...and just like that...I'm back! In the last couple of weeks I have been to Nashville, Tennessee; Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos, New Mexico; Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri; with a brief stop in Dallas, Texas (...just for variety's sake and to see what they were doing). It was a grand adventure involving many friendly art galleries, a week-long painting workshop, a family wedding and a Cardinal/Mets game... a little of everything.
Once arriving in Albuquerque, I rented a car and as I ventured through the desert alone, I envisioned Georgia O'Keefe here-I was instantly inspired by her sense of adventure and the awe she must have felt when she first visited the southwest.

My first day was spent in Santa Fe where I visited some of my favorite galleries on Canyon Road. Next, I headed into higher elevations to Taos. My arrival into town was punctuated by the blue sheets of rain moving across the plains. I was enthralled by what appeared to be a big white check mark above the middle of the town, and was later informed that in fact, it was a fairly intense hailstorm that had ushered me into town-a sight not nearly as "cool" to the locals as it had appeared from my distant vantage point.
Once in Taos, I met with my friend from North Carolina, and we visited several galleries over the weekend, including my favorite, Total Arts Gallery. Thanks to Teruko Wilde for such kind attention there (we spent three hours studying the paintings in this one gallery alone--proverbial kids in a candy store).
Next, on the agenda was a week long workshop with Taos artist, Kevin Macpherson, and fourteen mostly new artist friends. If you are a regular reader here, you know that I was inspired to begin this blog because of Kevin's books about painting, so attending this workshop was a dream come true. He did not disappoint.
On the first day, we painted his lovely pond:

(202) Morning Light on the Pond
6 x 8, oil
(201) Arroya Seco
5 x 7, oil
On the second day, we visited the quaint little village of Arroya Seco. Our focus here was the separation of light and shadow families.
(200) Mountain View
6 x 8, oil
In this painting, I tried to focus on massing and creating interesting shapes in the cloud and tree masses.
I'll post more over the weekend as I continue to sort through paintings, photos, luggage, and happy memories...Happy 4th of July!
"I know now that most people are so closely concerned with themselves that they are not aware of their own individuality. I can see myself, and it has helped me to say what I want to say in paint"...Georgia O'Keefe