End of the Season

Peg Immel came over from Taos to paint at the ranch- what a beautiful day it was.  We enjoyed the warm sunshine and realized that this beautiful fall season is almost over- We painted the classic ranch view- a view of Mt Blanca from the Rio Grande River.  I never tire of painting this scene- actually it looks so different every time I paint it, how could I tire of it?

Painting at the Zapata-Medano Ranches

Coni, David and I were lucky enough to be invited to the Zapata Ranch to paint - June 27- 30.  We stayed at the ranch and had the benefit of the fantastic food and scenery that the ranch had to offer. David stayed in the lodge while Coni and I brought my camper.  The view above is right outside the camper door.  The Zapata Ranch is 103,000 acres and is at the base of Mt. Blanca and very close to the sand dunes in Southern Colorado.  There is a huge herd of bison as well as cattle with picturesque cabins and a beautiful old lodge sitting in the trees. There were a total of 28 participating artists this year consisting of wildlife and landscape painters.  I painted the above 8x10 first morning before breakfast- the view was to the east toward the Sangres.

Land of the Ducks

Well Coni and I finally got out to paint- we went to the ranch and painted into the sun- it is definitely spring here now the ducks were out in rare form making sure that everyone around could hear them for miles. This is a view toward the east with Mt. Blanca in the background.

I worked on a studio painting in a 12x36 format- from a picture I took in 1999. It took me a long time to get this painted didn't it? Well, I had fun painting this- it is a beautiful sight when Mt Blanca has just received a dusting of snow and it is the only thing that is lit by the setting sun. The painting has more contrast than I could show with this picture- I truly am not that great at editing pictures. Below is a close-up of detail.

Well, vacation time is over and although I still have a house full of college kids, I need to get back to work. Frankly, I'm relieved because I was feeling rather worthless- doing absolutely nothing for so long- it feels good to have an agenda and lists full of things to do.

The painting above was done on New Years day- Jim took off snowmobiling and I just kind of slipped away and painted this-- I was actually planning to paint this just as the sun was setting but there were some pesky clouds that thwarted my plans so this is the painting I finished. I will have to try it again when the sky is clear and it's not too cold.

I have been working on a new web page so will let you know when it has loaded. I am going to keep it simple and have had a few snags along the way- but I really do like rapidweaver- it is a good web program and I don't have to read a book to configure it.

9x12

I sit and wonder- how soon will I have before the rain hits- the clouds are moving this way but I sniff the air-" no smell of rain yet" and keep on painting. Mount Blanca is shrouded by a large ominous cloud; rain is falling there. I paint and ponder, "why do I feel as if I live in two different worlds?" and "Why is it so hard to pass back and forth between them?"

I was talking to Coni about the huge letdown that happens after coming home from a paint out. Is it exhaustion? I sincerely doubt it, because paint outs are tiring but also exhilarating at the same time. I think that it it's more the fact that trying to pass back into the role of mom, dad, or another job is difficult business.

I look at the harvested barley fields. There is something about that light ochre that entices me to paint it over and over again. I hurry to beat the rain.

Plein Air of Mount Blanca

9x12

It was a beautiful evening and I could see that most likely as the sun was setting it would hit Mt Blanca nicely. I finished cleaning up after dinner and ran over to the ranch to get set up in time. Lo and behold- the clouds stayed away long enough for me to knock out this little painting. I have faced this view many times but usually in the morning which can be too cool for my taste. This scene was warm- just what I was looking for.