Trampas Lake in the Pecos Wilderness

16 X 12 

Oil on Linen Panel 

Reference photograph by Karen Jokela 

Karen and her husband spend a fair amount of time on horseback so they get to see beautiful sights the rest of us ooh and aah over. The Pecos Wilderness is an area of New Mexico I've never been to. I don't know if the rocks have a separate name, but they are my focus for this painting.

Lilacs in Spring 

16 X 12 

Oil on Linen Panel 

Reference photograph by Daniel Edmondson

I painted this same reference photograph two years ago and it didn't get easier.  I wanted this one to look really different, but the paintings are really quite similar, although for reasons other than I expected. My pot is definitely more coppery this time and the bowl got a gold edge. Last time I used a lot more green leaves to connect the bowl with the bouquet. 

Blackwater Canyon 

18 X 12 

Oil on Cotton Canvas 

Reference photograph was taken by Julie Carter

Blackwater Canyon is on the family ranch 5 miles off the main road on a rather rocky road between Arabella and Tinnie, New Mexico. The family was rather surprised to find that this amount of water was actually in the reference photograph. New Mexico is very short on water. The Capitan Mountains are in the background.

Day Lilies

16 X 12

Oil on Linen Panel

These flowers were at a roadside park near Council Bluffs, IA. I had to ask lots of people before I found out what kind of flowers they are. The small flowers were an unexpected bonus. They are said to grow easily and everywhere, but I don't remember seeing any before.

Early Morning in the Guadalupes 

10X10 
Oil on Linen Panel

Reference photo by Pascal Enjady

This painting is intended as a tribute to my Apache friends I met while teaching at Mescalero Apache School. 

Rocky Ridge 

16 X 12 

Oil on Linen Panel 

Painted from a photograph by Janet Herman 

We have so many ridges similar to this in our area along our highways where cuts have been made in the hills.

I did learn how to paint over palette knife when painting this picture, and to use a palette knife to flatten the paint from the brush.  I have much to learn about painting clouds.

Grand Tetons National Park 

16 X 12 

Oil on Linen Panel

From a photograph by Barbara Cooper

The Grand Tetons were much different than I expected when we visited there this summer. The mountains are huge and there are so many of them, but they are all together. No one mountain stood out. This view is at nearly dark. One lone duck is swimming along. I was surprised to see a white line along the edge between the land and the water. Normally that edge would be very dark.