El Prado

 

oil on panel, 8" x 8"

ON LOAN

This study is a scene that became very familiar to me when I lived near Taos, New Mexico.  I needed to find safe areas to walk my little dog Lola and maybe let her enjoy some off-leash time, something she loves.  El Prado is a high-end neighborhood in the north section of Taos as you're heading toward Taos Ski Valley.  It is dotted with well-kept modern adobe homes, the only drawback for me being that there are no paved roads in that area; in fact, much of Taos is unpaved, a bit of a nightmare in winter.  That's why many of these nice homes are either unoccupied or rented out for the duration of what can sometimes be a brutal winter.  I lived there for only one year in 2018, but it was a heavy snowfall that winter and I found it to be a deal breaker, coming as I did from the California coast, where snowfall is unheard of.  Alas, even in El Prado, I found free-roaming dogs on occasion.  I always had to be vigilant for my dog's safety everywhere I went, which was psychically exhausting.  The views of Taos Mountain and the Ski Valley were always breathtaking, though, with the high desert carpeted in sagebrush.

Casa Azul with Taos Mountain, Early Spring

oil on panel, 10" x 10"

This is the view I had from my kitchen window in Arroyo Seco, NM.  This scene frequently mesmerized me with the ever-changing moods of that mountain.  It seemed like a living, breathing thing.

Bedroom Window, Casa Azul

oil on panel, 10" x 8"

The narrative painting of my previous post reminded me of Taos, New Mexico, where I was first introduced to the narrative approach to painting, which reminded me of the casita I inhabited for a year.  It was an amazing place with astounding views of Taos Mountain, and it would glow at times with an otherworldly radiance.  I've tried to capture the intensity of that glow in late afternoon.

Green Adobe with Chamisa

oil on panel, 12" x 12"

After a long hiatus, I'm finally able to start clearing some time for painting again.  Other obligations pulled me away as I was starting this one, so its trajectory was interrupted and, although I worked it to some sense of completion, I can't help wondering how different it would have turned out had I been able to work it from start to finish in one or two back-to-back sessions.  This is a corner of a modern adobe home I often drove by on my way to and from Arroyo Seco, a charming little village in New Mexico between Taos and Taos Ski Valley.  I loved the pale green color of the walls of this home set against the citron yellow of the chamisa blossoms, with the latilla ladder leaning against a wall, and the peak of Taos Mountain just "peaking" over the home.  This is a quintessential Southwest scene, at least to my eyes.

Old San Luis Facade, with Salvia

oil on panel, 10" x 8"

It's back to New Mexico with this one, or rather, Colorado.  San Luis is reputedly the oldest town in Colorado, just over the border with New Mexico.  I've painted this structure before but from a different angle.  I found it very intriguing from a painting perspective, and so of course, I had to paint it again!

Seen Better Days

oil on panel, 8" x 10"

I'd been wanting to paint this crumbling adobe home in Taos for a while, but there is no pullout along the road I could use to capture it live.  Couldn't resist the urge any longer, so I took a drive-by photo and painted from that.  I kinda like it.

Taos Mountain from Wisdom Way

oil on panel, 8" x 10"

Another plein air study of Taos Mountain with a modern adobe home in the foreground, amid a field of sage brush.

Latilla Ladder

oil on cradled panel, 9" x 12"

This painting was done from a photo I took outside the Harwood Museum in Taos.  There was a lavender metal ladder against the wall, which I replaced with a latilla ladder because I find latillas so charming in their irregularities, and they are an identifying feature of this unique region.  

Blumenschein Studio in Spring

oil on panel, 8" x 10"

This was a quick plein air study from last week outside the Blumenschein studio in Taos, done with a palette knife.  I tend to reach for the palette knife when I feel I have to work in a hurry.  I had intended to work inside the studio with a few other artists, but the host's dog and my dog did not seem to get along.  Hence, I set my easel up in the garden outside the studio and went to work while keeping one eye on my dog -- not the ideal circumstance!  Ernest Blumenschein, a New York artist, first arrived in Taos in 1898, fell in love with it, and ended up living there for 40 years.  He was a co-founder of the Taos Society of Artists and a founder of the Taos Art Colony.

Taos Sunrise

acrylic on MDF panel, 12" x 16"

A new direction awaits me!  I'll be moving to New Mexico in the new year, to the Taos area, and this painting was done in anticipation of it.  The mountain depicted here is part of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range, and the adobe in the lower right was just purchased by my good friend Bonny Von Dolores.  Imagine waking up to that view every morning!  I've been living in California for the past 22 years, so this will be a welcome big change for me and possibly a catalyst for complete transformation.  Perhaps that explains my recent fascination with the butterfly, which itself is the symbol of transformation.