Gearing Up for a Challenge

CLEANING THE STUDIO

To me, cleaning my studio is like cleaning and clearing my mind.

Getting ready to start something new and fresh.

Here are a few photos of my studio in the throes of messiness:

 Things are kind of a disaster in the studio right now - I just got a big order of paints in, 

you can see them on the counter, some boxes are opened, some are not. 

There are papers everywhere, boxes on the floor, my photos are unorganized.

I'm not looking forward to this.

No, that's a lie.

I am looking forward to this.

Because once it's done, I will be able to just sit and focus

and think about the upcoming 145 day Challenge.

What subjects am I going to paint?

What day trips do I want to take?

Are people going to be interested?

What kind of yummy food am I going to serve for the meal

at the end of the Challenge?
Hmm, that will take some heavy-duty thinking....

 A close up of my new oil paints - Gamblin of course. 

The only kind I use except for Old Holland's Violet Grey and Winsor Newton's Permanent Rose.

You can also see the containers of Gamsol, Gamblin's odorless mineral spirits.

Couldn't live without that stuff.
And on the floor, is my small carry tray thingy filled with
all of my plein air supplies.
When I'm ready to go, I just grab it, a chair, an umbrella,
and I can be off.

 This is a shot of my ornaments in baskets on the floor that I keep saying 

I'm going to paint and never seem to actually find the time to do. 

Maybe one of these days.

You can also see the small easels I use for daily painting 

(I have three of those and eight other easels).

Then, there are the boxes of Wipees I use to clean EVERYTHING, the purple latex gloves, 

and the Kleenix (although any brand will do) that I use for wiping my brushes when painting. 

And the mess of paper I always have laying about.

 Aah, better.

The panels are organized, the brushes are laid out.

The two large red canvases are going to be skyscapes for an

upcoming show at Weems Uptown gallery.

My roll-around cart of photos for subjects is basically straight.

I'm just waiting for 132 panels to come in and

145 custom ordered antique silver speckle plein air frames.

My car is ready, I will be on the road soon.

 Paints are all organized and set up from light to dark.

 One more view of my clean studio.

Sometime during the Challenge, I'm going to paint it a beautiful grey-green.

This is my ever-faithful cd cabinet.

It doesn't close all the way, so I have a hair tie looped around the two knobs.

The cabinet is packed with cds inside.

I don't think I will ever have a shortage of music.

Also, my Wolf Kahn calender for inspiration.

I think I'm almost ready.....

only 15 days left until my new Challenge begins....May 9, 2013

THE CHALLENGE IS BACK! 

Guess what? I am doing another Challenge!

This one is new and different.....

REASONS

I have really really REALLY missed my plein air painting - 

going on day trips, photographing, screeching my car to a halt, jumping out,

and painting what's right in front of me.

I also promised my family I wouldn't do any physical shows in 2013.

Doing three large shows back to back last year was killer.

But I always want to do something that connects 

me with my love for the New Mexico landscape and 

brings me closer to my clients (and friends).
It also has to challenge me at the same time.

And one of my goals this year was to help animals. So...

I am doing a 145 day Challenge -

145 paintings in 145 days and all will be $145 each
You won't have to wait until the end of the Challenge to get your painting this time!

This Challenge will include all of my "themes" and some new subjects.

And at the end of the Challenge,

I am having a wonderful dinner at my north valley home, 

complete with New Mexican food, great music, and even a painting demonstration!
There will also be a large painting giveaway at the end of our meal.

The dinner is $49 per person and a portion of the proceeds

will go to New Mexico Dogs Deserve Better, a very worthwhile group that rescues

and cares for animals that are chained, or abused. 

So come on out and join us under the cottonwoods, enjoy some great food, 

and help out a great animal charity at the same time!

Here is your personal invite - 
I have also sent out over 850 postcards.

I hope you will watch the process of the creation of 145 paintings.
May you find one (or more) that speak to you.
I also hope you will join me for dinner!

Checking In

COMMISSION

This is a sketch I'm working on for an upcoming 22x28" commission.

This finished painting will have a home in the Luna Mansion, 

a beautiful old historical restaurant in Los Lunas, New Mexico.

The sketch is taken from four different photographs and is a composite 

of what the client has asked for: 

cottonwoods, a walking trail where she walks every day, an acequia ditch filled with water, 

fields (her family comes from a long generation of farmers), 

and a view of what they call the Los Lunas Hill.

This painting will be 22x28", and I can't wait to get started.

In other news, I am anxiously awaiting the finished postcards

for my new challenge.

More on that later....but it starts on May 9 and ends on September 30!

"UNDER THE BLUE"

"UNDER THE BLUE"

10X8"

This painting is a nice warm up for the upcoming Weems Gallery group show 

coming up in May titled, "SKIES."

This show is going to be a blast because the theme of skies can mean a lot of things.

I have a ton of fantastic photos of sunsets, rainstorms, 

big puffy clouds and scenes like the one you see above.

I am itching to get out and paint and photograph all over the state. 

You can bet that I'll be looking for clouds.

I actually have a little time now to go and explore.

My car is in good working order (knock on wood) which is great.

 My camera is broken but I have a little Sony back up. 

I don't really like it, it's way too thin and I can't even feel it when I'm turning it on. 

But it will do in a pinch.

I also have my plein air gear primed and ready to go.

By the way, I have something very big coming up starting on May 9. More on that later.... 

If you are interested in the painting above, please email me at dee@deesanchezart@hotmail.com.

Have a great week!

"ILLUMINTATA II" working process

STAGE 1

I've been working madly on my large paintings for the Weems flower show.
I chose four large chunky canvases and started creating.
This is canvas number two.

I always start by toning the canvas in a very thin wash of orange/red.

Then I move to what I call, "making marks."

I sketch a very loose sketch of where I want to put in the main flowers and stems.

Then I start loading thin color on the brush and placing the main shapes.

STAGE TWO

I've worked a while and have the canvas covered.

Looking at it, I can see that I don't like the sky so dark and I am 

unhappy with the dark green in the upper right corner.

This is spring - it needs to be brighter!

STAGE THREE

This is the finished painting.

It's been painted black around the sides (in acrylic) and varnished.

The painting is actually laying flat on my easel and I photographed it at a weird angle.

As you can see, I've lightened a lot of the color,

gotten rid of the dark green in the corner and added my sky color further down into the painting.

It is now at the gallery for the opening tomorrow of the Weems show, 

"FLOWERS, FRUITS, AND VEGGIES."

I dropped my paintings off in a hurry yesterday, 
but I took a peek and the show is going to be fantastic!  

"ILLUMINATA II" is 30x30" on a 3" deep canvas and is $2100.

Contact Weems at 505-293-6133 for details.
They are located at Montgomery and Louisiana NE.

Happy weekend!

Book Sale - today and tomorrow only!

TO ALL OF MY ARTIST FRIENDS 

AND LOCAL BLOG READERS:

BOOK SALE

Today and tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday, 

April 6 and 7, from 10am - 2pm,  

I will be having a sale on all of my books on art, gardening, and self-help.

Before they go off to the used book stores.

I have eight boxes on drawing, painting, oils, acrylics, marketing, 

and the business of being an artist.

I have books on organic gardening, composting, etc.

All books are 50 cents to $4.

If you want to come by and say hi and take a look,

please email me at dshadowtail@aol.com for directions!!

Pilgrims

PILGRIMS

Winding

like a tapestry

a weaving 

throng of believers 

making their way

to their own 

slice of Heaven 

Tome 

three crosses

crowds

along the road 
Trailers alongside

guys drinking beer

Led Zepplin

chained up dogs

watching from the porch

sheltered from the sun

The "f' word

audible

from where I sit 

People, young and old

cane walkers and athletes

making the trek

to a spiritual shrine

Free water

lots of blessings

by cars passing by

This is our world.

sshhhhh.....

don't tell anyone but there's a new Dee Sanchez Challenge coming.....

SOON!

Watch for details 

seeing red...in more ways than one

Greetings!

Today has been a weird day.

It started off really well - I woke up, slept good, then went to Planet Fitness to work out.

I had a good workout riding the bike for 45 minutes. Until...

Until I went to get into my car, and it wouldn't start.

Okay, I'm pretty laid back.

I usually just try to let things roll off of me.

I don't usually get very stressed.

BUT....we have put over $2000 into this car just since August.

I was seeing red. Lots of red. Frustrated red.

So my trusty husband came and jump-started me and off we went to the mechanic.

Turns out we need a new battery. Another $155.

But worth it for a car that runs and starts when I need it to.

So I got dropped off at my house, and I was so tense.

Just hyped up and couldn't seem to get motivated to do anything.

I decided to make myself some lunch, sat down on the couch 

and became a certified couch potato for an hour.

I watched Millionaire Matchmaker and LA Shrink.

Those two crazy shows put my problems into perspective and I felt better.

I finally made it into the studio and finished toning my panels.

And yes, they were red. But a calming reddish-orange, not mean and angry red.

And I slowly began to breathe again.....

Here are a few photos my toning process.

 On the left is a SOLD commission still life in the works.

It will be a blue vase of poppies. And the poppies will be sort of a dark fuschia red.

the red you see in that little red frame on the right.

When I tone, I do the panels all at once and they are put everywhere - on top of photos, 

on top of a roll of upstanding paper towels, on top of my paints. 

I even have one balancing on top of my trash can.

But look at how organized my table looks!

Enjoy it while it lasts...

 Oh I'm sorry, I have not one but TWO panels balanced on my trash can.

I even have one lying on top of my brushes. 

My bad.

A semi-arial view of toned canvas everywhere.

I think I toned about seventy-five of those babies.

Now what to do?

More on that later....

tools rule

 As most of you know, my trusty Canon Powershot camera broke 

and I've been using my tiny tiny Sony Cybershot until I'm able to go camera shopping.

I think I finally figured out how to take close ups with this little one, 
but I feel like I'm using a child's toy!

 Wow, it was warm yesterday and all of my apricot buds opened up.

They are absolutely beautiful.

It's been so warm here- no winter at all - that I didn't even have time to prune anything.

I guess I can do it anyway, maybe the apricots will be bigger in the end.

 Another group of open blossoms.

I never knew that apricots had such pretty blooms - look at all of that red and yellow!

This is a peach blossom. 

Now this tree actually looks a little scraggly - but last year it gave us tons of peaches. 

I'll take more photos in a few days and see if it looks better.

This tree should have definitely been pruned in early January.

 This is a morning "rays of sunshine" view of my field and old garden spot.

That's Bella looking beautiful.

On to the studio.....

 I make lists. Lots of lists.

I make lists of lists.

I may have five lists going on at once, overlapping chores, projects, and the like.

I also have this write-on wipe-off planner up in my studio and I NEVER use it.

My kids (specifically my son-in-law) thinks it's very funny to write things on it.

So he made me an appointment on my planner to write on my planner. Cute.

 I went crazy shopping yesterday. 

No, not for paints or canvas or brushes.

I went tool shopping.

I was looking for a tool that fellow artist Julie Ford Oliver 

uses in her work and was nice enough to share with the world.

I went to Lowe's, Wal Mart, Home Depot, and couldn't find it.

So I emailed her and she answered right back and said she buys them at Harbor Tools.

There was one right around the corner, 

so I checked it out and I AM IN LOVE with Harbor Tools..

They have tools! So many tools! I went crazy just looking at the hammer aisle.

I bought the tool I was looking for and several that I wasn't.

At the end of the day, between all the stores, I came home with:

six pairs of gardening gloves

loping shears

rose pruning clippers

pruning clippers

four box cutting tools

two paint scraping tools

one window squeegee

SCORE.

Julie, I hope to do you proud and I thank you.

 This is the tool I was looking for.

Made in China - wouldn't you know?

 In other news, here is a sweet little wooden house I am painting for a fundraiser, 

I think the event is called "ALBUQUIRKY LITTLE HOUSES" or something like that. 

It's basically just two blocks of wood with a little piece of wood for he chimney.

Any suggestions as to what I should do?

This is my daily painting for today.

I have loosely sketched it - and I mean very loosely.

This comes from a  blurry photo of a lovely garden up in Abiquiu.

And last but not least, I am having eight 30x30 really deep canvases

stretched for the upcoming Weems show "FLOWERS AND VEGGIES."

The first one should be ready this week. I'm so excited!
These are really deep and will be painted around the sides.

AND, great news, I have been commissioned to do a 22x28 painting for the 

LUNA MANSION

in Los Lunas, New Mexico.

It will be a horizontal piece and a composite of four photos:

the Los Lunas hill, the nearby farming fields, and ditches and cottonwoods.

More on this story coming up......

"ALGODONES"

"ALGODONES"

6x6"

oil on hardboard

The fact that this beautiful plateau is about 10 minutes away from me from just blows my mind.

I wish I could remember to put it on my calendar to head over there once a week 

right about sunset time and be ready with my camera. 

Especially if there are lots of white puffy clouds in the sky.

$75 Click here for purchase information.

In other news, I'll be buying my large 30x30: canvases

tomorrow to paint for the upcoming Weems show 

"FLOWERS AND VEGGIES."

I think I'm going to try to get about eight paintings done for the show.

And I'm using a  bit of new technique I learned from an artist friend.

We'll see how that goes!

"HEADED HOME" Taos winter cows

"HEADED HOME"

6x6"

oil on hardboard

$145

These are Taos winter mountains and Taos cows.

Briskness in the air and a little snow still on the ground.

I wanted to be as loose as possible with this painting.

I still think it could have more of an abstract feel 

and I can see that I'm headed that way in my work. 

When I look at it, I don't see cows headed home,

I see big juicy chunks of paint and the negative space between the cows.

And the orange in the mountains.

I like this one!

 CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

on to other things

ON TO NEW THINGS.....

My taxes are done.

It must be spring cleaning time because now I've moved on to my studio!

The studio is not bad. At first glance, it even looks okay.

But I know better. I know where the clutter is.

Those who know me know how much I LOVE books.

Especially art books. Well, art books are now becoming my clutter.

Today I am being firm and going through all of my art books

and only keeping the ones I really want or need.

I may have a little garage sale for all of my artist friends when 

I'm done spring cleaning.

I want my area to be as decluttered as possibly so when I go into the studio 

painting is my only focus. 

I'm also trying to make some room to have a couple of small painting

WORKSHOPS this summer.

I've been asked numerous times if I teach or do workshops 

and the answer has always been no. Until now!

If you are interested in learning techniques involved in daily painting, plein air painting,

blogging, marketing, and how to get out in the art world, keep this in mind.

My idea is to have 3-6 students for a day long workshop - 

half inside and half outside under the cottonwood trees.

A nice lunch and lots of great instruction and conversation.

Affordable and fun. 

More on that later....

OTHER NEWS

I have a couple of projects coming up....

One is for an exhibition called SEED.

I'm doing one painting and the theme is, you guessed it - seeds!

I'm not sure what I'm doing yet, but there's a lot of room for interpretation.

The other is a group exhibition at Weems Uptown called 

"FLOWERS AND VEGGIES."

I am painting 6-8 large pieces - I'm actually looking at some 30x30 canvases that 

are really deep - about three inches.

They would be awesome covered in wild chaotic flowers and painted around the sides, 

very three dimensional and sculptural. 

I'll probably pick up one or two canvases to start on Monday and

see where that goes. 

You guys know I love painting those wild flowers!

I am going to work on a daily painting to post tonight, so keep an eye out.

AND, I'm going on a retreat this weekend.

I'll be doing a labryinth walk, meditation, writing, etc. 

Don't forget to set your clocks this weekend!

  

Taos on Dwellable

The Apron Project

Yesterday was the opening of THE APRON PROJECT at 

the National Hispanic Cultural Center.

Since my daughter and I have an apron in the show, we decided to go and check it 

 Someone reading our apron

JALOPY

"JALOPY"

9X12"

oil on hardboard

SOLD

This is Challenge 11 in my artist group blog, "LET'S PAINT NEW MEXICO."

If you seethe original image, you will know that I should have done a better block in compoition,

rather than a loose paint sketch. The original car is much wider and more squat.

It was totally fun though, but I don't think I want to paint it again!

To purchase, please click HERE.