New Mexico convention

Simmer Down, 2021
Awarded the 
Jill & Flori Padget Memorial Award
At the Fort Wayne Artist Guild
Ventures Exhibit

 Well, what a great trip we had! Santa Fe grew on me more and more the longer we stayed (and it got easier to relax in unfamiliar surroundings.) We went to Santa Fe for a large Plein Air painting convention, and I learned a lot and was immersed in a different painting atmosphere than I am used to. And for those who were wondering, I am not planning to stop painting abstract paintings. Abstract work is my heart language - the kind of work I most love to do. I can 'say' what I have to say with an abstract painting far more readily than with more representational paintings. But I am continually working to learn more and become an all around better artist. (I may even be trying a portrait workshop in the not too distant future.)

In spite of being so new to this kind of painting, I found that I already had a head start on a few things, like the significance of composition in a painting, and the idea that you don't have to paint everything that you see. Concepts that are so important in abstract painting are also keys to successful plein air painting.

I painted four real live plein air works there, and was facing some uphill battles! First, I paint with acrylics, which are well known for drying very fast. Well, New Mexico is desert! It was very dry there, and hot and windy, and my paint dried almost before I got it from my palette to my substrate! I thought I had brought my Golden Open acrylics, which are formulated to stay wet longer, but I had actually grabbed and packed a set of my regular Golden Heavy Body paint, so I had NO advantage in the dry conditions. 

Wellspring, 2019
Awarded Honorable Mention at the 
Lakeland Art Association Spring Show

I also chose to paint using a very limited palette - three colors plus white - for all of my paintings. I think that was a good choice for me and I will probably continue that way, but it does limit some parts of the work. 

Another challenge was that I did not have a traditional plein air set up on which to paint. Most people who regularly paint outside have a 'pack' with a particular kind of easel, palette, and so on that is made just for painting on the go. It can hold all of the paint and tools that you need as well as a painting surface, whether it is paper, a panel, or canvas. Those set-ups are not inexpensive, and it seems artists have different favorites, so I was hoping to get some good research done while I was there. I didn't find what I wanted to try there, but I think I have a good idea of where to start. 

While I was gone, a few things happened with my art work around here, too. Two of my paintings that are in competitions won awards, and one got moved to a new venue. I was very honored to learn that, and am looking forward to visiting those exhibits this week. 

An Interesting Place, 2019
Now exhibited in a new gallery space

Along with practicing a new-to-me kind of painting, I also was storing up a lot of inspiration for new work that I will be painting. I have one piece in my studio that is nearing completion, and I am very excited to finish it up. There were such beautiful views from our windows, and the sky in New Mexico took on spectacular colors because of the smoke from the enormous wildfires going on there. Some of those sights are in my mind's eye as I paint new things to share with you, and I am looking forward to seeing where my new work is headed. Thank you for following along on this journey!