Along Shanna's Pond

 

"Along Shanna's Pond"
 11" x 14"
Acrylic on Canvas 

"As long as autumn lasts, I shall not have hands, canvas and colors enough to paint the beautiful things I see." - Vincent van Gogh

Early fall—when the weather finally cools—is my favorite time of year. The grasses have turned to a golden straw, and the shrubs and trees begin to say goodbye to green and transform to the rich colors of fall. The rabbit brush is ubiquitous this year; the brilliant umbels of yellow flowers signaling the season’s change, while giving pollinators a last hurrah before winter sets in.

This painting is from a plein air session on the grounds of a private home in Flora Vista, New Mexico. One of the members of the group of painters I was with know the owners, which grants us permission to wander their beautiful property to find inspiration.

The wonderful aspect of the property is that you feel as though you are way out in the country even though it is only a mile or so from the busy main highway. And, they have a lovely spring-fed pond, where I sat in the cool shade.

The property is a stone’s throw from the Animas River, which at the time (before the rains came), was but a trickle. As we gathered at the back of the property to share our paintings with one another, we saw a pair of coyotes trot across the river, a rare sight in the middle of the day!

Willow Bend Vista

Willow Bend Vista

11” x 14”

Acrylic on Canvas

One of the most wonderful aspects of joining the Plein Air Painters of the Four Corners is that we get to paint at some great locations on private land that are only open to the group. This was one of those opportunities along the Animas River, where we had permission to set up in the common area of a small group of homes.

It was a full-on summer heatwave, so we started earlier than usual to beat the heat. What a gorgeous spot! I found a shady place and as I set up my gear, I realized I had forgotten my white paint. Yikes. Talk about an art crisis. White is kind of critical when working with acrylic paint. And I was the only painter using acrylic that day.

Fortunately, one of the other artists who was working with watercolor had a small vial of acrylic paint she loaned to me. I carefully put out a few drops of white on my palette at a time so I wouldn’t use up the small amount she had with her. It made for an interesting painting challenge, for sure! When I got home, where my white was patiently waiting, I was able to finish up the piece.

Shadows and Light

Shadows & Light

11” x 14”
Acrylic on Canvas

Expecting another hot day, my hope was to find a cool spot in La Plata Canyon. It did not disappoint. While the rest of the region was giving over to colors of gold and straw in the summer heat, the canyon was lush and green. Ah, so this is where the rain has been hiding, I thought.

I pulled off and wandered over to the river, still bubbling along—but more like a tiny creek than a river. I was drawn to the deep shade of the trees where beams of sunlight lit tender green plants and the scattered cobble left behind by the river when it used to roar with snowmelt in springs of the past.

No bears, no wind, no bugs…it was a perfect and joyful painting session.

Weaving the Landscape

Some of you may know that I bought a table-top tapestry loom several months ago, and weaving has become somewhat of an obsession for me.

It’s entirely a new medium for me and has been a very stimulating learning experience. Almost immediately, I wanted to apply my love of landscape to the medium, moving from learning basic patterning (counting…ugh!) to figuring out how to apply various weaving techniques to representational subjects. 

After some experimentation and working on larger weavings, I decided to set up two sections of warp threads on the loom side by side so I could use as much of the warp length as possible. That resulted in eight pieces of approximately 5” x 5” (not counting the fringe, which I added later).

First, I made some sketches and applied one of the ideas to grid paper to work out the color and number of stitches. Well, that was too rigid for this free spirit, so after the first weaving, I just worked freestyle from my sketches.

I completed two of each design, and of course, they are not identical as I tried different techniques with each weaving. If you look closely at the various pieces, some are not strictly horizontal rows of yarn—there curved and angled sections, which added an element of fun and interest to the project.

Once complete, the finish work begins, which can take longer than the actual weaving…I’m still trying to figure out how to be more efficient at that part of the process. Finishing requires tying off the warp threads and weaving them—and all the “tails” of the various colors—into the back of the weaving. I then added fringe, stitched the top edge, and added a hanging pocket.

Stay tuned for the next adventure in weaving…

Animas Relic

 

Animas Relic

13" x 13"
Acrylic on a Reclaimed Cabinet Door 

This old cottonwood caught my eye, nearly a skeleton with just a few leaves that’s been hanging in there along the river for who knows how long. Someday, a big wind will topple it into the river; and, if we ever have a big winter again, maybe the snowmelt will carry it away. Or perhaps as it falls, it will nestle into the river and create a sheltered pool for the river critters.

This piece is from a plein air painting session at Dallabetta Park along the Animas River in Durango. It was a glorious day, and I had a wonderful spot in the shade. It’s a really lovely place to paint. In the fall, the vegetation across the river turns to brilliant shades of yellow and gold that’s mirrored in the river, making for quite a show.