Some Ghost Ranch pictures

I'm continuing on a new portrait today, so to waste time when I should be working (I'm also making New Mexico traditional anise christmas cookies while I should be painting.), I'll take a few minutes to upload some pictures of a sunnier, warmer...oh so warmer time this past summer at Ghost Ranch.

This is an amazing bench. It's carved out of one big piece of sandstone. She the layers of color running through it? Click on it to enlarge for the money shot.
Just pretty, no?

From the top of the Mesa by Tumbleweeds cottage.


You can't see it so well here but this adobe bench is embedded with tiles and bits of mirror that make up gleaming suns, an here and there, the makers built in little dips or holes and these fill with water when it rains and the birds come and drink from the bench. So sweet!


This is a view through the gate of Ghost Host, looking out to Pedernal Mountain.

I don't know who this dude is but I like him. I always say hi when I walk by him.

Ok, must go work. Have a super day and I hope you have sun and heat wherever you are. And if you do, will you send me a ticket?

Jennifer and Oliver, completed portrait

Jennifer and Oliver, oil on 14x18" canvas board
Click image for detailed shot

Wednesday

Went to sleep at midnight, up at 5 a.m. working this morning. I'm posting this pictures from my iphone, which does a really stellar job...but in reality, the colors are richer in this portrait. I'm looking forward to posting a final picture of this piece with the color and contrast corrected. I'm liking it thus far. Today I'm working on the Oliver part of the painting, then on to clothes, hair, background and finishing touches.

I'll be adding update pics today, in this post, removing the previous pic as I do. The above pic will remain to show the starting point for today.

And the progress pic for Wednesday:

I found these really cool little ceramic dishes to store my leftover bits of paint in. I love them because they take up just a little space and they're easy to hold and transport. Perfect for when I get over-enthusiastic and mix up too much of a color. It's nice to get the chance to use up the rest of the paint the next day instead of starting over with another mix of oils.

Twenty Degrees and Sunny

Got the ghost face going on-the dead coat in the top pic. Maybe I'll be able to make some serious progress on this piece today. It's great to have many hours to work. When my husband is traveling without me, as he is for the next several days, I can work as long as I can sit in this chair.

It's very cold here but it's sunny and beautiful as I sit here working, looking out the window. It's not raining and the skies are blue. That makes it a good day.

I have a travel day coming up so am wanting to finish this portrait, if possible, and do the underpainting for several more paintings so I can haul them all back home to New Mexico where I'll finish everything I've started. (Would that this were really true with everything in my life.) Since I can't haul anything that's wet in my big canvas portfolio bag, I may end up taking 6 pieces that are in the beginning stages..thereby feeling I have nothing to show for my whole work week. But that's just me in my very "type A" brain.

I'm just going to keep updating the picture of recent progress on this double portrait as I take them, pulling off the last one, putting up the newest. It helps ME to see it third person, and it makes me feel like I'm getting something done. Click for detail.

Krissy, Sara, Jennifer and Oliver

Yes, we are in the creepy phase, wherein they look like zombies. Seriously, it's Monday. What more can you expect? Click to embiggin them.

Krissy: underpainting

Sara: underpainting

It begins. I'm going to be working back and forth between three portraits this week. I'll try to remember to label them with the subject's name so it'll be somewhat possible to keep track.

Jennifer and Oliver underpainting

I have been thwarted. I hate time. It never works in my favor. So now I have 3 paintings that need to DRY some so I can work on the next layer. What's a girl to do? Why, go to the art store of course, and buy 6 more canvases. Tone those with cream and then..what? Now THEY'RE wet. You'd think I'd know that would happen, but no. I just want to work, work, work. Why can't time speed up, wet things dry and the world move along like I want it to? Sigh.

I'm off to do the drawings for a few more portraits while I wait impatiently for today's work to dry. Again with the sigh.

Ocean Shores

It's been a long weekend with too much to do and no time to paint. I'm not really sure I like the weekends. I much prefer sitting and painting all day and on the weekends I have to act like an actual human being and get out there and live life. I did go to my niece's Christmas parade on Saturday and watched her band play. That was fun. The rest of the weekend, eh.

Here are a few shots of Ocean Shores from a trip we took down or up there (I can never remember where it is) for an anniversary a few years ago.







Tomorrow, husband to airport, then several days of being able to paint morning to night, then me to airport to join him. It's been weeks since I've been home. When we get back to Albuquerque I'll be staying for 5 blissful weeks. Yes, it's chilly, but it's sunny and the skies are always blue. Cannot wait. Cannot. Plus, I'll get to work in my big studio, my huge studio. Just for me. I love to travel though, so I can't complain too much. I'd probably be supremely bored being in one place for too long.

Krissy

Toned the canvas, started with the burnt umber. The process that I'm using this time is interesting in that the whole portrait is basically completed in a thinned down burnt umber before I go onto the next layer. This underpainting both serves as the bones of the piece and makes it basically permanently permanent, preserving the portrait for all time. The burnt umber also aides in increasing drying time, so that's a plus.

I'm starting another portrait as well, and am going to trade off working on the two portraits over the next 2 weeks, throwing in a couple of small landscapes I'm working on. I'm traveling to Michigan for a wedding and for the husband's work for 10 days in a couple of weeks and I'd like to get done as much as I can before I hit the road.