Juniper in Autumn

"Juniper in Autumn", 6x8 Little Gem, oil on black gessoed board, with black edge.

If you follow my blog you know I live within walking distance of the Rio Grande.  All of the river front is native habitat and protected by the state park system.  I had no idea the trouble I was about to encounter when I decided to paint the tree.  Over and over I experienced failure.  Finally I took my canvas chair and my sketch book and sat in front of the tree until I understood it and could sketch it.  Not a tree; a BUSH!

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Sketch with finished painting

Back up photo reference

CORRALES ADOBE WALL AND GATE IV

Corrales Adobe Wall and Gate IV

The last in the series of this gate and wall.  I have loved painting it for the past few days, daily painter that I am, so for the last painting, I am looking at this nearly straight on.  The Chamisa is in full bloom, while the background cottonwood tree is quickly turning yellow.

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Corrales Adobe Wall and Gate IV
Little Gem 6x8
oil on black gessoed board

CORRALES ADOBE WALL AND GATE III

CORRALES ADOBE WALL AND GATE III

    This Little Gem (6x8 oil on black gessoed board) is the third in my series of this house, wall and gate.  I chose to paint this setting from different angles and light.  Here the light is late morning; the wall is still is shadow but not for much longer as the sun has lit the foreground quite a bit.

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CORRALES ADOBE WALL AND GATE II

Corrales Adobe Wall and Gate II
6x8 Little Gem
oil on canvas mounted with a black painted edge

         "Corrales Adobe Wall and Gate II"

     I guess you know I enjoy painting the walls and buildings of New Mexico.  Each wall is unique as all of them are built by hand.  Adobe bricks are made from a straw and mud mixture and then dried in the sun.  The adobe bricks are used to create freeform structures which are then covered with stucco.

    This particular house, wall and gate located in Corrales is weedy and unkempt.  I doubt that more than a couple of the plants were planned...most of the growth is from blown in seeds.

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Corrales Adobe Wall and Gate 

Here is yesterday's post of my first painting of
Corrales Adobe Wall and GateII.  You can see
I painted the same scene from a different angle.
Which one do you like best?  

Tomorrow I will post a third painting of the same location.

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CORRALES ADOBE WALL AND GATE

Corrales Adobe Wall and Gate
Little Gem
6x8 oil on canvas mounted

"Corrales Adobe Wall and Gate"

    Just like Santa Fe and the Albuquerque Old Town area, Corrales, New Mexico has quaint old stucco structures.  I am painting a series of this particular gate and house.  For the first in the series, I chose afternoon sun.

    This painting is also featured in the dailypaintworks.com contest.  To bid on this painting, click here.  If you prefer to BUY IT NOW rather than participate in the auction, that option is now available.

    My Little Gems have a black painted edge so they look great in a floater frame or mounted on tabletop easel.  All my paintings are suitable for framing.

Paseo del Bosque Trail: SALE PROCEEDS DONATED TO FRIENDS OF THE BOSQUE

Paseo del Bosque Trail
Little Gem
6x8 oil on canvas mounted

PASEO DEL BOSQUE TRAIL
   
This trail runs along the Rio Grande and just a few blocks from the sorghum field grown for the wintering birds.  The sorghum field is ready for harvest but hasn't been prepared.

Many of you have been following my bike adventures and my watchful eye for the big birds migrating south.  The sandhill cranes have
arrived but due to government shutdown, all fish and wildlife employees have been furloughed leaving the birds' winter habitat unprepared and with little for the birds to eat.  The sandhill crane is a species that nearly vanished in the early 20th century before efforts were made to restore their habitat.  For more information on Friends of the Bosque del
Apache National Wildlife Refuge, click here.

All proceeds from the sale of Paseo del Bosque Trail will be donated to Friends of the Bosque.  Click here to purchase on dailypaintworks.com

Sorghum Harvest
Little Gem
6x8 oil on canvas mourned

SORGHUM HARVEST II

Additionally all proceeds from the sale of Sorghum Harvest II will be donated to Friends of the Bosque.  Please help get these fields prepared for the birds.

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Acequia en otono SOLD

Acequia en otono
Little Gem
6x6 oil on canvas mounted

Acequia en Otono  SOLD

    "irrigation ditch in autumn"

    The colors along this ditch sing.  They are vivid, lively and joyful.  The ditch was surging with water and will continue to have water in it only until November 1st.  Then I guess it's time for the fields and streams to rest for four months of winter.

     I don't ride my bike along here as much as I like to walk.  This trail leads to the Open Space Center which has viewing platforms to watch the wintering birds without interrupting their life.  Just a few geese have arrived; no big birds yet.

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Spring Garden, South Carolina SOLD

Spring Garden, South Carolina
Little Gem
6x8 oil on canvas, mounted

SPRING GARDEN, SOUTH CAROLINA  SOLD

    Here is my favorite landscape subject: a flower garden.  When I visit South Carolina in the spring, I find it very difficult to leave.  Charleston is a town of beauty and history.

    I had trouble painting the grass as there are so many greens.  Initially my green was too cool which caused the entire painting to be almost completely cool.  I think I am happy with it now, but if you have suggestions for improvement, I would love to hear them.

   Because this Little Gem has a black painted edge, it looks great in a mahogany frame, a floater frame, or displayed on a tabletop easel.

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Fjord Spring

Fjord Spring
Little Gem
6x8 oil on canvas mounted

"Fjord Spring" 6x8 oil on canvas mounted on board with a black painted edge, suitable for framing or placing on a tabletop easel.

Norway is about landscapes, water, mountains, snow, waterfalls and varying landscapes based on a number of latitudes.  The color most often seen if BLUE.  This painting is the essence of peace and tranquility.

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Flam Valley, Norway II

Flam Valley, Norway II
Little Gem
oil on canvas mounted on board

FLAM VALLEY, NORWAY II"


Landscapes are my favorite genre.  Norway is my favorite European country.  If you haven't been there, you surely must go.  The walls of the fjords are very steep and beautiful.  Water flows from melting snow creating thundering powerful falls.  The smart Norwegians channel the falls into huge tubes which are part of their power plants (hidden in the mountains) used to generate electricity.

Peace is the essence of this painting.  Peace and beauty.

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Magnolia Gardens

Magnolia Gardens

It is wonderful to be painting flowers and gardens again since I was faithful during the thirty day challenge to paint only New Mexico.  But I travel whenever I can for the purposes of enjoyment and my art.   Spring at Magnolia Gardens finds azaleas everywhere.  Being there to walk the gardens, sketch the scene and the colors and smell the fragrances is truly wonderful.  This is a lovely little painting, suitable for framing or for displaying on a tabletop easel. 

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Magnolia Gardens
6x8 Little Gem
oil on canvas mounted

THE QUEEN'S BOULEVARD

The Queen's Boulevard
Little Gem
6x8 oil on canvas mounted

The Queen's Boulevard is finished.  I found out  how much attention I pay to negative space when painting.   I am beginning to realize that when a painting isn't working, much of the time it is because my negative space doesn't work.  

I named this painting "The Queen's Boulevard" because this very long row of azaleas (or could the flowers be rhododendrons?) actually line a street in Denmark leading to the Queen's summer residence.  And yes, the queen was at home while I studied her residence, grounds and watched the changing of the guards.

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The Queen's Boulevard: step by step

                                                       THE QUEEN'S BOULEVARD

I am always interested in painting flowers.  For a long while I painted them up close and large.  But with the thirty day challenge of September, I painted only that which I saw in New Mexico.  Now I am considering a series of landscapes which include flower gardens.   I especially like the flower gardens in the southeastern part of the USA...South Carolina in particular.                                                      

Blocking In

After toning the canvas with a light red, I blocked in the setting using a palette knife and heavy chunks of color.

Defining

I have been defining the painting for a bit now

The Queen's Boulevard
Little Gem
oil on canvas mounted museum board

and I like the strength of the colors but am be-
ginning to see a slight change in composition
will be an improvement.













I felt by adding more sky the painting would
"open up" more.  Though years of study and knowing painting guidelines, intuition is a big part of creating a successful painting for me.  How do I feel about it?  Do I want the background trees in focus or not?

 I still see areas I want to improve as I lost the angle of the flowers on the left that had been  correctly placed in the above "defining" stage.  Tomorrow this will be finished and will be available on dailypaintworks.com

AND THE WINNER IS....

SHARON BLOOM....you are the winner!  Congratulations!  Choose a Little Gem from dailypaintworks.com. 

French Country House
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I have several Little Gems and Larger paintings available through the New Mexico Cancer Center .  The Cancer Center takes a percentage of the artist's sales to assist cancer patients.  "French Country House" is just one of ten paintings I currently have available there.