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.

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. 

Maggie's Rock

 

Maggie’s Rock

15" x 12"

Acrylic on Reclaimed Cabinet Door

 

West of Durango, about 40 minutes, Cherry Creek Road travels a stunning green valley dotted with cottonwoods, pines, and cattle. Of the many picturesque choices along the road, the butte to the east caught my eye.

It’s kind of funny how plein air paintings tend to come with a weather story. This piece is no exception. This was a two-part painting. The first time my painting buddy and I went out, we were driven back to our cars by a bitingly cold wind carrying snow from the ridge behind us. I barely blocked in the basic components of the landscape before I gave in, my hands clumsy from the cold. A month later, we gave it another try and the weather cooperated, allowing me to finish the piece.

On that second day, we hadn’t been painting long when an SUV pulled up and the driver called out, “How wonderful to see artists out here! I see you are painting Maggie’s Rock”. I went over to the car, and she went on to tell me that Maggie’s Rock was on land owned by Louie L’Amour. “Wow," I responded, thinking, hmmm, that’s interesting, but he’s dead and I didn’t think he had ever owned property in the area—though—fun fact—he wrote many of his novels in a room in Durango's Strater Hotel. We talked for a bit and then she wished us well and drove off.

A little later, another driver came down the road and stopped to see what we were doing. “I see you’re painting Maggie’s Rock,” she said, and I told her another person had informed me of that.

“The lady I talked to earlier told me that Louie L’ Amour owns that property,” I said, wanting to confirm that bit of information.

“No,” she replied, “the Ute Tribe owns that land. The caretaker’s name is Louie…you see him all the time driving around in his pickup truck.”

Her family had owned property in the valley for generations, so I concluded she had a better idea of the area’s history.

She went on to say that it’s called Maggie’s Rock because a long time ago someone named Maggie fell off the rock and died. It reminded me of how the Navajo people name places for notable events, such as “Where Two Fell Off” in Canyon de Chelly.

We talked for a bit more before she headed on her way and I went back to my painting.

This piece is painted on the center panel of a cabinet door, which has a “built-in” frame. I started with the center panel painted a rusty-red color, which you can see peeking through in various places in the painting.

Across the Meadow

 

Across the Meadow
14” x 11”
Acrylic on canvas

We got an early start on this plein air adventure, returning to Echo Basin, just outside of Mancos. Finding a wide place along the road near a house with an interesting old outbuilding—and an even more interesting barn across the road—we parked and set up our easels. My plein air partner chose the old barn as her subject. While I was intrigued with the outbuilding, logistics were against me. I would have had to set up my gear right next to the fence and peer over it to view my subject. That might not have gone well had the property owner come out to find some stranger looking over their fence into their side yard.

So, I opted to stay out of trouble and moved closer to the road. I turned my attention to the south where there was a ridge deep in shadow. Only the eastern-most flank and the jutting folds were lit, glowing a brilliant green with grass that had sprouted thanks to a recent summer shower. After a hot, dry summer and the rain was a welcome gift. That was my warm-up painting.

Then, I broke out another canvas and turned my attention to the meadow below the ridge, rimmed with trees, the foreground thick with golden grasses. I took a more traditional approach with this piece, starting with transparent layers of paint and gradually working toward more opaque layers. I finished off with a bit of iridescent gold (which doesn’t really show in the photo), but added a nice, subtle flair to the piece. (Interestingly, the many transparent layers of paint made this piece difficult to photograph due to reflected light off the texture of the underlying canvas. It shows much better in person.)

We worked until the sun was high and the cool of the morning was long gone. Another delightful day outdoors doing what we love.