Since arriving back in the United
States in February, brought home by the unexpected death of my
mother, I have been unusually subdued and reclusive. Now, the late
summer vibrations are strong here in the high plains of New
Mexico—and I have been drawn out of a cocoon to be like a
butterfly, free to flutter in the broad expanses.
Last year I opened a pop-up gallery on
the historic Santa Fe Plaza for two months. It was a success. So this
August I opened and will stay three months. I have been working the
gallery alone. Now the magic outdoors is calling me to go out and paint in "plein air." I've hired a dear friend to assist several days a week. After living here for
forty years, I know where to go outside of the city to find just what
I want.
I drive north in my van through a
couple small towns. I either go to the Rio Grande Gorge, or to the
area known as Ghost Ranch, near Abiquiu, where the famous artist
Georgia O'Keefe spent her last years. Both have spectacular scenery
and and are not crowded.
The first day I went to the Gorge and
made a painting from slightly above the Rio Grande River, looking
toward a tall mesa with the river in the foreground. Chamisa shrubs
are just now coming to bloom and added a splash of brilliant yellow
in front. When I finished I found a nice spot higher up that looked
over the canyon walls to the river below. I got my cooking supplies
and food out to prepare dinner, but then could not find a frying pan.
I forgot it! So I drove home.
The next day I went to Ghost Ranch.
Along the way the scenery was so spectacular that I had to stop
several times to take pictures. The clouds especially added immense
drama as they billowed and danced in the deep blue sky. Past Ghost
Ranch with its red rock formations I found a dirt road that goes toward Christ In The Desert Monastery. I pulled off near some pastel bluffs and set up to paint.
Then the beautiful clouds began letting loose raindrops! No worry, I
knew it would pass, so I gathered my gear and laid down in the
van, listening to raindrops splash against the roof. A half hour
later and I was up and out, resuming painting with the fresh aroma of
sage filling my nostrils.
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| "Ghost Bluffs," Oil on canvas, 20 x 20 inches |
A few hours later, as I strove to finish my
painting amid the changing light, I thought, “Wow! How much easier
it is to just take a photograph!”