Pastel Painting, Kelly Church Again

I have painted San Juan Church in Kelly, New Mexico, several times. That link has pictures of the church a long time ago. It is interesting as it is the last building standing in Kelly. (There is another photo of the church on this page.) Mass is held there on June 24, St. John the Baptist Day, every year. Church members from St. Mary Magdalene Church in Magdalena, New Mexico, take care of it.

Kelly is just south of Magdalena in the mountains. It was a booming mining town at one time. The Juanita mine there was named for my Grandmother. Many area citizens worked in the mines including my Father.

I notice that in the first painting I did, there was no patio cover on the side. I don't have a photo of this painting, it is in Albuquerque with Gene's Mom. I think because the church sits all alone, the many photos of it look much the same. The trim and door have been painted differently over the years. The steeple was white when I painted it a few years ago and now it is brown again.

At any rate, it is a popular landmark, so I decided to paint it again.

I worked on white Richeson hardboard, Premium Pastel Surface. It is on Gator Foam so it is lightweight but stiff. This will be a good surface to frame against the glass, which I prefer. This board has a very toothy surface which holds a great deal of pastel. I didn't want the white to show too much so I painted an under painting with watercolors.

I wish now that I had made the under painting considerably darker. This pale covering still allowed a great deal of the white to show. It is not all bad, but I would have preferred less. The painting doesn't have as many white flecks in real life. I suppose the digital camera emphasizes the white along with the blue. You can be the judge. I attempted to leave out unecessary details. I do like the end result.

Iglesia de San Juan, Kelly, New Mexico
Pastel on Richeson Hardboard, 9 x 12 inches

The sky always looks so blue in the mountains. The elevation there must be about 8,000 feet above sea level.

This pastel landscape will be for my show in Magdalena in July. You can purchase it ahead of time, but I will show it there. You can take delivery after the Old Timers Reunion. Send me an e-mail if you are interested or have questions.