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