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Thursday, October 09, 2014

Painting Abiquiu .....Down by the Chama River

'Down by Big Eddy'. 8x10. Pastel

Big Eddy was the spot to be today! Luckily we all arrived early and were setting up to paint down by the river when the other art group arrived. It was a workshop led by Bob Rohm. Our group had first dibs but there was enough beauty for everyone to paint.

'Chamisa at Big Eddy'

I was torn. I loved the river but I was also very drawn to the chamisa. It was everywhere! The chamisa or rabbit brush had bloomed early and was past it's prime but it was still beautiful. The textures and colors of t he brush and salt cedar trees kept pulling me in. I could have painted them all day! It was challenging to simplify them. While we ate lunch Richard did a pastel demo of the chamisa. It was so inspiring! More on this in my wrap up post.

At 4:00 we headed to the next location, the Yellow Place. It was hauntingly beautiful. Since it was a cloudy day there was no sun to illuminate the rocks but I loved the distant views and moody sky. I took lots of pictures and decided to call it a day. While I would have liked to set up and paint one more it was time for a little mid-week downtime. I will be refreshed and raring to go in the morning rain or shine. ( yes they are calling for rain!)

At theYellow Place

 

 

1 comment:

robertsloan2art said...

Looks like fossil country! Love your photo of the Yellow Place, and the related painting is startling but gorgeous. Took me a moment to orient myself in it. The first one with the focal tree is grand, gives such a feel of dustiness and dryness. You're capturing the feel of the place so well!