Party Time in Taos, with Louise Minks

 On June 10th, myself and several painters from Alamosa went down to Taos to celebrate a wonderful opening for Louise Minks at Wilder Nightingale Fine Art.
It was a pleasure to also celebrate her 75th birthday, eat cupcakes and finally close the show evening with a wonderful dinner in Taos, under the stars.
Louise Minks lives in Massachusetts but comes to New Mexico every spring to teach for a week at Ghost Ranch. - something to think about if you are looking for a good reason to go to Ghost Ranch . . . .
I was thrilled by her work the very first time I saw it in the gallery. I also show my work in Wilder Nightingale - and over the years have been fortunate enough to get to know Louise as a friend.  She is one of those people who inspires everyone she comes in contact with.

Her work is currently being featured at Wilder Nightingale Fine Art- on Kit Carson - and absolutely worth the drive to Taos.  There is a wonderful display of small works done en plein air and also larger studio pieces, such as the one in the photo below.
The photo above shows Louise in front of a wall of her work, together with Rob Nightingale.

 

Louise may live in the East but she captures the soul of New Mexico with a visual wisdom that is, both witty and innovative.

Thanks Louise.

What Could Be Better?

...than Colorado in June? Not much.
Even better, to be OUT with other painters, from other places who come to the valley. It is like a cultural exchange.
Louise Minks,  comes to Alamosa a couple of times a year from her home in Leverett, Massachusetts, to visit her daughter - and to teach classes at Ghost Ranch, New Mexico.
We met up at the beginning of June with Sue McCullough, out at Sue's ranch and enjoyed a morning painting the sweet little Model A that Sue's dad is so proud to show off.
Louise is primarily an acrylic painter and captures the spirit of our western landscape with fabulous color and abstraction. I seldom see, really good acrylic painters, using the medium as it is meant to be used and I am a big fan. She shows her work in Taos at Wilder Nightingale Fine Art - where I am also represented.

I devoted the morning to sketching, something I am trying to devote more time to, instead of always working to a finished painting. Cars are not a big part of what I do in the landscape but the practice time drawing- especially such a fun model, is never wasted.
Click on the photos to enlarge them and see how Louise and Sue tackled the car.