"Cinco De Mayo"

This is a painting of one of the most famous churches in Northern New Mexico and is located on the scenic High Road to Taos. Named after the small hamlet in which it is located, Las Trampas Church was founded in 1751 by twelve Spanish families and was known as the San Jose de Gracia Church which was used by Los Hermanos Penitentes, a flagellant Catholic order founded in colonial Spanish America.

As you can see, the sun is blinding in that part of the country, and the sky really is cobalt blue. I have exaggerated the deep intensity of the sky to emphasize how bright the sun shines in "big sky country".If you look at the shadows, you see that nowhere is there the application of black or gray.  This painting shows an impression of what the eye actually sees.  Shadows are comprised of many colors -- just an area where there is less light.  Even in the areas where the sun is reflecting its brightest you will see color through the glare.

For the sky I started with pure ultramarine blue at the top and worked in pure cobalt as I entered the lower atmosphere.

"Las Tranpas Church"       (32" X 34")     Oil on Canvas                          $3,800.00

"Afternoon at San Francisco de Assis"

This is a painting of the famous St. Francis Church in Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico.  Normally it is surrounded by parked cars.  I decided to make it look a little more romantic by adding some characters.  It is not unusual to see horses walking through the parking lot even today and I have ridden mine right up to my gallery, which used to be on the left side of the church.  The figures in the market place would have been there many years ago in a different era.  I love this painting because it was a kind of experiment.

Adobe is made with clay and straw.  After a couple of winters, the surfaces of the church need to be refurbished.  In order to accomplish this, the entire community of this little hamlet, just outside of Taos, gathers together to heal its wounds.  I have been a part of this ritual and have never had so much fun.  After the holes have been plugged with chicken wire and adobe and straw, it is washed over with big pieces of wet sheepskin.  A regular beauty treatment. 

 I wanted to paint a true impression of what happens when you look up at the walls of this huge structure.  The sky is so bright and blue that the reflection of the sun on the walls is actually blinding to the human eye.  It is not possible to see where the sky or the church begins or ends because of the eye's natural reaction to the glare.  I tried to capture this by blending the color of the sky into the building.  Every time I look at this painting I am taken back to that amazing experience.

"Afternoon at San Francisco de Assis"      (17" X 22")      Oil on Canvas     Price:  $1,500.00

"Waterlilies" (20" X 24") Oil on Canvas

This is a painting of a pond on the property of a famous Taos founding artist named Nicholai Fechin.  When I attempted to execute this painting I did not realize how difficult it would be -- a seemingly simple subject, but very reflective of everything around it. As in most of my paintings, I chose to execute this one in the late afternoon/evening sun.  The colors of the blooms and lilypads are soft,warm and inviting, but difficult to contrast against the sky which kept changing and getting warmer and warmer in tone.  I had to return a few times to finish this work which, normally, would have taken but a few hours.

It amazes me how these lilies manage to survive in Taos' bitter winters.

"Waterlilies I"      (24" X 30")     Oil on Canvas

"Early Winter Pasture"

 

This painting is a typical sight that one might encounter during a Taos winter. A person can rent a horse pasture with a little acequia  running through it for roughly $20.00 per head per month. When you drive by (a week after a snowstorm) you see that there is no trace that the owner is feeding these equine angels. They are foraging through the snow for bits of dead grass and because the acequia is frozen over, they are literally having to drink the snow. It upsets me so to see the vast disconnect between humans and animals (a cultural thing, I guess). If you toss a couple of bales over the fence you somehow manage to insult the owner.  I apologize that the painting probably no longer holds the impression of serenity and contentment that it did for you a few moments ago.

The cold ultramarine shadows in the snow set against the warm cadmium orange and Indian yellow tones in the horse's fur complement one another and show the stark difference between them both.

"Early Winter Pasture"    (20" X 24")    Oil on Canvas