Challenge Day 30 Mexican clay birds and persimmons

 

In Mexican folk art, artists paint clay figures with colorful designs and flowers .Persimmons are ripe late fall along with pomegranates, apples, pumpkins and chile, all in beautiful colors.

Mexican clay birds and persimmons

 

oil on board 9"x12"

 

 

 

Available Here



Challenge Day 29 Cobalt jar and tangerines

I have an antique cobalt jar that is perfect to hold flowers and it is my favorite color. I want to thank Julie Ford Oliver who urged me to do the 30 day challenge, Julie has been my mentor and friend who is a great inspiration to many artists. Visit her blog Art Talk- Julie Ford Oliver.com

 

 

Cobalt jar and tangerines

 

oil on canvas 12"x9"

 

 

 

Available Here

Challenge Day 27 Pyschedelic Pears

Instead of painting realistic pears, I decided to shake up things and use a high key palette.

 

 

Psychedelic Pears

oil on canvas 8"x8"

 

 

Available

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here

Challenge Day 26 Three Umbrellas

Who doesn't enjoy sitting in outside restaurant or coffee shop with a warm breeze blowing and music softly playing?

Three Umbrellas

 

oil on panel 8"x10"

 

 

 

Available Here

Challenge Day 25 Turquoise Tilted

A bowl turned over with cherries and grapes. Eat them all as you pick them and have a turquoise bowl to refill again. Hopefully chocolates next time.

Turquoise Tilted

 

oil on panel 6"x6"

 

Available

 

Here

Challenge Day 23 Salsa bowl

All kinds of peppers are used to make salsa- jalpenos, red and green chile depending how hot you like it.

Salsa bowl

6"x8" oil on panel

 

Available Here 

Challenge Day 22 Sweetpea

Sweetpeas are small dainty pink flowers that grow on bushy vine like plants. They are pretty self sufficient. Newer varieties come in different colors and are annual where as this variety comes back.

Sweetpea

 

 

6"x6" oil on panel

 

Available Here 

 

 



Challenge Day 21 Telephono de maria

The painting is of a fruit vendor and friend and how the yellow telephone represents a part of society that is changing as with all things are ever changing.

Telephono de maria

 

11"x14" oil on panel

 

 

 

Available Here

Challenge Day 20 Fiesta ware

This a painting of a small antique fiesta ware pitcher used for cream, I can imagine having a cup of tea with lemon and eating a few cherries.

Fiesta ware

 

oil on panel 6"x6"

 

 

AVAILABLE Here

Challenge Day 19 Hollyhocks in West Texas

 

 

This painting was commissioned for a book cover. The story is about a young couple in West Texas deciding about their future in farming or moving on to different lives.

 

 

Hollyhocks in West Texas

 

oil on panel 12"x9"

 

 

NFS

Challenge Day 17 Flemson Beauty pears

 

 

These are Flemson Beauty pears. They are similar to Anjou pears in taste and texture. We have one tree in the orchard. It has been there for at least 70 years and we have one apricot tree over a 100 years old.

Flemson Beauty pears

 

6"x8" oil on panel

 

Available Here

Challenge Day 16 Colorful calla lilies

Calla lilies are not just white. They are in every color and are wonderful in the light.

 

 

 

Colorful calla lilies

 

oil on panel 12"x9"

 

 

Available Here

Challenge Day15 Robin egg blue

Birds of all kinds love orchards. They have all kinds of choices whether it's food - bugs, grains or fruits, resources for nests- grass, twigs, cow hair, and mud and trees to grow up in.. This nest was in the yard by the house.

Robin egg blue

 

 

6"x8"oil on panel

SOLD

Challenge Day 14 Beehive house

                                                                     Beehive House

Oil Painting on Canvas 6x8

Available Here

This is '63 Ford 350 bought new so that makes it 51 years young. It houses bee hives in during springtime for the pollinating of all the fruit trees. It has been used to haul fruit to El Paso, TX and cattle back and forth all over NM, hay bales from Tularosa, brush and tree trimmings out of the orchards, and manure into the orchards.

Here

Challenge 13: Roses from the garden

                                                                   
                                                                       

                                                             Roses from the Garden

                                                       Oil Painting on Canvas 12x9

                                                                Available Here

The roses are from my garden . The yellow ones are Peace roses and pink ones I'm not sure but they are pretty. The mug I bought at an antique store. It is fairly tall and handy as a vase for flowers.



Day 12: Red Gladiolas

                                                                     "Red Gladiolas"

                                                               Oil Painting on Canvas Panel

                                                                            16x8

                                                                         Available Here


I have red gladiolas along with yellow gladiolas. In fact there is a wide array of  colors in the flower garden.

Challenge Day 11" Yellow gladiolas

                                                                 "Yellow Gladiolas"
         
                                                       Oil Painting on Canvas "16x8"

                                                                  Available Here

Meanwhile back to the flower garden the yellow gladiolas are beautiful this year. And thank you for viewing my blog.

Challenge Day 10: Farmers market

                                                                   "Farmer's Market"

                                                       Oil Painting on Canvas Panel "6x8"

                                                                     Available  Here


Farmer markets have become a regular venue in every city and town in NM as well as the country. Fresh bread and produce, arts and crafts, and musicians are a staple for these markets. Markets are on Saturday mornings usually which is nice to stock up for weekend with goodies.

Challenge Day 9 : Blue Pipe

                                                                     "Blue Pipe"

                                                          Oil Painting on Canvas "12x24"

                                                                     Available Here

On a farm work is never done, much like housework, and there is always something that requires maintenance or improvement. Like much of the Southwest, we are experiencing a significant drought in the Sacramento Mountains. Not knowing how much water is left or when the drought will end necessitates responsible and efficient use of that finite and essential resource of water. In order maintain the health and growth of our orchard we have steadily transitioned to modern and efficient irrigation systems. The scene depicted in the painting is our work truck staged with the new irrigation pipe waiting to be installed.  As I stated earlier work on the farm is never done and every time you set out to accomplish a task you first spend a day repairing tools and equipment so that you can start the task and then finish it.  The truck depicted in the painting is a workhorse, but it certainly demands attention to keep it working. I'm not sure what it is about our dogs, but they all seem to possess a bit of destructive nature. You may have already read the story of Whiskey, the flower destroying dog, but if not, it can be found  here.  In the past year we have had to completely replace  the electrical systems of two of our farm trucks.  The culprit of the damage is, none other than our Blue Heeler Cattledog, Moe.  An almost obsessive compulsive affliction takes over Moe when in pursuit of squirrels, such that when squirrels have taken refuge in the undercarriages of vehicles, Moe after having waited patiently for hours,proceeds to tear out electrical systems and essentially attempts to dismantle the vehicle around the squirrel. My husband, loves Moe, however, he has not been amused by Moe's antics, but I hope that you are and that when you look at this painting you can imagine Moe waiting under the truck patiently for a squirrel to depart its hiding spot.



                                Moe, squirrel hunter extraordinaire and dismantler of vehicles

Challenge Day 8 Erma's garden

                                                                   "Erma's Garden"

                                                        Oil Painting on Canvas Panel "8x16"

                                                                     Available Here

      The scene in today's painting is a familiar one to the residents of La Luz, NM.  Depicted in the painting is the residence belonging to members of the Garcia family. The Garcias have been part of La Luz as long as anyone can remember and are a central element of the fabric that makes up the  tiny village.  The wall and gate are situated on the opposite side of the road from the historic Our Lady of the Light Catholic Church.  I titled the painting "Erma's Garden", because the behind the wall, longtime La Luz resident, Erma Garcia, maintained a beautiful garden.  Behind the walls also grew massive old  cottonwood trees. At some point around 10 - 15 years ago lightning struck one of the cottonwoods breaking a good portion of the tree apart.  From the remnants members of the Garcia family carved the beautiful crosses that you see in the painting. Beyond the wall is an abundance of beauty to include the old dead cottonwood trunks with crosses carved on top of them, a large cottonwood limb laying across the field reminds me of a Diego Rivera, Banana Tree painting, and there is also a massive rose garden with a wondrous variety of colors. I drive by this wall and gate at least a few times a week, if not daily, and the rustic southwestern beauty of the scene always,  without fail, brings joy to me and appreciation for the natural beauty of the world and all that we can do with it.  The crosses that were born out of the dead cottonwood trees, in the aftermath of the devastating thunderstorm, have powerful symbology, that I fear may be taken for granted because I know I catch myself doing it.  Whether it's the resurrection of Jesus Christ or the rising of a Phoenix, the crosses eloquently demonstrate that there is life, beauty, and hope, always present in the aftermath of great destruction and death. I hope you enjoy the beauty and symbolism of this scene as much as I do.

Challenge Day 7:Gladiolas with pitcher

 

"Gladiolas With Pitcher"

Oil on Linen Panel "8x16"

Available Here

    The gladiolas in this painting are the ones pictured on Day Four's Post in the picture of the infamous canine, Whiskey.  Thankfully these flowers averted the flower hating rage of Whiskey and I was able to use them for the subject of this painting.  You may have noticed by now that some of my favorite items to paint are brightly colored flowers and objects from the past. The pitcher featured in this work is Frankoma Pottery.  Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle are famous for the distinctive red dirt that makes up the Earth of that region.  Frankoma Pottery has as it's base element, that very red dirt that is the soul of Oklahoma. The company actively produced its pottery line for much of the 20th Century but has regrettably fallen on hard times the last few decades.  I love the unique style and distinctive color produced by the soil of Oklahoma. My Mother and my husband's, Aunt Lucille "Tootsie" had several pieces of Frankoma Pottery that they collected over the years. The particular pottery in the painting belonged to Tootsie, who was very much and icon of the Sacramento Mountains and even received a female pioneer award for her contributions to the region. To read more about her life click here. Lucille loved to garden and grow beautiful flowers like the gladiolas in this work. In many ways this painting is a simple tribute to her.  

Challenge Day 6: Homestead

"Homestead"

Oil on Linen Panel "6x8"

Available Here

For day six of the challenge I chose to do a landscape depicting a piece of the history of the Sacramento Mountains. The house depicted in the painting was built sometime in the early 1900s.  My husband's family homesteaded in the Sacramento Mountains near the village of Cloudcroft in 1887.  The Nichols family moved to their present location in the early 1900s.  The house in the picture is still standing and is located between our cherry and apple orchards near a patch of fig trees and a 100 year old apricot tree. My husband's parents and sisters, great uncle, and other relatives called this structure home at various times. In last 40 years the house served as boarding for the migrant workers that harvested the fruit from our orchards. Many structures such as this house can be found throughout the Sacramento Mountains but regrettably they are slowly deteriorating and those that remember their history are leaving us. I take joy in capturing these structures in paint so that they live on and their story can be told on mediums such as this blog. 

Challenge Day Five: Poolside

"Poolside"

Oil on Canvas "8X8"

Available Here

Day five of the challenge takes us poolside. Life in the Sacramento Mountains can get pretty warm in the Summertime especially in the valleys and the basins at the foot of the mountains. To beat the heat families in New Mexico often take to the pool. I sought to capture the common scene of the heap of towels and shoes that are hastily discarded by those seeking reprieve from the heat. It is my hope that  the scene depicted in the painting allows your mind to take you back to a time when you were frolicking with friend's and family in a pool or hot tub without a care in the world and maybe a cool drink in your hand and some Jimmy Buffett playing in the background.. 

                                  Let "Margaritaville" take you to that poolside state of mind!

Challenge Day Four: Pink Carnations

"Pink Carnation"

Oil on Linen Panel "6x8" 

Available Here

 On day four of the challenge I chose a still life of a potter vase full of pink carnations. In line with my theme of 30 days of life in the Sacramento Mountains I chose my subject from right outside my front door.  We are blessed with great weather and soil in the mountains of Southern New Mexico which allows us to grow a wide variety of plant life. Taking advantage of the opportunities that are afforded to me in my natural surroundings, as a hobby aside from my artwork, I try to maintain a garden or two. I delight in helping my 89 year old father, James, a WWII Veteran that is still going strong, maintain his vegetable garden and i try to keep up with a meager flower garden of my own.  I have pink carnations growing in my flower garden along with petunias, snapdragons, calla lilies and gladiolas.  It always brightens my day to go outside and see beautiful flowers in bloom sharing all of their glory with the world.  Having fresh cut flowers in a vase or pottery can liven up a room and dress up any table. The pink carnations in this painting were a delight to capture and there is also the somewhat silly fact that I had to sav them from being trampled by our dog Whiskey. I have to keep a careful eye on my flower beds because Whiskey delights in tearing up freshly planted flowers. I have a feeling that he has a distaste for flowers in general and in keeping with that opinion probably wouldn't like my painting but I sure hope you do!

                                              "Whiskey the Destroyer of Flower Beds"


The pink carnations in this painting also trigger in my mind the old Marty Robbins tune "A white sport coat and a pink carnation" . While mostly known for gunfighter ballads and old west laments, Robbins sound was one of a kind and he possessed an uncanny ability to tell a vivid story with his songs that placed the listener right in the midst of every verse. I'd like to think that the carnations in my painting could easily be the carnation on the white sport coat in Robbins tale of teenage angst. 

Challenge Day Three: Santa Rosa Plums

"Santa Rosa Plums"

Oil on Linen Panel "6 x 8"

Available Here

On our orchard in Southern New Mexico we have  a couple of old plum trees that are nearly past their time.  The trees were planted sometime in the 1930s during the Great Depression. Santa Rosa plums used to be a popular variety in stores but have fallen by the wayside to the modern genetically altered behemoths you find today. Santa Rosa is also the name of a town in Northern New Mexico found along historic Route 66. Much like the plums, the town is a symbol of a different time and an age that is now gone. With this painting I sought to use rich and vibrant colors to pay homage to those nostalgic pieces of American history that will always be a part of our story from Native American pottery in the back drop of the painting, to old fruit trees, and small forgotten towns along historic highways.    

Challenge Day Two: Nectarines and Lace

"Nectarines and Lace"

Oil on Linen Panel "6 x 8"

Available Here

 Day two of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.  On day two of the challenge, I again went with fruit as the main subject of the painting. Today, however, I chose a traditional still life approach and added some lace to a scene of fresh cut nectarines. Lace after all makes everything fancier and more fun.  Nectarines are a delicious summer treat and a favorite of my youngest son. The rich and vibrant spectrum of color that nectarines provide allows for them to be an ideal subject matter. 

Challenge Day One: Sunlit

"Sunlit"

Oil on Linen Panel "6 x 8"

Available Here

    Day one of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge. For my first painting in the 30 Days of Life in the Sacramento Mountains, I chose cherries as my subject.  For the past 40 years I have lived and worked with my husband, Bob, on his family's fruit farm and cattle ranch. Annually when we are blessed with a crop, we harvest around 60,000 pounds of cherries. Harvesting 60,000 pounds of cherries is no small task and requires a tremendous amount of work.  As you might imagine harvesting that many cherries, making them into pies, jams, and wines  can lead to having cherries on the brain. Consequently fruit and cherries often make their way into my work. The natural deepness and range of red found in cherries makes for enjoyable painting.

My husband, Bob and I enjoying a moment in our cherry orchard this past June. 

30 Paintings in 30 Days: 30 Days of Life in the Sacramento Mountains

For the month of September I am excited to be participating in a challenge of creating 30 paintings in 30 days. The challenge is taking place on Leslie Saeta's Fine Art Page. The theme I have chosen for the challenge is 30 Days of Life in the Sacramento Mountains. The Sacramento mountains are a mountain chain located in Southern New Mexico.  I have spent most of my life blessed and lucky enough to call this mountain range home.  The natural beauty of the Sacramento Mountains and their wildlife, plant life, and historic structures are a constant source of inspiration for my painting. The masterful hand of God created a perfect work of art in the Sacramento Mountains.  Within the mountains lies thousands of days worth of scenes for painting. I am excited to bring you 30 Days of Life in the Sacramento Mountains and share with you the beauty and wonder that exists in Southern New Mexico. I hope you enjoy!

-Sue