Get A Horse 6

6 X 8 Oil on Masonite board
$125 includes shipping and insurance

We are camping in Cloud Croft, New Mexico and I did bring my paints and some small canvases and boards with me. When I spotted this old vehicle on the way to the pass to Alamosa, I knew I had to paint it. I probably won’t get another one done before we get back tomorrow, but at least I did this one!

We went to the pass mainly to get some shots overlooking the white sands. That is another painting in the planning stages.

When we are gone this summer on our LONG trip to Montana, I hope to be able to paint and post the results like today. If you purchase a painting, you will probably have to wait until we get back before I can varnish and mail them to you, though. With free wi-fi everywhere (I am currently at the Cloud Croft Chamber of Commerce parking lot!), I should be able to post fairly regularly.

Before I got my wireless laptop, we scouted out the libraries in the little towns we visited. All of them had internet availability – on THEIR computers, though, which made it hard to send photos. About the only thing I could do was check mail. Last summer, we found wi-fi at the libraries and some coffee shops – that was better ‘cause I could use my own laptop.

This summer will be really different. We have a generator now so I can run all my electronic gadgets even if we are “dry camping” (without electric or water hookups). I have an external hard drive to store all my photos, too, AND a portable printer. The more stuff we get, the longer we can stay on the road!

This was our first camping trip without my little dog, Kibble. Georgia’s friend, Sadie is here, though, and that helps. Kibble was the queen of defending us from the dangerous, marauding chipmunks! She never caught one, but never gave up either. Even when she was blind, she enjoyed sniffing in their burrows. We all miss her.

Matthew 7:14
But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

From the Top of Capulin

6 X 8 Oil on Masonite $110
Includes shipping and insurance SOLD

On our trips to Colorado and beyond, we usually make our first overnight stop near Capulin Volcano National Monument in New Mexico. After passing through there dozens of times and always saying, "One time we need to climb the volcano", we finally did last summer.
This extinct volcano is relatively young, geologically speaking. It's eruption ended 10,000 years ago, and it's pretty neat to hike up it and go down in the crater. It rises about 1000 feet above the New Mexico plains and from its top, you can see the old lava flows. The view is spectacular!
I was reviewing some photographs from last summer, planning next week's line up of paintings, and I think it's time to do some landscapes. As much as I love the horses, I have had some requests for Texas Big Bend paintings - and cacti (yes, Bud, I mean YOU!) Looks like it's time for another road trip - Big Bend should be in full bloom about now....
Isaiah 35:2
it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God

Cold Day in New Mexico

8 1/2 X 5 1/2 Oil on Flat Canvas $100
includes shipping, insurance and mat

I make no bones about the fact that I love New Mexico. I like camping there as well as shopping and just passing through on the way to Colorado.
We didn't take our yearly Memorial Day trip to Cloud Croft last year - life got in the way. But we are going this year and I'm already looking forward to it. We usually go in the summer, but we have passed through in the winter on the way to skiing in Colorado. You have seen snowy days like this - sun going down, still slightly overcast, no harsh shadows - everything just kind of mellows into the cold, cold, cold.
2 Corinthians 11:27
I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.

Heading For Home

I'm not really finished with this one yet, but I wanted to post it anyway. I'll swap the improved version later.
I seem a bit obsessed with clouds and storms and turmoil lately. Perhaps I am reflecting the mood of the stock market or maybe it's the fact that we are starting construction on the studio Saturday. I am not in turmoil over that, just anticipating the usual construction dilemmas. Hopefully Saturday we'll be getting the foundation forms in so the sand can be delivered and the plumber can do his work. We have one more tree to move and both my horses to another pasture - where there is no barn for winter shelter. Oh well, I guess they'll have to be horses! If the weather turns really bad, I can put them in stalls in the barn. But they both hate being locked up, so we may settle for blankets.


This painting is a 16 X 20 oil on stretched canvas, and I have a gorgeous free-form Texas Mesquite frame for it. Contact me before I send it to the gallery if you are interested.

Ecclesiastes 7:12 Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor.

Where to Take Cover?

SOLD

I have taken lessons from several wonderful artist/teachers and James Spurlock, John Pototschnik and John Poon have all been inspirational - both spiritually and technically. A calendar of John Pototschink's paintings arrived in the mail yesterday and it gave me new boost to continue painting. It also reminded me to pay attention to the basics and the rest will follow.

The title of this painting is self-explanatory. When a storm rolls across the plains of New Mexico, there is no where to take cover, and I often wonder where the animals hide.

This 9 X 12 oil on canvas panel can be purchased from me for $100.

Psalm 27:5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.

Crossing New Mexico

One of the reasons for my anticipation of trips we take out west is that we get to cross New Mexico most of the time. A lot of people don't like New Mexico's stark emptiness. I do. I also like counting the antelope, and I look forward to August when the cholla cactus are in bloom.
We generally make our first overnight stop at an RV park 30 miles east of Raton at Capulin Volcano State Park. Last year we climbed to the rim of the volcano and were treated with a spectacular view of the valley and crystal clear New Mexico air.

This 8 X 6 oil on canvas panel is available from me for $100. Frame is $20 extra.

Isaiah 35:2 it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God.

Streams of Water in the Desert

SOLD

Crossing New Mexico can be a challenge for some people - especially those that view it as a desolate expanse of boring cactus-filled desert. I have NEVER felt that way about the state. We visit New Mexico at least twice a year and every time the scenery is different. This past summer the skies were awesome everywhere we looked, and I will spend much of this winter trying to recapture the expanse and grandeur of this state.
Isaiah 32:2 Each man will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.