Western Road Trip

Western Road Trip
11 x 14
Watercolor
Not For Sale

   After painting with my friend Kent Brewer at the Waxahachie paint out I have a renewed interest in watercolors. ( He won the best of show award in the paint out. You can check out his work at kentcbrewer.blogspot.com.)
   I haven't painted with watercolors in a very long time but this is still my favorite one I ever painted. I did it back in 93 after a three week long camping trip across Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming.
I tried to include scenes from the major places I visited. Technically this is not a good painting but I love it because of the memories attached to it of visiting places like Mesa Verde National Park, Grand Teton National Park, and Yellowstone National Park among others.
   I've still got my watercolors. Maybe I'll dig them out and give them a try again.

Ogre Woman Kachina

Ogre Woman
8 x 10
oil on canvas
not for sale

This is a painting of one of my favorite kachinas, an Ogre Woman. I bought her in Albuquerque. (She is a fairly old one.) I chose to paint her at an angle as she hangs on the wall.

Santa Fe Sunset

Santa Fe Sunset
8 x 10
oil on board

I said before that I wanted to start painting larger, so I repainted my  6 x 8 New Mexican Sunset at a giant 8 x 10 size. Maybe I'll make it to a 9 x 12 next time. I still will do a bit more but need something to post, so ready or not here it is. I'm really enjoying painting sunsets so I may have to try a different one next time and actually paint large. This one however is a combo of my reference photography from Santa Fe and Red River, two of my favorite places. I go to New Mexico every year and it is always fresh to me. I never tire of the scenery. New Mexico has it all except seascapes. I've said before I really am drawn to the architecture of the Southwest . Santa Fe is one of the best cities for spending a day or days walking around  looking at galleries, museums, and interesting people. Although I love our Texas Mexican food, New Mexico's Mexican food is not to be missed, especially lunch at the LaFonda in Santa Fe.

New Mexican Sunset

New Mexico Sunset
6 x 8
oil on canvas on board

Whenever I see a beautiful sunrise or sunset I always think of it as a painting by God, and I feel blessed to see it. This sunset came from photographs I took on my trip to New Mexico last summer.We have really beautiful sunsets in Texas but it seems like they are ALWAYS beautiful in the Santa Fe area. I was inspired to paint a sunset by the paintings of my friends Randy Saffle and Sheri Jones.

For Georgia

Ranchos de Taos Church
8 x 10
Oil on Canvas

Here's another New Mexico painting that I've been working on, the St. Francis church at Ranchos de Taos. This of course is a view of the back of the church made famous by Georgia Okeeffe. It is a view that I've photographed and sketched many times. I usually do not enjoy painting buildings, but the adobe buildings of New Mexico with their warm colors and organic shapes are the exception for me. I'm hoping for warmer weather so I can resume painting outdoors  but for now I stilll have plenty of paintings that I want to finish.

Las Trampas, work in progress #1

                                                           Church at Las Trampas
                                                                     11 x 14

                                                            Church at Las Trampas
                                                                      11 x 14
One of my goals for the new year is to paint larger. So, here goes. It will take longer to paint so I'll post this one in stages. This is from a photo I took last summer along the High Road to Taos. It is the church of San Jose de Gracia in the village of Las Trampas. The village was founded in 1751 and the church was completed in 1776. New Mexico is one of my favorite places. I love the blend of Native American, Spanish, and American culture that makes New Mexico so distinct.