Looking Forward to 2014 After Wonderful Christmas and Inspiration

We had a wonderful Christmas this year and a visit from our daughter to spend the holidays with us.  This was the first Christmas we've spent together in probably 20 years and the first in our home in New Mexico. It was a great time. We visited Old Town Albuquerque and though we've taken our daughter before, this time we visited The Rattlesnake Museum and bought some rattlesnake mugs (like the ones Craig Ferguson uses on his Late Late Show). Here is a picture of the three mugs we bought while there. Taking her to the airport for a 6 a.m. flight back to California was a little crazy and though we were a little concerned she might not make her flight (very crowded) she did make it.  It was our first experience watching them de-ice an airplane before take off too.

Here are two paintings I've worked on in the past few days of 2013.  The first is a small 4x6" watercolor with gold and silver pen embellishment I'm calling "Abstracted Forest Hillside", it is on watercolor postcard.  The second is something I started in an
icon workshop though dropped out of the class and finished it on my own with my own interpretation.  So the title of this painting is "My Version, Lady With Roses" which is now multimedia because of the combination of oil paint, gold pen, fabric roses hot glued onto the 9x12" board.

Today is the day for removing all the Christmas decorations and preparing for a brand new year.  I am looking forward to a bright new year of 2014 and so motivated and inspired by all the new connections I've made with other artists on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. I am very grateful for the generous support and encouragement they give me along with wonderful insights, tips and beautiful inspiration through their own artwork.  The photograph I took of this sunset reminds me what a bright, beautiful and inspiring 2014 this can be, if I just keep my mind and attitude looking toward the light and the wonderful inspiration and blessings God has in store for me.

Halfway Through November - Special Times

November started out with a bang for us as we drove from our home here in New Mexico over to California for a family wedding.  What a wonderful time we had, the weather was good for traveling, we enjoyed special time with different family members and loved being at the wedding of my husband's great nephew and his new bride.  Here are some pictures we took at the photo booth at the wedding (of my husband and myself and our daughter with two of our great nieces).

To the left is a picture of a painting I call "Stuck in the Seaweed", it is on 8"x10" on canvas and was donated to a raffle at a local non profit event.  It started out as an oil painting though after painting over a store bought Halloween mask as part of our wedding gift, the day of the dead style somehow transferred to this painting making it multimedia.

The painting to the right is an original oil painting I finished

about three weeks ago, it is on 8"x10" wood panel.  This morning I titled this painting "Empty & Earnestly - Where Did My Friend Go?" As I started this painting almost a month ago I was beginning to let go of my sister-in-law who died last year from brain cancer and all the feeling of loss and confusion about what happened to the close friendship I was always so grateful for that seemed to be absent during her illness.  I put the painting aside after finishing it and last night as I was writing and thinking about the past year and all that has happened realized that this painting represents the beauty I always found in Rosa and how empty I felt visiting her the last few times.  I don't know where my dear friend went in her illness though I do know that today she is in no pain, with the God of my understanding and that I will always love and treasure her and our friendship and special memories.

Fall in New Mexico

Viewed from Rio Grande Blvd yesterday of the beautiful fall color with the Sandia Mountains in the background, I was able to capture this picture. There is something special about fall in New Mexico.

We had out of state family visit and enjoyed showing them the beauty of New Mexico, Balloon Fiesta, the bosque area and hiking along the Rio Grande as well as sampling local favorite foods and buying some chili to take back with them.

I dabbled with fun artwork while thinking about serious issues and problems friends deal with.  Here is some artwork I did taking a break from my favorite oil paintings and in trying to convey my love and concern for family and friends.

Yesterday I was pleasantly surprised to receive an unexpected gift from my brother of some gourmet chocolate dipped strawberries. I feel so blessed, loved and appreciated and grateful to have all the family and friends I do.

We are moving into my favorite time of the year and celebrations of life, love, thanksgiving and relationships.  My husband and I will celebrate 30 years of marriage next month and with that marriage brought to me the gift of a daughter and a group of people who have helped me grow into a more loving, kinder person.  I just want to thank my husband and the Gomez family for all their love and support all these years.

Some Painting and Enjoying Beautiful, Cooler Weather

It has been a wonderful transition for us into fall here in New Mexico.  Paintings I've done in the last few weeks started with finishing the birdhouses I started to give as love gifts to friends.  The "sketch" I did next I finished off with gold pen and think the title "New Mexico Color" seemed quite appropriate.  Here is a picture of it.

I then did my 4"x6" postcard submission for the Twitter Art Exhibit coming up in February 2014 in Orlando, FL.  This one I named "Artist's Gold, Santa Fe, New Mexico".  A friend suggested maybe we need to go over to Orlando to be there in person.  What a wonderful idea!!!

I had an oil painting I decided to bring out and rework and like it much better now.  This is a 20"x16" original oil on canvas I title "Nature's Blazing Sun".

The past week has been beautiful fall weather and with Balloon Fiesta beginning last Saturday perfect weather for visitors from so many different states and countries.  We are expecting family this next week and very excited they're coming at such a beautiful time of the year, just before the leaves fall. 

We were pleasantly surprised this morning seeing this
balloon right over our house and to hear, as I was saying to my husband "wow, look there's a balloon right over the house", "hi there, how you doing?" from the people in the balloon. 

What a wonderful time to be alive, enjoying beautiful fall weather and New Mexico!

Three Birdhouses Painted, One to Go!

Up late last night finishing the painting of another birdhouse for a friend so that makes three done with one to go.  Here's a picture of the back of the latest one I finished in the wee hours this morning.  I enjoy this "fun" painting as a break from my oil painting.

I also plan on participating in the twitter art exhibit in 2014 in Orlando, FL and will be preparing something for that once I'm finished with my current birdhouses and order some supplies from Dick Blick.

Where My Inspiration Comes From - the Beauty that is New Mexico!!!

Ahhhh yes, the beauty of New Mexico.  The picture to the left is one I took as my husband drove down Tramway in Albuquerque, New Mexico of the Sandia Mountains the end of August 2013 while enjoying some monsoon showers and crisp air and skies.  There is just so much genuine beauty and natural inspiration here that it seems pictures don't even do it justice.

We also recently went to the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum and New Mexico Museum of Art to view traveling shows of Georgia O'Keeffe's artwork and some of the Taos artists.  I'm so inspired by such artists as Blumenschein, Duton, Sharp, Berninghaus, Couse and fortunate to live nearby such wonderful museums and galleries to view many of them up close and personal.  I fell in love with Blumenschein's work with a visit to the Albuquerque Museum, of which my husband and I are now members of.

One Ongoing Project Finished - Moving On

So here are some pictures of the ongoing painting on a flowerpot I've been doing for awhile, finally finished.  I think it turned out nicely.

Alive & Well - R&R in our RV & Continuing Projects

Honestly, I have not vanished from the face of the earth though after a very busy time and finishing up some ongoing projects I took a brief absence of posting. Will try and catch you up with a few pictures.

First is a picture of a friend with his finished oil painting of the cranes from photos he'd taken at Bosque de Apache.  I'm so glad he liked it and continues to gift me with beautiful photos he's taken that are so inspiring to me.


Another friend gifted me with two beautiful handmade birdhouses and after thinking long and hard about it decided that rather than gift them to anyone else I have begun painting both to give back to her.

My husband and I took a few days to relax in the Jemez Mountains in our RV.  It was beautiful and we were pleased with afternoon monsoons and healing rains.  I did some painting while there.

"Tranquil Waters"

Coming home from RVing we thought our resident
hummingbirds had departed though after filling the two feeders in our backyard they returned as evidenced by this photo I took the other day.  The flower seed I scattered months ago is sprouting everywhere and I hope to have some beautiful pictures of that to post soon.  Life is good and New Mexico is always inspiring and beautiful for me.

Busy Past Few Days though Most Projects Now Finished

It has been busy the past few weeks though I'm happy to say I've now completed most of the projects I'd been working on. I finished painting three friendship recipe plaques and one has already been delivered to my dear friend. To the left is a picture of the three finished plaques.

Next I finished an oil painting of cranes for another friend but won't post pictures of that painting until after I give it to him and his wife. I hope they really like it, I painted from photos he'd taken at Bosque de Apache in southern New Mexico and rather than just copy I put together several photos into one composition.

front view

side view

Lastly I finished painting a birdhouse to be presented to a dear friend coming from AZ to participate in a local event as thanks for her generous sharing and will post pictures of the different sides of the birdhouse. I had already posted in an earlier post the other side that had an eagle painted so won't post a picture of that side again.

view of back

Two Paintings Finished Three Days Ago

I've been busy painting the past few days.

Three days ago I finished an original oil painting I'd started on a thrift store bought handmade gallery wrapped 10"x10" canvas. "Mountainside View" is shown in the photo at the left.  This painting will be donated for a raffle coming up soon.

I also picked up an oil painting I had done a couple of years ago and the photo at the right shows an abstract reworked and finished on 8"x10" canvas panel. I named this one "Fall Tree Blur".

Out of State Visitors and Continuing on a Few Projects

This morning we were blessed with an unusual sight of clouds rolling over and
enveloping the Sandia Mountains due to the return of our monsoons and much needed and appreciated rain to New Mexico.  Here's a picture I took this morning.

We had old friends visit and spend the night with us from out of state on Friday.  I worked with them at the U.S. Forest Service in Rimforest and the Arrowhead Ranger Station in the San Bernardino Mountains of California and hadn't seen them in 15 or more years.  They got a respite from the heat of Borrego Springs and we got to enjoy catching up and showing them a little of our area.

Here are some pictures of some of the artwork I've been working on with some ongoing projects.  I have a ways to go before I'm finished but am taking my time and enjoying the process.

Another Beautiful New Mexico Sunset Seen Last Night from Our Backyard

We have been blessed with much needed rain the past week or so and last night, as we sat in our backyard looking east, this is the beautiful sunset we saw.  Of course I had to go grab my camera and am so glad I did.

Once again we've had rain tonight, though lighter than it has been here in our neighborhood.  Santa Fe and the west side of Albuquerque are being pounded and having some flooding and though very grateful for much needed rain I hope that all traveling to and in the area especially in the afternoons keep an eye on the sky and the weather and stay safe.

Busy Painting and Planting and Excited to Have Out of State Friends

A couple of weeks ago my husband taped off a section of our back wall and
prepped it with white primer and last week I painted in the sky and background mountains with some foreground.  Here is a picture of it in process.

Yesterday I finished the wall painting, planted flowers
and added garden soil and compost to our garden.
I've planted wildflowers, butterfly and hummingbird flower seed and cosmos and they are just beginning to grow and bloom.  Here are pictures from yesterday after finishing.

This morning the white paint drips below the wall painting were driving the artist in me crazy so I got my brushes and paints out and painted over.  I actually pleasantly surprised myself at the finished picture I'll show you here, as you can't even tell there were paint drips.

We are now done with the backyard preparation for out of state friends I used to work with at the Forest Service coming to visit as well as some family members this month.