Tis the Season. . . To Give

This Saturday night from 6-8 pm in Taos - buy the gift of ART or just shop one of the most beautiful galleries in Taos while attending a great holiday party with the focus on giving back.

The Taos Hearts & Stars Holiday Miniature Show and fundraiser brings together work of some of the best artists in New Mexico, Colorado and points beyond, with collectors and the Taos community.  Donations and a portion of all sales go to support Taos Coalition to End Homelessness, Inc., making this one holiday miniature show that doubles your gift with every purchase. I am sure that most of the shopping done at this time of year will not yield that kind of benefit. All the work is under 8"x 10", and very affordable.
Rob Wilder Nightingale at Wilder Nightingale Fine Art does a wonderful job hosting this event. Live music, fabulous food and beautiful ART make it a party worth attending if you are anywhere within 200 miles - all for a good cause.
Saturday, November 24th from 6-8 pm at Wilder Nightingale Fine Art at 119 Kit Carson in beautiful Taos. A suggested $10 donation at the door.
My piece,  'Sangre Spring' is 4"x 6" - painted en plein air in early spring, right here in the San Luis Valley.

Hearts and Stars in Taos

I have been a little slow about blogging of late; whatever the word might be for "un-motivation" - I have felt it creep over me like a fog (and not on 'little cat feet') as I grieve the recent loss of a dear colleague and mentor. See a few posts back.
Creativity, motivation and making a living - these things cannot wait for the luxury of good feelings - so we press on.
And Christmas is impossible to ignore; no matter how slow you have been driving on surface streets, once you hit the on-ramp - prepare to be swept up into the fast lane of Christmas craziness. (please indulge the freeway metaphor. Now I am showing my roots- but I digress).
It may be a fallow time in the landscape but no where else. Painters, like everyone else, have realized, about now, - we should have started working on holiday inventory last January. Too late now.
But, my brain is starting to perk like crazy with more ideas than I could use in a lifetime - conveniently, I don't have time to pursue them.
It is one of those universal laws: the best ideas bubble up when there is no possible way they could be addressed. Hmmmmm.
At this moment, I am just happy to have some motivation.
And FINALLY, to my point -
the TAOS Hearts and Stars Party; one of the best holiday party/fund raisers with a focus on giving back. This is one holiday- miniature show that covers all the bases, bringing together work from some of the best artists with art lovers, collectors and the Taos community at large - to support Taos Coalition to End Homelessness, Inc.
All the work is under 8"x 10", and very affordable.
Rob Nightingale at Wilder Nightingale Fine Art does a wonderful job hosting this event with live music and fabulous food - all for a good cause. It is his gift to the community. Thanks Rob.
If you are within 200 miles - of Taos on Saturday night - it is a party worth attending.
Saturday, December 3rd from 5-7 pm at Wilder Nightingale Fine Art on Kit Carson in Taos; suggested $10 donation at the door.
My piece is at the top of this post: 'Showers Ahead', of the road to New Mexico from Colorado - in fact the road I will be taking to the party.
It is 8"x 10", oil on panel.

Hearts & Stars In Taos

It is that time of year: holiday parties, fund raisers and ways to think about giving back. Hearts & Stars is one show that covers all those bases, bringing together work from some of the best artists with art lovers, collectors and the Taos community at large - all for a very good cause - to support Taos Coalition to End Homelessness, Inc.
And all the work is under 8"x 10".
Rob Nightingale at Wilder Nightingale Fine Art does a wonderful job hosting this event with live music and fabulous food - all for a good cause.
If you are within 200 miles - it is a party worth attending.
Friday, November 26th from 6-8 pm at Wilder Nightingale Fine Art on Kit Carson in Taos; suggested $10 donation at the door.
I will definitely be there, albeit dragging "das Boot" but the Dr has given me leave to go without crutches. Yippee! That is one personal reason to be thankful this year, that and the fact that I didn't break my head or painting hand.
The painting at the top of this post is one of two pieces that I entered: 'Ladies in Painting', 7"x 7", oil on panel, the other, below, is 'Mesa View', 6"x 8", plein air piece in oil from Ghost Ranch.
If you can't make the show in person, see it online just click on Wilder Nightingale.

Hearts & Stars Fund Raiser in Taos

The Hearts & Stars Miniature Show/fund raiser that supports Taos Coalition to End Homelessness, Inc., opened at the Wilder Nightingale Gallery on Saturday night. Rob Wilder hosts this event, local musicians donate time and local restaurants offer amazing party food to support the cause. It is always a highlight and the evening did not disappoint.









I have been a part of this show the last 3 years and tho' the 90 miles between Alamosa and Taos can be treacherous in the winter, I am so grateful that we have been able to attend every year. We catch up with our friends in the Taos art community, make new friends and support a very worthy cause.
The paintings I have posted are the 2 miniatures in this show. You are seeing them at just about actual size. NOTE: the painting directly above -"Wayside IceHouse" sold at the show. Yay!
Saturday was a big party day - on our way to Taos, Sue and I stopped in at the Ewing Studio Holiday Show; featuring Charles Ewing, David Montgomery, Jim Gilmore, Randy Pijoan, Kris Gosar, Annette Troncoso, and Chris Gulian. Click on any of the names to see their work.
This is our San Luis Valley Art Community here in Southern Colorado and I am so grateful to be a part of it and to call these fabulous artists "friends". Read about it from Sue McCullough's point of view - click on her name and to go right to her blog.

A Merry Meeting - in Taos

Wednesday Sue and I drove to Taos to deliver miniature paintings to Wilder Nightingale Gallery for the Hearts & Stars Show in Taos. This is my third year supporting this event and it is always a pleasure, not to mention a great party for a good cause.
As it happened, we met Patrice Walker of Santa Fe, also dropping off work and Kemper Coley, so we all went out to paint together. Taos still boasted a little snow (just enough) at the Morada church where it was quiet and beautiful with Taos Mt. behind it. It felt like I was shaking cobwebs out of my head, not having painted out since October. What a great afternoon to paint but even better with friends.
That's "plein air"- being there.
The end result is almost superfluous.
See more of this afternoon of painting on Sue McCullough's blog- just click here on her name. She also has some good photos of the Hearts & Stars Party in Taos.