Fresh Snow In Bear Canyon

This is a view of the Sandia Mountains in Albuquerque. The clouds that enshrouded the cliff faces were breaking up, allowing brilliant sunlight to reflect off the snow. The foreground was still in shadow of clouds, which enhanced the drama. Someone had made a snowman alongside the trail. I would've included him in the painting, but he probably would have blended in too much with the background ... The painting was done in the studio, using photo references and my memory and required only a limited palette. I employed the use of a palette knife to create textural effect in the snow.

Eagle Nest — SOLD

This oil painting was created during a demonstration for the Art In The Parks Show on Dec. 8. The demonstration featured pastel painter Lee McVey and me, as we painted the same subject from a photo simultaneously. It made for an interesting presentation and showed our different approaches to painting. The painting, as it appears here, is at a more advanced stage of completeness than it was at the end of the demonstration. My painting, "Along The Pecos," shown below, was awarded Best of Show in the exhibition, which was the first of what is to be an annual event, sponsored by Plein Air Painters of New Mexico and New Mexico State Parks. Proceeds from sales are donated to Friends of the Parks.

Along The Pecos — SOLD

This painting was done at Villanueva State Park in New Mexico. The challenge here was to exploit the many shades of green for variety — and to avoid monotany — in the painting. I started out using a limited palette of cadmium yellow, cadmium red and ultramarine blue deep and titanium white. Later, I added touches of other shades of blue and red to my mixtures to create tones I couldn't get with the original triad of tube colors. To capture the lightness of the dirt in the foreground effectively, I relied on the use of saturated color, analogous hues and modulating of warm and cool tones while avoiding the overuse of white.

West Mesa Rainbow

"At Rainbow's End" was the working title I had for this painting. The scene on which it is based was not of your garden variety rainbow. This rainbow, observed on the West Mesa of Albuquerque, was veiled in a misty, golden glow that lit up the sky and grew more intense as the sun inched toward the horizon. Transferring the visual effect and emotional experience onto canvas was a challenge, and I pushed some color contrasts to accentuate the effect. Not wanting to lose sight of the fact that the painting is based on a real experience, I changed the title to a named place. I hope I was successful in conveying some of what I saw and felt that evening.

Yellow Blossom

Prickly pear cacti from the foothills of the Sandia Mountains in Albuquerque is the subject of three small paintings I created for this year's Little Gems Show at the Open Spaces Visitor Center. The show is from Sept. 3 to Oct. 28.

Black Oak

This painting was inspired from a trip to the foothills of Sierra Nevadas near Nevada City, California. A round format seemed appropriate for the subject and vantage point.

Three Gun Spring Trail

This is the second painting done close to the Three Gun Spring trailhead, which is on the south side of the Sandia Mountains near Albuquerque. Although I did some touch up and pushing of color possibilities in the studio afterward, much of the painting is in a rough state. The mountain and shadow part of the trail show just the thin underpainting. My usual inclination is to go in and refine the painting. So, for me, this has an unfinished look. But, maybe that's all that was needed to be said. I'll put it away and return to it later to see if I still like it as is. By the way, on this day, I was prepared for the gnats and flies. But, they still have a way of irritating you. I even had to use my palette knife to remove a couple that landed on the painting. Goes with the territory, I guess.

Daybreak, Three Gun Spring

I got most of this painting done early this morning, before the temperature got too hot. Not to worry, however, the gnats and flies made things miserable enough — buzzing around my eyes nose and ears. Fortunately, a fellow painter friend showed up with some bug spray. Another artist said he saw a rather large rattlesnake in the parking area at the trailhead. Back in the studio, I added some finishing touches.

Morning Fugue 1 & 2

This diptych is the last in a series of five oil paintings done for an exhibition at the Gallery With A Cause, New Mexico Cancer Center Foundation, which runs through June in Albuquerque. The paintings measure 24 x 36 each, and are meant to hang as a pair or individually. Click on the image for a larger view.

Sienna Spring

This is the third of five paintings with a theme of blossoms that is on display at the Gallery With A Cause — New Mexico Cancer Center Foundation show through June 19. This oil painting is 18" x 14" and is shown here with a frame.

Tres Hermanas

This framed oil painting is the second of five pieces of mine that is represented in the Gallery With A Cause — New Mexico Cancer Center Foundation spring show March 14. It measures 24 x 36 and is a larger version of a miniature painting I created last spring.

Cascading Light

This is one of five similarly themed oil paintings I produced specifically for the spring exhibition at Gallery With A Cause — The New Mexico Cancer Center Foundation. The gallery opening is from 1:30 to 4 p.m. March 14. The idea for this series began last spring, when I did several miniatures for the Masterworks of New Mexico annual show, all inspired by the spring blossoms seen around Albuquerque. I thought some larger paintings of blossoms would be a perfect fit for the cancer center show this year, just in time for the long-awaited spring. The round painting shown here is 25 inches in diameter and is the first round painting I have done since college days. It is a nice change in format and I think works well with this subject. The painting is done on canvas, mounted on panel, unframed but has a space between the painting and wall, which gives it a nice shadowed relief effect.