Sketch and Photos

The new list has all items that start with the letter A, thanks to Angela.  Very interesting.  I did not take the list with us today, so I just sketched the landscape.  Luckily one of the items was "anything" so my landscape fit in.  I painted in my small sketchbook with a Pilot ball point pen.

Number 1, anything - the landscape between Deming and Hatch on HWY 26.

Just south of Socorro on the way to Palomas, Mexico,  to the dentist.

The hills look pretty with so many levels, but oh, how dry it is!

The green chile plants are not too big yet.

A solar farm near Hatch.

A big new wind farm is going in  near Deming.

The Art Center in Deming.  I visited it a few years ago.  Pretty nice selection of artwork and artists.

Lunch at the Pink Store.  Gene had a Coca Cola Lite

I had a margarita.  They serve complimentary margaritas if you shop in the store.

When we go to Palomas we park on the US side and walk across.  We go to the dentist and the Pink Store.

We enjoy the food and service at the Pink Store.  They really cater to the tourists.  If you buy quite a bit of art work, they will take you across the border to your car in a big golf cart. 

Tumbleweeds cover the fence.

Dust devil, we saw lots of those today.  Little mini tornadoes.  :)

Yesterday we put up my show in Magdalena.  I took photos but they are on Gene's computer so will take care of the transfer later.  Tomorrow I will be at Peppers from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and will paint out on the porch.  Should be fun.  I hope to get down to the rodeo grounds to see the art and check out the booths and rodeo.  I doubt that we will go to the street dance or the theater.  There is quite a bit to do during the Old Timers Reunion.  You can read about it on the Mountain Mail News.  Open the current print edition.

Happy Birthday, Joanna! Happy Fourth of July! Sketches for the road....

Happy Birthday, Joanna!  Hope it is great.  

(We will see you for dinner!)

Happy Birthday to Jerry and Cody, too! (nephews)

Happy Fourth of July to the rest of you in the good ole USA!  and the troops and other Americans protecting our country, where ever you are!

We are loading up the trailer today.  I did a couple of sketches for Scavenger Hunt 228.

#10 cereal - well a substitute. I pulled out a list in the sketchbook and saw "fruit" and thought I would sketch the bananas with peanut butter and cream cheese on my rice cake. Then I looked for the next item and thought, "I don't remember putting so many things on the list from the last list." Sigh..... I was on the wrong list. So, since I don't eat cereal I will sub the rice cake for rice crispies. Ha.

#11 - step, the little step up from the porch to the dining room.

So gotta get with it.  See y'all down the road.  

Patriotic Day Photos - Sketches

We had Joanna's faux birthday celebration yesterday along with the Patriotic Day Celebration at Fisherman's Park, also faux 4th of July yesterday.  It was a good day.  We had pot roast for Joanna with watermelon for desert.  No birthday cake!  First time ever.  We usually have carrot cake.

Jennie brought the grand-dogs so they stayed at the house with Gene while the rest of us went to the celebration.  It was sans fireworks because of the drought, but Jennie had an App for that so we could see some while the band played.  Jennie was also amused that the conductor had an App on his iPhone for tuning up the band!

 A landmark in Bastrop, the Old Iron Bridge.  The cars are on the new bridge this side of the old one with the arches.

The Colorado River looked quite nice and inviting.

 The scouts presented the colors.

The Austin Symphonic Band plays in Bastrop for the Patriotic Celebration.  It can't be on the 4th of July because the Band plays in Austin on the 4th.  It is always great music with the Stars and Stripes Forever at the end.  There weren't too many folks there, guess they usually came for the fireworks.  There were vendors, a train ride and other things for the young kids.

I did one very quick sketch of the clarinet section before they started.  About two minutes worth.  :)

This morning it is hot an muggy, but we had coffee on the porch.  I sketched and Gene read his paper.  The sketches are for Scavenger Hunt 228 in the Utrecht book with the Prismacolor 03 marker/pen.  I'm hosting so come on over and sketch with us.

Number 8, Book cover and Number 9, little - my little finger with a couple more so you can tell it is the little one.

Now I'm off to clean up the kitchen and get on with the packing for our summer in New Mexico.  We have the paintings for my show all ready to go and I seem to have my art studio ready to go as well.

The paintings and some of my "junk" ready to go in the trailer.

Another view.  The blue "envelopes" were made by Johanne Morin.  They are so handy to carry and protect paintings/frames.  One style has two parts that slip one inside the other so you can cover a large painting or use for two or more, some have straps to put over your shoulder.  They protect the frames very nicely.  She has some for sale before she leaves Austin.  Click on her name, see her new website and give her a call or send an e-mail.

Pastel Painting - Magdalena Mountain, acrylic

I decided to paint a little acrylic painting of Magdalena Mountain for my show in Magdalena on July 8-11. Magdalena is where I grew up and the mountain is very much a part of the village.  There are many stories about the face on the mountain.

This photo view shows the face.  It is supposed to be Mary Magdalene in profile and Magdalena is named after it.

Here is the detail with the face enlarged.

Following are my previous paintings of the mountain and the new one at the end.

This is the first painting I did of the Mountain.  "Magdalena Mountain from Kelly Road", acrylic on panel, 10 x 8 inches.

This one is called Sun Spots, 7 x 5 inches, pastel.

 Mountain Sun,  oil on canvas panel, 10 x 8 inches.

This is the newest painting and the only one available to purchase.

Magdalena Mountain, acrylic on board, 8 x 6 inches, framed in a dark brown, plein air style frame, $100.00.

See you in Magdalena!

Sketches for Hunt 228 and Photos

I sketched while watching TV last night.  Always a good thing to "do something" besides just sitting there. I sketched in the brown paper Utrecht sketchbook.  It is easier to sketch in a bigger book as you have somewhere to rest your hand.

I was watching an old Helen Van Wyk tape last night, too, and she said that you "draw a drawing and paint a painting".  She sketched for her paintings with the paintbrush right on the canvas.  She began by marking out the space where her items would fit/sit on the canvas, then roughed them in on a toned canvas before starting to paint.  I do much the same.  I usually don't sketch with detail for a painting as you cover it up anyway.  Here is a link to a great article about Helen Van Wyk, by Jan Claire.

So, how does this sketching for the Scavenger Hunts help my painting?  I think it does give me so much practice in looking and then placing my lines with confidence and purpose.  I sketch with ink so that I have to do a believable job the first time .. no erasing.  In painting, I then put in my strokes down in the same way .. quickly and with confidence .. not much changing what I put down the first time.

I do paint quickly.  I get bored if I have to work on something for a length of time.  The practice, homework, I do with my sketching seems to help my painting.

For Scavenger Hunt 228 were done with the Prismacolor Premier Marker 03.  These markers act much like the pens I normally use.  I thought they were pens, but they say Fine Line Marker on them.

Number 3, glass - a lead glass vase.  It weighs about 10 pounds and is about 8 inches high.  Number 5, top shelf - the top shelf above the TV.

Number 4, heavy - a bronze sculpture that weighs in about 14 pounds and is about 10 inches high.  Number 6, Xerox - my new printer/scanner.

Number 7, ad - and ad for jeans in a Walmart ad in a magazine.


We walked our nine holes of golf this morning, starting before 8.  It was warm, probably about 80 degrees.  It is 12:40 p.m. now and 96 degrees.  Hot, humid and no rain in sight.  At the time we started the grass had dew and it seemed pretty cool out.

This is looking toward the water hole, number 8 on the course.  There seemed to be some mist in the air, too.

We were first at this hole after the mower had been by.  The tracks looked like flower petals with the green for the center.  Or it is just the way my mind works?  Ha.  Pretty morning out there.  The one rain we had sure greened up the course.  We need lots more.