Landscapes from New Mexico

We are packing up to go to Littleton and take a class from the guru of landscape pastel, Albert Handell. This should be a fabulous class and I hope to learn a lot. He is one of the Master Pastelist's that I've always wanted to study with so I am very excited.
This is a painting of some cottonwoods hanging over an arroyo in New Mexico that I did last year, I love the vibrancy of the leaves against the dark background. A fun painting.

Almost healed! Lilli and I reading Elmo.

Lilli and I spend a lot of time reading books, especially since both of us have been under the weather. This is her Elmo book that I bought in LaMesa, CA, last year. A daughter of a good friend of mine there has a children's book shop! So cute, it has a train that runs around the top of the room, and darling little places to read to kids. I wish it was here, although we do have a very nice one, called Reader's Cove, that has a real Ark inside. Lilli loves it, she runs down the gangplank as fast as she can go, scary!

I am working on some new pieces for the gallery, they are watercolor with webbing spray, such a fun thing to do, absolutely different from my usual work. I am enjoying my art more now than ever, mainly because I don't work so hard at it! More like fun.

Studio windowsills, porcelain ceramic

This is the finish for my studio, porcelain tile windowsills. I wish the tulips were real but they are just for still life painting....we can pretend, though! (the white piles outside on the steps is, yes, real snow. It's gone now, March 13th, about time!) The cat not wanting a bath is Melanie, but I haven't had time to get her painted. Now that I am
home with my new knee maybe I can get somet of those putzy things done!

In the studio, notice wood flooring meets carpet tiles (that's for us sloppy painters!).

New studio fireplace

This is my new studio fireplace. The mantel was purchased in San Diego at an antique shop when I was teaching there in 1996. So I have hauled it around all over Colorado and shown it
in all my shops, etc. Now, it finally has a home. On
top of the fireplace I have a print of Nicholai Fechin's
Bali Girl which I got from a friend of mine, Judy Johnson, I keep it there in memory of her.

There's a very old sled from New Mexico leaning up against the mantle and, a carved pheasant (my Dad's favorite bird) on top.

In front is a Persian rug I got from Ebay. I guess nobody liked red that week because I got it for only about $200.00, it's an 8 x 10 and has gorgeous color and isn't even worn. Of course now it will have cat fur and painters "tracks"!!

It has taken us eight years to finish off my studio with the fireplace, the wooden planed floor and the window sills. Well, worth it, now...as soon as I get
my knee moving easily again...I'll be hard at it!

Knee Surgery, hope to get back to painting!!

Last week I took Liesl and Katie up to Rocky Mountain National Park and we enjoyed seeing the elk out there relaxing in their winter feeding grounds. Katie is Liesl's cousin from California who has just moved here, we are so excited to have her here!

Enjoying our grandchildren is the order of the day this winter since I am going in for knee surgery on Wednesday, I hope to get back to painting and feeling much better in April.

This is our newest grandchild, Colin and his big sister Faith who is 11. We got to see them in January in Missouri where they live by Kansas City.

We hope to see more of them next summer. Don't they look alike!

Next is our grandchild, Lilli, who is sitting on my lap doing a Dora sticker book. What wonderful fun they all are!

March Along the Big Thompson

In the winter world we have in Colorado there are times when you see snow and everything snow stands for in just a different way. This painting is one of those times, I waded through foot deep snow in order to photograph this beautiful river, cutting its way through the deep snow.
Unfortunately, as I raised my camera to take the photos, my batteries just died! So, back down
to the van to see if I had any more batteries, I was amazed that I actually did. Back up the banks, wading in the deep snow, trying to fit into my previous footprints so that my feet and pants wouldn't get any wetter than they already were...finally got my photos. Ah, the life of an artist...persevere is the name of the game!
This painting was accepted into the International Richeson Pastels 75 for 2010! How exciting and how gratifying to have your work appreciated...I possibly spent 30 hours on this painting, which is only 14 x 18, but has many, many layers of pastels!
It's a wonderful day in Colorado when the snow piles up in blue shadows and yet it is warm enough to run around and take photos, I am not quite up to painting out there, however!!