Family distractions… not so bad

Simon and his sweet Anna-Karin visited for 10-11 days and it was hard to leave them to go to the studio. We saw and did a lot of stuff around Santa Fe, it was a good, really good time. But today I was able to focus well in the studio again. While driving through the desert landscapes I have been observing how the light works and how the distant mountains look. Work in progress… but tomorrow we are off for a few days of serious ranch work.

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Big surprise!

… I am actually pretty pleased with this! Maybe because I had no expectations and since I have been avoiding it for so long. This piece is 60 x 120 cm (about 24″ x 48″). I need to come up with a title. The dog is our neighbors’ wonderful Sammie, she was a fantastic hiking buddy. The river is Rio Grande and the flat area is Calabasa Arroyo. I may be galloping in that arroyo tomorrow. Sammie is looking out from Buckman Mesa. Los Alamos, where the atom bomb was invented, is a short distance to the right. Maybe the title should simply be “Hiking with Sammie”?

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Back to school again…

This has to be one of the most difficult paintings I have worked on. As I have said many times: I am not a landscape painter. Not a good one, anyways. But I have been painting a lot of landscapes recently and I always feel like I am way outside my comfort zone, but some of my recent landscapes I am pretty happy with! But it takes a while to see them with fresh eyes. Now, this one is different. I have to use a lot of imagination and I must remind myself to add layers upon layers of paint to create depth and texture. And it takes a lot of patience to keep working when it looks flat and ugly. This piece has been sitting in my studio for a long time and I have been avoiding it, but now I am at work on it again and am actually enjoying it! I have no idea if it will turn out ok, but that does not really matter so much. I just consider it a good practice in painting. A long way to go still…

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New Lines

I am returning to my Lines. They are fun to make! Here is Lines No. 24, 48 x48 cm, oil and graphite on birch plywood.

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Seriously distracted

Not much has been done in the studio lately, but I am back and things are happening again. I have been distracted by ranch life and my new passion: horses. I have to admit I am getting a bit obsessed about learning as much as I possibly can about riding and being around horses. I am a late beginner and there is a LOT to learn. Last week at the amazing Canyon of the Ancients Guest Ranch, I helped ranch hand Trevor move the cows from a remote area on the ranch back to green pastures and water. It has not rained since September and it is dry out there. I am riding the Morgan horse they have had at the ranch for some years. His name is Little Dan, but I have re-named him Rambo, since he can be rambunctious – he has hardly been ridden in the past two years and he needs a lot of re-training. He is a beautiful horse! The last picture is showing young cows around some bales of hay – seven of the heifers will be ours tomorrow!

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