5"x10" watercolor on Yupo, freely and directly painted without drawing. 'Welcome All' is a slightly imagined Spanish mission somewhere in the hills of New Mexico. Over the years I have had the pleasure of spotting many of these old missions and have taken countless photos; plenty of reference material in my files! It joins my Land of Enchantment series.
This 5" x 5" watercolor on Gessobord was another experiment - acrylic is the typical medium for Gessobord. I found it fun for watercolor, subtle texture and the pigment basically sits on the surface, very easy to lift . . . intentionally or accidentally.
This is the North Fork Valley at Paonio Colorado. I believe that's Lamborn Mountain, West Elk Range. The Valley provides a perfect climate for fruit orchards, vineyards, and an abundance of organic crops.
My son Greg is living there now, while working on getting his fiancee Rosemery and his little boy Mateo moved from Peru to the United States. He lived in Paonia years ago and loved it --- so did we! I painted this so Rosemery could see the beautiful place she will come to when her visa is approved.
New Mexico's State Bird, the Roadrunner. This 13"x 4.5" watercolor on paper is part of 'The Land of Enchantment' series.
I've been toting around an 11x14 piece of Ampersand Claybord for years and finally decided to try it. It's a very interesting and very different surface for watercolor, rather fun & somewhat challenging. I'm happy with this sunset - photo taken at the Roadrunner BLM area just south of Quartzsite AZ.
Shhhhh. Don't tell Cousin Jo - it's a gift for her.
Sometimes I miss the gardens, especially fresh produce just right outside and fresh cut flowers all over the house. But I wouldn't trade our RVing lifestyle for anything!
I painted this 8" x 8" watercolor on Yupo as a fundraiser for humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. If you are interested in purchasing it, with a donation to a humanitarian organization, please contact me. Bidding ends March 13, 2022.
This little painting is for us - part of my New Mexico Land of Enchantment series. We spied this longhorn skull on a casa somewhere in the hills southeast of Taos. Folks here hang ristras wherever it works!
I painted this group of puffins for my granddaughter Rhia as a housewarming gift for her new home in Denver. When we visited Scotland, we spent a very long day boating to islands in the Sea of Hebrides. The Isle of Staffa is home to thousands of these fun birds, and they are so accustomed to humans that we could walk right up to them.
I painted this for my son Scott's Birthday. His lively wife Belinda sent me photos of Scott hiking a slot canyon in southern Utah.
This one is part of our personal collection. A few years ago we visited Texas Hill Country, staying in State Parks that were at lakes. This magnificent Great Blue Heron was just offshore, not 10 yards from our trailer. The morning was misty and presented a diaphanous atmosphere.
This Orca Whale is from a Haida image spotted on a fence on Sitka Island Alaska. Jenise has quite a collection of whale art.
Justin sent me some photos from a dive trip he did in the Caymans. I think this fish is a grouper. Watercolor on Yupo.
Well. . . . this is for the few of you who check my blog from time to time.
2021 was another year of avoiding people and enjoying our self-imposed isolation in our 5th wheel trailer as we visited new places and old favorites. We did limit our treks somewhat, staying mainly in Canyon Country and the Rocky Mountain West. We continue to love the lifestyle and the freedom it affords us.
We are wintering in southern New Mexico State Parks; colder here than southern AZ, but we love the ambiance of the Land of Enchantment and we love the state parks.
I did a fair amount of painting in 2021, mostly doing gift paintings for all my kids and grandkids + a few special friends. The last pieces I posted on the blog were in June, from Lee's Ferry at Marble Canyon AZ. I am now posting all the pieces I've done since then. Stay tuned!
