“You cannot be wimpy out there on the dream-seeking trail. Dare to break through barriers, to find your own path.”
~ Les Brown
My husband is a runner, a trail runner. He loves to cover ground, through nature, on foot. We have many friends that also run trails, and they support each other through wild, rugged terrain. I am grateful for the friendships that have formed over the miles and years.
I love to paint the painter. This trail is a favorite to hike and paint.
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!
This is an artist friend of mine named Rick. He is painting near Georgia O’Keefe’s house at Ghost Ranch. Rick has a great eye. He knows how the light will fall and change with the passing of time and seasons. He is a delight to paint with, and a great friend.
This is Plaza Blanca, or The White Place. Georgia O’Keefe painted it, and it is feature in the film “Cowboys and Aliens.” Plaza Blanca is eerily devoid of color compared to the red rocks that are found around Ghost Ranch.
For the artists reading this, or those interested in color theory, you will find this note interesting. I painted this study with a set of pastels I made this week in a workshop, we made beautiful purples, and lights. One of the sticks I made was a total surprise. I mixed 5 parts ultra marine blue, with one part yellow ochre. Yellow and blue makes green right? I expected a slightly olive green. They mixed together to make the most beautiful greyed periwinkle!? The scientist in me knows that until I repeat my experiment my results don’t mean much, but for now I am left guessing that because both ochre and ultramarine and warm versions of yellow and blue, that affected their mixing to make a purple. The color is beautiful, and the surprise, a delight.
For the last decade this little camper has been my home away from home. We bought it when our first son was a mere babe. This beautiful camping spot is where we have tried to spend as much of our summer as we can possibly manage. We camp next to a wonderful watercolor artist named Pomona, who lives in a little scamp, and we watch the weather and the light change over Pedernal and the mesas that surround us.
This little pop-up has seen us through camping with tiny babies, terrible storms, unbearable heat, icy cold, stomach flus, and many, many good times. It has been our home base for races, and art trips, family reunions, and excursions. Friends and family have joined us over the years, and it has been base camp for many a tent village. The tiny kitchen serving parties of 30 or more, meal after meal.
We probably outgrew our little base camp years ago, but as it gets cranky around the edges, we have decided perhaps it should be home to a less rambunctious crew, so we have found a new family for her, and tonight is our last night in our little camper.
People often ask how we have instilled the love for the outdoors in our children. We often joke that perhaps it has something to do with the 6 of us living in our little camper most of the summer, where there is just enough room to sleep, but not enough room to change your mind. It has been a good rig, and a wonderful home away from home.
This is for Buddy, who was interested in how I would paint the kaleidoscope of color I referenced last week. Thanks for your interest, and thanks to everyone who takes the time to comment on the blog, I love hearing from you.
A quick study in oil right before dark.
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.
paintandsimple 