Afternoon Shower

The summer monsoon has finally begun to bring much needed precip to the Southwest, which is in the midst of a severe drought. This 12" x 10" oil on panel helps preserve the memory of what are usually brief events. Storms in the Southwest are much more appreciated and anticipated than storms experienced in Pennsylvania, where I spent my younger years. The wide open spaces also can make for more dramatic skies as formation of towering cumulonimbus clouds take center stage.

Ghostly Ranch

This nocturne painting titled Ghostly Ranch, 9" x 14", oil, is of Georgia O'Keeffe country in northern New Mexico.  Silhoutted shapes in moonlight create a dreamy nighttime perspective of  this enchanted landscape.

Full Moon and Clouds

Here I have a photo of a 14" x 6 studio oil painting I snuck into my recent Twilight Skies show a couple of weeks after the opening. I am intrigued by the subject of well formed cumulus clouds surviving after sunset and illuminated by the moon, something I don't see very often in Albuquerque.  I thought the strong vertical format of this painting imparted a greater sense of towering clouds. Diagonal lines in the lower cloud and sky helped to reinforce that effect. I am considering doing some larger paintings of cumulonimbus (storm) clouds in moonlight, which will probably be best suited to a much larger sized painting.

Canal Walk at Sunset

I was recently notified that my painting, "Canal Walk at Sunset," oil,  22" x 28", is among 31 pieces by local artists that will be purchased by the City of Albuquerque for display in public buildings. I feel fortunate and honored that my painting was selected from the 500+ entries by more than 200 artists.

In New Mexico, canals and irrigation ditches are more commonly referred to by their Spanish name, "acequia." The cottonwood tree-lined acequia in the painting is west of the Rio Grande River in Albuquerque. The dirt roadway offers hikers and bikers a view of the Sandia Mountains in the background.