#3 "DREAMING OF A SUMMER GARDEN" $85

"DREAMING OF A SUMMER GARDEN" 

6x6" oil

$85

A lovely, thick, juicy painting!

To purchase, send your name and email address 

along with the title of the painting to:

 dshadowtail@aol.com.

 I will send you a Paypal invoice

 

poppyland

"POPPYLAND"

6x6"

oil on panel

unframed

$65

long time, no see

Hi all,

I can't believe it's been SO long since I've blogged.

Life just keeps putting up road blocks in front of me.

And sometimes I forget.

Anyway, I'm not going to talk about everything I've done since

I talked to you last.

I am going to share what I'm working on now.

Here are my latest paintings.

These pieces are for an exhibition at

Corrales Fine Arts Gallery

4685 Corrales Road

I am painting 10-12 paintings,

small to medium with one larger work.

Look for the following works, plus SEVEN more!

I'm painting what I want,

which is an incredible joy.

 " THE TRIO"

 "GLORIOUS SUNFLOWERS"

 "AUTUMN GORGE"

 "BLACK MESA AND GOLD"

"RHAPSODY"

I made all of the images large so you could see them better.

I'm using my Cobra oils.

I love their buttery feel.

I do not care for the way they smell.

They don't have that beautiful oil smell that I love so much.

I am slowly removing colors as I paint.

I bought too many greens while trying to match cadmium green

and sap green.

I bought too many blues too, but I adore them all.

And trying to find a perfect match for permanent rose - 

forget about it.

I am adapting though.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the clean-up!

Just a wipee removes everything.

Anyway, much more to come....

"GLASS POPPIES"

"GLASS POPPIES"

10x10"

mixed media
gallery wrap canvas painted around the sides

$225

My first lined piece of work in quite a while.
I have missed it!

I am trying to paint one per week
because any more than that, and I get a headache.
The lines are tedious, but they do bring something to my soul

This painting is available.
To purchase, click on the Paypal button below.

getting to work

Hi all,

I have been so busy this past month that I didn't even have 

time to blog, and I have really missed it.

Things have slowed down and I have slowly started back to work.

The Art Party was a huge success!

We had sixty-five people for dinner, music, and my Studio Sale.

The music by Mezcla Latina was amazing.

This was our menu:

Fruit, dip, homemade guacamole, chips from Gardunos, green chile chicken enchiladas (also from Gardunos), scrumptious chicken enchiladas from Jillian and Kerry, my first-time-ever Calabacitas enchiladas (yes, you can message me for my recipe), homemade red chile from Dolores, weenie tacos from my Nana (they disappear as soon as they come out of the oven), sopaipillas and honey from El Pinto, and cake (to celebrate Mailia's birthday).

I have to say that I didn't get to eat until 10:30pm 

that night because I was so busy with the Studio Sale.

I had some great deals, my studio was set up like a gallery,

 and I spent the whole evening meeting new friends, 

visiting with old, and selling quite a few paintings.

I didn't even have a chance to take any photos.

I am definitely already thinking about next year and  

how to make the event more special.

And I will have an assistant for sure.

So on to what's new:

I still have sixty 150 CHALLENGE paintings to complete.

That means I have painted ninety challenge paintings.

I have sold forty-three paintings, which is amazing.

Thanks you to all who have purchased and supported this project.

I may have another one day Open Studio

to celebrate the end of the 150 CHALLENGE SHOW.

I am also in the planning stages for an October

group plein Air Event in Corrales.

I will post more when I have a few more concrete ideas and artists.

I love Corrales, especially in the fall,

and a plein event is just so much fun!

Right now I am working on two commissions.

The first is a 9x12" surprise for someone so I'm not

going to post until it has been finished and delievered.

The other commission is a large 24x36" painting

of a wild poppy garden (my favorite kind).

Here is the reference photo from one of my paintings:

The canvas has toned in my orange red, my favorite.

The initial loose sketch, with paint

All I'm looking for are placement for the poppies

and lines delineating background changes of color and pattern.

 I love this brand new grey palette paper and the new "worms" of color.

My palette:  titanium white, cad yellow light, cad medium light, cad orange, cad red light, napthol red, alizarin crimson, permanent rose, quinacridone magenta, raw sienna, burnt sienna, violet grey, dioxazine purple, cad green, sap green, cerulean blue, ultramarine blue, asphaltum, prussion blue

I use this palette for all studio painting and a pared down version

for my plein air work.

Blocking in the darks

Placing the biggest flowers

Painting to me is like working on a puzzle,

Fitting colors next to each other, filling in tiny spaces.

What a wonderful way to spend my days...

This is the initial block in.

There will be quite a bit of knife texture at the end,

 which reminds me, I better get busy!

I hope you all have a wonderful August.

I can't believe it's almost September

 and you know what that means?

Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas!!!

My favorite times of year!

#105 "POPPIES AND ROSES"

"POPPIES AND ROSES"

8x10"

oil on cradled board

$150

This painting is much prettier in person.

It makes me think of a person dreaming about flowers.

This is what I dream about sometimes after

a full day of painting chaotic gardens and meadows!

For Purchase information,

CLICK HERE.

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.

I can't wait to paint the gardens!

 I previewed my first garden today and oh man, am I glad I chose it!

I heard that the owners did all of the work themselves.
I am so impressed.

The garden is full of poppy and larkspur,

two of my grandmother's prettiest flowers.

And the ones I most remember.

Above is a beautiful pond in the courtyard filled with fish.

A pretty scene.

Hanging flower baskets and birds on the wall.

 Oh my gosh,

Doesn't this look like something I would paint?

I could sit practically anywhere in their yard and find a spot to paint.

And they have a hammock!

I might have to take a midday snooze.

 Poppies and larkspur galore.

And bees.

And butterfllies.

And dragonflies.

 I'm not sure what the pinkish purple flowers are.

Can anyone tell me?

 My mind was just going crazy!!

 A nice sitting spot.

In the morning though.

It's supposed to be 93 degrees on Sunday.

 Roses intertwined with larkspur.

 Beautiful orange/red poppies

 A field of larkspur

 Sorry, I just can't stop posting them!

 Shasta daisies

 more poppies

 Coreopsis in the mix

 One of the pathways through the flowers

If all of the six gardens look like this one - WOW!

Moving on, I traveled around Corrales

and found these beautiful bachelor buttons

in my favorite yard.

 Beautiful shades of purples

 A gorgeous red/orange/yellow rose

 Okay, can you tell me if these are sweet peas?

I drove up to them near someone's outer fence and started

snapping away. I didn't notice the owner was right by the fence

and he said, "Hi" and I about jumped out of my skin.

I said "Oh, I'm sorry, I hope you don't mind, I'm taking photos

of your beautiful flowers.

He said that was fine and he didn't know what the flowers were either.

 On my way home, these cholla cactus blooms

were so pretty in the sunshine.

The last ditch before my house.

I have to say, I tired my self out today and

all I did was look at beauty - all day!

If you can make it to any of the gardens on Sunday,

please do so. You will come away inspired.

Even if you are not a painter.

And even if you are not a gardener.

There will be a show with all of the completed 
garden paintings by 12 plein air artists at
FRAME N ART in Corrales from Wednesday, June 8 - Saturday, June 11.
The Artists Reception is on Friday, June 10,
from 6:30 - 8pm.
Come and see the paintings and have some refreshments!

#122 "OVERFLOW"

"OVERFLOW"

8x8"

oil on cradled board

$150

Mmm, I'm kind of in love with this painting.

I love poppies anyway and even the initial block in was fun.

My favorite parts of this painting are the textured 

brushstrokes between the flowers.

For purchase information,

CLICK HERE.

new 150 Challenge painting

"MOUNTAIN POPPIES"

8x10"

oil

To read more about this painting

and to view purchase information,

CLICK HERE.

#141 "THE FLOWER GARDEN"

"THE FLOWER GARDEN"

10x8"

oil on cradled board

$150

I LOVED painting this!

To read about the painting and view purchase information,

CLICK HERE.

flower poetry

 I am itching to take a day trip and haven't been able to.

So any chance I get, I take these little short photo excursions around my neighborhood.

Today I went up Guadalupe Trail. 

It's a street full of beautiful adobes, large and small, old and new.

And some people have really pretty flowers.

I also saw a mama horse and her little baby.

Mama was getting nuzzled.

 Oh, Georgia - if you could only see these!

I think poppies are in my top three of beautiful flowers.

 These are all in one beautiful yard.

I didn't want to get out of my car, 

so I pulled up the wrong way on the quiet street

and shot out of my car window.

Isn't this a gorgeous iris?

If I would've come about five days earlier, I would've gotten all of the blooms.

 Poppies and roses

  This is pink roses, yellow yarrow, a gorgeous purple and white iris,

and orange iris. Really, orange?
Never seen one of those in person before.

 This is Mr. Giraffe. At least that's what I call him.

I've photographed him in various stages of fashion ensembles.

He must be getting ready for Memorial Day.

Might dapper, Mr. Giraffe!

 This might be my favorite photo pf the whole group.

Those poppies are so up close and personal.

The sun is shining right through them and there are

lots of little spots of color in the background.

This will be fun to paint, especially with a knife!

 Another view

 Lots of beautiful color in this one!

Reds, pinks, yellows. magenta, purples, and oranges.

Wow, this is wonderful.

I would like to drop a chair right in there

and hang out for a while.

 Hollyhocks with some catmint or lavender in the background

A saint inside a tree.

Can anyone tell me who this is?

I hope you enjoyed my trip through the flower fields!

Next week?
Painting churches and a day trip to Abiquiu.
And getting my gear ready for the Corrales Garden Tour paint-out!