Wherever Here Is

Well, I made it! Another long drive and a lot of wind and even some rain, I'm officially now in Truth or Consequences.

Tomorrow I'll get situated: what's the light like on Elephant Butte in the morning? In the afternoon? What about the lake? Is there a view point that will look over the town? 

Already I found the local grocery, which is small but surprisingly well stocked with every type of Hoho-Dingdong-Cakey treat as well as a pretty decent selection of organic goods. It's very eclectic.

Up the hill is a Walmart. I have now shopped at Walmart. A first. Well, the FIRST was on Long Island to buy Fisher-Price rollerblades and an elbow and knee pad set for a photo shoot- but that was a work thing and so it doesn't really count, right? So, yes, I've now shopped at Walmart. 

There are 4 of us here at the Residency. All female, which surprised me for some reason.

One is from San Francisco and has been a professional painter for 30 years. Her work is very contemporary, Color Field paintings and some Political folk art. The other 2 are entering the Graduate program at Yale in the fall. 

This is my first Residency, so I'll be learning a lot. The Starry Night Residency program is a privately owned. I think this is going to be a good introduction to how this process and focus will work. It's exciting when something you have wanted... something you have tried to achieve.... for a very long time - comes to be. I'm proud. I'm a little nervous. I'm terribly excited.

Okey... Day 3: 320 miles. ARRIVED.

Tomorrow, reconnaissance.

Crossing Arizona

Still on my way to my destination. Today was a straight shot from Palm Desert on the 10 past Phoenix and into Tucson. Surprised to discover I have no cell service in Tucson! This does not bode well for the remote areas where I'll be painting in southern New Mexico!

I'd read about a gallery in Tucson that had within it a small Maynard Dixon Museum, so after checking into my hotel (very circa 1975) I set off, sans 4G and wifi, to find the Mark Sublette Medicine Man Gallery. What a find!!

Gallery is in a strip mall, a strange location for such fabulous art. I went there to see the Maynard Dixon work. What an unexpected delight to find: Gregory Kondos (I've been fortunate to have studied with him twice, he's a treasure); Ray Roberts, a spectacular Plein air painter; Dennis Ziemienski, who I took a class from in Undergraduate and is a phenomenal illustrator and painter; Francis Livingston!! One of America's top Illustrators had some breathtaking landscapes and western paintings; a few stunning paintings by Ed Mell and Mark Bowles; and lastly, a wonderful collection of pieces by Josh Elliott.

Sadly, no photos allowed :(

Across the street was a Chevron where I filled the tank for.... $1.69 a gallon OMG!!

Day 2 drive of 400 miles, and one day closer to my destination! 

Thank you to all the kudos and well wishes!

Long drive to a dream

Today I set out on a new adventure and towards something I've always dreamed of doing.

An Artist in Residency.

I'm thrilled and honored to have been awarded a residency in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. I love New Mexico! 

I'll spend my days plein air painting and then follow that with some bigger paintings created in the residency studio.

Looking forward to exploring the landscape of southern NM and creating lots of new paintings!

Day 1: drive 461 miles to Palm Desert.

83 Bees

Actually, accurately, 83rd Bees.

I broke through the top 100 for the first time on a Spoonflower contest. Yeah! feels good!
502 entries and I was 83rd.

My Hive-rise Livin' bee fabric received a lot of nice notes too from admirers. I did not expect that at all. How nice!

Southwest Baby Bedding Contest

... and the results are now in!

Out of 430 entries, my Desert Dots fabric design came in at #211 -  with 63 votes.
I am again in the middle of the pack, which I see as a good thing since it's only my 2nd contest ;D

I had a lot of fun designing each illustrated dot, cactus scenes and distant bluffs... now I think a trip to the desert is in order.

Illustrated Fabrics

I've been playing around with illustrating fabrics. These designs are completely fulfilling my desire to create something and then hold it in my hand... a nice change from all my illustrations for web and apps ;D

I've entered my Desert Dots fabric into the Spoonflower "Southwest Baby Bedding" contest. If you like my submission, I'd love your vote!

http://www.spoonflower.com

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Big House, Little Painting

The LGAA, Los Gatos Art Association, Plein Air painters group meet on Monday mornings. We have a pretty consistent group showing up - whether we meet in town or down the coast in Monterey or up at Davenport. A good solid 11-15 painters I think. Unless it is the Monday of the year when we meet at a spectacular home of one of our members. 

The home belongs to David. I'll leave it at that. It's amazing, a stunning hacienda on many acres with a pond, many fountains, a carriage house, an adorable shed, plants and flowering trees... the works. It's like a trip to Tuscany. So, it's no surprise that on this particular Monday.... we had over 25 artists.

I love when OTHER painters paint street scenes and corner stores, storybook cottages and barns. I love it and I struggle to do it. Architecture is not my thing. I have painted David's home before and although I like that painting, it shows more of a slowly sinking, aged and wobbly adobe cottage in my rendering ;)

This time I really spent a lot of time on the drawing. Getting the angles, the windows right, the roof top... I think it paid off. I am much happier with this painting and can see a lot of areas where I improved in the paint application as well. Having the 'good bones' of a good drawing underneath the paint worked out very well. There's hope for me!