Approaching Storm

"Approaching Storm", 11 x 14,  oil. This is among five paintings recently delivered to InArt Santa Fe Gallery.

Trailside Bloom — SOLD

"Trailside Bloom," oil 9"x12", was painted at Leonora Curtin Wetland Preserve during the Santa Fe Plein Air Festival last week in New Mexico. What appealed to me about this back-lit morning scene, in addition to the rich red blooms, was the transition from vegetation of the wetland in the background to the surrounding high desert vegetation of the foreground. The painting can be seen at the festival exhibition through July 4, 2016 at InArt Santa Fe Gallery in Santa Fe.

Early Evening Light - SOLD

This painting is a 9" x 12" oil studio piece of the foothills area of the Sandia Mountains in Albuquerque.  It was exhibited in the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History's Miniatures & More Show.

Fast Moving Storm — SOLD

"Fast Moving Storm" is a plein air piece done last summer at the Santa Fe Plein Air Festival. The location is near Ghost Ranch in northern New Mexico.  Conditions were perfect for several days of painting. This painting was awarded an honorable mention and was sold at InArt Santa Fe Gallery. The gallery is hosting the SFPAF again this year, and I am looking forward to another fun event.

Summer Arroyo

Here is another 10" x 16" oil painting done in the studio. I had been wanting to paint this scene for some time. The arroyo is viewable from NM State HWY 285 near the opera house, outside of Santa Fe, NM. The Sangre de Cristo mountain range is poking up in the distance. Every time I passed by these interesting land shapes, I was reminded that I needed to get around to painting them. Well, here is the finished painting. Now that it is complete, maybe I can put that urge to rest.

Approaching Storm — SOLD

This studio oil painting, 10" x 16",  is fairly minimalist in design with a simple ground plane. I was striving to create a moisture laden atmospheric lighting effect. There is no blue sky evident, but, rather, refracted light consisting of shades of cool and warm grays. Lots o' fun to paint.

Nancy's Garden

This plein air painting, 11" x 14", oil, was done at the tail end of the Santa Fe Plein Air Festival in June, 2015. It was too late to enter it in that show, but it has been accepted in the Plein Air Painters 2015 Member's Annual Juried Show, Oct. 2 - 25 Santa Fe Art Collector Gallery, 217 Galisteo St. in Santa Fe.

Cloud 9 show

Here is a photo of me and a painting I am working on for my solo exhibition titled "Cloud 9" Sept. 18 - Oct. 18 at InArt Santa Fe Gallery,  219 Delgado St, Santa Fe, NM 87501. The show is a celebration of the Southwest monsoon. Opening reception is 5 - 7 p.m. Sept 18. I look forward to meeting you there!

Solo exhibition celebrates Southwest Monsoon

Hope you can make it to my solo exhibition opening Sept. 18 in Santa Fe. See flyer for details.

La Luz Trail

This 14" x 11" plein air oil painting is a view of the northwestern section of the Sandia Mountains in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Near Season's End

This 9" x 12" oil painting of high country aspens was the third of three paintings exhibited in the Miniatures & More 2014 show at the Albuquerque Museum of Art & History.

Ghost Ranch — SOLD

Soft light of sunset on the cliffs at Ghost Ranch is the subject of this the second of three paintings exhibited in the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History Miniatures & More 2014 show. This 9" x 12" painting sold during the opening reception.

Light Show — SOLD

This is the first of three oil paintings exhibited in the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History Miniatures & More 2014 show. It measures 9" x 12" and it sold opening night.

Three Gun Spring

This is an oil painting (11" x 14") of early morning in Three Gun Spring Open Space in the Sandia Mountain range near Albuquerque. Rays of sunlight are beginning to show over the top of the mountain while some areas remain in shadow.

Sunset Brilliance

Another miniature oil (4" x 6") entered in the Masterworks of New Mexico 2014 show.

Shifting Clouds

This 4" x 6"oil was among five paintings submitted for entry in the Masterworks of New Mexico 2014 show, miniatures division.

Sunset on the Mesa

Here is another miniature (5" x 5") oil painting that was exhibited in the Masterworks of New Mexico 2014 show.

Cloud Procession

This 4"x 6" oil painting is one of several paintings I entered in the Masterworks of New Mexico 2014 show miniatures division.

Pond Lilies in Shadow

This painting (30" x 30" oil) was completed in the studio toward the end of last year. The subject is a water feature seen at the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden. The effect of dappled light on the lilies, mostly in shadow, was quiet and peaceful and is what inspired me to paint it. [The painting received an Award of Excellence at the Encantada 2014 Art Show in Albuquerque.]

Rio Pueblo Winter

A stretch of the High Road to Taos follows alongside the Rio Pueblo. New Mexico has received little snow this winter. This 14" x 11" oil is of last year's snow near the end of winter.

Rocky Shoreline

This 8" x 8" oil was begun late in the day near Santa Barbara. It is my third attempt at painting by the ocean. What beautiful and varied color there is along this sandy and rocky shoreline! I'd love to spend more time painting there.

Degrees of Separation

Here is another oil (11 x 14) painted on location during our recent trip to California. The mountainous area of the Los Padres National Forest north of Ojai was not my intended painting destination — the sunny coast. Instead, I wound up navigating switchbacks of the misty coastal range to the highest point along this stretch of highway. A creeping overcast sky and chilly autumn breeze were not what I expected on our trip to Beach Boys country. Weather like this might have been enough to stifle my creative urge if it hadn't been for the spectacular view.

During the time I spent painting at the pullout, the moody stillness was only rarely punctuated by a car far below, soon out of sight and then abruptly in my near space. There was also the seasoned cyclist who stopped to talk for a moment. He was completing his second trip of the day cycling up and down the mountain. I would still be there for his third and final time — his wife waiting to pick him up in the car just up the road. I would've been amazed had he been a younger man doing this sort of thing. He told me it was a regular routine for him. I, standing in one place for the duration with freezing hands, felt somehow shamed.

 "The mountains look different every time I am up here," he said. Probably so, but my memory of them will always be the mood of misty timelessness and space between places that are near, yet far.

Ojai Evening — SOLD

Here is a 6" x 8" oil  painting I did in Ojai during a recent trip to the California coast. The sunlight was reflecting off the mist which was slowly drifting in from the coast during the waning hours of the day. This type of brilliant atmospheric effect is common here, but not in New Mexico where I am from. I love the mood it creates.

Location for this painting was on the beautiful grounds of Ojai Private Retreat.

August Sky, Truchas

The incredibly scenic High Road to Taos passes through the old Hispanic settlement of Truchas.  Perched at an elevation of 8,400 feet, the town offers a panoramic view reminiscent of a scene from The Sound of Music. At least that's how I felt the first time I drove this route. Mountains on one side and a wide view of the valley and distant mountains on the other make you wonder how this place has remained a modest little village. I set up in town facing the drama that was unfolding between the sky and mountains to the east.  The 11" x 14" oil started out as a a plein air painting and was completed in the studio.

Summer Clouds study

This 11 x 14 oil  was completed in the studio. After the record rains we had recently in Albuquerque, only a few scattered showers remain. This could be the last of the summer rains. I'm sorry to see them go.