three new 150 challenge paintings

Hi all,

I sketched seventeen paintings yesterday and I have painted three so far.

I hope you like them and watch for the Purchase link at the bottom of the page.

 "OLD TOWN TWINKLES"

8x10"

oil on cradled gessoboard

$150

I love this sweet little alcove in old town.

The window is a beautiful cobalt blue and with

the pinks and reds of the flowers and the twinkle lights,

it's just a grand place to visit!

 "BIRDSONG"

10x8"

oil on cradled board

$150

A scene from last week's garden in Corrales.

I fell in love with the beauty of this gorgeous wildflower garden!

I arrived about early in the morning to paint

and all I could hear were the sounds of nature.

Birds singing, bees buzzing (mosquitos too).

Therefore, my title of BIRDSONG.

"SPRING ASPENS AND LILACS"

8x10"

oil on cradled board

$150

Oh my gosh, I can't tell you how

much I love this painting!

It is spring aspens and lilacs in Taos, actually in Arroyo Seco.

The sunlight was shining through the trees and I 

had to capture the scene with my camera.

The finished painting is very impressionistic,

maybe that's why I like it so much.

Up close, it looks like nothing but colors.

But step back, and it becomes something that

really reminds me of that beautiful morning.

For Purchase information,

CLICK HERE.

Autumn Wrap Up

What I've Been Up To

Hi all - 

I haven't been able to blog regularly

 for a few weeks and it's killing me!

Lots of things have happened:

I went to Old Town to see my friend and gallery owner 

Jillian Maresco last week.

She is curating an exhibition opening Friday, December 4th

for a group I started called, "Let's Paint New Mexico!"

I love going to Old Town.

They haven't lit the big Christmas tree yet but 

it's still so beautiful down there.

I went on a cold morning and captured a few scenes:

 Artist setting up her jewelry display

 Patio flowers still in bloom!

Jillian's postcard for the show.

25 artists exhibiting three paintings each 

of Challenge images I have posted of New Mexico.
It should be a fun show!
And a lot of very affordable paintings.

 One of the patio courtyards in Old Town.

This was at a different location.

I had stopped on 4th street at the Little Anita's drive-thru

to get a breakfast burrito.

I pulled away and parked in the lot, turned around, and this was the scene.

Beauty is everywhere!

I ate my burrito while enjoying the acequia.

 Winter is on its way.

These leaves are right outside the door of my studio.

I love the contrast of the orange with the

blue-grey of the concrete. 

I don't paint leaves but someone should paint this!

 Another cool view of leaves.

The red are little berries from a thorny tree,

The bean pods are my husband's least favorite thing

to rake up before winter comes.

I love the little blade of grass poking up through the 

crack between the concrete slabs.

Nature wins every time!

My show at Sumner and Dene Gallery runs through November 28.

If you haven't seen it yet, please consider taking a trip to the gallery.

Several of the paintings are sold - I will post an update soon.

Much thanks to Roy and his crew for all of their help
and support. Such a great gallery and great people!

 On another note - it's almost Thanksgiving!

Then Christmas - my favorite time of year.

I was driving yesterday and noticed that my friend Loretta

was out putting up signs for her Christmas tree lot.

I have gotten my tree there for the last 14 - 15 years.

It's a ritual that we do a little haggling.

One year I traded a nice big bean pot for a discount on a beautiful tree.

 I am looking forward to sharing Christmas with my two year old 

granddaughter this year.

She is getting old enough to participate in some of the activities, 

so it will be fun!

Biscochitos anyone?

In Other News:

I decided to cancel my "SOUP AND SANTA" event.

After painting for shows and commissions, I am just beat.

So, if you sent a check, I will be returning it.

I may have something in January - 

definitely a small studio sale for old and unframed work.

Thanks to everyone who signed up.

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I have also started a new facebook group called,

"NM ARTISTS PAINT SMALL!"

This is a group for any artist, professional or emerging,

who wants to paint and post small paintings.

Nothing over 8x10" - plein air or studio

If you are interested, go to facebook and type

NM Artists Paint Small into the search box.

Then all you have to do is ask to join.

Invite your fellow artists too!

**********************************************

Upcoming Plans:

I will have a solo show at Sumner and Dene in September of 2016.

Hmmm - 150 Challenge?

I want to do a lot of plein air painting.

I would love a few women artists who like to get together

and go on day trips to paint the landscape.

Or even friends who aren't painters, but love New Mexico scenery.

I have a big wedding to attend in July of 2016!

I have to get ready for knee replacement surgery next October.

Then another one in January 0f 2017.

I would love to do some collaborations with other artists.

Life is full of expectations and good things right now.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

I 

"OLD TOWN HOLLIES" new palette knife painting

"OLD TOWN HOLLIES"

9x12"

oil on panel

Oh my gosh - I have a lot of photos to show you from the Corrales paint out

I just finished, but here is my newest painting, "OLD TOWN HOLLIES."

I love this scene. The little shop behind the door is no longer there.

It's something different and most of the hollyhocks are gone.

Sad.

But there are still some really pretty hollyhock scenes to see. 

I am so glad I took these photos a couple of years ago.

I love the warmth of the adobe and the softness of the flowers.

I was not aiming to capture the light, but more to

push the paint around with the knife and make marks that gave me joy. 

sunday getaway

 "ARROYO SECO GARDEN"

8x10"

oil on panel

Not a garden in the traditional sense, but in Arroyo Seco - nothing is traditional!

Love this old truck, with the Taos mountains in the background.

 "MOON GARDEN"

30x24"

oil on panel

Just finished the iris garden - it was a labor of love and took forever.

These two paintings are the last completed for the upcoming Sumner and Dene Garden Show.

For details, click here.

 Last Sunday, I just really, really needed to get out.

I had been sick with a cold, was feeling better,

and had a bit of cabin fever.

I wanted to go somewhere, but not somewhere FAR.

So I chose Old Town and along Rio Grande Blvd.

As I was driving in my neighborhood,

  I passed by the house above that has been stripped down to its bare bones.

The structure that you see here is the all adobe framework built years ago.

My artist friend's mom lived in this house.

She passed away and they sold it to an architect.

I can't wait to see what he does with it.

 As I continued on toward Old Town,

I drove through some old neighborhoods with the cutest houses.

Beautiful landscaping, cute porches, etc., 

I would love to live in one of these houses.

And the flowers!

 I went for hollyhocks, and they weren't really in full bloom yet.

But the Jupiter's Beard! And the poppies!

 Aren't these gorgeous?

I see a painting here.

 In this one, I am more attracted to the negative space

in the background, and the light floating in and out.

 My favorite old truck near the Rio Grande Nature Center.

 Bachelor Buttons - wow, what a beautiful meadow arrangement!

Blues, purples, and pinks....

 Purple iris next to a river rock stream bed.

 A home in Dietz Farm on Rio Grande has a cool old truck collection.

IN THEIR DRIVEWAY.

Awesome!

This one lost his nose.

 As I meandered through Los Poblanos Inn and Cultural Center,

I came across these delicate blossoms. 

Can anyone tell me what they are?

 Beautiful peony buds.

 A young vineyard with the Sandia mountains in the background.

 Cool old Dodge truck.

Just driving down the road.

Is this candy apple red?

As I came back home,

I stopped to photograph this little acequia.

It feeds a lot of little properties near my house.

In fact, it is right across the street from the 

little adobe that has been torn down and 

will probably feed the yard of the new owners too.

The circle of life. 

Sweet.

I came home refreshed and ready to begin again.

PERSONAL NOTE:

I have started a facebok group page:
Dee's 365 Day Weight Loss Challenge.
Anyone can join in for support, ancouragement, to hang out, 
to offer tips, send in photographs of yourself, your food, etc.
No judgement.
Join me on my quest to lose weight and get healthy!
Just go to facebook, type 
Dee's 365 Day Weight Loss Challenge
and ask to join.

Catching Up!

Catching Up

I have been busy.

With painting. And with Life.

My oldest daughter just got her Master's Degree.

She graduated and is now a Doctor of Oriental Medicine.

Free acupuncture for life, here I come...

I am SO proud of her.

Four very long years of hard work and

I'm so happy I don't have to quiz her on Chinese herbs anymore.

In other happenings:

 This scene has been happening a lot around Albuquerque.

It's unusual and we are loving it!

Cascade sheets of rain just falling down in certain areas.

 Beautiful rays of sunlight shining through the clouds

 The sunflowers are starting to bloom and they are so happy and gorgeous, as always.

I really want to take a drive down the Bosque del Apache, 
the wildlife sanctuary near Socorro.

I've always wanted to see the sunflowers blooms against the water there.

 Some of my 145 paintings on my wall shelf.

I have been getting ready for the graduation party 

and working on commissions -

I am sort of behind!

I have to finish 100 paintings in 38 days.

Can I do it??

 Some cool Day of the Dead women I saw at a local antique store.

Not sure what they're made out of.

Kind of looks like paper mache.

 Another one.

Very interesting....

 A pic of downtown Albuquerque.

It's very cool, I think.

Downtown Albuquerque, not the pic.

The pic is just fair.

I'm using my new little Panasonic Lumix camera and

I REALLY miss my old Canon.

 I took a trip to Old Town the other day and I saw this guy 

just leaning against a tree, playing music.

I think this is a banjo...

 Isn't this so pretty? 

Old Town is one of my most favorite places.

The old adobe buildings, the church, the galleries.

My favorite gallery, Weems, is right around the corner.

 One of the cool little patios off of the main street in Old Town.

There are several of these - so colorful!

 My favorite antique store - The Antique Co-op.

What a way to spend the day relaxing and treasure-hunting.

 My sunflower still life painting for tomorrow's event for 

Presbyterian Healthcare Foundation's "Laughter is the Best Medicine."

I hope it bring some good money for a great cause.

 This was taken out of the window on a recent trip to Corrales.

We always love to eat at Hannah and Nate's,

then drive up and down streets, looking at all of the cool houses.

 One of my grocery store pears.

It's a little past its prime, you can kind of see it

wrinkling in the upper left corner.

This will become a painting.

 One of my pieces for the Weems Uptown Black and White Show

that is running for another couple of weeks..

They have six of my black and white paintings, all 8x8" framed.

For information, call Weems at 505-293-6133.

 Making 120 cupcakes for the graduation party.

I think they're all sad and tired....

and sick of cutting marshmallows.

 I bought 60 avocadoes to make homemade guacamole for the party.

I don't want to see another avocado for at least a month.

 Me....mashing avocadoes.

It was worth all of the hard work to get all of these

beautiful ladies together!

In the middle is Auntie Francis - our oldest aunt at 90.

She is followed by my husband's mom, Dahlia, on the left.

She just won the Gold Medal in the National Senior Olympics. In basketball.

Her group is the 80-85 years olds!

On the right is Auntie Alice.

In the back is Auntie Nellie, and on the back right is

Auntie Melva, the baby of the family.

These women are the glue that holds our family together.

So, that's pretty much what I've been up to.

Tonight I start painting again - finishing my 145 Challenge paintings.

I also have four commissions in the works.

September 2-7, there is a fun paint-out with an exhibition happening in Corrales.

September 29 is the special dinner at my home to benefit NMDDOG.

I will be posting more about that later.

Anyway, thanks for hanging with me, reading my blog, and now, let's paint!