After a delightful day of hiking on the ranch, I squeezed in a plein air painting. It was a beautiful evening, and a I had the great company of my old friend Brandon. The light was flat, but the air was crisp!
Chama River Valley
I did this plein air painting yesterday afternoon just before the sunset. I loved the way the light snuck through the valley and spilled out onto the river bank. It touched all of the yellow plants and turned them GOLD. Beautiful. I painted with Christ in The Desert Monastery to my back. When the bell rang for Vespers the light had changed drastically, so I packed up and slipped into the chapel to chant with the monks. What a beautiful way to end the day.
Sunrise 24 August
Today is the last weekday I will have to savor the changing light in the mornings for a while. I love to sit with my coffee and watch the sun rise from my kitchen or back porch. Big giant pink sun peeking over the trees, and then the light show: pink, to peach, to yellow, and then to see what color blue the day will bring. Instead of savoring the light change, I painted fast this morning, for Monday will have me urging kids to stay on task and get out the door for school. Trying to capture the changing light, I was aware of how fast things change: the light of sunrise, or the growing up of kids. I am grateful that every now and then I can stop time and savor the moment.
“Juniper and Red Hills”
“White Mountain Wilderness”
This is in the White Mountain Wilderness, in a meadow, on the trail to Nogal Peak. Southeastern New Mexico had terrible fires earlier this summer; this area was not burned, and the trail was just opened yesterday. It felt good to paint green after all the red and orange of Ghost Ranch.
What you can't see in my photo is the village of fairy houses that my children discovered in this grove of trees. I intended to paint the kids in, but they had moved on to the creek by the time I got to that part of the painting. I don't know how to include the gurgle of the creek, or the children's laughter carried by the cool mountain breeze. You will have to imagine the fairy houses and the soundtrack.
“Day in Provence”
I took my workshop to a local lavender farm to paint for the day. After painting red rocks plein air all week, the lavender was a delightful change. The farm was beautiful, surrounded by mature cottonwood trees, and blooming chamisa plants. We painted in the shade as we watched workers prune the bushes, placing neat bundles of lavender on top of each bush. It was really a lovely day, perhaps if you take a deep breath you can catch a waft still lingering in the air.
“Joshua Tree”
I took my class to paint in front of Georgia O’Keefe’s house. There was lots of atmosphere to subdue the colors of the desert. We sat in the quiet colors and painted in silence. It was a special time to share together. This dead tree looks almost the same as when Georgia painted it.
“Last Light on Pack’s Point”
Last night I painted plein air near the cabin from the movie ” City Slickers”. The kaliedescope-light show was spectacular last night, 360 degrees of beauty changing every 5 minutes. I paint fast, but not fast enough. I finally folded up my easel and let the changing light mesmerize me. It felt good to have my bike panders loaded with painting supplies, and a couple finished paintings, and ride off into the sunset.
“Kitchen Mesa in Late Afternoon”
I love the way this Mesa glows just before the sun sets.
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