STARRY NIGHT PLEIN AIR PAINT OUT HAPPENING NOW!

YOU ARE INVITED!  

I was out painting painting in Corrales yesterday for this week long paint out event. Thankfully the weather is cooling a bit.  I will post a photos of my paintings on Thursday.

Take a look at some of the images of Corrales.  I hope to get back to these locations during this week.

Villa Acequia Art Exhibit 

Sept. 5^th, 6^th, 7^th
10 am – 5 pm

4829 Corrales Road

Free Admission 

ABIQUIU, NEW MEXICO....gorgeous Georgia O'Keeffe Country

VISIT TO ABIQUIU, NEW MEXICO

Fall in New Mexico

 and time to paint outdoors in the clear mountain air

Northern New Mexico Georgia O'Keeffe country  

My husband and I spent a wonderful day in Abiquiu visiting many artists' open studios.  Abiquiu and Ghost Ranch are favorite places of mine.  The Pedernal mountain was something Georgia O'Keeffe loved to paint.

Georgia O'Keeffe is well known for her love of New Mexico as depicted in her art. She came to New Mexico in 1929 as a guest of Mabel Dodge Luhan who was part of an arts and literary circle in Taos. 

Beginning in the mid-30's she lived and worked at her home at Ghost Ranch. In 1945  she purchased a second home down the road in Abiquiu. She walked in the desert and painted the New Mexico landscapes until her failing eyesight forced her to stop in 1984. She died, in Santa Fe, in 1986.

Abiquiu is believed to have been settled by Indians from Mesa Verde who abandoned the area in 1500. By the mid-1700's, Spain colonized the region by deeding land grants to the Christianized Indians who were affiliated with the Spanish. It is believed that parts of Georgia O'Keeffe's home may date back to this period, perhaps 1760.

The adobe home in the village of Abiquiu has been left much as it was when O'Keeffe lived there. When Georgia O'Keeffe purchased the property it was in ruins. The walled compound is set on the edge of a mesa and the view, itself, is worth having a home in that location. Over the next three years, O'Keeffe worked with her friend, Maria Chabot, to renovate the property. She added gardens and innovative architectural detail.

The cottonwood trees hadn't completely turned yellow; my hope is to find a day in my painting schedule to return to Abiquiu within two weeks when fall is in full glory.

PORTRAIT OF A TREE

PORTRAIT OF  A TREE

Let me tell you the truth...

Ready?

I participated in a weeklong plus three days

Starry Night Plein Air Event

in 

Corrales

New Mexico

The below painting is my 

FAVORITE

But...

it couldn't be counted as plein air

as this crazy tree had a mind and limbs of its own 

that didn't compute to any tree I knew

So tree and I fought

and I had to paint more than the maximum of the allowable 20% in the studio

Plein air paintings must be 80% done in fresh air.

Portrait of a Tree
12x9
Beautifully framed
Click here to purchase.

At 8 AM, I couldn't see the tree's shape
What was behind the tree and what was the tree?

Two days later I came back and took a photo of this apple tree from a kneeling position
Ah...I see the limbs...
Who trimmed this tree like this anyway?????
Does it produce more apples if it is a caricature?

Webster Dictionary:  caricature
  "1. exaggeration by means of often ludicrous distortion of parts or characteristics"

I had to edit out the entire orchard back in my studio
and paint sky behind the tree in order for the tree to be
seen as a portrait

Lesson learned from this:
Draw first
Paint later

LINKS NOW WORKING! Helping You Celebrate the Holidays.

  HOLIDAY SPECIALS

   It is that truly wonderful time of year and I am in the mood.  How could I not be with wonderful friends, family and an upcoming trip to Norway for Christmas.  Yes, really.

    Until December 15, I have four very special framed paintings on sale at 25% off, shipping within the USA included.  Click on the links below the painting photos to purchase on my website.

http://www.carolhopper.com/store/p3/%22Blustery_Day%22.html

http://www.carolhopper.com/store/p9/%22El_Fuerte_River%22.html

http://www.carolhopper.com/store/p14/%22El_Molina_Grand_de_Sapello%22.html

Add capthttp://www.carolhopper.com/store/p27/Taos_Vista.htmlion

CRANE FESTIVAL: ALBUQUERQUE

 CRANE FESTIVAL…..photos taken with my iPhone.

      I am very blessed to live so near the Rio Grande, within walking distance of it and the Open Space fields for the wintering geese and cranes.  Many of you followed my blog during September's thirty day challenge to paint thirty paintings in thirty days and on those blog posts I talked about the flyway, the sorghum fields and my wait for the birds.

     This weekend the Open Space center held many activities, including music, a play, and art activities for the kids.

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.

Click here to bid or Buy It Now on dailypaintworks.com

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.

    Click here to bid or "Buy It Now" on dailypaintworks.com

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.

  Click here to bid or  "Buy it Now" on daily paintworks.com.

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.

Click here to bid or "Buy it Now" on dailypaintworks.com

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.

Day Thirty: Corrales Church

In thanksgiving to all of you, I have posted a church today.  I am thankful for your support.    The Corrales Church is solid adobe, the walls probably are two feet thick.  It is cool in the summer and warms up in the winter.  I love the light and shadow on the church.

STAYED TUNED as tomorrow is the drawing for the free Little Gem...the winner chooses!

Please stay tuned to my blog as I am a daily painter and will continue to post a couple times a week.  You will definitely want to hear and see Norway at Christmas time...coming to you from the Arctic Region, the Russian and Swedish borders.  

THANK YOU Leslie Saeta for setting up the challenge!

Click here to purchase on dailypaintworks.com

Corrales Church
Little Gem 6x8
oil on museum board

Day Twenty Six: Warm Light on the Mountains SOLD

Warm Light on the Mountains
Little Gem
6x8 oil on museum board

Not today, but I stood in this area and painted plein air a few Septembers ago.  Painting this scene outdoors was very difficult because the desert seemed forbidding and harsh.  In reality it is, because plants must survive drought, wind, and heat.  The beauty was in the mountains.

So back in the studio, I let the painting rest...yes, for two years.  Today I painted the Little Gem, working from the larger plein air painting and a photograph but just for a while.  Then I turned to my imagination and just painted.

Click here to buy on dailypaintworks.com.

Day Twenty-Two: "Clouds Lifting"

Lifting Clouds
Little Gem
6x8 oil on canvas mounted

Can you believe I am within eight days of finishing the challenge.  I know I can do it now!

The state fair ends today here in Albuquerque and I am curious how the attendance has been.  We've had some rain during the fair, and desert people stay away from the fair when it rains.

But as you can see in my painting the clouds lift, and often the sun is out during the day.  The sorghum field is no longer bright yellow.

Sometimes I struggle with a painting; not this one.  There is more brushwork in this painting than palette knife, but both were used.

Click here to buy on dailypaintworks.com

Day Nineteen: The Fairest of them All SOLD

FUNNY STORY TODAY ABOUT THIS GRANDMOTHER'S BIKE DRIVING!

   The rain has let up and I am back on the bike worrying whether or not the rain has destroyed these tiny white and rose flowers.  I saw them several days back, but where.  My bike ride is ten miles in length,  five miles each way.  I feel as though I must find these little flowers today.  It is my last chance.  I have finished with about two-thirds of my ride and I haven't seen them...until...suddenly there they are!  I applied my bike brakes so hard, I left an eight foot skid mark on the black top of the bike trail.  I scrambled down this wet muddy bank...and now you see the result.

Click here to buy this painting on Daily Paintworks.com.

The Fairest of Them All
Little Gem
6x8 oil on canvas mounted

Day Fifteen: Alemada Wetland II SOLD

Alemeda Wetland II
Little Gem
6x8 oil on canvas mounted

To see into this wetland, one must go into a "duck blind" so no wildlife is disturbed.  Besides ducks, geese, and cranes that winter in Albuquerque, there are mammals in this wetland.  There are two Canada Geese enjoying the wetland on this day, though no other geese have yet arrived from the north (September).

I really loved painting the two wetland scenes and sharing them as I know most people have no idea the desert southwest has this...and right in my city of Albuquerque.

It has been raining cats and dogs in Albuquerque for several days now.  I am so grateful I got photos of the flowering desert plants as I expect, when I can next get on my bike, that the blossoms have all been knocked off.  Maybe not; desert plants are a hardy lot!

To purchase or bid on this painting, click here.

Day Fourteen: Alemada Wetland I SOLD

Alemada Wetland I
Little Gem
6x8 oil on canvas, mounted 

Because the flight path for migrating birds follows the Rio Grande Valley, there are several wetlands in New Mexico.  Alemada Wetland I is painted facing the sun, therefore the trees and in cool green.  On Day fifteen of the challenge, Alemada Wetland II is facing away from the sun, therefore I the trees have sunlight on them. These painting side by side are really terrific.

Today is Day Fourteen of the thirty day challenge...a challenge it is.  Can I take a break soon?  Yes, in sixteen days!

To bid on or purchase this painting, click here.

Sorghum Harvest

Sorghum Harvest
Little Gem
6x8 oil on canvas, mounted

DAY TWELVE of the thirty day challenge



When I arrive at this point on my almost daily bicycle journey, I see a field of yellow sorghum nearly ready for harvest.  Here in the city of Albuquerque we have open spaces, some of which are part of the state park system.  The crop in this field is rotated yearly and is feed only for birds migrating from the north who winter in New Mexico.  We have Canada Geese, Sandhills Cranes, Snow Geese and others.

The scraggly trees are Cottonwoods, native to the bosque area of the river.   The trees are old and no longer regenerate by themselves because the river is dammed and doesn't flood anymore. They are now being replanted...just stick a live twig in the sand near the river, and than twig is soon a tree.

To purchase or bid on the auction, click here.

Los Poblanos Garden

Day Nine of the Thirty Day Challenge:  This rather unkempt supposedly formal flower garden at Los Poblanos farms in Albuquerque is exquisitely beautiful.  There was so much to include in this garden, to me it just called to painted with a palette knife and no brush.  I love how it turned out, especially when I added a yellow sky.

To purchase click on the link under the photograph.

I wish you could join me tomorrow night at the New Mexico state fair.  I entered four paintings in the fine arts exhibit and got all four of them in.  What a blessing.  Then a few days ago I got a call to tell me to be at the fair at 4:30 on 9/10 as one of the paintings won an award.  I cannot wait to find out more about that.  If you cannot be there, I will share more about it on my blog.

Los Poblanos Garden
Little Gem
6x8 oil on canvas mounted

Desert Plants in Bloom IV

Desert Plants in Bloom IV
Little Gem
oil on canvas, mounted

DAY EIGHT of the thirty day challenge and all is well.   My daily bike rides provide me with so much material for painting but fall is (maybe) in the air and I notice flowers on the native plants are less fresh.  This plant is called Apache Plume because the flowers look like plumes.  The Apache part I am not so sure of.  We love the plant even in our own yards.

Sunday on the bike trail is a mash-up: in-line skaters, walkers, runners, bicycles and today there was a 35 mile bike event.

To purchase, click on the link under the photograph.

DESERT PLANTS IN BLOOM I, Day five of thirty day challenge

Desert Plant in Bloom I
6x8 Little Gem
Oil on canvas, mounted

I love to ride my bike as I live near the Rio Grande River along which there is a wonderful bike trail.  I leave very early in the morning to get my exercise out of the way for the day so I can paint daily for the thirty day challenge.  Being out there so early, I see morning sun on the native desert plants with beautiful shadows.  

The beautiful native plants grow along side the levee bike trail.

Available for auction at the link under the photograph.

Taking my own photo with my iPhone

Hard to tell but the trail is a levee as well

Santa Fe Adobe V, Day Four of Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge

Santa Fe Adobe V
6x8 oil on canvas, mounted

SANTA FE ADOBE V, oil on canvas, mounted on Masonite suitable for framing or display on a tabletop easel.  Day Four of the Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge



Isn't this organic natural wall interesting?  I would have liked to watch it being built.  This type of wall is very prevalent in Santa Fe, but walls are found around property throughout the state.  It may just be the style, but I was told they were built to keep out rattlesnakes.  I have lived in NM for 45 years and have never seen a rattlesnake.

The Russian Olive tree inside the wall is messy and thisrty.  It doesn't belong in the desert and is considered by some to be a nuisance.  Yet it is a very beautiful tree with an incredible fragrance in the spring.

To purchase, click on the click on the photo.