paintandsimple

5″x7″ pastel on sanded paper

I love these New Mexico storms!

5″x7″ pastel on sanded paper

Ghost Ranch, NM

7″x5″ pastel on sanded paper

Ghost Ranch, NM

40″x8″ pastel on sanded paper

Ghost Ranch, NM – plein air

A 4 painting day is a good day. This was a good one. I set a lofty goal for my students and they ALL did it! We captured Ghost Ranch in the round.

We painted the 4 paintings over the course of the day, the only requirement was that the horizon line had to match up from one painting to the next. At the end of the day, we took them back and lined them up in the studio and tried to make it believable. That was my favorite part! It was like solving a puzzle. The sky changed so much over the course of the day, it was fun making the transitions work from one painting to the next.

7″x5″ pastel on sanded paper

Painted Plein air. Ghost Ranch, NM

10″x8″. Ghost Ranch, NM

I painted this for a friend, whose birthday is today, her laughter fills the room and my spirit.

10″x8″ pastel on sanded paper

Plein air. Ghost Ranch, NM

7″x5″ pastel on sanded paper

Ghost Ranch, NM quick study

4″x8″ oil on panel

To some, this might be an unkept median. To me it is a point of beauty on my walk to school with my daughter.

If you were to photograph the Meadow, it would be mostly green, I chose to add violets in place of some of the greens because they are quiet and peaceful. I am delighted with the result, the painting looks the way the meadow feels to me, therefore my mission is accomplished.

20″x16″ oil on canvas

“Where flowers bloom, so does hope.” -Lady Bird Johnson

I posted a study for this painting last week. Here is the finished painting. I love native prairie, they are wild, unpredictable, and beautiful. Like life they can be messy, or thorny at times. This spring has been a breathtaking show of color, each week the color changing slightly.