SUSAN'S . . . PLAYING AGAIN!

PURPLE + YELLOW TREE 8" x 8" soft pastel on sanded paper 12" white mat, glass + black frame $275 - tax + shipping inclusive  With the new year, I'm off to a fresh start! I've been absent much on my blog, for life has thrown so many twists on the day-to-day events.  But I've missed all, so this year I'll be more present.  Above, PURPLE + YELLOW TREE is a pastel I've created for my upcoming class at the New Mexico Art League that begins this Friday, the 6th.  PURPLE + YELLOW TREE is a sample of utilizing bright complimentary colors in a scene. Below, is  an image of the 2 pastels I've created with one using  subtle complimentary colors and the same scene with bright colors and a more graphic approach.  And the scene is from the Desert Dairy Farm's oasis where I was so fortunate to have a residency in 2021+ 2022! Love that place!

 DEGREES OF LONELINESS mixed media on 7" wood circles + 11" wood circle hand-prints, acrylic, pencil + gold leaf Well I have returned to Albuquerque, but will be posting art created and shown in California during my residency  at the Desert Dairy Farm .  Above, Degrees of Loneliness, are wood circles  created in mixed mediums to portray the varied stages  of loneliness and depression. This is included within the project, Aging . . . a female's perspective, which  is still in development, but am happy to report  a great portion was created during the residency!  Degrees of Loneliness addresses the fallacy that all    elderly people are depressed and lonely. Some are,  but a large portion are not for no longer have the  restrictions of daily lives. Many travel, volunteer  or go onto second careers. I envision this display to grow in quantity with  additional circular scenes of darkened trees and  varied stages of...

Detail of Beauty is Skin Deep mixed media + gold leaf 16" round on wood panel  I'm back in California at the Desert Dairy Farm   on my second  residency. So inspirational while pushing my creativity as I'm  away from the daily life. And ever so grateful! So what have I been doing? Developing a project I begun some  time ago, which is the female perspective on aging. Pictured is a work in progress of Venus de Milo. Other art is being created  upon dresses which I am painting, sewing and stitching.  More will follow soon!  And below is a slice of the desert's life.

  four 7" x 7" pastel 10" x10" white mat, glass and frame Such great news!  The above abstract, four, was juried into Santa Fe's  gallery, Light Space Time 's 13th Online Abstracts Exhibition . And  many know abstracts are a departure from my usual representation  art. I had been playing around with this style to create a class on  abstracts, so had painted a few. Great honor to be juried into this  exhibit and I received special recognition! Submissions had to be nonobjective and nonrepresentational with  three divisions, photography & digital, 3 dimensional and painting  & other medium, which my piece was admitted into. The  gallery received 1,091 entries from 29 countries. The show will be  viewable throughout March, so please click onto  13th Online Abstracts Exhibition . to see a larger view of my piece.  On another note, I arrived a couple of days ago for my second  residency at the Twentynine Palms, De...

 Dunes at Dusk, Hidden Joshua & Red Spires 6" x 6" acrylics Custom recycled pallet frames $175 each Pictured are the 3 acrylics juried into the 26th Annual Gateway to the  Rockies  Art Show . The exhibit opens today with a reception from  5-7:30pm and the event is at the Community College of Aurora within  the Fine Arts Building. My 3 acrylics are included within the miniatures and priced at $175  each. The frames are custom, recycled pallet wood made by my  husband, Dave.  The first, Dunes at Dusk , is an image form the Desert Dairy Farm of  Twenty-nine Palms, CA during my 2021 Artist Residency. The  middle, Hidden Joshua , is from the Joshua Tree National Park and  the final, Red Spires , is of Abiquiu, NM.   Please contact the Aurora Artists Guild for more information or  purchase by clicking here .

 DUNES AT DUSK 6" x 6" acrylic on wood $95 - tax and shipping inclusive Above is an acrylic of the dunes at the Desert Dairy Farm at dusk. The palette of colors is much different than I typically use, but  love the feeling! And I loved climbing up to the top of the dunes.  The view was incredible! Below are two pictures with the one on the left showing the  entrance to my little space at the Farm. And the right shows  the interior. Small but just right!

JOSHUA BOULDERS 6" x 6" acrylic on wood $95 - * tax and shipping inclusive   Here is an acrylic created depicting the mountainous range at the Joshua Tree National Park in California. Many opportunities for an individual to hike on trails with incredible views.  Also, here is the video created by Ted Meyer of my residency at Twentynine Palms, CA.  This video covers the installation at the Desert Dairy Farm of the painted Desert Sculpture,  a Kickstarter project  and created art during my stay. Incredible experience and I thank all of my supporters, Anna Stump and Ted Meyer of the Desert Dairy Farm!

A JOSHUA 10" x 10" acrylic on wooden panel   Well it's been awhile since my last posting and I apologize.  Pinched back nerve - ouch!  So now I'm back and onward with my travels at Twentynine Palms. On my second day of residency at the Desert Dairy Farm, I spent  half of it at the Joshua Tree National Park. Breath-taking!  Above a joshua tree is front-center of the painting. They are truly  amazing and massive in height.  Above is the sculpture I painted prior to arriving at the Farm. Had  only seen pictures of joshua trees, which was used for my painting  source. So happy to see they were actually as I envisioned!

 DESERT DUNES 6" x 6" acrylic on cradled wooden panel One of my favorite places to walk to at the Desert Dairy Farm   was the dunes. They were leading to the top of a hill and the  view was incomparable! Above, DESERT DUNES , is a petite vignette I created while at the Farm.  This was the place I initially would have liked to install the sculpture, but the area was unstable for it continually shifted during sand and  wind storms. Below is a photo of approaching the dunes before walking up to the top.

 PINK BEAUTY 10" x 10" acrylic on cradled wooden panel Sold - Private Collector During my residency I spent two afternoons at the Joshua Tree  National Park. Above is a scene from there.  Was fascinated with the Joshua trees with their shaggy bark.  This was quite a departure for me with a predominate pink palette. Kind of grooving on it too. And an added plus is this went to a local collector, so I get to  visit the painting! Always nice to have that opportunity and see a  piece with fresh eyes.

 Desert Pastel 5" x 5" pastel on wood panel Above, Desert Pastel , is the first piece of art and only pastel that I created while at the Farm. It was Saturday, February 13th at 6 am, with the chilled winds moving  with alarming speed throughout the sky.   The afternoon of the day prior, I drove up to the  Desert Dairy Farm  with my sculpture strapped onto the  front and back seats. Curiosity and anticipation of  what was in store for me with this residency. Anna Stump, co-founder of the Desert Dairy Farm gave me a grand tour of the facilities and grounds.  Below is a front view of the barn, where I spent much time during the day.

  A GOLDEN GLOW 6" x 6" acrylic on wood panel Private Collector Upon arrival at the Desert Dairy Farm, I was immediately given  a tour of the 5 acres. Such diversity between the mountain ridges  and the oasis! And colors that I did not envision for a desert.  Above, A Golden Glow , is a rendition of the view from the barn  leading to the town of Twentynine Palms. Below is a sample  of what I saw.  One of my goals was to punch up my color palettes, so during my stay, I painted small vignettes and experimented. Felt  I succeeded with A Golden Glow . 

GATEWAY 6" x 6" acrylic on wood panel Private Collector Silence . . . returned. Many know that I returned nearly 3 weeks ago from an art  residency at the Desert Dairy Farm in Twentynine Palms, CA.  It has been a moving experience, plus the knowledge I gleamed  from the coordinated Kickstarter project was invaluable. Since  my time was consumed with the project, I was silent.  And now is the time for me to write this experience. Above, GATEWAY , is an acrylic of the entryway to the Farm, so felt it was fitting for the start of my journey. The viewer is actually  looking outward from the Farm's entrance and this is a scene  during a high-wind storm, which prevailed for 2 1/2 days.  All background scenery was obscured resulting in an eery effect.  

WEDNESDAY THE KICKSTARTER BUDGET GOAL WAS MET! STANDING HAND-PAINTED JOSHUA TREE BLOCKS acrylic on recycled wood block -  *one of Kickstarter rewards Today has been truly a monumental day in many ways.  With the support and funding from family, friends and art lovers my  Kickstarter budget was met - 10 days prior to the ending of the project.   Truly amazing and I'm so very grateful! Monies still may fund the project with 100% of that amount to be donated to the Desert Dairy Farm to aid future art residents. You can see more about the Desert Dairy Farm by clicking here . And to donate to my Kickstarter project click now .  

   A hop, skip, jump away till I go to my residency at the Desert Dairy Farm ! So close, yet still a ways away.      I created a project for this very residency, which a slice of the maquette (model) is illustrated and to the right here. This will be a 3-sided public art sculpture that will top nearly seven feet at completion. It will be fabricated out of wood and installed on the grounds at the Desert Dairy Farm during the mid-February residency.    I've also started a Kickstarter project to enable the sculpture to come to fruition. This is an international platform that aids artists in budgeting projects. And I'm pleased to report in two weeks time the project is 86% funded, yet this is an all or none fund, i.e. all the budget has to be collected or the project is struck down. If any monies are collected above the budget amount, I will be donating at 100% to the Desert Dairy Farm to aid future residents.  Please read a detail description ...

  Close-Up of the Model for the Desert Dairy Farm Residency Maquette height 11 1/2" This is why I've been missing for over two months. And all thought I was getting into trouble huh?  Well, I'm slated for an artist residency at The Desert Dairy Farm  ( Desert Dairy Farm ) this upcoming February and in honor of this  wonderful gift, I wish to build a sculpture emulating the natural  environment and habitat of the desert. The intended piece will nearly top 7', be a three-sided wooden structure topped with a cow built out of recycled materials. I will build - with Dave's assistance in fabricating - and paint  the structure prior to the residency and then install while there.  To help fund the project I've created a Kickstarter project that was  launched last night and only runs through January 16th. Any funds received  above the stated budget will be donated to the Desert Dairy fund to aid  future residents. To read more in detail of my pro...