Winter at the Ponds, New Mexico Choice 2008

I was really excited to get the notification that my piece, "Winter At The Ponds" was selected for the New Mexico National Pastel Show in Albuquerque this fall.

I really like this painting which is of the area right

north of Taft Hill Road, off the Poudre River

in North Fort Collins, close to where we live.

Being from North Dakota, I enjoy painting snow

and winter! This was a nice winter day, the

snow and water smelled clean and earthy the way I always remember from North Dakota when

we had one of those "warmer" days. The pond was not frozen, so it reflected the soft blue sky

that we had that day.

This is the first time I have gotten into this show, so I am very excited about it. I am going to go

down to Albuquerque anyway to participate in a Scandinavian Butikk which is held on Nov. 1st, this is a good excuse to spend a few days with all my friends down there!

I am also taking a class from Sheila Rieman who paints beautiful colorful animals in pastel. She is

actually from North Dakota, Sentinel Buttee, which is close to where I grew up. It should be fun

to take her class in Albuquerque and to see this wonderful exhibit. The exhibit is on the fair grounds of the New Mexico State Fair, it is beautiful in November, smells like apples, pinon smoke in the air and the gentle warmth of fall...usually about 65 degrees, my favorite temperature!