Sunrise Springs, La Cienega

 

 

 

 

Randall Davey House II

Randall Davey house in Summer

I thought I'd post a few more pics of the intriguing Randall Davey house where my sister was married.  I had to research Randall Davey to find out more about him and his artwork.  Davey was a prominent artist in New York City in the early 1900s.  In New York he studied under Robert Henri and eventually became an assistant instructor.   During the summers he travelled, painting and teaching with Henri across the US and Europe.  During that time Henri suggested to Davey that he visit New Mexico, most likely due to Henri's contact with the Taos Society of Artists, and in 1919 Davey drove across the country from New York to Santa Fe.  Once he arrived in Santa Fe he knew he would stay.  He bought an unused mill and converted it to his studio and home which were eventually donated to the Audubon Society and is part of 135 acres of national forest and the Santa Fe watershed land at the base of the Sangre de Cristo mountains.

Davey loved New Mexico.  And what a dashing character!  He owned horses, played polo, and frequently painted polo scenes.  He had a great bar tucked away in the back of the house and was a purchaser of locally made spirits during prohibition.  There were many gatherings and social events at his home, they sounded quite lively.  He hired locals to pose for his artworks, asking neighbors to wear costumes so he could paint different scenes.  He also loved music and taught himself to play cello, which he had received as a Christmas present.  There are many portraits of local practicing musicians during that time hanging in his home and studio, along with still life, formal nudes and landscape, not to mention the many fantastic murals in and outside the home. 

"Living out here in New Mexico I can see the political manipulation in the art world back east, and I know that if I chose I could have more success with my work if I wanted to play their game...  But I prefer to live here and paint for myself, and get along with teaching.. and raising chickens."

"I wouldn't trade my life here where I can hunt, shoot, ride, for all the committee-going and boot-licking you've got to do in a city for anything. An artist might starve for food here, but he'll starve spiritually in a place like New York."

--Randall Davey

the artist's cello

The Studio

click here for more images

Randall Davey House

 Photo of Randall Davey by Laura Gilpin

It was a wintry day for an April wedding, there were clouds, blustery winds and even snow.  My sister Mary had her heart set on being married on the grounds of the Randall Davey Audubon Center in Santa Fe.  We were so nervous as the big day finally arrived.  We drove to the center wishing the weather would clear, even briefly, just to give us a little hope that we could carry on with our outdoor wedding plans.  No such luck.  Fortunately, in a moment of divine intervention, the gracious manager of the center swept us away to the beautiful and enchanting rooms of Randall Davey's private residence and studio.  The house was given to the Audubon society and sits on acres of trails and nature preserve.  The house itself is nestled among cottonwood trees, lawn, flowers and an orchard.  Randall Davey and his wife Isabel are actually buried on the premises near the orchard in a mini cemetery tucked away amongst the greenery and you can feel their presence and spirit when you explore all the rooms of their amazing home.  The artist's paintings hang on the walls, art and antique furniture fill each space so elegantly, and there are the most fabulous murals in his wife's private dressing area off the bedroom.  His studio is delightful and left very much in the same state as if he were still alive.  Outside the trees and flowers were in bloom and inside the house was so incredibly romantic, especially because of the clouds and dim light which lent an aura of mystery.  We lit candles inside the sitting room and enjoyed the enchanting setting and union of two beautiful people as they began their new life together.

I will share more photos of this very special place in future posts.  The Randall Davey house is only open on Friday afternoons for guided tours.  We were told the last marriage that took place inside the residence was over ten years ago.

 **~The Bride~**

click here for photos of the artist's studio

The Wedding, the Cake, and Moving

One hobby of mine when I can't be creative in the studio is to get creative in the kitchen.  I love to cook, I even wanted to be a professional chef when I was young and was planning on going to cooking school. 

My current kitchen adventure is making my sister's wedding cake.  I have never made a wedding cake.  I have never worked with fondant.  I have taken on the task of learning the ins/outs of wedding cakes, plus fillings, frosting, fondant, and decorations while in the midst of closing on our home.  I had no idea we'd be knee deep in inspections, appraisals, estimates, and appointment after appointment when it came time for the wedding.  and did I mention packing?  (deep breath)  I am slightly frazzled, to say the least.  Spending time on the cake has been rewarding, there's something calming about a creative endeavor, and the achievement creates an inner satisfaction much like the feeling after finishing a painting.  And since I can't paint, I need a creative outlet!  In the midst of moving chaos I have escaped to the kitchen and created one sugary concoction after another.  From cake baking to cooking the lemon curd filling and swiss meringue buttercream frosting, then the decorating, it will have taken three full days to create the cake.  I have never used so many eggs (dozens and dozens of eggs!) and pounds of butter in one cake in my life~    Tomorrow is the wedding--I hope the cake holds up okay and I'm sure transporting the cake will be quite an adventure but I'm really really looking forward to it.  I can't wait to see my little sister get married!  

~*~

 lemon curd

Swiss Merangue Buttercream

 Lemon Buttermilk Cake

delish!

Moving News and Studio Spaces

9"x12" oil/linen panel

Here is a little plein air oil sketch done in the Albuquerque bosque.  The Rio Grande river runs through this lush area and you can see the first Spring greens starting to sprout in the photo.  Painting trees is something I would like to study more in future paintings. 

We have very, very exciting news, we sold our house!  This has been an ongoing struggle since last July and has really taken over our lives.  We went back on the market about a month ago and have a super fantastic realtor.  Within a couple weeks we had not only one offer, but two.  I have been packing and just finished putting away my entire studio for the new space.  We found an amazing home for the family with gorgeous views and plenty of space!   It was difficult to pack away my paints and brushes, but I keep thinking of all the projects I'll be completing after the move. 

La Querencia

Quiet Splendor (New Mexico Sky)  12"x12" oil/board

As a native New Mexican, I find as I get older I have a deeper and deeper appreciation for the land that surrounds me.  In this small western portion of the United States the forever skies and pristine views are captivating.  The mountains and mesas sit serenely in the distance, beckoning me to ponder at the vast distance and space that is present there.  There are no houses, or people or highways to deter from it's greatness.  Clouds billow and skirt across the sky, the sun travels it's course and the quiet stillness will take your breath away.  The air itself is clearer here, and colors are more luminous under the brilliant light.   I'm also becoming more aware of the spirituality here, generations of different cultures cultivated a deep reverence to the land that continues to this to day.

'La Querencia' is the Spanish term for the deep feeling of connection with your homeland.  It is an old Spanish word derived from the word 'querer' or to love or desire.  According to Gussie Fauntleroy, it is "the place to which one is deeply drawn, and drawn back time and again if one wanders away.  It is the soul's comfort, the heart's joy".*  The feeling is not uncommon among New Mexicans and the reason many visitors have dropped everything and set up roots here once they've visited our beautiful state.  That is what happened when Taos artists Bert Geer Phillips and Ernest L. Blumenschein's buggy broke down in New Mexico in the 1890s.  They hiked to a nearby village for help and upon arriving they stopped their journey immediately and set up art studios instead of continuing on their travels.  That village was Taos and they were captivated.  They eventually helped create the Taos Art Colony and began the list of many artists who came to settle here and paint.

La querencia is deeply rooted with the Spanish speaking communities of New Mexico.  It included extended family, community, and the seasonal rhythms of planting and harvesting.  The Roman Catholic Church participated in the cycles of nature with festivals and feast days which continue to be an integral part of this world.  These rituals were woven into daily life in these communities and  hold the voices and memories of ancestors who were part of this history for hundreds of years.

For Native Americans in New Mexico the feeling of querencia is equally strong even though they do not use the same language.   In the Tewa language, shared by several northern New Mexico pueblos, they do not have a word equal in meaning to querencia.  The people of these pueblos do not feel there is a need to describe a relationship with the land because they see no distinction between themselves and the Earth.  Their word for this connection is nung, which means the Earth itself and also the members of the pueblo as a group.  The connection is more symbolic and spiritual than physical, and exists everywhere and also within each individual.

I believe querencia is what has drawn me to try and paint New Mexico recently, and try to capture the feelings I have for my homeland.  I think the feelings of querencia aren't limited to New Mexico, but for any person who feels a deep connection and love for a land.  Caroline, a landscape painter from Scotland, talks about the idea of homeland recurring in her work as well.  She speaks of it beautifully here:

Homeland

To Regions Solitary

To learn more about La Querencia read:

*Gussie Fauntleroy. "La Querencia" New Mexico Magazine September, 1997.

Inspiration

This weekend the family took a wonderful trip to the Sandia Mountains.  Our older son was taking part in a repelling/climbing field trip which left all day for the rest of the family to ramble through the mountains.  It was a stunning autumn day, the scrub oak and beautiful aspens were in full glory, blazing yellows and oranges across the terrain.  The sun peeped in and out of puffy little clouds and the breeze danced through the leaves and pine trees.  It was magical.  I would love to be able to capture these moments in paint, but my camera will have to do for now. 

the path to inspiration

Along the Turquoise Trail

12"x12", studio painting, layered oils

I painted this from several photos I took of a road trip along the Turquoise Trail between Albuquerque and Santa Fe.  It is a lovely drive through the mountains and rolling vistas into the beautiful northern New Mexico landscape.  I have a personal attachment to the views near Santa Fe because that is where I grew up.  Growing up in Santa Fe I was surrounded by art, culture and the beautiful southwest landscape that has inspired so many artists.  I feel so lucky to have grown up in that environment.

 

New Mexico Indian Summer

plein air 8"x10"

I painted this on a day when the weather was perfect, my painting gear made it up the hill in one piece and I completed the painting before the rains came.  I was really pleased with the outcome of this painting and wished all my outings had the same results!  It was painted in the foohills of the Sandia mountains.  

A Study with Grays

plein air 8"x10"

Last evening I did this plein air study and my aim was to practice using grays to create realistic color in my landscape.  I was first introduced to grays in a plein air workshop I took in 2010 with artist David Mayer.  It was a great experience.  Last year my interest in painting plein air was growing and I was lucky to be able to attend the workshop and learn the basics of painting in this style.  I had a desire to go as far in the opposite direction of my normal glazing technique to challenge myself and plein air was it!  David emphasizes the use of grays in plein air painting so I decided to try a plein air painting with plenty of those grays on my palette.  He recommends using four different grays, which I pre-mixed below-- 

basic neutral gray= terra rosa + yellow ochre + ultramarine blue+
                      white (top left)

red gray=       + cad red

blue gray=     + ultra blue

yellow gray= + cad yellow

Another tip I learned was using terra rosa and adding red to to create better and more varied greens.  I may have gone a little overboard in my study last night!  I just read another blog that talks about it here:
Tools for smuggling red

On to new adventures

studio piece glazed/layered oils on canvas "This must be the place" 16"x16"

This past week something rather out of the ordinary occurred.  My husband and I decided it was time to move.  Within one week of making this incredibly stressful and life changing decision we had a for sale sign up in our front yard.  We are never ones to take our time with these sort of things, the decisions in life that most other mature people are likely to mull over, research, work out on paper by making lists of pros/cons.  Once we have an idea it usually comes to fruition at absolutely light speed.  Maybe this is why our lives are so unpredictable. 

Next week my boys, age 13 and 9, start school again.  I know I'll feel it when they go, but right now I'm looking forward to some undisturbed studio time--in between the packing. 

Plum

alla prima plum on linen 6"x6"

When working in layers, as in the indirect method of painting, you really can take your time to build up the light and dark values in a painting.  I am used to always starting a painting in the mid-tones and adding my highlights and transparent darks near the end.  Indirect painting is a great way to separate all the different problems in painting, drawing and composition, value, color, edges and paint quality.  For me, to concentrate on each problem at the same to complete a painting in one sitting is extremely challenging.

Juniper at Dusk

A glazed painting on Linen.  8"x10"

Painting alla prima

I'm beginning to experiment with painting alla prima, which is when paint is mixed directly from the tube and a painting is completed in one sitting as opposed to layering and glazing until proper color and values are built up over time.  I hadn't realized how much I depend on using the transparent/opaque qualities of oil paint in my regular layered painting style.  My desire is to have more vibrant color and develop effective brushwork to have a more painterly feel in my work.  Studying alla prima and plein air seem like the way to reach that goal.  I've been experimenting with different supports as well, this little painting is on linen.  I usually work on panels when I layer and glaze and I always smooth my brushstrokes, but I can see the linen is much more beautiful when painting alla prima.  

Demo in Indirect Painting

Welcome!  I am an oil painter residing in New Mexico.  I use an indirect style of painting based on Flemish and Venetian methods; I paint in layers of transparent glazes and opaque scumbles to produce a painting.  I have done extensive research over the years on classical glazing techniques.  This is a very time consuming way of painting, each layer must dry completely before the next can be applied.  The final results create a very beautiful paint quality, quite unlike painting done wet-in-wet with paint mixed directly from the tube.  I thought I'd begin my blog with the following basic demonstration in layering paint and glazing to illustrate my current painting style, this painting is from 2009.   

1. rough sketch on gessoed panel in charcoal 

 2. burnt umber glaze and opaque white on subject matter to clean it up. 

 3. a glaze of burnt umber and ultramarine in shadow, ochre on subject matter. 

 I like umbers and ochres because of the warmth as opposed to grisaille.

4. Introduced cad. yellow and more opaque colors in the lighted areas.  There should be a balance of opaque/transparent areas and an awareness of warm/cool areas.  blend blend blend  Warm transparent glazes help the backround recede, cool opaque white on subject come forward. White will always cool a color, cadmiums warm. I also mix and use my own version of paint similar to Naples yellow light which is a balanced warm light.

 5. deepening of colors, texture starting to appear.  Opaque paint reflects the light hitting the painting, light travels through transparent areas.  The play of light across surface of the painting helps define form within the painting itself. 

 6. adding more details. overall this is a very warm painting which has a lot of color harmony because I used a limited palette.  

finished painting