Red Earth

24x24

decided to do something a little different.  i've been looking at work by julie hedrick and doug smith dealing with space and color.  i usually do a big sky with a small streak of land on the bottom, so i switched it around for this one.  i also looked through my paints and found a color that i didn't know i had, a dark brownish-red. i thought it looked like the shades of red i saw in ghost ranch and on my way north on I-25.  i rather like this piece...i don't even want to hand it over to a gallery just yet, but it has spawned lots of new ideas in my head, which is just what i needed right now.


i'm rather thankful that the holidays are over.  there's always so much to do and none of it includes studio time.  so now i'm done with all that jazz and have more time and some xmas money to work on my upcoming show.  i want to do some really large works, so i'll need lots of materials and canvas.  i'll also need a larger studio space, so i'm working on finding a space to rent or trade.  my little living room corner studio won't cut it for this show.  


so tomorrow is the last day of the year, and it's been a good one.  i have a lot to look forward to and i'm feeling good about where i'm heading.  happy new 2012!

wonderland

Winter Field

8x8

oil on panel

i guess i'm a little inspired by the weather, it's cold!  and with my back window zipper busted, i have an open jeep and a chill on my neck.  we've had a few snippets of snow and as much as i hate driving in it, i do love looking at it.  there's something so beautiful about the combination of blue sky and white ground.    can't wait for a heavy snow and i'll head out on a photo shoot.  i'm also thinking of incorporating more foreground pieces like fences, roads and telephone poles.  in college i always liked to add an architectural element to be a contrast with the organic nature of the clouds and landscape.  i have pictures, i'll have to scan them and post to help reminisce.  those college landscapes were where my brushstroke was born!

still getting used to the time change.  it's already dark by the time i get home from work, which is good for studio time.  i tend to work better when it's dark out.  i just went out and bought some larger canvases and i'm hoping to get some paintings in stock and make a trip to tubac, az and palm springs to meet the gallery owners and bring some new work.  a road trip always clears my head and calms me down.  i also need to start thinking ahead because it looks like i'll be having a solo show at beals & abbate next june.  i want to do some really big pieces in diptych and triptych style and experiment with more bold colors.  this is going to be fun!  almost like my graduate thesis?!

not so blue

here's a close up of something i started tonight.  i was feeling warm (perhaps because it's cold out and i'm freezin!) and my palette has been mostly blue lately.  now that the leaves are turning, i'm surrounded by golds and oranges and reds that just glow all around me.  it just made me want to experiment with more colors.

last night i walked outside and smelled snow for the first time this season.  the weather makes me want to cozy up and eat soup and drink hot tea all day!  it even got me to dye my hair dark brown.  warm warm warm, i just want to be warm!

tomorrow i'm going to do a practice run at painting outside my gallery.  saturday, october 15th is the annual canyon road paint out where all the artists are invited to paint on the street and in front of their galleries.  there's even a parade with the mayor and marching bands from local schools.  it's in honor of how the road began with artists making their homes and studios there and inviting people to watch them work (and hopefully buy something!).  i'm excited, but a little nervous as i usually get pretty quiet when i paint.  i kind of go into a zone...  but i'm also rather outgoing and will probably be fine chatting with people.  we'll see if i can get a whole painting finished!  so come see me wednesday or saturday in front of beals & abbate fine art at 713 canyon!

inspired

Western Lights

11x14

oil on canvas

there's a lot of inspiration in the sky lately.  i've been taking pictures of clouds and sunsets and i have lots of photos as food for paintings.  i've been working on some small works and some things that i don't like enough to share.  hey, they can't all be gems!  gotta learn and grow and experiment and fail in order to find the things that work (and those that don't).

there are certain lights that i want to capture that i see in new mexico.  every week on my way out to the softball fields i would pull over and take pictures of the western skies on my phone.  they were the most expressive clouds!  i love when rays of light push through these heavy dark clouds and shine down on the ground like the rays are so determined to do their jobs that they battle their way through.  and ever since i was a kid i always imagined that wherever those rays hit on the ground something amazing was happening, not like a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, but someone was being born or given a gift.

i want to do a larger piece like Western Lights.  my smaller works are selling more right now, so i'll continue doing them, but the expressive painter in me really really wants to work large scale!  can you imagine this the size of your wall?!  i'm going to need a bigger studio...

in other news, i'm planning a week long Colorado driving trip to hit all the scenic highways during peak fall times.  i have a big fold out map and highlighters and i'm mapping out my driving strategy.  there's something about road trips that just gets me so excited!  i love road maps and exploring and seeing things i've never seen before.  can't wait to experience the mountains and the fall colors of the trees and you know i'll have a ton of pictures to show you!  tomorrow i head out for a hike at tent rocks and then back to the studio.  better rest up!  namaste!

little big things

Little Big Storm, 6x6, oil on panel

i've got a collection of canvas going on in the studio, way too much white in here! i've got a thing for either mini works or humongous works! this is a little 6x6 that i did that i really want to do in a 48x48. that will probably be my next purchase....that and a bunch of paint! i'm also planning on experimenting with using less white and concentrating on color and mixing new colors. it's going to be a crazy week at work with our biggest show of the year happening, but oddly that frantic activity makes me even more invigorated in the studio!

so i guess it's been awhile since i've updated, sorry about that! can't say that i've been super busy, just maybe a little in a slump. i got to go on vacation for my cousin's wedding...but i was so miserable in the humidity, all i could think about was coming back to high and dry santa fe! it was good to see the family though and go somewhere new. in september i'm planning on taking a trip somewhere...just not sure where yet.

as for an update on my kitty, he's been on two different antibiotics for about 7 weeks now, 1 more to go. nothing more fun than shoving a pill and two squirts of a nasty sticky medicine down his throat twice a day. his progress (or lack thereof) is nothing i can see outwardly. for awhile i felt that he was lethargic, but he seems pretty normal now. i really won't know if the meds helped until a couple weeks after we're done if something happens, or doesn't.

too tired to continue painting tonight, catch you all in the daylight!

who has time to blog?!

PC

Into the Wild

24"x24"

oil on canvas

got my groove back! i was going through a little artist's block moment, but i think i'm through it now. i've got a lot to keep me going including a few sales and a new gallery! i've been having a lot of fun at Beals & Abbate, dropping in to talk to bobby, jacob and the visitors and bringing still-wet paintings in at random times. today i met a great bronze sculptor, Upton Ethelbah, who also shows there. (and he loved my work! woot!) i was excited to hear that the gallery plans on doing a show to raise money for breast cancer research. i'll definitely be doing a piece for that dedicated to my aunt.

as i mentioned earlier, looks like my work is headed to Palm Springs! i'm getting work out to the Heath Gallery for their July 2nd show. wish i could get out there for it, but i've got way too much going on here at home and a wedding in myrtle beach at the end of july. i'm definitely looking forward to a beach trip! the piece pictured above will be headed out to Palm Springs for the show.

in other news, keep my baby boy, PC, in your thoughts. he's been having some medical troubles and i get the test results in this week (he's only 8! should not have these problems!). i'm hoping that it's just an infection or something fixable and not the "C" word. i'll be heartbroken if i lose him. :-(

warrior

i'm a little delirious...this is a big painting and i use a little brush! i've been working on it for 3 days now. the plan is to finish it by monday, cross your fingers. i delivered the art that i had to my new gallery, Beals & Abbate Fine Art (713 Canyon Road). they officially open on monday! i'll probably drop in before work to see my stuff up on the wall. don't worry, i'll take pictures for ya'll non-santa feans.

as for next week, i'm in deep need of an adventure and just a plain old break. so i've decided to head up to moab, utah to camp at arches national park! i can't wait to get hiking and take pictures. i'll be bringing a sketchbook and my pastels and doing a lot of drawing. but for now, i'd better get back to this beast of a painting so i can be outta here first thing tuesday!

new moon, new gallery

i've been working on moon pieces a lot lately. i did a smaller version of this, which sold, and i decided to do a really big one! it's 36x36 and this is as far as i've gotten...my arm is pretty much numb. my brush strokes are so small and active that i get physically tired doing these larger pieces! good exercise, right?!

i've been painting a lot this last couple of weeks because i found myself with an excellent goal to paint towards. there's a new gallery opening on canyon road and the owners have asked me to be in the gallery. holy crap!! i was in disbelief for awhile, thinking something was going to happen to make it not true, but after talking with them a couple of times, i am allowing myself to tell everyone. it's at 713 Canyon Road and it's called Beals and Abbate Fine Art. Their info is out there, but the website isn't up yet. They plan to open their doors on May 16th.

so now i'm represented at Mount Palomar Winery in Temecula, CA, Rogoway's Turquoise Tortoise in Tubac, AZ and now Santa Fe. it's kinda awesome to see all of my work finally amounting to something during this last year. i've had so much great support in my friends, family, workplace, new collector's...and, of course, a good start thanks to my aunt.

now, i'm headed to bed and letting my arm rest so i can get back into this tomorrow! not to mention i'm doing the finishing touches on my aunt's house tomorrow as we should be closing on the house on thursday. i'm happy and sad at the same time...i'll have no excuse to go out to eldorado anymore. this whole chapter of my life with my aunt feels like it's closing and the next chapter is all about me and my career. everything happens for a reason.

goodnight and namaste!

exercise

ahhh, that felt nice! i haven't abstracted in awhile. i broke a sweat on this one, may start another one tonight if my right arm has the strength. i must look like some kind of frantic mad scientist on the verge of some great discovery to anyone peeking in my window while i'm working on these. the landscapes are more intimate and slow, while the abstracts are a blur of action and movement, which i hope comes across when you look at the pieces. can't wait to get this piece and manifesting framed, they're going to look crisp and awesome! is it weird that i'm madly in love with my own drawings?! now all i have to do is find a venue that wants to show a whole series of just these abstract drawings?!

this piece is called Blue Horizons, it's 8" x 11" and is done with hard pastels and graphite on bristol paper. i'll have to mat this as the special removable tape i used for the edges also removes the paper when pealing off. grrr. guess i'll have to look for something else. or perhaps i just leave my edges raw and free as a nice surprise for anyone who reframes?!

back in the metaphorical saddle

sweet accidental camera phone snap as i was getting ready to take the pic below...

just for fun...guess which brush is my favorite?!!

ha. so hi! sorry, it's been awhile i guess. i had not been feeling well since before christmas really. i was very tired and lots of other stuff and then don't even get me started about my allergies to the juniper for the last month! oh my goddess....pollen of death in new mexico! but i went to a couple of doctors and spent a lot of money and i'm feeling soooo much better. so much so that i am happily painting again! sometimes you just get in a rut. between my health and the crazy painting for my show, i burned myself out a bit. it's kinda like writer's block...artist's get painter's block. that big white canvas mocks us and we can't quite figure out how to conquer it.

i'm starting with the smaller canvases, though, and working my way up. plus, big canvases and paint are expensive. *hint hint* anywho, i'm playing around a bit with some paintings based on my grad school abstract work that i really liked, as well as continuing my landscapes and cloudscapes. i think they can talk to each other though. the abstracts have a great layering quality and some really nice color palettes. i don't have any pics at the moment, but i'm sure i'll be sharing.

in other news, i just sent some paintings down to tubac, arizona to a gallery who is maybe possibly interested in showing my work... *crosses fingers and toes* either way, it's going to be a great year for me with lots of new beginnings and setbacks and trying agains. that's the way it goes. always get back up and keep going!

(the answer, by the way, is the third one wrapped in duct tape!)

baby paintings

"Wind" and "Heat", two little 4x4 fun babies. i like to do little ones like these to test colors, brush strokes, etc. in this one, especially wind, i was testing brush stroke and movement. i may make them for sale, or i may make them a gift with purchase?! they go nicely together, no?!

i'm working through a bit of a painters block right now. my drawings seem to be doing well. i'll be revealing a new one today that is the pastel version of Evolution of Night, the moon light night scene. i'm happy with how it turned out and i have lots of pictures and ideas for more landscape drawings. it's the painting that i'm kinda stuck on...i'm so scared to get myself in a rut that i'll stare at a canvas for an hour. that's where the babies came from and then i cleaned my brushes and studio space for an hour. the best way to get back is to dive right in. so that's what i'll do tonight...dive right back in! then, i'm also running of some key paint colors...cross your fingers that i sell something big so i can get to the art store and restock!

but i'm feeling refreshed. the weather is warming up, the sky is mostly blue, and i just went for a short hike in diablo canyon (and took pictures of course!), and i gave my jeep a bath and sweep (which makes me happier than you would believe!). a little more yoga and i'll be nice and centered.

namaste.

evolution of big night

someone told me that they really liked seeing the progress of my work from an earlier post. so i thought i'd do the same for the painting i've been working on this week. so here is the evolution of big sky from sketch to finish. notice that the colors shift throughout, this is due to the changing sunlight or lack thereof. the last photo is the finished piece, but the color is probably closer to the next to last image. i'll be taking a better photo outside once it dries a bit.

this piece is 36x36 and i'm calling it Evolution of Night. it's based on the sketch i did and the feeling that i had from the night. i was restless and went for a drive back to eldorado to see the moon over the mountains. it felt like it was radiating. my brushstroke is different than my usual geometric patterns. can't be boring right?! i'm pretty happy with the result. i plan to put this up at max's once it's dry.

i'm supposed to be relaxing. making the photo montage and writing a blog (and cleaning my house) seem to be filling that space. turns out i forgot how to relax. even if i'm watching tv or a movie, i always have to be doing something productive at the same time. there's ALWAYS something to do when you're working for yourself. i rest when i sleep, and when i sleep, i sleep hard. i like that feeling.

back to the drawing board

hola! i'm back and a bit browner. yay for the california sun and vitamin D! i had a great weekend with family and friends. i spent friday in san diego with my mom and aunt and their two cousins who live just 20 minutes from temecula. i finally got to go to the beach even for a short few. there's something about getting near the water that completely calms me and settles me inside. i need to get there more often. i see a lot of drawings in my head when i look out over the ocean.

i spent saturday with my hostess, jami. we first went to lorimar winery to check out my work and hang the pieces that i brought with me. next we went out to wine country and checked out mount palomar winery (which is where my art will be hanging next month) for some wine tasting. after some sushi and an art supply stop we went to my art rep's house for a wonderful dinner before my show. the show itself was packed. many people out in old town temecula ready to do a wine tasting and listen to sister speak sing and of course, look at my art! i got a lot of great compliments and a lot of interest in my work. i actually sold two drawings and a painting before my show, so i consider it all a success!

i flew home sunday, watched the first half of the steeler game at the denver airport, and coaxed the pilot to keep us updated on the score on my way back to albuquerque. excited for my steelers to be back in the superbowl...again! rev'n for seven! (i'm not sold on that saying, but seven is not an easy word to rhyme) so now i'm home and feeling the need to replenish my art supply. i want to do a whole new body of work for max's restaurant and have some work on hand for when i get accepted into a gallery. :-P

here's a quick pic of my new workspace where i started a huge abstract drawing today. my arms a bit tired, i'll pick it up again tomorrow. i also finished off some edges of some paintings and did a study painting based on a sketch. i'll start the big painting tomorrow, too. mmmm, love the smell of a painty apartment! and it looks like i just made myself some new painting pants....oops.

weary of chicken

food can be evil...especially when it poisons you. ugh. i spent this past weekend sick as a dog, but i'm feeling better now. trying to be productive in all aspects...work work, design work, art work. made two new versions of my business card yesterday, hopefully they'll come in before the show.

about ready to finish up a painting and start on a big one. i think i want to do another night scene but use a lot of colors. it doesn't need to be as smooth as some of the transitions are...i don't want all transitions to be to soft or easy, i want to give them some resistance and static, something that makes your eye constantly move. i've been looking at photos of my art from WVWC and JMU and i want to revisit some styles and see what i do with them now. i also have an urge to just draw...graphite and charcoal drawings of real objects as well as abstract spaces. lots of ideas in my head!

one idea was to combine my landscape drawings with my abstract drawings. here's the first attempt. it's after a photo of the sunset over the water. i think i'll continue on this path for a bit and see what happens. drawing is much easier with my new drawing table and my space is much more organized.

i'll try to get a lot done before my temecula show. i leave next thursday to stay with my friend/artist jami tobey and meet up with my mom, my aunt and long lost family for a day in san diego. i'm so excited...i definitely need an adventure! saturday will be hanging out with jami and my art rep, brad, followed up with my show. looks like it's quite the event with a live band and wine tastings. can't wait!

namaste!