I think orange foliage compliments Pedernal the best.
RIo Grande
This is the Rio Grande near Taos, NM. It was a quiet overcast day. I painted this from a small color study and a photo (the photo was all grey, so I was thankful for the study).
Shotgun Past Sundown
My time in New Mexico is coming to a close. The truck is loaded back up with bikes, and camping supplies and we are headed back to Texas. It has been a good summer.
Bluff Springs
Bluff Springs is an easy day hike along abandoned grades of the historic Cloudcroft logging railroad. The abandoned grades make excellent trails for both hiking in summer and snowshoeing in winter (wishful thinking on my part!). Special attractions: Waterfall; historic railroad grade; lush forest. Climbing up to this bluff is like landing in an alpine meadow. Beautiful light surrounded by old growth firs. I have the painting supplies, who wants to pack the picnic?
7:46 PM Sunset – Alamogordo, NM
after sunset
desert predators prowl
pray prey
-Bridget Magee
Bonito Canyon
We waited on pins and needles last summer as the White Mountain Wilderness burned. We learned this summer that the fires that passed through were not too hot to ruin the forest, our beloved Argentina, and Bonito canyons were saved! Today I hiked hiked Bonito canyon with my kids. Another year of maturity liberated me from having to pack in a child on my back. The girls were in bipedal delight, and the boys were packed down with lunch and water bottles on their backs, which left me free to carry plein air painting supplies! The boys headed up into the canyon with slingshots and pockets heavy with rocks, and the girls waded and splashed at my feet in a lovely stream all day. I hiked with my family, painted by a babbling stream, and had my favorite hiking lunch: triscuits, hard salami, pink lady apples and good cheese.
I am grateful for a perfect day.
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A Tree In Four Seasons
It was fun to work in a different medium and on a different scale than I normally work. I painted this mural in the Ghost Ranch dining hall, below you can see me working on it, my 3 year old playing dolls beneath the scaffolding.
Sunset 7:57
“…The skies and land are so enormous, and the detail so precise and exquisite that wherever you are you are isolated in a glowing world between the macro and the micro.”
– Ansel Adams wrote this about Ghost Ranch
This is my final Ghost Ranch sunset for the year. It has been a blessing and honor to be the artist in residence. I had hundreds of people come to my open studio and sunrise/set painting sessions. I nurtured old friendships and formed many new ones. My family had the chance to experience the wilderness this summer. We hiked and played and painted, it was a good summer.
Late Evening Rain
The monsoons have been abundant, the showers frequent and beautiful. With the rain, I have enjoyed watching the landscape turn green, the contrast between all the red and orange rocks has been striking. The rain has brought with it: cool weather, bull frog tadpoles, and mosquitos and biting flies.
Staff House Plein Air
I used the stone wall around Ghost House as a standing desk to paint this morning. The air was brisk after a wonderful storm last night.
paintandsimple 