trek to pagosa springs

entrance to the show!

denise coffee, marti bledsoe, kathleen isberg, sandy applegate

family photo series

marti bledsoe

gail hershey

we made trek to pagosa springs for the reception to the INK invitational.  it was a great trip.  we saw some terrific art, and met some great people!  great thanks to denise and michael coffee for the wonderful show!!  they worked really hard to put together a fabulous collection of prints.

on the way home, we also got to see some spectacular fall colors, and some awesome colorado scenes.  they are below for your viewing pleasure!

aspens in wolf creek pass

south fork

la veta pass

on the ground as we walked the dog at la veta pass

what a great weekend!! 

 thank you pat and sylvia for accompanying us to the show! 

moab, utah

 moab.

it's almost too awesome and huge to capture with any success in photos.

i'm posting a couple for looking, but know that you can't even understand the vastness and the color changes without seeing it in person.

i spent the last four days plein air painting in moab.  i have been thinking about the experience since leaving utah.  for me, the weekend was about seeing if i still had the passion to paint outdoors.  in my twenties, i painted from life or outside for 3 continuous years.  and i loved the experience because it really improved my skills and made me focus on learning about light, color, perspective, immediacy, and about a million other things.  it also calmed some of my post teen angst.

the days i spent in moab were great.  the landscape was enormous, awe inspiring, and almost incomprehensible.  but it really didn't turn me on as far as painting goes.  i went through the motions, but never felt that i could capture all that awesomeness in my work.  it was a huge struggle for me.  honestly, the beauty was overwhelming, but i didn't have fun trying to put it on canvas.

don't get me wrong, the trip was way worth it.  i saw amazing things, i painted with really nice people, and i had a lot of fun with my friend kelly.  and i love mark nelson, our teacher.  he is a great, talented, wonderful, laid back, and knowledgeable guy.  his paintings are beautiful.  i wish i could say that the place and the teaching gave me a newfound energy to pack up my easel and go outdoors once a week.  but it didn't.

what i did learn is that i am content to say that plein air painting of the landscape is not on my list of things i am currently passionate about.  and that i do still have a passion for making prints, creating collages, and making assemblages.  i do still want to paint.  just not outdoors, and not of landscapes.

i am happy that i have come to this conclusion.  i don't think i have crossed landscapes off the list forever.  only for a while.  maybe one day i will feel the love again!!

anyway, here are two studies from the weekend.

one last note, if you ever read this, thank you kelly for listening to my banter for all of those days and nights.  i am forever grateful to you for letting me vent about my artistic struggles.
thank you, thank you!!

bon iver - holocene

my husband, john and i met in iceland. way back in 1988. i was teaching there, and he was stationed there in the navy. i came across this video today, and had to share the amazing, austere, surreal landscape with you. we spent many days exploring this rugged and breathtaking country. oh, and i love the music!  enjoy!!

okay, so i cheated.

ah, winter!

this is my "plein air" painting for today.  ok, i didn't exactly go outside, as you can tell from the subject matter.  it was over 90 degrees, and i just couldn't bear it.  so instead i found a great snow shot, and worked in the comfort of my air conditioned home. i don't often work from photos, and usually when i do i take some major artistic license.  in this case, there were about a million branches, which i edited out to only a few.  i figure that at least i practiced!

3 days of printmaking on the schedule for wednesday-friday.  i am going to try a painting a day, too.

this one is acrylic, and is 11x14" on canvas panel.  

plein air monday

view from shadows

wires

i sucked it up and stood in the sun for a few hours, dragging painting gear with me.  luckily this beautiful place has a handy parking lot and rest room nearby.  these are 8x10" studies, each took about 20 or 30 minutes to complete.  it felt good to be outside, and it felt good to paint.  i have really not painted with any seriousness in about 2 (gulp) years.  so here you go.  i feel pretty good about them.  the third one is not shown...my brain lost all conscious ability after the first two!!

landscape painting

yesterday i went and listened to mark nelson, a denver painter.  he talked about the landscape, particularly the plein air landscape.  i will be spending the next 2 mondays outdoors practicing this technique.  plein air is not new to me.  i spent 2 summers in DC with high school students, lugging all of our equipment in the 100 degree, 100% humidity.  it was certainly a good experience, mostly because i got used to someone looking over my shoulder all day as i painted.

mark is an incredibly talented guy, but his work is not readily visible on the internet.  luckily, my friend kelly berger, an aspiring painter herself, sent me a few photos.  so here is one to share.  i like his simple composition, with the actual "land" minimized into a very small strip.  very dramatic, wouldn't you say?

wish me luck.  as  i said in the last post, i am a bit overwhelmed with the whole idea.

front range sunset by mark nelson