New Years Day

Happy New Year to everybody! I baked cinnamon rolls this morning and then a batch of handmade pretzels (SO good!) and then our New Years Day dinner....which in truth, we just started this year when we heard a friend was doing it and it sounded so great. Ham and mashed potatoes, stuffing, biscuits and gravy and fried corn....so wonderful!

Jeff only has a few more days off and then has to work from home for his company-Monday through Wed, then he flies out of Albuquerque and will be gone to Seattle and Michigan for 6 weeks while I stay behind in our Albuquerque home. I'll miss him but I'm so glad to be able to work from home.

I'll get back to the painting on Monday morning when he's working. SO much painting to do, but hey, taking a few weeks off is much funner that I thought it would be. So nice to have fun with the family :-)

Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu

We went to Ghost Ranch today. It was so wonderful out there with the snow on the ground and hardly anyone there. Jeff hiked in the snow and climbed up big hills while I walked to the Casitas and checked them out then waded through the light snow in Box Canyon then read in the library for awhile. I love that I got to slip in a winter visit. I want to stay for a full week this Summer to paint.

Chama River in the snow.

Pedernal Mountain in the distance.


The library, open 24-7. My favorite place to sit and read for hours.


Kitchen Mesa

Charlie and Roxanne

"Charlie", another 14x18" oil. He has a beard, so maybe here his chin looks uber long...I need it too look like this because I need to work on the skin tones underneath the beard. So it looks "off" at the moment. Raw umber sketch for the underpainting. Click to embiggen for detail. These sketches are just the bones of the piece, which will, of course improve as the painting progresses.

Jake, Aubrey and Zen Garden

Underpainting sketch for "Jake" 14x16" oil


Underpainting sketch for "Aubrey" 14x18" oil

Apparently I am incapable of taking time off. I'm going to work on the underpaintings for the 5 portraits I have sketched out, over the next week as I find the time. I can work in the burnt umber and let it dry but once I start a face, I pretty much have to work on it until it's completed or it dries up and I can't fuss with the oil paint the way I'd like. So, for now, as I have time, I'll be working on the underpainting sketches for several portraits. I'm officially on vacation until Monday next, so I imagine I won't show lots of progress over the next week.

Click on the pics to embiggen them. As always, I have to caution, please don't be freaked out by the sketch or the beginning of the piece...they usually look pretty looney when I'm just beginning.

I'm also working on this landscape of the Zen Garden at Ghost Ranch. I love portraits but need to keep working in landscapes too or I miss them. I'm nothing if not all over the place.

Merry Christmas from New Mexico!

Merry Christmas all!!

I'm taking a week off to play. Hope you are all having a good holiday time.

This is our home in New Mexico. After Christmas I'll post some pictures of my studio.




We're heading out for our long flights home in the morning. I hope you and yours really enjoy the holidays!