Art Supplies Arrived Yesterday - Had to Use my New Schminke Watercolors

Received an order from Dick Blick for a few art items yesterday and after installing my 30"x40" original oil painting "Old Fashioned View of New Mexico" #480 Cumbres Toltec Railroad in the ordered frame and temporarily placing it in our family room, thought I would try out my new Schminke watercolors.  You would think that I would tire of this particular floral that I took photos of when we lived in Cherry Valley, CA tho you would be wrong.  Hence the name of this small original watercolor on 4"x6" Canson Postcard (I also received with my order) is "Repetitious Floral".  Now to rest after updating this page and enjoy some football with my husband.

Challenge 9 - Let's Paint New Mexico Submission Painted this Morning

Waking up this morning to rather cold weather temperature outside showing between 10 and 20 degrees and I've been wanting to do another submission for the Let's paint New Mexico Art Blog so decided to start painting this morning.  To the left is my submission for Challenge 9 for the art blog.

I'm also enjoying many new art connections on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn which is quite inspiring and motivational for me.  I hope that 2013 will be a wonderful new time of renewal, refreshing and reconnecting with old friends and making many new ones.  I am so excited and happy to be alive and always growing emotionally, spiritually and artistically.

Happy to post that once posted to Facebook, this blog and Twitter this painting has been sold.

After Christmas Pre New Year's Resting & Creative Process

  Christmas day as I was unwrapping the ham my husband had requested I cook for dinner from the netting it was wrapped in I was reminded how dangerous our civilization is to our native birds and creatures.  I am an avid lover of nature, the birds and animals and have, for years, cut up whatever netting or plastic that comes from the grocery store that birds could get caught up in and either killed or maimed from.  So ... getting angry as I unwrapped this ham the first watercolor painting done on 5"x7" Canson Watercolor Paper was born which I titled "Protect Our Environment" - Netting Kills.  The second was just something that, after my anger about the netting subsided, came about in a more peaceful and thoughtful way and somehow it reminds me a bit of the scales of a fish tho it remains untitled for now.  

The third painting began as a watercolor tho when I discovered I'd dripped a large spot on the upper left part of the painting I used some acrylic paint there and in the foreground right. Upon noticing a pen spill surrounding the apple in this painting I decided to try and disguise it with the pen dots around the apple itself.  Thus this painting which is a combination watercolor, acrylic, pen on Canson 8"x11.5" Drawing Paper I titled "Convluted Still".

Painting Done in my Art Studio December 23rd, 2013 -- Missed My Studio & Painting

"Canyon Splendor"
4x6" oil on wood panel

"Eye of the beholder"
oil on 4x6" wood panel

Yesterday, Sunday, December 23rd I thought I'd just go paint a little in my art studio but realized once I started painting that I guess I had alot of stored up "something" because I couldn't seem to put down that paint brush.  I have to say that I really did NOT want to post some of the painting I did though in being open and honest, as I've learned to be, I strive to be true to myself as an artist and what my process truly is.  I painted on five paintings tho haven't been able to get a good photo of the last one so will post that one later.

"Don't Try This at Home"
oil on 7x7" writing paper

Back Home After Pre-Christmas Visit to California

"Christmas Ornaments"

"Fall in Redlands"

Just back from a 12 day pre-Christmas visit to California to see our family there and help support a family member having surgery.  Funny how now that I've gotten back into the habit of doing artwork more consistently even being away from home I decided to take my watercolors and sketch pad and found time to do a couple of pieces just to keep the creative juices flowing.

The drive from New Mexico to California was uneventful with wonderful weather and while in Redlands, CA we had a few days of rain which was very refreshing and almost felt like you could HEAR the trees and plants soaking it all up.  We left Redlands and visited family in Lancaster, CA and the day before we left had quite a bit of wind with some rain and that storm moved across the states and was to be hitting our area of New Mexico the day we left to drive home.  Surprisingly to us it was beautiful and clear every mile that we traveled leaving around 9:45am from Lancaster and arriving home in Rio Rancho, New Mexico just at 10pm (had to stop and pick up a turkey and swiss sub from Dion's Pizza before coming home that we'd phoned in ... smile).  We had heard the weather was very tricky around Continental Divide, New Mexico and watching the outside temperature it did get down to 10 degrees there though we were safe and warm in the car as well as the roads being totally clear and tho we did see snow along the way it was not a problem.

View of San Francisco Peak from Williams, Arizona

Christmas has always been a very special time of the year and holiday for me and this year even though we decided because of this trip we wouldn't get a tree or really decorate our house as we normally do because of being out of the area we feel very blessed that we got to enjoy some special time with our family BEFORE Christmas this year.

Having a multicultural family and friends from all walks of life I'd like to wish you all, no matter what religious affiliation or none, a very meaningful and joyful holiday season and Merry Christmas. May the spirit guide, protect and bless you.

"Corrales Harvest" Acrylic on 5"x7" Canson Watercolor Greeting Card

"Corrales Harvest"
5x7" acrylic

A friend mentioned the blog "Let's Paint New Mexico" at http://www.letspaintnewmexico.com/ and after checking it out I decided I wanted to participate. I painted this acrylic on 5"x7" Canson Greeting Card I'm calling "Corrales Harvest" for Challenge 8, my version. What fun and something new and exciting to do with some other New Mexican artists.  I just love all the art connections I'm making.

I submitted this little painting for the "Let's Paint New Mexico" art blog but there was some type of misunderstanding and it wasn't included in Challenge 8. I'm hoping in the future you'll be able to see and compare my own and other artist's version of a photo presented for different artists to paint.