Hi out there again it’s been a while, a month and a half since my last Post. We were in Las Cruses, New Mexico freezing our butts off. Before this southern freeze it was great, but at 4100 feet and the weather patterns being what they are these days who knew. We took a trip to Fort Worth, Tx. to visit family and had to drive back to Las Cruses, 654 Miles, in snow and ice and they are not prepared for that here. The last 40 miles from El Paso to Las Cruses was at 15 mph in FWD, cars everywhere in the ditches. They closed the highway at Las Cruses. Need I say more -14C or 7F is not my idea of fun times. We are now nice and warm in Florence Arizona about 65 miles SE of Phoenix, it is raining here but not snowing. Before the freeze, Louise had me hiking the Organ mountains, White Sands National Monument and biking all over the city of Las Cruses and out to a small village of Mesilla really great old buildings back to 1848. FYI (http://www.oldmesilla.org/html/history_of_mesilla.html) Las Cruses is worth a visit, Great Mexican food, and lots to see and do.
I took lots of pictures there and painted one of the doorways from Mesilla ( see below) I love this Spanish type architecture it really lends itself to the palette knife but I have to learn not to put so much detail into the painting, I have to get looser, still too tight. I like the intense sunlight on the wall and streaming through the cracks in the door. This is a time when the sunlight works for me not a panoramic view where the sun washes the colour out.
The second painting is of Northern New Mexico, We went on a drive from Santa Fe to the Ghost Ranch area. This is famous for Georgia O’Keeffe’s painting of the ranch and I can see why any painter would be drawn to the area unbelievable south west scenes. I was lucky when we were there that it was a cloudy day with breaks of sunlight streaming through and illuminating the rock faces, tons contrast, heavy skies, deep shadows and really bright accents. Still working on the reds of the rocks in the sunlight I am not happy with them. In Las Cruses there was a well stocked art supply shop so I pick up some “Indian Red” and I will play with this colour for the rocks. I do not have many reds in my palette do not need them for up north greens and water/skies, so this will be fun.
Note to all; when traveling try to keep you art stocks up, it is a long way between good art stores.
I am starting a new painting today. Yesterday between the rains I walked out from our site to snap some pictures of the clouds and desert with the Saguaro Cactus, turned to the east and there was a beautiful vibrant rainbow. Right place at the right time luck. I am going to try this cliché painting, but what the hey. No red rocks in this painting but again contrast and colour, can’t get my head around the subtle colours, but maybe next time.
Well that’s it for now,
Brian
Mesilla
Ghost Ranch
