Rio Grande, Near Taos

Rio Grande Near Taos

Oil on canvas, 10x10

I've spent the past couple days in and around Santa Fe and Taos, and I have seen beautiful, amazing things. 

The land is lovely here, with colors that are bright and subtle, large and small, strong and gentle all at the same time. Maybe it's the time of year, or maybe it's how it is all the time in New Mexico. 

I found myself recognizing parts of the area - not the houses or the roads or the businesses, but the colors and the trees and the fields. On my first trip to Arizona - three years ago? Four? - I came through this area, but from the north. 

I had pulled over to contemplate painting a pretty field with brush just turning red at the tips. Trees outlined the sides of the field, and a giant rock formation warmed its back. And as I looked, it all came back to me. I had been here, indeed - and what I was recalling was years ago.

Turns out I was in Abiquiu, NM, where Georgie O'Keeffe lived and worked. It is a tiny, quiet place, with a post office, a few galleries and the Abiquiu Inn, which offers tours of O'Keeffe's home and studio. I didn't take the tour, but I did imagine O'Keeffe living, looking and painting in the area. 

In the afternoon, I headed up toward Taos. It is a nice little town, with some traffic problems even in early March, and not many places to get a cup of coffee. I thought about going to see the ski area, but again, I didn't. I wanted to paint, not tour! 

My favorite part of the day was seeing the rivers and the rocks, and the beautiful colors of the brush and the trees and the land itself. 

Today, Thursday, I set up for the Rio Grande Arts and Crafts show, which runs from Friday through Sunday. Then on Monday, I head home. I don't expect to paint on the way home, though if I see something that demands it, I will! 

Thank you, each and every last one of you, for helping to make this trip possible. 

ps., this sounds like the final newsletter but it's not! 

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A gorgeous New Mexico sunset

I love this lone tree, on the plain near Taos, and I plan to paint it soon! 

The colors of the brush along the rivers in this area of New Mexico made me think of a sunset, right there on the ground. This, and the two photos that follow, are from Abiquiu, where Georgia O'Keeffe lived and painted. 

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And what's a day without dinos? I found these in Holbrook, AZ, on my way to New Mexico. 

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This guy was walking along with his human, and was very interested in me. I think he would have been friendly, but his challenging look made me keep my distance.

Near Salt River Canyon

 Near Salt River Canyon

Oil on canvas, 10x10

I left Tubac on Monday morning, a day later than I'd hoped. The delay came for an unusual reason. It rained! 

Dad and Paula say that a full day of rain is a very strange occurrence in Tubac - and it did rain, steadily and heavily - for the entire day. Mostly, the rain soaked into the ground; the river that runs through town also filled up a little. 

So I left on Monday, and drove north, spending most of the day on Route 77, and all of the day driving uphill. Up and up and up and up. The big van did great, but it was a slow day. 

I stopped to paint just outside of the Salt River Canyon - and while I love the painting I did, I sort of wish I'd waited for the canyons and deep, deep gorges. But I did spend a lot of time painting in the Grand Canyon. So I'll address Salt River when I get home. 

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That one day of rain made wildflowers bloom all around Tubac and Green Valley. 

And the rain brought an incredible clarity to the sky, as well. 

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Above is the Salt River Canyon, one of many photos I took and

 plan to paint over the course of the summer. 

The air was clear and the clouds dramatic over the high plains near Show Low, AZ, 

Here's me with my scary sunglasses... 

And here's a fun sculpture that I enjoyed seeing in downtown Tubac. 

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Dog of the Day

Here's Barkley again! He got loose and wandered over to see me as I was packing the van. He's been shaved for the summer, and was happy and wagging and full of love. 

Tusayan Field

Tusayan Field

Oil on canvas, 6x12

After painting the amazing scenes of the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley, it was reassuring and comfortable and fun to paint a small field at the side of the road in Tusayan, Arizona. 

As you all know by now, I am a sucker for the pale yellow grass that grows around here at certain elevations. I captured the pale color of the grass in this painting, but can't quite make that pale nearly white yellow come through on the computer. But it's close. 

This scene was just one of the lovely, quiet, small scenes that I love. The field that someone drives through to get home. The piece of land that no one notices, but which informs and enriches their day and their environment. 

Sometimes I make these paintings large, but there's something in my heart that speaks to the small painting, that you can put on a small wall between two doors, in the sunny corner of a small bedroom, in the space below the cupboards. These are paintings that become part of the environment of your home, in the way that the landscapes are part of the environment of your life. 

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Grand Canyon Morning, 20x20

I did paint the Grand Canyon again, on a crisp and very cold morning. It was again daunting and challenging - and I loved it! My painting in the landscape is below. 

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I saw this twisted tree on the road from the Grand Canyon to the mountains. Its bark is really fascinating. 

Just outside of the Grand Canyon, and in many spots on the road from the canyon to Monument Valley, there are these sort of open air shacks where Native Americans sell stuff. Many of these look as though they've been abandoned for years, but this one, just outside the Grand Canyon, was open and busy.

My friend Heather, visiting California this past week, needs some help! It's January - but there's no snow! How can it be January? Heather and her husband Joe are now back in Maine, where there's plenty of snow.

Randy Clough, a Navajo I met in Monument Valley, really wants a dog. But he says his grandmother told him Navajos can't pay for dogs. So he is waiting for the right dog to show up. I suggested he go to Best Friends in Utah and barter some money for a dog.

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Dog of the Day

Here's Heather's husband Joe, in sunny California with a beautiful Dog of the Day!
The dog's owner thought the dog and Joe resembled each other...

Snowy Peaks

Snowy Peaks

Oil on canvas, 10x10 

On Saturday, I painted at 8,000 feet! I could feel it, too. I wasn't dizzy (well, no dizzier than usual), but it took effort to get a full, deep breath. 

And it felt like I was up high. The trees were different - pines and birches. The sun burned me quickly through the thin air. The wind was very cold, though the day was warm. 

I was in the San Francisco Peaks, and had arrived there after leaving the Grand Canyon early that morning. After I did this painting, I drove up higher, to the base of the Arizona Snowbowl, at about 9,000 feet. Though there was no real snow to speak of, they'd made snow and there were lots of people skiing.

Seeing the place transported me. When I was younger, I skied a lot. Our family skied, and my dad and I, in particular, skied together. We were both good skiers but didn't like to go too fast, so we were a good pair. I thought for a moment about calling Dad and Paula and seeing if they wanted to come for one more run together, but I backed out. The thought of it was probably better than the skiing would have been. 

Here's my painting in the landscape.

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See? I really WAS up that high!

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 This tiny church, Chapel of the Holy Dove, is on the road in Kendrick Park. Click here to see photos of the inside - and a wedding! 

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 I fell in love with the town of Kendrick Park, high up in the San Francisco mountains. I couldn't find a spot to pull off the road safely to paint, but I took lots of photos, and am so looking forward to doing some paintings of this little mountain town. 

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A pretty sight on the way. 

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Dog of the Day

This guy was up for adoption at the Tubac Arts Festival. People from the local Humane Society walked adoptable dogs around the festival, and some of them found new homes. This guy was a real cutie. Imagine him with a wash, a little brushing, a little love, and a trim between the eyes. He'll make some human very, very happy. And I bet it will go the other way, too. 

Grand Canyon Morning

Grand Canyon Morning

Oil on canvas, 18x18

I wanted to try the Grand Canyon again, so I went back, on my way south from Monument Valley. 

The morning I set out to paint, it was 16 degrees when I woke up. It had climbed to 24 when I started this painting - and by the time I finished, I was hot. 

Yes, I did end up becoming a spectacle of sorts. Visitors came to this site in droves, and many of them sauntered over to watch me paint. 

I was struggling with perspective and distance and values, and I was getting lost in the layers and plateaus, and I don't really like struggling in public - but so it goes. 

And it was OK. Some people loved this painting, and others just turned away. 

One thing that has surprised me throughout this entire trip is how many of the visitors to the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley are not Americans. Foreigners come in droves to these places! So I implore you again to get out there and see them. 

Here's my painting in the vast landscape: 

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A GAS STATION outside of the Grand Canyon had a few really interesting displays, designed, I'm sure, to make drivers stop and look - and then buy something. And guess what? It worked! 

Here's a collection of beautiful older cars. My favorite is the police car.

And here are some statues outside the very same gas station: 

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 Some of the beautiful land just outside of the Grand Canyon. Love that twisted tree!

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On the road from the Grand Canyon to Monument Valley, you'll see lots of these Native American outdoor stores. They are mostly just shade frames with some tables, and many look like they haven't been used for years. This one, selling jewelry and jerky - buffalo jerky was all over their advertising boards - was pretty busy. 

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 My friend Heather was in California when this photo was taken. She's from Maine, and was totally flummoxed by February on the West Coast. No snow? What should she do????

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Randy Clough, who is Navajo, works at Goulding's, where I stayed in Monument Valley. He told me he really wants a dog - a husky - but Navajo tradition says he can't pay for one. He is keeping his eye out for the right dog to wander into his life. I suggested he visit Best Friends animal sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, and see if he could barter money for a rescue dog. 

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Dog of the Day

Here's Heather's husband Joe, with  Francis. Heather and Joe met him in San Clemente, Calif. Francis's owner thought he and Joe looked very much alike....