gotta get away....

Hi all,

Well, it's October and there is a lot happening!

I just got back from a quick trip to Taos.

Kevin MacPherson, a really wonderful painter from Taos,

sent out an invitation for artists to go up and paint his famous pond.

I jumped at the chance.

I left for Taos Saturday morning.

I have to say, the chamisa was amazing all the way up north:

I stopped off in Pilar for a few pics:

I spent the night with my relatives and left

early the next morning for Valle Escondido.

The drive was beautiful and here is Kevin's pond:

I finished two paintings here using my steering wheel easel.

I have to say that using the steering wheel is a little different.
You can only put the seat back so far, 
so they look a little more impressionistic than normal:

"KEVIN'S POND"

8x10"

"ASPEN HILLSIDE"

9x12"

Such a beautiful place, I hope I get to paint there again.

Thank you Kevin, for being so generous with your time,

and your gorgeous setting!

I took a ton of photos in and around Taos, many of

which I'm sure will become paintings:

 Red chile ristras were out in full force

 Teepees against a blue sky

I've always photographed this tree.

I think maybe it died.

 The beautiful Rio Grande gorge

 Beautiful Taos mountain

 The grass was so tall you could hardly see the cows

 Gorgeous fall colors

 The horses were also enjoying the fall weather

 What a wonderful place to be a horse!

 This one didn't want his photo taken

 Village of Arroyo Seco

 Cool old Seco truck

 Old adobe with chamisa

Muted fall colors were everywhere

 Another old truck - with eyelashes

 Virginia creeper and chamisa

 The golden hour, Valdez

 More golden hour

 El Salto and fall colors

 Seco cemetery

 One little golden sapling

 On my way out of town, I stopped by the river to paint one more painting

This is the scene I painted.
I definitely will paint this in the studio
because in this painting, the colors are really warm,
when in reality, they are much cooler.

 "THE RIVER RUNS"

8x10"

And THIS is my favorite photo from the trip!

Golden trees with an adobe wall and an old blue gate.

Viva Taos!!

Tomorrow....new information about my upcoming adventure.

"THE LOS POBLANOS PROJECT"

a wonderful journey

Oh my goodness.

I just spent four blissful days in Taos, New Mexico.

I went with my two artist friends, Barb Clark and Susana Erling.

We went to paint, eat, relax, sleep, and paint some more.

I made seven paintings, not as many as I wanted, but I

took over 400 reference photos that will be fantastic

subject matter for my 100 painting series, "FOR A SONG."

I will say that when we got to Taos, it was raining.

And cloudy. And beautiful.

 I'm showing the images extra large to give you the full effect:

 Beautiful New Mexico

Embudo

 Looking into Valdez and Taos Ski Valley

 El Salto Peak

 The mama was telling me not to come any closer

 Grazing Horse

 Blemenshein Museum flowers

 The museum

 Cloudy Peaks

 Old Church in Arroyo Seco

My favorite old truck

Shades of blue

 Susana and her beautiful self

 El Salto with clouds and shadows

My first painting

 The moon that night

 Our scene all evening

 One of my cloud paintings

 Susana and Barb

 Early Chamisa

 Mac carrying my paints

 A scene of El Salto in a beautiful setting

 My start - not done yet

 A scene from my relatives' house

 Michelle Chrisman painting with us

 Barb and her beautiful painting

 I found a rainbow!

 Last Light

 That rainbow is everywhere I go.

 Sunset

 Sunset around the apple tree

 I love the light on this image!

Sunset on the valley

 Morning on the mountain

 Up a little road

 My favorite little stream

 I painted it!

 Hollyhocks

Hollyhocks

 Red-winged black bird in an Arryo Seco marsh

 My husband's street name

 Barb painting Valdez

 Sunset that same evening

 All of those light green trees will be golden in October

 PLEASE tell me what these flowers are!

 An old morada in Valdez

 It looks like "Bernado Salazar."

Born 1855

 My next car

 From Taos you can see Pedernal in Abiquiu!

 Pink Hollyhocks

 Hollies

Stream in Arroyo Hondo

 Hollyhocks in Seco

 Hollyhocks and truck

 Magpie

Susana painting and Mac playing.

I have enough reference material for a year of studio painting.

But i already want to go back to Taos.

In October!!

More to come.....