Fall In Taos

11x14 oil on stretched cotton canvas
$350 (email me if interested)

Back in October 2007 I painted Taos October. When I painted this smaller version I had barely started painting full time. For Taos October, I wanted to try and paint a lot freer and looser than I had been painting. I like looking at it hanging on my studio wall to remind me to paint more with feeling than worrying so much with techniques. I have always liked this photograph, so I decided to give it a try again now that I have been painting for a year. I believe I like it more. It doesn't look quite as flat as the smaller one. I do still like the first one though.

Old Chimayo Plaza

9x12 oil on canvas panel
$200 (email me if interested)

My last trip to Santa Fe I stayed at a Bed & Breakfast in Chimayo which is on the grounds of the historic Plaza del Cerro. The buildings date back to the 1700's. It included the home of the Ortega family, the post office and town merchantile til the
1950's. I am always drawn toward old adobe because of the colors and forms. In this painting I pushed myself to use more than local colors. I wanted to express what the sun and shadows can do to these beautiful earthen walls.

Mail Delivery

6x8 oil on cotton canvas panel
$75 (email me if interested)

The colors in New Mexico are the best. I just can't get enough of painting with the sage greens, shades of violets and the golden hues of adobe. This particular scene with the leaning mailboxes was found on Canyon Road, probably the most expensive real estate found in Santa Fe. Go figure. I really like the rabbitbrush with its sage green leaves and bright golden yellow flowers that bloom in the fall. I went on a website of native plants from New Mexico and they said this plant was heat tolerant, can grow in poor soil and most importantly deer resistant. Here in the Texas hill country we are constantly fighting the deer eating every plant in our yard. I may order some seeds and give them a try.

Chimayo Cafe

6x8 oil on cotton canvas panel
$75(email me if interested)

In the small town of Chimayo, New Mexico, on the High Road to Taos(Hwy 76) you will find one of the most photographed and painted churches in New Mexico. It is the Santuario de Chimayo known for its "Holy Dirt". Inside you will find a small room with a pit in the floor. Every year thousands of people make a pilgrimage to the church to take away a bit of the sacred dirt. What struck me, were the small family businesses that have sprung up around the church trying to make a living off of the tourists coming to see the church. You can buy pens, refrigerator magnets, and candles with an image of the church printed on them. A visitor can also sit across from the church and sip on a cold drink. Does this marketing take away from the miraculous healing power found in the church?
My painting is of the front entrance to one of the cafes. The deep red of chile ristra looks great next to this southwest blue color.