Rainy Sunset in New Mexico

Watercolor and fluid acrylics. 14 x 20

When I lived in New York State, my figure painting teacher told me once that the style of painting in Santa Fe, New Mexico, was not his coup of tea. He even gagged at the memory of those landscape oil paintings  depictiing sunsets in the desert.

It’s been nearly a decade since I heard that, so I was always curious to see those sunsets that inspire the art in Santa Fe. I had the chance I spent some days in New Mexico this summer. I was mesmerized by the big skies and kept remembering my teacher making faces of how much he disliked it. I found it amusing because those vistas are really imposing and beautiful. This is a little homage to my teacher (now deceased) who inspired me to create this watermedia piece.

Copper Body

Watermedia: fluid acrylics and watercolor 13 x 19

The drawing marathon provides opportunities to sketch nudes from models who volunteer for the Bay Area Models Guild. I developed this painting from a 20-minute pose. I threw copper and golden acrylic to the watercolor mix just for fun.

It’s me and my dog

Dulce and me, watercolor 12 x 16

The Limantour Beach in Point Reyes Park, north of San Francisco, has very dramatic views and very intense winds too, as in other beaches in the Pacific Coast. Although it is not a place for trunks or bikinis, it is enjoyable nevertheless. Dulce Maria, my eight year old cockapoo, is definitely a beach girl as she loves running in the soft sand.

My partner Dan took pictures of our outing. Later  I made a composite from different photos and used it as reference for this painting, which started as a waves study but I developped it into a whimsical self portrait.

Fishing Sparkles

Fishing Sparkles, watercolor 14 x 20

Vermont’s landscape is predominantly green in late spring and summer. If the right conditions present themselves, other colors can be captured. I took some pictures at the end of a day in June last year from some friends’ house in Windsor. Their property faces the Runnemeade Pond where locals come and take a stroll by it or choose their favorite spot to fish. I never saw the face of this young guy but he and a friend of his (not depicted in this painting) seemed to have a great time enjoying simple pleasures of life. This image is a free interpretation of the reference photo I took.

Windsor is a really tiny town, but amazingly, it houses a couple of great museums, one of them is Cornish Colony Museum hosting a great collection of Maxfield Parrish’s paintings and murals. (He actually lived nearby) His body of work has captivated me for a long time. Also, close by, the actual Cornish Colony is just on the other side of the Conneticut river, in New Hampshire. This artists’ community was founded by  the sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens the late 19th century for artists and writers to pursue their art.

Follow Me

Follow me, watercolor, 14 x 18

I submitted this piece for the Show of Merritt but I forgot to take a picture of this painting by itself before framing it.

The image of the diver in a reference photograph caught my attention. I also loved the depth  and expanse of a canyon (Copper Canyon in Chihuahua, in this case) from another picture. The idea of the diver soaring in that vastness reminded me the exhilarating feeling I have had in dreams and meditations. So I guess this painting is somewhat autobiographical.

A collective exhibit

Cliff

Watermedia, collage with fluid acrylics 12 x 14

During a workshop with Susan Cornelis in Sebastopol, I created this painting using fluid acrylics, a media that behaves very similarly to watercolor. Paints can be transparent, translucent or opaque, but unlike watercolor paint, they cannot be lifted once they set in the paper. They are very compatible with collages materials.

The approach of this workshop was creating fantascapes: imaginary, abstract landscapes. The angle of the spotlight in this photograph enhances the textures.

Japanese Dream II

Japanese Dream II, watercolor 14 x 20

One of my friends in England was particularly drawn to the early version (see some early works) in pencil of this piece, which was a vision in meditation 10 years ago. At the time I saw in vertically. I did not figure out any meaning of that vision so it remained as a mystery. Prompted by my friend’s comment, I decided to recreate it again, this time in color. What you see is in fact a second try in color.

When I turned it horizontally, the black marks suddenly made more sense to me. They became alive.  Wow!  it took me 10 years to have a different perspective. Not that it revealed any message or meaning, but it is a step forward. What do you see in it?

Ripples and Swan

Watercolor 12 x 16

The reference photograph for this exercise on ripples had a generic duck. There was not much happening in the picture so I changed it to a  mute swan and added extra shading to give  more drama to the composition. Rather than the swan, which is the focal point, the challenge was to paint convincing ripples. I think I got it.

I am particularly fond of these birds because I used to live close to a lake where there where swans all year round. Also because they often symbolize the divine.  In Eastern traditions “they are often viewed as gods in disguise, or else they are the vehicles of gods and goddesses.

“While the peacock is a symbol of material manifestation, the swan stands for the ethereal.  It represents the presence of divine inspiration in our world.

“The spiritual association is further emphasized by the swan’s seeming to move almost as if suspended above the water’s surface, which evokes the detachment that is the result of  meditative practice.  Its regal posture and smooth, graceful gliding movement through the water, along with its general reputation as a silent bird, enhances its prestige.” *

*www.khandro.net

Out of diversity…

I took this picture in the gardens of the Forbidden City in Beijing, China.