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| The Mountain 9x12 oil / Available |
Situated on a sagebrush plateau between the Rio Grand Gorge, an 800-foot-deep knife-cut in the earth, and the base of New Mexico's Sangre de Cristo mountains, Taos is a little village with a big art history. Way back in 1893, the first Anglo artist arrived. Joseph Henry Sharp, from Cincinnati, came because he was interested in painting the already-vanishing American Indian. He told his artist friends, and it wasn't long before they began to flock to Taos. Soon they founded the Taos Society of Artists to market their work to folks back east. Others followed, including Georgia O'Keeffe and socialite and art patron Mabel Dodge. Coming to visit but not to stay were writers like D.H. Lawrence (even though he bought a ranch here) and photographers such as Ansel Adams. Last week, my little group of painters added their names to the roll.
Five of us gathered in Taos to paint a variety of scenery: ranch fields and aspen-clad mountains, historic adobe homes and towering cottonwoods, and streams running noisily from a long summer of rain. The weather predicted for the week called for more rain, and that proved true. But we found dry times to paint in, always keeping an eye on the clouds. (The monsoon season, a period characterized by sudden and sometimes violent afternoon thunderstorms, has been plentiful this year.) We even had a couple of truly sunny days. Even so, the weather pattern gave us an abundance of clouds to paint. This year, on the highest peaks, we were lucky enough to get a dusting of snow. I've included a few of my paintings and sketches in this post.
Although I usually like to give critiques in the morning, this year it was cool enough that we delayed those until later in the day. On the day when it rained most of the morning, I gave a demonstration under a comfortable porch. Otherwise, we painted together each morning and most afternoons. I always like to add cultural activities to my retreats, so we toured the Couse-Sharp Historic Site and the E. L. Blumenschein Home and Museum and also got our fill of galleries.
Overall, it was a great time, with old friendships being renewed and new friendships being forged. If you're an experienced painter and are interested in a future retreat, please check my web site.
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| El Prado Pasture 9x12 Oil / Available |
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| The Gorge 9x12 Oil / SOLD |
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| The Pink House (Where Georgia O'Keeffe stayed when first visiting Taos) 9x12 Oil / SOLD |
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| Me, selfie |
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| First day crits |
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| Joseph Sharp's paint box |
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| Painting aspens at 9400 feet |
