Inspiration for Hermit's Peak in Winter

Hermit's Peak in Winter, 14.5 x 22"

Hermit's Peak is the dominant landscape feature in northeastern New Mexico. It stands out by itself just east of the main Sangre de Cristo Mountain chain, the southernmost part of the Rocky Mountains. I like to paint it in all seasons. One day I was cross-country skiing on my neighbor's ranch, and was struck not only by the sculptural effect of the late afternoon shadows, but also by the yucca plants dotting the snowy meadows. The late afternoon highlights on the mountain contrast nicely with the blue-greens of the vegetaion, and the snow simplified and brightened the composition. I rearranged the yuccas in my painting to create a pattern that frames the rest of the scene and draws the viewer's eye back to Hermit's Peak.

Upon finishing the painting, I emailed an image to my rancher neighbor, who immediately emailed me back from his Blackberry to say he wanted the painting.

Inspiration for Chilies

Chilies, 7 1/4 x 10 1/2"

I painted these luscious chilies as a demonstration for some students I was tutoring in IB Art at Academia Cotopaxi in Quito, Ecuador. Their IB assignment was to paint something with local flavor (pun intended). I don't paint still lifes very often, but this one was fun. Still lifes provide a good controlled environment for teaching: the light doesn't change like in a landscape, the subject doesn't move like a human or animal subject, and you can control the composition.

Afterwards I ate the chilies.