8″x4″ oil on panel

Plein air

Ghost Ranch, NM

8″ square oil on panel

Plein air. Ghost Ranch, NM

7″x5″ oil on panel

Ghost Ranch, NM plein air

Sunrise, coffee, and sitting with a good friend is the best way to start a day.

5″x7″ pastel on sanded paper

Ghost Ranch, NM

This is a repost from 2014. It is an all time favorite painting of mine, and…

It is that time of year where I load my family, our bikes and backpacking gear, and more art supplies than you can imagine and head to New Mexico. I will arrive to the sunshine, and the sunsets, the trails and rattlers. I will arrive to friends old and new, and together we will grow, and learn and experience the magic of the painted desert.

I will arrive to unpack our belongings in our home away from home, a small campground at my favorite end of the ranch. This little trailer belongs to our dear friends Tom and Eddie, they are an important part of our little camp. I know that after a long day Tom will be waiting with his arms to give me a big bear hug (and maybe a cold beer). I know that if I hear their camper door open and close twice in close succession around 5am that someone got up because nature was calling, and went back for a camera to capture the sunrise. The double camper door has become my alarm to fireman my way out of bed to plein air paint the sunrise.

I suppose we are all packing up to head to the Ranch to create our gypsy village for the summer. Travel safe dear friends old and new.

I did this painting from a photo my dear friend Jodi took.