Who turned on the SNOW Machine?

 These photos pretty-much say it all.

Yes, I heard the predictions on Monday, but after record breaking heat - I did not pay a whole lot of attention. 

We woke up to at least 12" of very wet, and heavy snow in Alamosa.   We need the moisture, but it is not anticipated at this time of year and trees are down everywhere.  

It is a record for September 9 - and I surely HOPE - this makes a positive impact on the current fires here in Colorado. 

AND - Plein air Painting Class for tomorrow is cancelled because snow and rain is predicted for the morning hours. This time - I am listening

Summer Plein air

 We have had a great summer of outdoor painting here in Alamosa.  Things continue to change as schools open again. Our own Adams State University has students back- but outsiders are not allowed on campus so the show that I had hoped to hang in March, then September - will be put off again. Maybe next Spring.

None of this stops us from painting out and enjoying all of the natural beauty that our valley offers at this time of year.  The Summer Session ends this week but we will start the FALL Session on August 27th and continue to paint into October as Fall takes over the landscape. 

The painting location, with directions, is always on this blog; to the right. 

Sign up with me for the entire session -which is $90 for 8 weeks,  or drop-in for $15 a class.  We meet Thursday mornings from 9 - noon.

July Plein Air

Our evenings in Colorado have been warmer than usual but beautiful just the same. In the evening Plein Air Class I like to paint sunsets - but on this particular evening there were no clouds on the horizon so I turned to the south for a view across the road and that fire hydrant called my name.
In class situations,  I usually work small and this 6"x8" panel allows me to finish on site while giving students a clear example of my process.
Above is my finished piece, a snap of the view, and also my black and white (2 value) sketch. Because I am working small, the choice of subject is simple and I am most interested in getting a strong light and dark pattern.

JULY Plein Air

This is the best time of year to be painting and we want to make the most of it.
If you are feeling stuck at home, come out and enjoy the best of the summer.  The Class meets on Tuesday Evenings, 6:30- 9pm and Thursday Mornings, from 9am to noon.
Check to the right, on this BLOG to see where we will be meeting to paint.
It is $15. to drop-in and paint with the class, and you can pay me directly. Please do not go to the Rec Center because it is closed - BUT the beauty of the season is not closed.
Come out, bring a mask and join us to paint,  - meet with other painters and be encouraged.

Happy Juneteenth

These are difficult times - trouble on top of catastrophe.
I don't know about you, but I never want things to go back to "normal".
I am looking for a new day,  and helping to bring it about must start with me.

Artists see and embrace the times.  They use their creative voice to address it.
This is not new news - artists have been speaking into culture through most of history.  Hard things do not kill creativity but force it to bloom, sometimes in hidden places.  
ARTISTS show the world how to make the pain meaningful - to give expression to what they see around them.
This is how ART changes the world!
Happy Juneteenth!

I am a big fan of Robert and Sara Genn's Painters Keys Twice-Weekly newsletter.
For years I have enjoyed it for the insight on ART, current events and the lives of artists.
Below is the link to a beautiful article about Black artist/quilters in Gee's Bend, Alabama.
I was inspired; I hope you are too.
Where ART lives. https://painterskeys.com/where-art-lives/

To read more about Gee's Bend Quilters, check out the link below:
https://www.soulsgrowndeep.org/gees-bend-quiltmakers

Ready to get Out of Town?

It's June! Yay!

If you are dealing with a case of cabin fever this is a good time to bust outta' town.  Taos, New Mexico is only 90 minutes away and wonderful day trip destination.

Galleries and restaurants are quietly opening up;  take your mask and stroll streets that have been quiet way too long.

I currently have a show of 15 new pieces at Wilder Nightingale Fine Art, right up the street from the Plaza on Kit Carson. Voted Best Gallery in Taos, Wilder Nightingale boasts the broadest, and the most interesting stable of artists in all of Taos.

Do yourself a favor while this shorten summer lasts - take the drive to enchanted Taos, spend time and you will come back to Colorado with a new perspective on things.

Minding the Mint

What can I say?
From the inside of 9 weeks of staying in and seeing SO many things wash away in a flood of  - what might be considered the NEW normal.
I must admit, I am not quite ready to rush back onto the flow of heavy traffic.

“And since to look at things in bloom
Fifty springs are little room;
About the woodlands I will go
To see the cherry hung with snow.”  - A.E.Housman
 

Big Marks and Small Marks- Save the Date for September 11th

At Adams State University, Alamosa, CO - in the Cloyde Snook Gallery
New Date:   August 31- September 30 - 2020

You are invited to the Artist Reception, September 11,  5pm- 7pm

How often are we given a GIFT of time?
Initially disappointed at having my show cancelled, or even postponed - I am now excited at the possibilities presented by a gift of 5 months.  I do believe that good things come to those who wait.
And it has been months of waiting,
 and well over a year of painting- and more months of waiting, and waiting- for the other shoe to drop.   The show will open August 31st,  the reception will be on Friday, September 11th and will hang until September 30, in the beautiful Cloyde Snook Gallery on the University campus in Alamosa.

WOW! News from the Outback

A word from Alamosa - a small backwater in southern Colorado.
This week, as in other parts of Colorado, almost everything has closed: no Recreation center for painting classes or walks on the track - no Pickle Ball - What?
This is a place of small businesses and a (very good) small town attitude about what it means to take care of your neighbor.
In case anyone wondered, or even had time to think about it . . .
Yes- my show at Adams State University IS canceled.
At first we thought we would HANG it and wait things out but the school is now closed indefinitely to on campus activities.
Yes, well. . .  I'd be lying to say this is not a disappointment but - we all have bigger fish to fry and there are people making much bigger sacrifices.
As to the show - this may not be the LAST word but for the moment let us think about taking care of each other, being kind when people are nervous, afraid, or acting out of fear.
Here in Alamosa, we have no reported cases of Coronavirus - but it's no time to pat ourselves on the back -  it's time to call our neighbors; do they have enough toilet paper, or more importantly - food?  Maybe they just need a word of encouragement.
It snowed last night.  March can be a rough month for cold weather here and certainly our folks living homeless or in shelters will suffer.  Pray for them, and the good people in the community who are on the front lines worldwide.
And be a hero -
if you can, stay home and mind the hearth.

Solo Show at Adams State University

Big Marks and Small Marks/Postponed, stay tuned

In the Cloyde Snook Gallery, in the Art Dept on the campus of Adams State University, Alamosa, Colorado.
What WAS to happen March 24th- April 16, has been postponed until August 31- September 30.

You are invited to the Artist Reception, September 11,  5pm- 7pm

I was excited and honored to have been invited to have a solo show at Adams State University.  That was in December 2018 and here we are.
It has been a year of painting- that turned into OVER a year of painting.
Stay home, stay well, be good to each other.