"SPRING IN TAOS"

WORK IN PROGRESS

8"X10"

As you can see, I am still working on tonight's painting.

Not sure I like the adobe yet.

It may look totally different when I'm finished. Stay tuned...

Okay, you guys, now that I've looked at it on the blog,

I definitely do not like the adobe.

I may remove it all together. Comments?

STUDIO VIEW

Hi everyone.

I've been working on my taxes so I haven't been able to paint for a couple of days.

This is a view of my studio and an older work.

The Kimo "ON THE STREET" show starts tomorrow

with a reception from 10am-12pm.

There will be refreshments and music,

so I invite everyone to come down to see the show.

The Kimo - a beautiful southwestern historical building,

is located at the corner of 5th and Central.

I have errands and meetings today

but I hope to have a small painting done by tonight.

Enjoy your day!

KIMO SHOW

Preview of KIMO show: "ON THE STREET"

Hi everyone! As you can see, I'm getting ready for a show at the KIMO THEATER in Albuquerque called "ON THE STREET." The exhibition is being held by a group I just joined called the Rainbow Artists. I still have two paintings in the works and will post those as soon as they're complete. If you're interested in purchasing from the KIMO, I will have that information tomorrow.

"LITTLE VALLEY"

"LITTLE VALLEY"

8"X10"

Price: $99.00 plus $10.00 s/h Or, EMAIL ME

Tonight I wanted to paint something different.

I dug out some old quick loose sketches I had done in watercolor

while on a painting trip up in Taos two years ago.

The initial sketch was just a loose burnt sienna so I had to improvise

when I painted, thinking about what the colors might have been.

I was there in the fall so the trees are obviously turning,

the fields might be corn fields that have already been harvested,

and I interspersed complementary colors side by side;

reds next to greens, yellow next to lavender, etc.

This is the valley below the road to Taos Ski Valley,

just as you pass the small village of Arroyo Seco.

"OCATE EVENING"

"OCATE MORNING"

8"X10"

SOLD

to Beth who provided the beautiful photo

Here it is. I hope I did the photo justice.

I would have loved to have painted it out on location. What a beautiful sky...

I couldn't get everything exactly the way I wanted it.

but I think I got the mood right and that's what I was going for.

I had originally titled the piece "OCATE EVENING"

and then found out it was actually a sunrise.

Can you believe that? What a fantastic way to wake up!

"BETH'S BARN"

This is a photo from one of my friends. It's a photo of a really cool barn at a place in Ocate, New Mexico. I'm going to try to paint it tonight and post it tomorrow. They sky is absolutely beautiful. The mountain in the background has a LOT of pink in it, I will try to tone that down and add some warm yellows and oranges to the foreground. Wish me luck! Beth will have a chance for first purchase. Enjoy your evening!

"TAOS GLOW VARIATIONS1"

"TAOS GLOW VARIATIONS1"

8"x10"

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Tonight is a variation on last night's painting. If you compare the two, you will see that this painting has more rose and orange in the sky. Also, the tall tree on the left and the foreground have a warmer glow. Hmm, hard for me to choose the one I like the best. I guess I would have to say the first one because it's the first one I painted, therefore has more emotion and the second one for the romantic vibrancy. I have one more for tomorrow. I think I may paint a larger piece for my upcoming show, maybe 30x40.

"TAOS GLOW"

"TAOS GLOW"

8'X10"

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Oh my gosh, I LOVE this painting.

I love it so much that I've already done two more variations of it.

The pastel sky seems so warm and the sun hitting the trees, yep, I want to be there right now.

I also love the little spots of bright orange that peek through the trees and show the underpainting. One of these variations may end up being my postcard for my April show.

"NESTLED"

"NESTLED"

8"X10"

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This is a commissioned painting and I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out!

"SWEET GERANIUMS"

8"X8"

This painting is a rendition of an earlier piece.

It's very hard to get that same "zing" factor in a painting for someone, mostly because you're trying to copy what once was natural and unforced. Hope I did okay.

SOLD

A GIFT

Another gift for one of my framer friends, Polly.

I'm hoping to have a new daily up tonight.

A GIFT

"MOUNTAIN SUNSET"

12"X16"

This painting was supposed to be a Christmas gift for someone but I didn't quite get it done in time. John is a framer, stretches canvas for me, and he and Polly always go the extra mile when I need something done "yesterday." Polly has a painting too, but I will post it tomorrow.

"ESTA'S LADY"

"ESTA'S LADY"

10"X8"

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This lady is a first-attempt painting of a sculpture I have by an artist friend of mine, Esta Bain. We've been in shows together and she wasn't in the last one and I really missed her. She has many many admirers and I know at least one person who has over 50 of her pieces. We all call them her "ladies", so Esta, this is to pay tribute to your talent and your ladies.

She is hidden inside a cozy little nicho.

"THE RETREAT"

"THE RETREAT"

8"X8"

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I must admit, I would like to be in this cozy little house right now.

The painting is from a picture I took up in Arroyo Seco, NM in the fall of last year. The "house" is actually a haybarn and there were cows grazing right on the other side staring at me! The view is from my brother-in-law's house and is incredible. I will be up there painting and taking pics this spring and summer. If you'd like to see the original photo, let me know.

Have a great day tomorrow.

"HIDDEN ADOBE, CANYON ROAD"

"HIDDEN ADOBE, CANYON ROAD"

8"X8"

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I'm finally back to my daily painting.

I really miss it if I let a day or two go by!

This painting is from a photo I took when I spent a few days up in Santa Fe,

painting all around the Canyon Road neighborhood.. The adobes are really beautiful and it had been raining so I had to create some light myself. I love these old houses.

I'm itching to get back up to Santa Fe and Taos, but right now there's several inches of snow on the ground and more coming, so I think I'll just wait until spring. I have several upcoming shows I am organizing for, and need to be painting for, but I just seem to want to lay around and read.

The Winner's Photos

These are the photos I chose to paint.

I hope I captured a small portion of how beautiful they are.

"THE WINNERS!"

"NEAR MALPAIS"

8"X10

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"BISTI BADLANDS"

8"X10"

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Thanks to everyone who sent in their ideas and subject matter.

I had a hard time deciding but Linda sent me beautiful photos of these places and I just had to paint them. I give her first option on purchase, then it will go to you guys. I've never been to either of these places, but now I think I'm going to have to go!

As for the rest of the ideas, I plan to complete each and every one of them, so stay tuned. And Leedy, don't forget, I will paint a horse for you.

If anyone would like to see Linda's photos, I will post them. Have a great night!

"FLORAL MEADOW"

"FLORAL MEADOW"

8"X8"

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What can I say, I missed painting my flowers.

The transmission basically fell off of my Durango on the freeway today so needless to say,

I had to have some stress relief and painting these fields always does it for me.

They are colorful, yet peaceful. they are full of movement, yet to me, they have a certain stillness that is calming.

"THE LANDMARK"

"THE LANDMARK"

10"X10"

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This is a painting of the old Lobo Theater near the University of New Mexico. It's not a theater anymore, I believe it's a church now. At least it's still standing. The last movie I saw there was, are you ready for this - "The Last Tango in Paris" with Marlon Brando. I think I was barely 17 and it was a very risque movie back then. Didn't think too much of it then, but I loved going to the theater. It had a balcony and was one of those beautiful old-time movie houses, with velvet ropes and fancy carpet.

I don't normally paint buildings and I don't draw things to scale so it has a whimsical look that I like.

Please email me for purchase information.

"THE GOOD OLD DAYS"

"THE GOOD OLD DAYS"

10"X10"

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A little larger than my usual daily paintings - this painting has so many things that remind me of the good old days; old climbing roses, vegetables from the garden, fall leaves, an old barn wood bench and an old window. We used to live next door to my grandmother and this painting brings back a lot of good memories. Hope you enjoy!

On another note, I have joined a new group: Rainbow Artists; a women's collective in New Mexico. They have about 100 members and have all kinds of cool exhibitions everywhere. Check them out at http://www.rainbowartists.com/ Today I am going all over town to look at urban street scenes for an upcoming exhibitions. I'm excited already!

"THE DANCERS"

"THE DANCERS"

8"X8"

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I haven't painted a blue background for awhile and I decided to paint these black-eyed susans.

To me, they seem to be swaying in the wind. I added a little orange in the centers to contrast with the blue and I don't know if you can tell, but there are layers of purple in the blue to contrast with the yellow. Hope you enjoy - these make me happy. I want to go buy seed packets!

"PLACITAS RIDGE"

"PLACITAS RIDGE"

12"X16"

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This was a painting I did on a five-day paint out with

the Plein Air Society of NM, and I think this was Day 2.

I was parked up on a high ridge looking down over this valley.

The view was incredible and I love the trees peeking up between the ridges.

The feeling that morning was so nice, clouds everywhere with little patches of sunlight.

There were some kind of flies or gnats that kept buzzing around me and threw off my concentration but I love this painting. I've been keeping it tucked away but thought I'd put it up to see if anyone else loved it too. The price is a steal...

"OLD TOWN CAFE"

"OLD TOWN CAFE"

8"X10"

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Well, I told you I might paint it one day, and I did!

I streamlined it and just got in the basics, without a lot of details.

Just looking at it reminds me of how warm it was that day

and how the sunlight seemed to give the yellow of the cafe a warm glow.

I think this painting would look really nice in an antique gold frame.

OLD TOWN

Hi guys,

Guess what? This is not a painting! I didn't have time for a daily painting today so I am posting a pic of a cute little cafe in Old Town, which is in the center of Albuquerque and in a historical district. There are tons of galleries, a big parklike area with gazebo, one of the oldest churches in NM, and lots of cute little shops and places to eat. Julia's green chile, yum! They have huge weddings there, mariachi concerts, you name it. I do painting demos in front of Weems Gallery during the spring and summer or when I have a show there. Maybe I will paint this little cafe for you one day!

"TIJERAS CHOLLA"

"TIJERAS CHOLLA"

8"X8"

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I haven't painted cholla cactus for a long long time.

This is a cactus that looks totally awful except

when it bursts into bloom and then WOW!,

it's a wild explosion of color.

This particular cactus that I painted lived and bloomed

on five acres of my land up in the mountains east of Albuquerque.

When my husband and I were younger,

we built our own adobe up in the mountains of Tijeras

and I could not wait until these guys bloomed.

The rest of the time they were the prickliest things alive.

"PLACITAS CLAY"

"PLACITAS CLAY"

10"X8"

SOLD

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It's so cold in New Mexico right now that I wanted to paint something with a warm feel to it. I want to be sitting in that little spot of warm orange beneath the pinon trees! This is taken from a photo I took while on a plein air paintout in Placitas. If you've never been to Placitas, it's pretty cool. It's a little north of the Sandia Mountains, I'm not sure if it's part of that mountain or not. It's just a quaint little village. In fact, they have an incredible art fair there every year. Check it out online.

"POPPY BOUQUET"

"POPPY BOUQUET"

8"x8"

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I love painting these square canvases.

There's something so "zen" about them, perfectly balanced.

This is another Old World style bouquet. I actually love the background more than the flowers! I hope you enjoy...

"TAOS ROAD"

"TAOS ROAD"

8"X10"

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Tonight's painting is similar to a piece I just finished for my brother. I liked his so much that I decided to create a smaller piece to post on the blog. This image is from Blueberry Hill in Taos near the Rio Grande Gorge. We stayed at a house near here and I snapped this photo while taking a walk. The yellow foliage is fall chamisa. I don't know what the orange-red bushes are but they were vivid and beautiful. The purples in the foreground- oh, that's just me.

"TWO REDS"

"TWO REDS"

8"X8"

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Almost dusk, the last light of day is hitting the trees and the little adobe outbuildings.

I envision this as someone's land and this little orchard is a ways from the main house. There is also a growing field, possibly lavender (my dream crop!).

Which do you prefer?

I am leaving the unlined version here so you can see the difference,

I just can't decide which one I like better!

The purchase information applies to the finished lined version.

"THE FLOWER MARKET"

10"X8"

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"AFTER THE STORM"

"AFTER THE STORM"

8"X8"

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This painting started out as one thing and became something totally different.

The sky was supposed to have a lot of white clouds but the orange-red underpainting dictated the blues and purples. It reminds me of a New Mexico sky after a rainstorm and I love that last little light sneaking across the fields.

Tomorrow: The Flower Market

"EL SALTO SPRING"

"EL SALTO SPRING"

8"X8"

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This mountain is in Taos, New Mexico.

This peak is so beautiful, this is pretty much the view from

our relative's property in Arroyo Seco. The water is not a running stream but when my brother-in-law opens the gate, this water flows from the acequia and waters his property. Acequias are a really old system of irrigating fields and land in New Mexico. Families have farmed this way for centuries, I believe. I actually have an acequia right next to my house and we use it to water our land.

This painting is a smaller version of a commission I created in July. If you cruise back on my blog, you can see the larger version.

"OLD WORLD BOUQUET"

"OLD WORLD BOUQUET"

8"X8"

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I haven't painted on any square canvases for awhile and I realize I am missing them. There's a zen quality to painting on a surface that is perfectly square. I hope you like this little still life bouquet.

"POPPY DANCE"

"POPPY DANCE"

8"X10"

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I love poppies in all colors and varieties.

I wanted to make these poppies graceful and flowing,

like they were swaying in the wind.

I think they're a nice contrast against the blue.

"FOR ANNE"

SOLD

"THROUGH THE ASPENS"

"THROUGH THE ASPENS"

10"X8"

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Hello everyone!

Here is tonight's painting - a little grove of aspen trees

with the sky peeking through. Hope you like it.

I have been working on a painting for my brother

and I am almost done, so hopefully I will post that tomorrow.

Things are going well, I'm getting ready to plan for my Weems April show - what to do? I am thinking about painting a bunch of small framed oils for something different this year.

I'm also trying to decide if I want to do the New Mexico Arts and Crafts Fair that happens in June. So many things, so little time. There's also a plein air paint out at the Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge this month. I wanna do that too!!

#4 "COSMOS AND FRIENDS"

"COSMOS AND FRIENDS"

10"X8"

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As you can see, this is a work in progress.

I had intentions of finishing it by this evening, but life intervened.

So, I am putting is up anyway, and I will do a revision tomorrow

when it's complete.

This is just a wild open meadow full of cosmos,

interspersed with purple, orange, and red.

It was fun to paint - I kind of wish it was a 50"x50".

That may be a goal for this spring!

If you click on the image, it will give you a large view

and you can see the outline work in progress.

"THE WARMING"

Ceiling detailDoor detail
"THE WARMING"

12"X12"

SOLD

I will be posting this painting tonight.

I will show it in full as soon as my camera batteries are charged!

This painting has subject matter that I don't normally paint

and also colors that are not a normal part of my palette.

It's an interior shot from Santa Fe.

I will write more when I post tonight...

#2 "CORRALES HARVEST"

"CORRALES HARVEST"

8"X10"

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I LOVE this painting. I was driving in the village of Corrales one day and these workers were harvesting green chile against the backdrop of the Sandia Mountains. The clouds were moody and beautiful. You know, you paint every day, things turn out okay, and sometimes you get one that just makes your day. This one has made my week in terms of what I wish to accomplish with my work. Tomorrow I will post the photo from which the painting originated.

"IRIS MEDITATION"

"IRIS MEDITATION"

9"X6"

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This painting is a tribute to all of the women in my family who loved and grew irises when I was little. My grandmothers, my mom, my aunts - I can remember hiding in big beds of iris at all of their houses when we played and the smell was incredible. What a sturdy yet graceful flower.

A NEW DAY

A NEW DAY

Tomorrow starts another year of daily painting!

I can't believe a whole year has come and gone already.

From January 2, 2007 to December 31, 2007,

I completed 122 daily paintings. Whew!

I think that's a pretty good accomplishment, considering everything else I did last year -

lots of donations to charity, including a fiberglass balloon for the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, my annual hope chest for Casa Esperanza, the Animal Humane Association, Double Eagle elementary school art program, Legacy Art (Amado Pena's annual fundraising scholarship event), Weems Artfest, the Lobo Howl, Chocolate Fantasy Ball, the Domestic Advocacy Center, The Day of the Tread, those are the ones I recall right now.

As I'm mapping out a plan for the coming year, here are a few of my goals:

Get healthy

Paint some small oil paintings

Do more plein air events

Look for a casita or studio in Taos

Work with clay

Paint with no deadlines

I wish you all the best, thanks for watching my blogsite, thanks for bidding and purchasing, this all inspires and supports me so much, you'll never know!