Paintings of landscapes primarily from the Southwest.
Cliff Abstraction 18x24
Title
Cliff Abstraction 18x24
Size
18x24
Material
Oil
Price
$1500
Available at the Karen Wray Gallery - (505) 660-6382: www.karenwrayfineart.com. Capturing the texture and the chroma of the cliffs of New Mexico. Tools used: squeegee, painters' trowel, Catalyst wedge, palette knives and paint brushes.
Cliff Abstraction 18x24 18x24
Black Mesa 12x16
Title
Black Mesa 12x16
Size
12x16
Material
Oil
Price
$700
"En plein air" over two days in July 2023 and Feb 2024 at the White Rocks Overlook Park. The Black Mesa in the San Ildefonso Pueblo stands out when looking out toward the Sangre de Cristo Mountain range. Link to armature superimposed on the painting =>
Black Mesa 12x16 12x16
Cliffs of New Mexico 12x16
Title
Cliffs of New Mexico 12x16
Size
12x16
Material
Oil
Price
$700
The cliffs of New Mexico continue to astound one.
Cliffs of New Mexico 12x16 12x16
Camino la Tierra 9x12
Title
Camino la Tierra 9x12
Size
9x12
Material
Oil
Price
$500
Exhibited in the National Juried Members' Show for the Plein Air Painters of New Mexico. at the Legends of the West Gallery in Santa Fe, Sept 2 - 16, 2023. Plein air near my home with the Santa Fe Pleinarians. Title changed and slight modifications made.
Available at the Karen Wray Gallery - (505) 660-6382 : www.karenwrayfineart.com. The aspens above Santa Fe are glorious during the fall and are part of my continuing series to
capture fall color. One of the most important points is for the viewer's eye to travel around the painting. The painting encourages the viewer to follow the foreground tree line up to the upper right clouds and then, follow down and around the painting.
Available at the Karen Wray Gallery - (505) 660-6382 : www.karenwrayfineart.com. Part of a series to capture the brilliant chroma of the fall in the Mountains of New Mexico.
I did not use an armature when designing this painting; Iwere concentrating on the curves of the hills and of course the use of chroma. One could find points in the picture plain that when joined would create lines and curves following the armature. Note that the top ridge seems to go through or close to the "eyes"
Available at the Karen Wray Gallery - (505) 660-6382 : www.karenwrayfineart.com. In this painting, the darker ‘path’ is an s-shape leading to the cliff in the distance. This is a well- known device to lead the viewer’s eye to a focal point. Chromatic Lands I is a favorite painting due to its range of colors and its textures.
"En plein air" at dawn on the road to Los Alamos. I've enjoyed painting the cliffs at many times of day, either "en plein air" or in the studio. My landscaped abstractions are often based on this or similar scenes.
The clouds opened up on Georgia's cliff while hiking in her back yard.
Georgia's Towering Cliff 14x11 14x11
Los Alamos Hills Impression 10x16
Title
Los Alamos Hills Impression 10x16
Size
10x16
Material
Oil
Price
$600
Available at the Karen Wray Gallery: - (505) 660-6382 www.karenwrayfineart.com. Continuing the series of the hills and cliffs of New Mexico.
Los Alamos Hills Impression 10x16 10x16
Land Fusion - Los Alamos 15x25
Title
Land Fusion - Los Alamos 15x25
Size
15x25
Material
Oil
Price
$1200
Available at the Karen Wray Gallery: - (505) 660-6382 www.karenwrayfineart.com. Continued series with more abstract landscapes. Painted from photographs and smaller on-location studies of the dramatic cliffs of Los Alamos. Tools used include a squeegee (straight edge), brushes, palette knife and wedge to mark the lines during the painting process. Yes, this is the home of the Atomic Bomb from WWII but it's also the home of advanced research in Fusion, a promising source of soloar powered electricity.
First phase of the painting: flat color blocks, with brighter colors in the foreground. Then the colors were modified with lighter or grayer colors to show form. The overall intent was to show how light illuminates the southwest as if the sun is infusing the land with its light and power. The eternal question to ask: is the viewer’s eye drawn around the painting. Another question to ask is: is there a resting point? The sky is a good restful area to pause for a few moments.
Luminous Lands I 12x19 12x19
Luminous Lands VI - Northern Lights
Title
Luminous Lands VI - Northern Lights
Size
15x24
Material
Oil
Price
$1000
This painting of the Taos Gorge Overlook anticipated the recent sightings of the Northern Lights in the New Mexican Skies. The intent at the time of the painting was to place the main focal point near the eye of the golden spiral at the upper right where the brightest part of the sky meets the mountain.
Available at the Karen Wray Gallery - (505) 660-6382 : www.karenwrayfineart.com.
En plein air. The views of the cliffs around Ghost Ranch are amazing. It's hard to decide what to paint. For this view, I liked the feeling of the sun raking over the nearby hillside.
Spring at Ghost Ranch 10x16 10x16
Turbulent Winds III 12x16
Title
Turbulent Winds III 12x16
Size
12x16
Material
Oil
Price
$700
The growth of trees is so intriguing, which makes them natural candidates for painting. Capturing the feeling and sound of the wind as it moves through the trees is part of the joy of plein air painting.
En plein air in Borrego Springs, Ca.. The shadows were remarkable. Visit the Blog Post: here
for a detailed analysis of this painting. The dramatic shape of the main shadow on the upper right dictated that it be the main focal point.
Turbulent Lands IV Borrego Springs 10x16 Aspect Ratio PHI
Taos Gorge Nightfall 20x16
Title
Taos Gorge Nightfall 20x16
Size
20x16
Material
Oil
Price
$1000
ITaos Gorge is one of New Mexico's iconic landmarks. The inspiration for this series of paintings came from a plein air piece painted during a storm. The lighting was unusual, leading to many possibilities for capturing this scene.
Natural geological formations result in patterns that attract the viewer. These striation patterns appear throughout the cliffs around Abiquiu, Ghost Ranch and the Chama River in northern New Mexico, forming a natural landmark on a par with the most spectacular of the world.
Available at the Karen Wray Gallery - (505) 660-6382: www.karenwrayfineart.com. Full disclosure: I utilized chat gpt to help with the wording here. "Upon traversing Monastery Road, the commanding presence of the yellow cliffs on the right beckons the artist's gaze, evoking an irresistible urge to capture their essence upon canvas. Utilizing near golden mean dimensions for the painting, I orchestrated a composition designed to guide the viewer's eye along a journey across the canvas, following the subtle curvature of the implied golden spiral. Each brushstroke was meticulously placed to accentuate points of interest, with a deliberate emphasis on the point of sharpest contrast near the right-most dominant cliff, ensuring a captivating visual experience that resonates with the discerning collector".