695 Grandma Comes to Visit

I have been away from home for several days with my Art Lady friends.  We visited New Mexico for the third time to plein air paint, and it was a glorious nine days of friendship and painting.  We stayed at the Hacienda del Sol in Taos, New Mexico, and traveled around to various venues.  Our trips are always filled with education, laughter, painting and instruction.

On our first full day, we visited the Two Graces Gallery in Taos, when the owner, Robert, gave us such valuable insight into kachinas, and set up a display of kachinas for us to sketch and photograph. Our assignment for the day was to paint a kachina, and this is the one I chose. I thought it may have been a warrior, but today I called and spoke with Robert who told me that this kachina is an ogre, and get this, a Grandmother.

Legend is that she comes to visit in winter and asks for food.  If you don't have any to offer you, she will give you another chance.  She will visit you again, and if you don't have food, she will eat the children.  The idea is motive to get children to help around the house.

Any way you look at it, I enjoyed painting this kachina, which I never would have attempted.  In the next few days, I will post my New Mexico paintings and hopefully, you will enjoy them.

694 View From Ghost Ranch

I am gearing up to paint landscapes and painted this from a photo I took on a previous Art Lady trip to New Mexico.  This is one of many spectacular views from Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico.
Here is a great description of the area, taken from Ghost Ranch's website: 

"...The skies and land are so enormous, and the detail so precise and exquisite that wherever you are you are isolated in a glowing world between the macro and the micro."  Ansel Adams

I am happy with this painting, and really enjoyed painting it.

"694 View From Ghost Ranch"
acrylic - 9x12 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/694-view-from-ghost-ranch/413967


 

693 Golden Nuggets

The golden tomatoes are from Springdale Farm and the red bowl is from the museum in Lebanon.  Basil is from my yard.

"693 Golden Nuggets"
acrylic - 6x8 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/693-golden-nuggets/413743

692 Softer Side of the Chama River

I am preparing for a plein air painting trip to New Mexico with my Art Lady friends, 
and am trying to learn to abstract the landscape.  We had a workshop on this subject which was very beneficial---we painted with our fingers, or palette knife--no brushes.  The photo reference for this painting was taken on one of our prior trips to New Mexico.  I have a lot to learn.

"692 Softer Side of the Chama River"
acrylic - 9x12 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/692-softer-side-of-the-chama-river/413570

691 You Look Lovely Today

The eggplants from Springdale Farm were so beautiful that I wish I had painted a different view of them so that more of the color showed.  One of them is gigantic and the other much smaller, so they looked like Mutt and Jeff, whoever they are.

The complementary palette is my favorite.

"691 You Look Lovely Today"
acrylic - 7x5 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/691-you-look-lovely-today/413340

690 Vineyard Beauty

This is my first painting of grapes.  It may very well be my last.  I have a new appreciation for those who can effectively paint grapes.  I photographed these grapes at the Ixser Vineyard in Lebanon and I had never before seen this range of colors on a single bunch of grapes.  I thought they all ripened at the same pace.  Either way, it was not an easy task to paint them.

The wine, by the way, is delicious, and brought back many lovely memories of our summer trip to Lebanon.

"690 Vineyard Beauty"
acrylic - 8x6 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/690-vineyard-beauty/413131

689 Persistence

These little pansies have hung on in my yard since early spring.  They are scraggly and spindly, but I still love their sweet little faces. 

"689 Persistence"
acrylic - 8x6 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/689-persistence/412604

688 Veronica, Dalia, and Rose

These three "girlfriends," Veronica Speedwell, Dalia (don't know her last name) and Rose Campion are lingering in my garden after just about everything else is kaput.

"688 Veronica, Dalia, and Rose"
acrylic - 8x6 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/688-veronica-dalia-and-rose/412089

687 Three's a Crowd

"687 Three's a Crowd"
acrylic - 6x6 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/687-threes-a-crowd/411796

686 Partly Sunny

This is the last of the sunflowers, sad to say. 

"686 Partly Sunny"
acrylic - 8x6 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/686-partly-sunny/411630

685 Lingering

The magic vase with different designs depending on the turn was made by Courtney Hancock and purchased at Off the Wheel Pottery in Egg Harbor Door County.

"685 Lingering"
acrylic - 8x6 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/685-lingering/411394

684 The Party's Over

Company has returned home, and the sunflowers aren't sunny any more.  The petals are dropping everywhere.  They are such a happy flower until that happens.   Painted from still life in my studio.
The Van Briggle vase was purchased many years ago, is my all-time favorite, and painted many times
for daily paintings.

"684 The Party's Over"
acrylic - 6x6 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/684-the-partys-over/411172

683 Company's Coming!

Company came to visit and these are the flowers my husband chose to welcome them.  For a color-blind person, he does a fine job!  I don't think he realized how perfect this complementary palette of colors was.

"683 Company's Coming!"
acrylic - 8x6 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/683-companys-coming!/410936

682 Drama Queen

I really love this new vase with these Rudbeckia my husband bought for our patio.

"682 Drama Queen"
acrylic - 12x9 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/682-drama-queen/410433

681 Family Gathering