I am thankful to live in this eclectic, artistic neighborhood that is called “Nob Hill.” I rent a tiny home that provides an open studio on my back porch and a protected built-in studio area in the back of my garage. These places provide me with a great amount of solitary working space when I am home. Since my working aesthetic involves a large amount of travelling, I have embarked in several road trips since moving to Albuquerque in February 2021.
In the spring and summer of 2021, when we were still somewhat restricted by the Pandemic, I explored the area above the Jemez Pueblo by car where the landscape is rich and green. I painted this introduction to the Jemez Mountains. (jdb page ) Of course, I drove to Santa Fe on a few occasions to see art and especially appreciated visiting Meow Wolf <https://meowwolf.com/visit/santa-fe>, a performance art installation that is difficult to describe but it is great fun to experience!
In the past year, I made many small watercolors of the Sandia Mountains that create the eastern backdrop of our city. I drove to many of the trail heads where I parked and painted. The color of these volcanic peaks is confusing since it changes constantly and varies with the light, weather, and time of day. The name “Sandia” means “Watermelon” in Spanish. The mountains sometimes appear pink, purple, and green in the afternoon light, especially when the sun sets to the west of the city. (small pntg) Almost all of New Mexican’s geographical elements are new to me. I constantly learn how to “see” these as well as to depict them in my own way.
In late December 2021 and into the new year of 2022, I made a trip to San Diego County, California and back to spend Christmas, gathering with my brother’s family. I car camped driving west and stayed in with the Pulis/Mora clan in a large rental on the seaside. This ten-day trip provided rich opportunities to make small watercolor paintings and journey daybook pages. (2 jdb pntgs)
At home, I continue to make Zoom portraits with the New Orleans Drawing Group each Thursday afternoon where I also learn a great deal from the Open Discussions and Guest Artist Presentations that happen every few weeks after our 3-hour live modeling session. I am so thankful for this opportunity that was created by a friend, Sandra Burshell <https://www.sandraburshell.com>, in response to the outbreak of Covid-19 in March 2020. The exhibit of the first 100 weeks of our work, “Impressions 100,” features many of our group’s work through April 2022. It is found on this site. (highlight the link here)
I am beginning to show my work to a wider audience than to my own friends and neighbors. “In Other Words” is a group exhibition at The New Mexico Art League that features art that incorporates the written word with imagery. I submitted three journey daybook pages that I made recently here on Monday excursions with friends who paint together. These are all on exhibit. The Opening happens on Saturday, August 13, 4-6 PM.
Now that my website is newly designed, I look forward to spending even more outside time. I have planned another long road trip, this time to Nebraska, to study with Joanna Barnum https://www.joannabarnum.com, a young, innovative watercolor artist, who was recently awarded the Carl Folke Sahlin Medal for her painting, “The Artist is a Funnel,” a portrait of Grace Cavalieri, the State of Maryland Poet Laureate. As I drive to Nebraska and travel by car through New Mexico and Colorado, I hope to continue to record my thoughts, feelings, and visual impressions in my journey daybook and to gather these together for you to see in my Blog. Please keep watching for more!