My "little" painting trip to New Mexico!

#1   Pleinair painters (lots) at El Santuario de Chimayó
10 x 8 inches    oil on Multimedia artboard

My site and set-up (I loved the scallop thing on the adobe wall).

Thumbnail sketch to get me started.

May was a busy month, I can't believe it is June!

I traveled to Albuquerque and then to Santa Fe, New Mexico, 

to attend the 9th annual PACE (Pleinair Convention & Expo).

After a delay of two years, it was super exciting ... 

but people were hoping it wouldn't turn into a Super Spreader event. 

I have not heard that it has, 

but there was talk of some people coming down with the virus.

Luckily I did not, and wore my mask when in demos 

and in the expo crowd.

I made 5 paintings, learning from each one, and I will show you them 

along with my set-up and site, like #1 above.

The next spot we traveled (there were usually 2 or 3 huge air-conditioned busses) was Santa Fe proper. We set up wherever suited our fancy, keeping near the center square.

#2   La Fonda (The Inn) Santa Fe
7 x 5 inches   oil on Artefex Alcot aluminum panel

I had a perfect set-up away from the wind with shade!

Next day we went to El Rancho de Las Golondrinas (the ranch of the swallows). 

This year is their 50th anniversary.

It was very windy and dusty, but I did find a spot to set up to paint 

the old waterwheel and mill house; 

first I made sketch of a cool adobe building near the goat barns.

Thumbnail for La Fonda, and the adobe building at Golodrinas.

thumbnail sketch

#3  Waterwheel & Mill House
El Ranco de Las Golodrinas
6 x 8 inches   oil on ultralight multimedia artboard

This one still needs a bit of work.

Our last trip was to Ghost Ranch, the stomping grounds for Georgia O'Keeffe.

I made a painting standing outside a little cottage that had a sign with her name on it.

Cerro Pedernal means flint hill.

Now usually people just call it Pedernal.

#4  Cerro Pedernal from Ghost Ranch    oil on Masonite   8 x 10 inches

#5  Cow Skull at Ghost House   oil on Arches paper  8 x 6 inches

This last painting was done from a skull hanging on the adobe

of Ghost House, an old residence on the ranch. Please look up

Georgia's skull paintings, or any of her paintings ... they are wonderful.

One more thing ... before the conference began,
I met my daughter who flew in from Austin, in Albuquerque. We drove to Santa Fe and she stayed with me for the first few days! We had a blast going exploring (Meow Wolf, a brewery, The Sopapilla Factory) hiking and hanging out.

We hiked to a beautiful overlook and painted with watercolors she brought.

I hope you are all enjoying summer (northern hemisphere people anyway)!

Continue to take care, stay healthy and keep painting!

🎨

yep