Shhh!

oil on panel, 12" x 12"

This is a painting I did for a UNM student exhibit currently showing at David Anthony Fine Art in Taos.  I'd had it in mind to do this humorous portrait for a while, so when the opportunity arose, I seized it.  

Fish n' Chips

acrylic on canvas, 16" x 20"

This is the abstract iteration of my previous posting, Fish.  To compare these two paintings is like comparing a raw whole fish with its cooked version:  very different in appearance, taste and aroma, but based on the same raw material.  

Fish

acrylic on canvas, 16" x 20"

This simple painting of a tropical fish was the first part of a two-part exercise at UNM.  The first part was to paint anything -- an object, still life, landscape, portrait, whatever -- in a representational manner, and the second part was to paint an abstract iteration of that first painting.  I will post my abstract interpretation of this one tomorrow.  Spoiler alert:  it looks nothing like this fish, but perhaps someone will see a connection between the two paintings.  I found this exercise to be a fun way to approach abstract painting.  I'm doing another now.

UNM Nude Study

acrylic on canvas, 30" x 40"

This was the result of a 2-1/2 hour session with a rubenesque model at the University of New Mexico.  It is the largest and, for its size, quickest figurative painting I've done to date.  It was my first day in class and the only session I got with the model, so no refinements on this one.  Still, it was a fun exercise.

Backyard in Winter, Casa Azul

iPad painting, 10" x 14"

After having spent months in transition, I have finally settled (for now) in the vicinity of Arroyo Seco, a little town just a few miles north of Taos, New Mexico.  It has been, and continues to be, a challenging time for me but not without its plusses.  The landscape, for one, is extraordinary and begs to be painted.  Also, I am happily enrolled in a painting class at the University of New Mexico with a fantastic teacher and artist, Sarah Stolar, which marks my first foray into formal art education.  It is pushing me in new directions which I hope will soon be reflected in my art.  

In the meantime, here's a digital sketch of the view from my place of Taos Mountain, the outline of which is obscured by cloud cover.   There will be paintings of that mountain to come.