Wednesday, December 11, 2013


Hello

Hi, I realize it's been a while since I posted.
Lots of things have happened!

Mainly, I've been working on a piece of art for my first granddaughter's room.
It's going over her crib and I was supposed to get it done before she was born.

Which leads me to my next thing -

SHE IS BORN!

Sawyer Elizabeth Scott arrived on December 9 at 10:04am,
weighing in at 7lbs. and 8 oz. and 21 inches long.

She will stay in the hospital in the neo natal unit for about a week.
She has a cleft palette and will need surgery at 5 months to repair it.
She has lots of hair and blue eyes that will probably turn a beautiful brown.

She is doing really good.
The main concern is her being able to eat, because she is not equipped 
with the normal sucking motions babies usually have. So far, she is doing pretty well.
BABIES HAVE TO EAT!

Plus mom and baby both have some infection from the water breaking early.

I will post pics as soon as I can.

Also, I just got a new computer and haven't had time to even look at it.
And a new camera for my birthday and I haven't uploaded the cd yet that allows me to
import images off of my camera to the computer.
Oh, technology, you do frustrate me at times.

Anyway, I will update as soon as I can.
I will have a couple of new Christmas paintings and some ornaments to post too.

See you soon!

Oh, and today is my 59th birthday!
I am truly blessed.



Monday, November 18, 2013

DP12 "CONEFLOWER PATTERNS"

"CONEFLOWER PATTERNS"
10x8"
oil on hardboard
 available at Weems Gallery Uptown
505-293-6133

After painting a linear church, I needed to bust loose with
something a little more wild and free. Like a field of coneflowers!

I'm going to be painting a lot of Christmas scenes in the coming days,
so I will probably go crazy with this kind of painting at least once a week.
Maybe call it my "Friday Diversion."

This kind of painting is wonderful because it's so full of texture.
It looks like a meadow of coneflowers from a distance - come up closer 
and all you see are little color notes and patterns. 

It's kind of cold and gloomy outside today and I have errands to run and
doctor's appointments, so I probably won't be doing any painting until
tonight. 


Sunday, November 17, 2013

DP11 "WINTER GLOW"

"WINTER GLOW"
8x8"
oil on hardboard 
SOLD

A cool night 
A Christmas tree
The glow of luminarias
The old church
The mountains enclosing.
The winter chamisa all around
The glowing pathway
The Canyon Women enjoying it all

This one may be my Christmas card this year!


DP10 "STAR BRIGHT"

"STAR BRIGHT"
8x8"
oil on hardboard 
SOLD

I am in the Christmas mood, can you tell?

My dream in to be at Chimayo one year for midnight Mass
and see that beautiful old church in all its holiday glory.

There is a little inn right around the corner that has about 5-6 rooms.
I don't know how far in advance they are booked for that night,
but one of my resolutions is to call and see about making a reservation.

I will be painting more paintings similar to this in the coming weeks.
Also, if you would like to commission something similar, and I have time,
please email me.


DP9 "ABIQUIU CHAMISA"

"ABIQUIU CHAMISA"
8x10"
oil on hardboard
SOLD

This makes me long for a trip to Abiquiu!
Those pastel colored hills with chamisa all around
and all that blue sky is enough
to make anyone want to move to New Mexico.

I'm surprised that Georgia O'Keefe didn't paint more of this beautiful
yellow and golden foliage.
I think it was all around her.
Does Georgia have any chamisa paintings?



Saturday, November 16, 2013

DP8 "THE TRIO"

"THE TRIO"
10x8"
oil on hardboard
SOLD

Oh, those summer clouds!
We didn't see them very much this year.

They are starting to float across the sky more now that it's late fall and almost winter.
This is a trio of poppies growing on the side of a hill.
They have a beautiful view of the valley below and the mountains above.

In other ramblings - I went to Hastings last night
and bought four Christmas cds to add to my collection. Used, of course.
There was really nothing new that attracted my attention.
I now have over 100. And no, I don't ever get to listen to all of them.
I seem to keep playing the same ten over and over.

I'm really getting in the mood for the holidays!
My birthday is coming up and I always get my tree that day -
From a little house down the road.

Also, I wanted to make it to Weems Artfest this weekend.
We'll see if that happens.
I've had quite a few emails from clients asking where my booth is!
Such a great event - make it out to the fairgounds if you can.

Friday, November 15, 2013

DP7 "PINONS AT SUNSET"

"PINONS AT SUNSET"
10x8"
oil on hardboard
Available at little Luna Gallery
Madrid, NM

I don't know about you but when I'm out driving
and looking for beautiful scenes, I sometimes
wish I could be like other plein air painters - 
the ones who load up a big heavy backpacks on their backs and
head out deep into the woods and mountains.
They get the real deal.
They paint the hidden views that we only dream about.

My version of that is having all of my painting gear in the back of my car.
I see a spot, a vista, and I pull over, get out, open the trunk,
drag everything out, set it up, and finally....I paint.

Or, I go super small, and take a 5x7 or 6x8 thumb box
in the front of my car, on the seat next to me.
I find my spot, get my box, and I'm ready to go.
It's so easy, although a little too cramped.
Especially for someone who likes to wave their arms around when they paint.
And I have to bring my wipees to immediately clean all of the
paint I smear on the steering wheel and the windows.

This scene was one of those scenes.
Way up in the woods, right next to the pinon and sky. 

Candy colors and nature's beauty.
 

Thursday, November 14, 2013

DP 6 "TAOS HOMESTEAD"

"TAOS HOMESTEAD"
8x10"
oil on hardboard
Available at little Luna Gallery
Madrid, NM


I miss Taos right now - 
I heard that they just might have snow on the ground today.
THAT I don't miss.

I was never much of a snow person.
I skied, but mostly because other people in my family did
and I went along because they wanted me too.

I was always scared I was going to fall off of the chairlift
and everyone would laugh at me.
Or I would get my poles tangled up in something.
Or run into a tree, or someone would run into me.

I remember the time I fell and my ski came off and went sailing
up a catwalk about 300 feet away from me.
Uphill.

And the COLD.
I hated the cold worse than anything.

So, these days, I let other people ski.
And I remain by the fire with a blanket and a good book.

The painting above is really what Taos means to me.
Lots of beautiful fields, mountains, clouds, and a little tiny house
being a home for some lucky family.
In the spring, summer, and fall.
NOT the winter.
I love you Taos, but I will let other people
take pictures of snow!

In other news, I am going for a physical today. Ugh.
More to report tomorrow....

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

DP5 "PEACE ON THE JEMEZ"

NEWS:
I have added a Paypal button at the bottom of each painting post.
Just click on the button if you want to purchase
and it will take you directly to Paypal.
Saves a step!

"PEACE ON THE JEMEZ"
8X8"
oil on hardboard
Available at Little Luna Gallery
Madrid, NM

 When I need a break, a getaway from the hustle and bustle
and I don't have a lot of time to take a long day trip, Jemez is the perfect place to go.

It's only 40 minutes from Albuquerque and some of the scenery is heart-stoppingly
beautiful. Red rocks, red cliff, unique formations. With a river running through it!

There is a pull off right next to the river that we like.
We'll pack a lunch, my cousin and I, and pull up, get out,
set up chairs, and have a picnic right next to the river.

Sometimes I will bring along my plein air gear and set up shop in my chair
and paint without moving. Those are the best times...

Doesn't matter what time of year, it's always beautiful.

Monday, November 11, 2013

DP4 "ASPEN HILLS"

"ASPEN HILLS"
8x8"
oil on hardboard 
 Available at Little Luna Gallery
Madrid, NM

I've been feeling a mad craving to paint a really large aspen painting - 
this is a small study to get me in the mood.

Our beautiful aspen color is almost all gone now.
Pretty soon we'll see nothing but beautiful grey branches against those mountains.
And those branches are still lovely - and so beautiful to paint.

For this piece, I started with no sketching.
The mountains were barely blocked in.
The darker reddish color at the bottom of the trees was placed.
Then the trunks of the trees.
I started shaping the aspen trees and adding color by looking at 
the painting as a whole.
The sky was added halfway through the painting
and finished up after the trees were complete.

I would still like to get WAY loose and more abstract with a painting like this.
It does feel loose, but still controlled.

In other news - 
I'm finished with my Weems Artfest auction painting and it will be delivered 
today or tomorrow.
I will post photos later.
It's a big beautiful Elena Gallegos sunset and will be
offered through a silent auction at Weems Artfest
 this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at Expo New Mexico.
The auction benefits three different New mexico charities.
I declined doing any physical shows at all this year,
so am not in the show, but I am going to go and see all of the fantastic art and artists.
Check HERE to details about Artfest.





Sunday, November 10, 2013

DP3 "FIRST SNOW"

"FIRST SNOW"
8x8"
oil on hardboard
 Available at little Luna Gallery
Madrid, NM

I don't paint snow.
Throughout my art career I've probably painted snow five times.
It scares me.

Snow is supposed to be white - right?
But it isn't at all.
If you really look at snow, it has blues, purples, pinks.
I mean, depending on how the light and shadows hit, snow could be any color.
And that's the scary part.
Portraying snow in its reality and still making it look like snow.

I may just paint snow all winter and maybe, when spring rolls around, I can say,
"I know how to paint snow."

In other news, I went to the Presbyterian Ear Institute's beautiful event last night.
It was a little weird because I didn't know anyone, other than the nice lady
who approached me about painting the chair.
My knee was killing me but I didn't have to walk far.
And the pathway was lit with flickering luminarias. Nice.

Inside, Los Poblanos had the fireplaces lit with warm glows and
the silent auction room was decorated really pretty.
They had jewelry, our painted chairs (7), and lots of beautiful Christmas
wreaths that were decorated by groups and individuals.
My favorite was the angel wreath by the wood carvers in Cordova, NM.
Beautiful. And alas, I forgot my camera.

They also had little appetizers and vegetarian tamales that were yummy.
Truthfully, I left about halfway through.
It just felt too weird being there alone.
I hope they raised a ton of money. They were auctioning off
some fantastic fishing, wine tasting, and retreats trips
all over United States and Canada.

Today, it's varnishing and painting!
The Chiefs aren't playing, so I have no excuse not to work.


Saturday, November 09, 2013

DP2 "MILA"

"MILA"
8x10"
oil on hardboard
Available at Weems Gallery Uptown
505-293-6133
This painting is so much prettier in person.
It's full of texture and wildness and jumbles of color.
The focal points are coneflowers and black-eyes susans.
And it reminded me of a name for some reason.
No, I don't know anyone named Mila....
I love it!

Friday, November 08, 2013

DP1 "MOONLIGHT FLOWERS"

"MOONLIGHT FLOWERS"
8x8"
oil on hardboard
$99
SOLD
  
Whenever I take a break from finishing a big project, 
I always want to start up again with sunflowers.

They are so beautiful and yet mysterious - 
always following the sun. 
Providing food for us and the birds.
It is a joy to begin painting again.

I will be offering daily paintings from now through Christmas.
These pieces are unframed and shipping is $10.
If you want to purchase, just click on the link above.
It will take you to the Paypal link and you can purchase
with your Paypal account or any credit card.

I have beautiful inspiration photos from Taos and Chimayo,
so I feel like I want to paint forever...
I am working on two shows, finishing up some ornaments,
some winners' gifts, and a couple of commissions.

Love to you all.





Tuesday, November 05, 2013

A Birthday Day....

I have a favorite cousin.
Her name is Goldie Kay and she is more like a sister than a cousin.
I wanted to do something special for her birthday, but what?
Since our favorite thing is to jump in the car and head out on a day trip,
I thought a semi-spontaneous day trip might be just the right birthday present .

So I just told her to come over about nine in the morning and we were going "somewhere."

I started out by taking her to her favorite little general store in Tesuque, NM,
which is just north of Santa Fe.
Here she is at the restaurant and as you can see,
she doesn't like her picture taken, especially with her glasses on.
Sorry cousin!

 Tesuque Market - we had a delicious breakfast
 Scary Day of the Dead - looks like paper mache


Then I asked her where from there  - and she said Chimayo.
This is the road coming down into the valley of Chimayo.

 This is the beautiful old church.
They had luminarias up and a Christmas wreath on the front door.
There's still some fall color.
And LOTS of people.
I didn't think about it being Saturday.

 colorful signs in Chimayo

 An old truck with a broken windshield.
I thought it looked artistic - kind of a sunburst crack.

 beautiful stream in Chimayo

 A guy selling red chile and ristras

 lots of ristras out today

 It was almost impossible to find a place to park
so I had to make do with photographing the church from afar.

 Goldie made a cross of wood to put in the fence and said prayers for her kids.

 My cross of wood

 a cowboy kind of dude in a really cool car

 A pretty old cemetery

 A sign that says "BEWARE OF RAM."
He wasn't very big but he sure gave us the evil eye.


 I think this was in Cordova.
We were trying to find a little chapel on a hill and ended up on this 
TINY steep driveway that led to someone's house.
Embarassing.
Dogs barked at us.
I sure wouldn't want to have to drive down this road with snow on it!

 Here's the chapel on the hill.
I never did find out how to get up to it.


 Oh my gosh, we had a belly laugh over this one.
Someone obviously moved and left a very distinct message on the garage door.
It says:
 MOVED TO ARROYO SECO.
Behind Jehovah Witness church.
Brown House.
We would not stop laughing.

 The beautiful village of Truchas.
I wasn't going to come this far but we didn't see any snow.
Well, hardly.

 Cemetery on the way to Truchas.
Snow on the dark side of the grave.

 Snow on the peaks above Truchas

 Isn't this a beautiful scene?

 An old church in Truchas
Look at all that snow in the background.

 We always go down this little road in Truchas 
and we happened to get behind a cattle drive.
We could not stop laughing.
There was an old truck with two old-timers in it.
We let them pass and crawled along behind them.
There were teenagers and a baby in this group.
We wondered where they were going....

 Beautiful stream along the way

 Cows and snow

 Slow going.
I think this walk took about thirty minutes.
The lead cow finally turned into a driveway and every cow followed right behind him.
Then the truck turned in and the guys waved at us.
That was so much fun!

 The mountains and edges of Truchas

We had a beautiful day.
The purpose of this trip was to be spontaneous (we were),
see beautiful scenery (we did),
and treat my wonderful cousin to a great birthday trip to northern New Mexico.
I think I succeeded....

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

TAKING STOCK

HALLOWEEN...already here.
Can you believe that October is practically gone?
I can't - the days are flying by way too fast.

I'm not carving a pumpkin this year.


I have carved a pumpkin every year since I can remember.
My husband said, "Don't do it this year. Next Halloween we will have a new
granddaughter and we will be starting everything all over."
And he's right.

I guess as a grandparent, I will experience everything through Sawyer's eyes again.
How fun that will be!
But I did splurge for the two big bags of candy that included Tootsie Rolls and Dots.
Some things never change....

ART

This is a very strange year.
I took a whole year off from doing any physical shows.
I was just plain tired out....
No 150 Challenge show at Weems Old Town.
No Balloon Fiesta.
No Weems Artfest.


Those artists who travel all year doing show after show after show?
I admire them, I really do.
But I wonder when they have time to paint. And relax. And think.

I am in my thinking stage right now!

These are the questions I am asking myself:

Do I want to do shows in 2014?
Do I want to do another 150 Challenge?
Do I want to do Weems Artfest?
Do I want to paint small daily paintings to sell online?
Do I want to do a big important show I've had on the backburner 
for years called 'THE WOMEN OF WILLARD?
Do I want to do a Weems show with really large paintings?
Do I want to start a women's art group in Albuquerque?
Do I want to offer workshops and classes?
Do I want to collaborate with other women artists?
Do I want to find a gallery in Santa Fe and Taos?
Do I want to drive all over NM and paint plein air?

The answer is YES!

To all of these questions.
But I also have to have the time to enjoy my new granddaughter.
Have dates with my husband.
Work on losing weight and fixing my knees.
Enjoy good books and movies.
Do some non-art related traveling.
And just enjoy life without being constantly 
tired and under deadlines.

A bit of balance is in order, my friends.

So, I will be planning and thinking and working
to figure out a way to have it ALL.

Wish me luck!

What would you like to see me do in 2014?
And if you're an artist, how do you plan out your year?
I would love to hear from you.....