Our new Gallery/Studio overlooking the Jardin Principal

Looking from the gallery space back into the teaching area. We had to do a lot of renovating to get it looking like this. People can now browse the gallery without having to feel like they're interrupting the classes.

Looking from

Looking from the Studio/Classroom area out to the Jardin and into the Gallery area. It's a great space - skylights and there's always a soft breeze flowing through. When you take a break it's great fun watching what's happening in the park below.

"La Luz de la Tarde"
Oil 14x18ins.

This is the last picture I did before moving to our new gallery and residence. It was sad to leave that place as the view over the town and plains beyond was unmatchable but our new gallery/studio is overlooking the Jardin Principal and the space, light and view are superb. It's going to be more convenient for Donna's students and we think that in the long run we will get more traffic through the gallery. The large building we're located in is beautiful and is still in the hands of the Sanchez family who first came over from Spain in the late 1500's. It's apparently the only original large structure in town that is still in the hands of the original family. They also we're part of the conspiracy to revolt against Spain in the early 19th. century. I think we may be here a long, long time as things finally feel just about right for us.

"Abandoned Church at Pozos" 14x18in. oil
This one was the second and larger of the two I worked on the day of an outing to the "ghost" mining town of Minas de Pozos with my wife Donna's group, about two weeks ago.

"Up on Montitlan" 12x9in. oil SOLD
This one from a Sunday plein air excursion with our group a few weeks back. There are some fabulous views of the town and beyond as you go up the hills - really inspiring but they are quite a challenge to paint! I always kind of do the background as a generalized blur and plan to differentiate near the end of the session but find by the time I get there I'm just about exhausted and no longer have the freshness required. I relied on the camera here to finish it up back in the studio but it irks me to lug that thing around and half the time I forget to snap one anyway before I start painting. Most paintings I work on fore and background and everything else all at the same time, together. Somehow I can't do this with these big overviews and I don't like the way a painting loses integrity if you chop it up and give your full attention and energy to just one or two "favorite" areas. That is just what I used to do many years ago - everybody does at first - maybe I'm afraid of getting lost in all the little church spirey detail in that background and losing too much time over it as the light changes. However "we shall overcome" (maybe).

"Abandoned Church at Pozos" 14x18in. oil
This is the larger of the two I painted with my wife Donna's group a couple of weeks back at the "ghost town" of Las Minas de Pozos, a largely abandoned mining town from the last century, not too far from San Miguel. It was one of the most comfortable paintings I've done outside in a while, as the old concrete floor we stood on was level and weedlees and well-shaded from the partially intact vaulted ceiling over our heads. We had a great time and all returned to S. Miguel late in the day, exhausted but happy.

"Callejon del Puebla" 14x18in. oil on panel
This one was from our plein air outing with Donna's group two Sundays back. It was a fantastic location up on the hill - out of the traffic and beautiful! - a bit of a climb but worth it many times over. The picture was pretty much as you see it now, after about 2 hours work. I hope the excitement I felt while doing it comes across to some extent. We plan to return again soon to Callejon Cruz del Puebla.

Just completed ........

"Afterglow" 24x36ins. oil on canvas

Well, I just couldn't resist seeing if one couldn't squeeze a little more out of that photo of the parroquia. Some might find the alterations a little interesting. I'm pretty happy with this one (it was a major challenge) and we'll be hanging it in the gallery at #1 Pila Seca first opportunity.

Views of the town from our rooftop terrace ...........................................................................................................

- Our Place and the view to the North -
"Las Monjas" Iglesia in the background.....

- Looking west, down the hill and over the plains toward Guanajuato -
The owl palm is just out of the frame to the left

- Looking East up the hill to the Parroquia -

There is a barn owl that lives in a palm tree about 100 yards south (down the hill) from us and he/she comes out about a half hour after sunset. It often flies around with a "buddy" during the night and now and then they fly around the Parroquia steeple. They're huge and bright white in the city lights at night but all the same, not a soul we have mentioned it to has ever seen them. When the two of them are together and they fly over our terrace, they make a sound like very loud crickets. The first time I heard that, I thought the aliens had landed.

A few new paintings...........

"Barranca Fountain" 12x9in. oil on panel

"Sunday Afternoon at the Jardin" 9x12in. oil on panel

Morning After the Rain "Reicker's Ranch" oil on panel
SOLD

Here are a couple of plein air studies from the last 2 outings with Donna's class - "Sunday Afternoon at the Jardin" and "Barranca Fountain" Also I finally completed a 14x18 started at Reicker's horse farm many months ago......... a little worked over by now but it's got the feel of the place I think. I like plein air painting the best and as time goes by I'm finding I can get them closer to a satisfying completion, right there on location. I sometimes think I should do nothing but plein air but somehow things find a way to get me stuck in the studio again. I suppose I would miss doing large elaborate things now and then, anyway. But I'm not complaining - things are going well for us and the weather has been beautiful this "winter". I see I claimed I was going to post some views from our deck last time. O.K. - I'll dip into the files and see what we have.