Midday on the Mesa

oil on panel, 6" x 8"

This little study was started on site, at a pullout looking west on Blueberry Hill Road on the outskirts of Taos, and finished in the studio.  It was a hot day and I had started just as the sun was getting intense.  It seems my fascination with cows has followed me to New Mexico.  

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.  

Seco Colors

oil on canvas, 10" x 10"

This palette knife painting was done back in March, my first plein air effort in New Mexico.  A scene along Hondo Seco Road on the way to Arroyo Seco, the colors were shockingly vivid that day, set against the dark background of Taos Mountain.

Taos Mountain from Millicent Rogers Road

oil on panel, 9" x 12"

This is a plein air study from the day before yesterday, in the afternoon at a location just north of Taos.  No refinements, just a quick impression.  I bashed in the cows later, from a photo I had taken at the scene.  I had the pleasure of Diza's company for the session, who was working in watercolor -- not an easy medium in the best of conditions, but in hot and dry weather, super challenging!

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.

Le Champs-Élysées Réinventé

acrylic on canvas, 24" x 12" x 3

This was an attempt at an abstract iteration of a landscape which I did for my UNM class.  I couldn't help but be influenced by the hot colors I see in Taos, not only in the vivid sunsets but also in much of the art I see in galleries around town.  I had intended to warm up my palette after leaving the cool blues and greens of California behind, but I think I can dial it back a bit now, as this is a bit over-the-top, even by my standards.  Still, I do find the two abstract compositions rather compelling and might make an effective diptych.  I include the original to show the springboard I started with in this experiment.

Chic Sheikh

acrylic on canvas, 16" x 12"

This is the "resolved" result of a semester-long scraper painting assignment from my class at UNM.  I had chosen acrylic as the medium for this project, which was perhaps a mistake, since it is next to impossible to scrape an acrylic painting off, unless you scrape as you go.  This canvas went through 11 iterations before finally resolving it, most of them abstracts.  The biggest benefit that I could see from this exercise was perhaps the buildup of texture on the surface.  

In the Dark

oil on canvas, 30" x 30"

This was the final painting for my class at UNM, the assignment being a constructed image made from a collage.  I had mixed feelings about using my partner's image for this narrative, and have since promised myself to do a proper portrait of him.  He was kind, hilarious, gifted, and oh so easy to be with.  Here, he looks imposing and kind of scary, not qualities he actually exuded, although he had a kind of personal power that made people respect him.  The narrative I was going for in this painting tells of oppression and unconsciousness, not only for the oppressed but for the oppressor as well -- hence, the sunglasses.  I painted billowing curtains behind the women to indicate the winds of change blowing toward the future.  This is the first painting of its kind that I've attempted, and may be the last!  I'm not too comfortable with political themes.  This painting will be on display at the Taos TCA Stables Gallery May 8-13.

Pride on Parade

acrylic on panel, 20" x 20"

A blue heron in mating mode.  Just for fun.

Can I get a smile?

oil on panel, 24" x 24"

I painted this for a class project called the "Three-headed Portrait."  I used a cropped version of a photo I had taken in China of a class of school kids on a field trip to the famous Three Pagodas near the town of Dali in the Yunnan Province.  Only when I zoomed in did I notice the face on the baseball cap that looked like it was floating in space.  I thought it could serve as the third portrait in my composition and an amusing counterpoint to the serious expressions of the two kids.  

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.

Garden Tiger Moth

oil on panel, 6" x 8"

I love the colors in this one.  The Garden Tiger moth is found in northern climates, preferring cool weather.  I'm enjoying painting these little critters, but  am also feeling frustrated because I am in the process of moving house and don't have much time to spare.  I'm squeezing these guys in between marathons of moving-related tasks, which is a valuable exercise in itself.  I'm not complaining; I just wish I had time to really delve into it.  I feel I'm on the verge of a major change of some sort and just want to get on with it, whatever it is.  I'm feeling an urge, an itch, or something.  Could  be that moth on my arm!

Red River Blues

oil on canvasboard, 6" x 6"

I got the Red River Blues,
Headin' to a city
Where the sun is big and pretty.
Gonna change my life,
End the strife,
And paint in warmer hues!

Emerald Swallowtail Butterfly

oil on cradled panel, 6" x 8"

Another exotic butterfly to close out the year, the emerald swallowtail is found in Southeast Asia but also commonly collected and kept in butterfly houses worldwide.  I'd hate to cage this beautiful insect, or any wild and beautiful creature for that matter.  I'd rather discover it in its natural habitat, or perhaps make a painting if you can't see it live.

Egret in Flight

acrylic on canvasboard, 12" x 12"

Here's another study that somehow slipped through the cracks and was forgotten for a while.  I painted it early in the year and rediscovered it the other day as I was going through ALL my paintings, cataloguing, labeling and boxing ahead of my move to New Mexico in January.  I had wanted to do a series of birds in flight, but that idea got shoved to the back burner, as often happens with me due to the varying demands on my time.  I see myself in this bird now.  

Mexican Bluewing Butterfly

oil on canvasboard, 6" x 8"

I learned with this little study that the smeared paint technique works better on smooth hard surfaces, such as a gessoed wood panel or metal plate.  Not as easy to do on a canvas or canvasboard, but that was all I had on hand and wanted to paint this little being.  Still, I'm not displeased with how it turned out.  The Mexican Bluewing's habitat ranges from Mexico down through Central America.