Ann Painter

Kitchen Mesa Shapes, Ghost Ranch 23

2011-10-31T18:10:00.000-07:00

Years ago, when I first came back to painting after years being a graphic designer, I met and became friends with another painter in a class we both took at CCAC. Over the years, we have spent regular time painting together. When ever I am in California I make sure to build in time to work together in her studio and she does the same when she visits me in New Mexico. Having a "painting partner" has made all the difference for both of us.

This last week, I spent two days in her new studio in Point Richmond. I came with sketches for this painting and an idea that I would start it here. We made our regular visit to Blick Art Supply and I looked for a surface to paint on. Blick has their own brand of cradled board which I had rejected because it has a manufactured surface that is textured in a regular texture that looks and feels like manufactured laminate. I had been struggling with a painting on smooth board where the colors just seemed to mush together. I felt like I needed to change something...so why not the surface. I also decided to start the painting in acrylic and then decide if I wanted to to finish in oil paint.

I know Ghost Ranch. I can locate the most interesting shapes in the landscape and take students there. But lately I have been feeling like I have painted every red hill in the painted desert and wanted to focus on another aspect of the landscape. The shapes of the golden cliffs on either end of Kitchen Mesa are amazing when the late afternoon light hits them. Earlier, I had painted the "Rock Fall" end of the formation and felt it was one of my best paintings. Actually, my painting partner Susan had purchased it so I am able to see it when I visit.

I am not sure this painting is finished but it is a great start and I was able to finish it in a day. A record for me! More to come.

Casa Del Sol Hill, Ghost Ranch 20

2011-10-26T12:31:00.001-07:00

8 x 8 inches, oil on panel, © Ann Painter 2011

Actually painting "en plein air" is exhilarating and challenging. August in Northern New Mexico is hot. Cloudy skies come and go, the light changes constantly and the gnats and mosquitoes can be maddening. If you find a shady spot to paint from, the sun moves and you are suddenly in the bright sun, or that perfect spot turns out to have cactus thorns or an ant hill right where you are sitting.

Lots of painters work in their comfortable studio from photographs. Their only "plein air" experience is to go out into the landscape and take the photos they paint from. I noticed some time ago, when I was out doing this kind of non-painting, that the camera distorted the size and relationship of the shapes I was photographing. So if Pedernal appeared large to my eye, it appeared small in the photo I took of the same scene. I realized that if I didn't capture the images as I saw them with my eye, the painting I created would have very little relationship to what inspired me in the first place. So, I slather on bug-off, wrap my neck in a wet scarf, cover my ears with a bandanna, my head with a hat and my arms and legs with long clothing, and sit in the landscape until I have what I want or at least, a good start.

This painting of a hill opposite Casa del Sol, beneath the Puerto del Sol chimney at Ghost Ranch was a challenge for all the reasons noted above and more. I couldn't seem to "get it" and must have wiped the start of a painting off the board 3 times before I decided to slow down and take it piece by piece. I drew with a pencil and then painted, drew again and painted again. The colors were soft and subtle and I decided to stay closer to what I saw than I usually do, and include more of the textural detail. At a certain point, I stopped looking at the actual subject and began painting what I remembered and felt about it. This is my favorite part...the place where I let go of the "out there" to paint the "in here". This painting felt like a turning point and is, to date, one of my favorite paintings in the Ghost Ranch series.

Ghost House Interior, Ghost Ranch 19

2011-03-25T12:02:00.000-07:00

6" x 6 inches, oil on panel, © Ann Painter, 2011

SOLD

On rainy or cold days, I often take students inside Ghost House to paint from the interior of this old adobe building that housed early visitors to the Ranch. Built by hand in 1886, the building has been restored to retain the original character or the structure. There are stories of cattle rustlers, hangings in the huge cottonwood tree out front and ghosts that continue to haunt the place to this day. The warm adobe walls change color all day long, depending on light, time of day and weather conditions. The interior of the building is lit by daylight streaming through the small original windows built into the the thick adobe walls. It is this light and the glow it created that inspired this painting of chairs and table in the main room. This commissioned painting was created as a companion piece for the earlier Ghost House Exterior, Ghost Ranch 13.

Green Chair and Kiva, Ghost Ranch 18

2011-02-28T13:42:00.001-08:00

6 x 6 inches, oil on panel, © Ann Painter 2011

The shape of the kiva fireplace that is traditional to adobe architecture is very organic. Kivas were made of the same adobe mud as the walls of the house. Many were quite small but able, with very little wood, to warm the whole room in winter. Unfortunately, the kivas that still exist in Ghost House, are decorative rather than functional. I understand the reasons for this but none-the-less, find it disappointing, especially on cold days when fire would make painting in this room so much more comfortable. In this painting, I was interested in the contrast between the soft shapes of the kiva and the hard, linear shapes of the chair and space behind it. The glow on the interior wall came from warm afternoon light that steamed in through the window on the opposite wall.

Ghost House Interior, Ghost Ranch 19

2011-01-17T12:02:00.000-08:00

6" x 6 inches, oil on panel, © Ann Painter, 2011

SOLD

Cedar Tree, Ghost Ranch 17

2010-09-14T10:04:00.001-07:00

8 x 8 inches, Oil on Masonite, © Ann Painter, 2010
SOLD

The Badlands at Ghost Ranch are filled with old cedar trees that have stood unchanged, for decades. During my last plein air painting class, I found myself feeling drawn to paint several of them. This particular tree is set into the landscape in an area not easily seen from the road. There is an arroyo winding along in front of it and, depending on your point of view, purple hills in the background. The twists and turns of the tree and the way it framed the background hills really drew my eye, and I wanted to see if I could create an image that would represent my experience of this place.

These old cedars have endured years of weather that would have destroyed many other trees and yet, they stand year after year, virtually unchanged. Their roots are dried up and branches broken but they continue to stand. Each tree has a unique character and spirit reflected in the twists and turns of its dried out limbs reaching toward the sky. They are not dead, but very alive.

Gerald's Tree, Ghost Ranch 16

2010-08-08T13:46:00.001-07:00

8 x 8 inches, oil on masonite, © Ann Painter, 2010
SOLD

There is some question whether this is really the tree that Gerald danced around and that O'Keeffe painted but the tour bus that stops at all the places O'Keeffe painted at Ghost Ranch always says it is. I have my doubts but no matter. It is a wonderful old cedar that stands by the side of the dirt road that leads to the home O'Keeffe owned and lived in during the summer at Ghost Ranch for over 50 years. The view behind it changes depending on the angle it is viewed from. I have stood in front of it and had my picture taken as have so many others. It's that kind of place. Over the years, I did not feel particularly moved to paint it. If it was really Gerald's Tree, O'Keeffe had already done it better than anyone else might, or so I thought. I have passed by, sat under and had students photograph, draw and paint the tree over the past decade and finally decided, despite my misgivings, that it had to be part of this series of paintings I am doing about Ghost Ranch.

All the previous paintings in the Ghost Ranch series have been 6 x 6 inches. Painting so small offers its own set of challenges and after 15 Ghost Ranch paintings and 10 butterflies the same size, I felt ready for something different. I used an 8 x 8 inch panel for this piece. Like the others, the archival masonite panel was primed with black gesso but instead of going directly to oil, I did an under painting in acrylic which seemed to brighten the oil colors and give a richness to the piece that I am very pleased with. Painting has always created an experience of intimacy for me with my subject. I am forced to stop and really look, to pay attention and be in the moment as I look and then paint my impressions of what I see and feel about the subject. I know this tree now, in ways I did not before and that is the magic for me. It is what keeps me coming back over and over to paint the things that catch my eye and interest me.

The Butterfly Series

2010-07-09T08:57:00.001-07:00

Peacock Butterfly, 6 x 6 inches, Acrylic on Panel, © Ann Painter, 2010

In March or April, I contemplated entering a juried show in California where I would have to paint 50, 6 x 6 inch paintings in 50 days. I like a challenge, so why not. My friend Susan also applied. The challenge was to paint one theme in a specified medium. I was accepted to the show but knowing that I am a fairly slow, meticulous painter, decided I had better try it out before accepting the challenge. I had chosen butterflies as my subject matter and so proceeded to see how long a small painting of one of these gems actually took. Most required 6 hours or more of my time. One took all day and when I still wasn't finished after 8 hours of painting, decided to pass on the challenge of this show. However, I finished almost 10 paintings during my trial and have decided to post them.

I did find that the butterfly as subject matter is fascinating. Each one is unique and the patterns complex variations on a unique theme. I loved the brilliant colors and textures. I have no idea where I will go with these or even if I will go further. Many are painted in oil and a few in a combination of oil and acrylic paint. One or two are painted completely in acrylic which ended up being a wonderful medium for those butterflies with texture. I was reminded again about how the subject must define the medium and not the opposite.

The full series is posted on my website. Simply click on GALLERIES and then go to the Butterfly Series. These paintings are likely to be auctioned on EBAY at some point. If you are interested, you can sign up for my newsletter on my website and I will notify you when that happens.

Blue Ladder to the Sky, Ghost Ranch 9

2009-12-12T17:12:00.001-08:00

6 x 6 inches, oil on masonite, ©2009 Ann Painter
SOLD

One of my students was staying in Coral Block in October. The room was not the best but she discovered this blue ladder leaning up against a cottonwood tree when she looked out the back window of her room. She pointed it out to me and I thought I knew exactly how I wanted to paint it. The challenge was putting a vertical image in a square format. I lay on the ground to photograph it hoping that would forshorten the ladder enough. There are several blue ladders leaning up against things at Ghost Ranch. It is a New Mexico thing originally intended to give access to the flat adobe roofs. Now, the ladders are mostly decorative, and some, like this one, are painted turquoise.

This ladder seems to reaching for the sky which is not a surprise at Ghost Ranch where many believe the space between heaven and earth is very thin. I don't know if this is why so many people are called back to Ghost Ranch over and over or if it is simply the beauty of this place that is filled with spirit and mystery. I wanted this painting to represent my spiritual experience of the Ranch. Since I started this painting, snow has started to fall from the heavens and accumulate on the earth. It seemed an interesting an appropriate addition to the painting.

Almost Home, Ghost Ranch # 5

2009-11-16T21:43:00.001-08:00

6 x 6 inches, oil on masonite, © Ann Painter 2009

SOLD

Originally, I titled this painting "The Road to Ghost Ranch" but when I looked at it after it was finished the title that came to mind was "Almost Home". Even though I only live at the Ranch during the 6 weeks or so that I teach there, it is my spiritual home. When I reach this point in the road I know that the entrance is just on the other side of the hill. The spot I painted from is directly across from Pedernal and Abiquiu Lake and also marks the beginning of the Red Rock at Ghost Ranch. It is a spectacular location like so many others that inspire me at Ghost Ranch.

"Feeling the Love", Ghost Ranch 6

2009-11-16T21:21:00.001-08:00

6 x 6 inches, oil on masonite, © Ann Painter 2009

SOLD

The title for this painting came from a student's comment when describing how she felt when she saw something she wanted to paint. The day we were out in the Painted Desert at Ghost Ranch, this was it. We hiked into the desert to get a really good look and make a decision about where to set up. The weather was clear and sunny when we started in the morning but by afternoon, clouds built up and our perfect light was gone. The painting had to be finished in the studio but while we were there, the morning light was intense turning the normally brownish hills, an sunlit red color. I actually see these hills as intensely saturated and painted them that way building layer upon layer of color until I get the effect that I want. I suppose I judge whether I have achieved what I am looking for more by feeling than sight. I know in my gut when a painting is finished. There is simply nothing left to do, no place else to go and I have no anxiety about any part of it not working. Over the years I have come to trust that feeling. As with other paintings, I have simplified reality to suit myself and still capture the essence of the place.

3 Pinions and Pedernal, Ghost Ranch 7

2009-10-26T08:48:00.001-07:00

6 x 6 inches, oil on masonite, © 2009 Ann Painter
SOLD

In Northern New Mexico, Pedernal Mountain is an immense presence. Georgia O'Keeffe looked out at Pedernal from the patio of her house at Ghost Ranch for almost 50 years and loved it. She climbed to the top of its 10,000 feet at 62! She painted the mountain over and over saying that "God told her that if she painted it enough, she could have it". When she died, her ashes were scattered on top of it.

Pedernal is not an easy subject. Most of the time it appears flat or is hidden in the clouds that congregate around its peak. When it rains, it can disappear altogether. Depending on the time of day and weather conditions, its color changes minute by minute. Over all these years of visiting Ghost Ranch, I have avoided painting it. She was just too grand, too big and overwhelming a presence. I couldn't imagne how to get what I felt and experienced of this place into a painting, especially one that is 6" x 6".

The day I painted this, it was early morning because that is when the color on the mountain is most saturated and 3-dimensionality of it apparent. It was very cold and windy. We chose a place where we could see Pedernal across Abiquiu Lake. The first thing I noticed, after the mountain, were the three Juniper bushes in front of me. I decided to try and make them the focal point with Pedernal and the lake in the background. I am happy with the results though still think, there is no way for Pedernal not to overshadow everything and make its presence known. But that is how I experience it so it works.

Red and Purple Hills, Ghost Ranch 4

2009-10-20T20:29:00.001-07:00

6 x 6 inches, oil on canvas © 2009 Ann Painter
SOLD

This painting began during an outdoor painting class that I was teaching at Ghost Ranch and was finished in my studio. There are many challenges inherent in plein air painting or painting outside. The light changes all the time and in New Mexico is often so bright that seeing color is very challenging. An umbrella can help but it seems that as soon as I open mine, the wind comes up making its use impossible.

I love painting outside despite the shortcomings. There is something about being right in front of my subject that is very grounding and wonderful despite the challenges that the elements present. I finish most paintings that I start outside, in the studio and this painting was no exception. The studio is where I fine tune values and colors until I experience the "yes" in my body that lets me know the painting is done.

This particular formation had both red and purple colors and many different shades of each. Integrating the broad white band into the body of the hills so tha tit did not look like a decorative ribbon was a challenge as well and took several attempts until I was happy with it. Friends say I take too much time with these things but if I try and shortchange the process, I am plagued by the painting and cannot rest knowing it is not quite right and there is more to be done. The painting has to "sing" before I can let it fly away. This one flew quickly.

Arthur's Chair, Ghost Ranch 8

2009-10-20T11:09:00.000-07:00

6 x 6 iches, oil on archival masonite, © 2009 Ann Painter
SOLD

It was pouring rain one day last week when I was working with a private student. I'm willing to be out in wind, heat and cold but not rain. For one thing, it doesn't mix with oil and makes painting almost impossible. So, on this day, Lori and I decided to find an indoor place to paint. What better than the historic Ghost House. It is the oldest building at the Ranch and a frequent visitor site. An original old adobe, out of the rain.

Arthur's chairs were recently discovered under a coat of brown paint. The skull that O'Keeffe designed was the giveaway. As they removed layers of old paint, the Ranch archivist recognized the symbol and chairs from old photos taken when Arthur Pack owned the Ranch. I loved working on this painting and getting the walls to glow. I hope that at least one or two more in the series are interiors.

Storm Clouds, Ghost Ranch 3

2009-10-18T19:21:00.001-07:00

6 x 6 inches, oil on archival masonite, © 2009 Ann Painter
SOLD

At Ghost Ranch, the weather can change in minutes. A blue sunny sky can suddenly be filled with dark, ominous clouds that block the sun in some parts of the desert and leave others glowing with intense light. This was the case on the day I painted this image. The clouds move so quickly on days like this that the landscape is continuously transformed. I tried to capture this experience by contrasting the intense red of the hill where the sun broke through the clouds with with the dark sky and cloud covered landscape in the background. This is the third painting in the ongoing series of small paintings about Ghost Ranch that I started on October 1.

Hills Behind the House, Ghost Ranch 2

2009-09-23T16:53:00.000-07:00

Georgia O'Keeffe's house at Ghost Ranch is closed to visitors. As a special thank you, the O'Keeffe museum which owns it, too our group of museum docents through it. The interior is simple but the views from the house of golden cliff faces, rolling red hills, and Pedernal Mountain are spectacular. It was easy to see how she found living in this place so inspiring that she came back every year for over 50 years after she discovered the Ranch in 1929.

During my visit, I managed to shoot a picture of the red hills behind the house she lived in with her beloved Pedernal Mountain behind. I had looked for the place she painted red hills with the mountain behind for a long time. It wasn't until I stood on her patio that I realized how close to home her vantage point was.

This painting happened quickly. I did not get fussy with it and just let it happen. The process of letting the painting guide my process was fun and exciting. I helps that I know these shapes so well that sometimes, I can just paint my feeling without looking.

Sacred Mountain, New Mexico

2009-09-08T07:04:00.001-07:00

SOLD

Black Mesa is considered to be a sacred place by the Indians. From the reservation, photography and painting the mesa requires the permission of the Governor and then some. But from public road 30, there are great views. I began this as a plein air painting and finished it in the studio. If you visit my other blog, apaintersnotes.blogspot.com you can read more about my process. Black Mesa fascinates me and is different all the time. Like all of the landscape in New Mexico, it changes moment by moment depending on the time of day and the weather. I look forward to painting it in the fall when all the leaves turn golden.

Red Hills, Golden Chimneys, Ghost Ranch 1

2009-08-14T12:50:00.001-07:00

I just finished teaching a plein air painting class at Ghost Ranch. This is something I do several times a years. The week is very busy for me and any painting I do is usually the last day and then quite small like this painting. In October I will be the artist in residence at Ghost Ranch and my intention is to do a painting a day while I am there. This is the first in a series that will equal 30 or more small paintings. I was delighted to sell it the same day that I finished it.

Irises After Van Gogh

2009-08-14T12:24:00.001-07:00

I discovered another challenge site which I am very excited about; www.followingthemasters.blogspot.com is a blog where each month different subjects that have been painted by famous artists are introduced with the idea that participants can use the work of one of these artists to inspire a painting of their own using the artist's technique and or, subject matter. I have always loved the work of Van Gogh. That is probably a result of the bright colors he liked so much. This painting started out as a copy of one of his iris paintings but as it went along, it was changed here and there. I did come to understand more about the technique of this master painter. I am amazed at the speed with which he could paint something like this. It took me forever! I added the yellow background which is not in the original and subtracted flowers here and there because they didn't fit.

Working Man

2009-07-15T21:22:00.001-07:00

This is the most recent challenge posted by Karin Jurick on her blog, www.differentstrokesfromdifferentfolks . I worried that the skin tones would be difficult but in fact, I found them easy. I have been working with a lot of earth colors lately to mix skin tones. This was more of the same except I added more ultramarine blue to raw and burnt umber for shadow areas and had to pay special attention to the warm and cool skin tones.

San Miguel Mission

2009-07-12T21:39:00.001-07:00

12" x 9" oil on canvas
CLICK TO PURCHASE

One evening I happened to be in front of the San Miguel Mission at the moment the sun was setting. The light in that moment turned the old adobe mission an intense golden-orange color. It was breathtaking and I photographed it quickly before it was over. Weeks later, I painted it with the plein air class that I was teaching for Ghost Ranch in the pouring rain but with the evening light that I remembered on it.

Emilie

2009-06-23T16:32:00.001-07:00

6 x 6 inches, oil on archival masonite

NFS

Emilie is my older grandaughter. When she was a baby, we often went to the park where she would play and we would have a picnic. The park is still a favorite place for her and I still love to see her run and play. Now she has the company of her little sister. This like the earlier painting was a challenge. I have only started painting people and portraits in the last several years. By the time I finished this I was more comfortable with skin tones but still not sure I really captured the essence of my joyful Emilie. It is close but not quite. However, I am opting to move on.

Julia

2009-06-23T10:17:00.001-07:00

6 x 6 inches, oil on tempered masonite

NFS

I have spent the past 5 days in California painting with a friend. She is working on 50 paintings in 50 days and has chosen dogs as her subject. I opted not to impose that kind of intense deadline on myself. Instead, I am painting portraits of friends and family as a series. The first is an image of my youngest grandaughter, Julia. She loves to wear sunglasses which are too big for her and usually end up crooked or upside down on her little face. This is an image of her while playing at the park. Yes, that is me reflected in her glasses.