week but it was SO much fun. It's still winter, so nothing has blossomed out yet, but we're going back in a month or two to check out "spring" in northern New Mexico. I came back with a lot of good photos and even more inspiration. 150 Challenge, here I come!
Who wouldn't want to be a horse in a setting like this?

My cousin Goldie next to an old gas pump - I was playing with the black and white feature on my camera.


Inside the little Santo de Ninos Chapel at Chimayo.



Okay, it was cold and cloudy and we were searching for a driveway to get into the little church at Truches. This little old house was right next to the church and this cute little elderly lady was out chopping wood for her fire. The pinon firewood smell....ah, there's nothing like it. More photos below


more day trip photos

This is a little stream in Truchas, it still had snow in certain parts. The foliage you see is red willow, it's absolutely beautiful in person. There's a sweet little adobe in the back. It was SO quiet here...

The winding main road through the tiny village of Truchas. The house on the right sits on the edge of a drop off to the deep canyon below. Truly a unique little village.

A cute little old adobe home. I thought it would make a beautiful painting, the grey against the blue and white of the sky.


Okay, this is why I love the zoom on my new camera. I was so far away from what I took this photo of - this is the winter view of the village of Chimayo from the highway - going higher up towards Truchas. The trees are all grey so it's not so pretty right now. I plan on going back in about a month and a half and doing another show like this. You won't believe the difference when the trees are green! More photos below




lunch with Ali , well sort of....

Me having lunch with Ali McGraw at the Tesuque Market Restaurant (well, sort of, you can see my arm on the left!)

Beautiful flower arrangement and Our Lady of Guadalupe at Chimayo

I believe this was near the little village of Truchas on one of the backroads. We were stopped by a young couple from Vermont, who were on a sightseeing trip -they were trying to find the high raod to Taos and had come too far on the little dirt road we were on.


One of the hoodoos on the way to Chimayo



This was a beautiful little graveyard off of the highway onthe way to Truchas. It was so beautiful and sacred, with the snowcapped peaks as a backdrop.





Wednesday, March 09, 2011

Day trip to Palcitas, Golden, Madrid, Cerrillos

This is a view of the mountain range on the Turquoise Trail. Such serenity and peacefulness.


This is an old hippie (I'm just assuming) and his dog walking down the main street in Madrid. He wasn't too happy that I took his photo.

Obviously, they take their parking spaces seriously in Madrid. I didn't even think about parking here!


Madrid in the winter is not too pretty. We're going back in about a month or so for a "spring" viewing. I think the trees and foliage will be awesome by then. I still love it though.


The sweet little church in Golden, New Mexico. There was a sign posted that they're working on the church and won't be having mass until June or August. You can't even see this church from the road and there are no signs.
What a fun trip we had. The weather was wonderful and we just needed to get away for a day. We passed through snow. We went from about 5,000ft. to almost 10,000ft. We saw spectacular views from the top. But, it will be so much prettier this spring and summer. More photos of Cerrillos tomorrow. One more day of tax prep, then back to daily painting and the 150 Challenge!




Sunday, March 06, 2011

I went to a baby shower for my niece yesterday, who is having identical twin baby girls. This is my favorite aunt, Auntie Francis. She is 88 years old, feisty as a fox, and still babysits a million grandkids and great-grandkids in her little hometown of Willard, New Mexico. She has had 23 children in her lifetime and I can't imagine all the stories she has to tell.
I promise you Auntie, I'm coming to Willard in the spring! Get the beans, chile, and potatoes ready....

Friday, March 04, 2011

"VIVA LA SUNS"

A 24x48 canvas that has been sitting on the easel for a few months now. Guess what? It's going to become a big, luscious (hopefully) oil painting. I am starting it on Monday and I hope to post some video of the painting process. I guarantee that it will look nothing like this when it's finished. This one will provbably be going to Weems Gallery Uptown.
My day has been busy. I got up, went to the gym, rode bikes, swam, went to acupuncture, went to the grocery store, and here I am. It's already 2:30pm. Man, where does the time go?
I may have another little oil to post tonight. Thanks to all of you who have purchased these little paintings - it does my heart good to see that they are well-received. They are so fun, and the oils are like butter. Much harder to work with, but worth it.
Here's what I have coming up on my agenda:
150 Challenge Show opens June 3, 2011
Exhibition at Johnson's Gallery, Madrid July 2011
$285 show at Weems Gallery Uptown July, 2011
Dee Sanchez, BC Nowlin, Esta Bain, Russ Ball exhibition at Weems Gallery September, 2011
Little Gems Show Albuquerque Open Space September, 2011
PAPNM exhibition at Millicent Rogers Museum, Taos NM October, 2011
Annual PAPNM Paint out and Exhibition at Socorro, NM October, 2011
Some of these are juried, so they depend on whether I get in, but a girl can hope.

Thursday, March 03, 2011

new sunset photos from Elena Gallegos

I saw the clouds in the sky around 6pm, and I knew the sunset was going to be beautiful tonight. I told my husband, "I'm hopping in the car and taking a quick drive to Elena Gallegos to try out my new camera." I took off and I didn't realize how quickly the sunset disappears. I almost didn't make it. Aren't these beautiful? I took 60 photos (not very many for me) and a bunch of them will become juicy luscious oil paintings. I just turned on the camera and clicked about every 4-5 seconds. I also passed a bunch of bikers. They must have loved watching this sunset on their way down into the valley. The photos are in no particular order.

On this one, I pulled over as close to the side of the road as I could get and jumped out to capture the scene (well, I didn't really jump out). Love the purple of the mountains and valley in the background. Everything looks so peaceful.

The sun was almost gone and down below the horizon line. Wow, look at the clouds up in the sky! I don't think a painting could do this justice. I'm loving my new camera!
Oh, I didn't want to take the time to resize these, so if you click on them, you're going to get some LARGE images.


Tuesday, March 01, 2011

Daily Paint Works Challenge

"THE WILDFLOWERS"
6"X6"
SOLD
I've been wanting to take part in a new weekly challenge put on by the group Daily Paintworks. Someone from the group puts up a photo and a challenge and people paint their version. The challenges so far have been things like; painting a Zippo lighter using only three colors - white, burnt sienna, and ultramarine blue, painting a rose, dividing a canvas into parts and giving yourself ten minutes to paint an object in each part...fun things like that. This one I believe is called the One Stroke Challenge. A blast to paint and I think it ended up looking just lovely.

"EVENING ROOSTER"

"EVENING ROOSTER"

6"X6"

The first rooster I've ever painted with oils and I think he's so cute. I like to think that our roosters here in New Mexico are free and feisty and have endless fields to explore.

This guy is just out for an evening stroll.

new 150 Challenge paintings

Click here to preview the three new paintings on my 150 Challenge blog. Only 115 more to go!
Oh, I also have a new weight loss gripe blog. It's mainly for my own ranting, but click here if you'd like to take a peek or sign up to follow.