30"x60" PLACITA IN WINTER - STEP 2 - UNDERPAINTING

30"x60" PLACITA IN WINTER (Work in Progress - Underpainting) -- Color notes:  Most of the color mixtures are done using MG Fast Drying White.  Sky:  Payne's Grey, Prussian Blue.  Mountains: Combinations of Prussian Blue and Burnt Sienna as darkest colors; lighter shades with Chrome Oxide Green Opaque and Yellow Ochre.  Snow:  Lightest areas MG mixed with a little Cad. Red and Cad. Yellow.  Shadows:  Payne's Grey -- Some Dioxazine Purple.  Light Trees:  Mud mixture with some Holbein Rose Grey.  MUD:  At the end of the day bring all the color mixtures together in one pile with your palette knife -- create "mud" -- use as a transitional color in the painting.  ENJOY!  DC

30"x60" PLACITA IN WINTER - STEP 1 - OIL SKETCH

Step #2 - Using study and photos as guides, oil sketch with Prussian Blue and Burnt Sienna.  Let
dry to the touch.  The next step is the underpainting - MG Fast Drying White with basic pastel colors.

30"x60" PLACITA IN WINTER, WORK IN PROGRESS

Portrait quality canvas, custom stretched.  Three coats of gesso tinted with Payne's Grey; let dry
for about ten days before painting.  Light sketch okay.

24 SEPTEMBER 2010 - STUDIO NEWZ

STUDIO NEWZ:   For the past four years the major share of my painting sales large and small have been made via the internet - through my website at www.DonnaClairArt.com     As the result of this online success, I am no longer affiliated with McLarry Gallery in Santa Fe.  All New Mexico sales will go through my Taos Studio at least for the next six to eight months.  Am re-designing my website and the "COLLECTOR'S GALLERY" of new paintings will be online in early November.  Am also working on two book projects which I hope to have completed by next spring.  In the meantime, my studio will be open by appointment -- please call a day or two in advance of your visit.  My sincere thanks to Art Friends near and far for your continued interest in my work!  Donna

PS -- Become an Art Friend - send your e.address to me to receive my Studio Newsletter with photos of works in progress, completed paintings and new prints!

"PLACITA IN WINTER (FINISHED STUDY) 18"X36" OIL ON CANVAS - SOLD

 "PLACITA IN WINTER" (STUDY) - Sold

18"x 36" Original Oil on Canvas unframed.

This is a study for a 30"x60" canvas.

This painting is available for purchase thru my studio.

Call (575) 758-7454 or e.mail. 

PLACITA IN WINTER (STUDY) - 18"X36" UNDERPAINTING

 

9/15/10 --The second phase of this painting is what I call the "underpainting" - most of the colors have been mixed with MG Fast Drying White.  Although it might look finished now as it is, I will work the top layers of oil colors into it as soon as these paints dry....five or six days.  The dark greens are a combination of Burnt Sienna and Prussian Blue.  The top sky colors are Cobalt Blue, Payne's Grey and MG White.  The snow:  MG White, Cadmium Yellow and a touch of Cadmium Red.  The shadows on the snow: same combination as the sky colors.  This painting should be completed in about ten days.

"PLACITA IN WINTER" (STUDY) 18"x36 Sketch

Hello from Taos!  Here are the beginnings of what I expect will be two paintings -- the first is an 18"x36" Study for Placita in Winter.  I love this composition and the colors and am planning to order a 30"x60" stretched canvas tomorrow to make a larger version of this painting.  First of all, here is the original sketch.  The canvas was prepped with gesso mixed with Payne's Grey.  The sketch is a combination of Burnt Sienna and Prussian Blue.

VALDEZ AUTUMN - 30"X30" ORIG. OIL - SOLD

"VALDEZ AUTUMN" - SOLD

30"x30" Orig Oil/Linen, Framed in Gold

"SOMBREROS DE SOLOLA" - 14"X11" ORIG OIL (Click here to preview/purchase)

"SOMBREROS DE SOLOLA" (Guatemala)

14"x11" Orig. Oil, Fr. in Gold w/ Linen Liner

Click here to preview/purchase

"LLANO SAN JUAN" - 30"x40" Orig. Oil (Click here to preview/purchase)

"LLANO SAN JUAN"

30"x40" Orig. Oil/Linen, Fr. in Gold

Click here to preview/purchase

"ADOBE WALLS/SANTA FE" - 24"x30" Orig. Oil - SOLD

"ADOBE WALLS/SANTA FE" - SOLD

24"x30" Orig. Oil on Linen, Fr. in Gold

IGLESIA DEL NORTE - Orig. Oil (Click to preview/purchase)

"LA IGLESIA DEL NORTE"

11"X14" Original Oil, Framed in Gold

Click here to preview/purchase

LAS NUBES DE TAOS - SOLD

"LAS NUBES DE TAOS" - SOLD

(THE CLOUDS OF TAOS)

9"x9" Original Oil, Framed in Gold with Linen Liner

HERE I GO AGAIN! Another New Beginning

8 September 2010 - It's that time of the year again when I begin to block in new paintings to work on through the winter.  Have had several field trips so far with a lot of new material.  In the right hand corner of this photo is the new 48"x48" canvas called "POPPY LOVE GRANDE" which I will reveal in stages on this blog.  This week I will also post photos of original oil paintings to be sold via EBay store.  Stay tuned for previews of my new studio work.  If you have any questions, just give me a call (575)758-7454 or send query via e.mail.

"FROM THE HIGH ROAD" - NEW ORIGINAL OIL

#2011 - "FROM THE HIGH ROAD"

16"x20" Original Oil on Linen

Framed in Gold with Linen Liner

For price and availability, please call Taos Studio at

(575) 758-7454 

"LOS CAMPOS DE CUNDIYO" - NEW ORIGINAL OIL

#2010 - "LOS CAMPOS DE CUNDIYO

11"X14" ORIGINAL OIL ON LINEN

FRAMED IN GOLD WITH LINEN LINER

For price and availability please call Taos Studio at

(575)758-7454 

"POPPY LOVE II" - NEW! 10"x10" Original Oil - SOLD

#1810 - "POPPY LOVE II"- Sold

New! 10"x10" Orig. Oil on Linen

Framed in Gold with Linen Liner

"CUNDIYO" - NEW! 11"x14" Original Oil

#1710 - "CUNDIYO"

NEW! 11"x14" Orig. Oil on Linen

Framed in Gold with Linen Liner

For price and availability please call Taos Studio at (575)758-7454

"TAKING THE SUN" - NEW! 11"x14" Original Oil Painting

#1610 - "TAKING THE SUN"

NEW 11"x14" Orig. Oil on Linen

Framed in Gold with Linen Liner

For price and availability please call Taos Studio at (575) 758-7454

"SPRING THAW" - NEW 11"x14" Original Oil Painting

#1510 - "SPRING THAW"

NEW 11"x14" Original Oil on Linen

Framed in Gold with Linen Liner

For price and availability, please call Taos Studio at (575)758-7454

11"x14" Original Oil - "PENASCO AFTERNOON"

#1410 - "PENASCO AFTERNOON"

New 11"x14" Original Oil on Linen

Framed in Gold with Linen Liner

For price & availability, call Taos Studio at

(575)758-7454

BACK TO THE EASEL!

23 June 2001 -- Every so often I realize I don't know who I am without a paintbrush in my hand!  That's when I have to take a break - time to observe the world without a camera or sketchbook. This hiatus took a little more time than I had planned, but it was well worth every minute.  What did I do on my spring/summer "vacation"?  My living space required repair and cleaning.  My office needed a good straightening up -- filing, proofing new prints, preparing my space to work on some books I plan to work on this fall.  I reconnected with friends -- some I hadn't seen in many, many years. Entertained a great group from the American Bar Endowment.....Art Friends from Virginia, Louisiana, Ohio, Santa Fe, Illinois and Wisconsin.  Went to Taos Pueblo for some fantastic fry bread.  A wonderful lunch at Rancho de Chimayo.  Visited Santuario de Chimayo and gave some prayers of thanks for good friends and this amazing place where I live and paint.....gratitude is good!  DC

#42 - AUTUMN FIELDS

#42 - AUTUMN FIELDS

New 6"x8" Orig. Oil on Italian Gessoed Panel

"TAOS AFTERNOON SHADOWS" - NEW 48"X36" OIL PAINTING

"TAOS AFTERNOON SHADOWS"

New! 48"x36" Orig. Oil on Linen

Framed in Silver with Linen Liner

Began this canvas in January, although the source photo was made the year before....16 January 2010 - I didn't want to miss this beautiful light I saw from my kitchen window last winter.  Grabbed my trusty digital camera and shot the photo right through the window.  The 48"x36" canvas is gesso toned with Payne's Grey.  The "cartoon" of the painting is Prussian Blue.  I ran the photo through my large Epson printer to get a 16"x20" print of the photo as a point of reference.  Yesterday I placed a grid on the photo (not the canvas) to guide me in proportions.  This is one of the five large canvases I want to complete this year. 

More than participants in life, I believe artists are, of necessity, observers.  Have looked out at this view from my kitchen window for over twenty years.  One of the advantages of not having a dishwasher is that my daily clean up becomes a wonderful meditation and I get to observe all the life that would normally pass me by.  These trees didn't even exist when I first looked out this window.  What I saw was the little Baptist Church to the east across Salazar Road -- and on Sunday evenings heard the beautiful guitar music and hymns echoed across the field.  The spring winds blew the seeds of these trees from Santistevan Lane across the fence.  Now I get to watch the magpies build their nests and hatch their babies.  I see the crows swirl menacingly around the nests each spring and then swarms of magpies defend their hatchlings.  Hundreds of migrating  birds rest in these trees each November on their way south -- and an occas ional Sandhill Crane passes by on her way to my neighbor's pond.  Wonder if I somehow missed my true calling by spending most of my time at an easel........I could just spend all my days sitting in the middle of a forest, just watching and listening!

#1310 - CAPILLA DE ESTACA --SOLD

"CAPILLA DE ESTACA"  - Sold

12"X6" NEW Original Oil on Linen, Framed in Gold with Linen Liner -- Completed 4/22/10 - Now available for sale through my Taos Studio.  Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express thru my studio for your convenience.  E.Mail or call (575)758-7454 for price and availability.

#38 - "SANTA CRUZ" -SOLD

#38 - "SANTA CRUZ"

SOLD

NEW! Orig. 6"x8" Orig. Oil on Ital. Gessoed Board

#36 - WINTERMOON AT PICURIS - SOLD

#36 - "WINTERMOON AT PICURIS PUEBLO"

Sold

6"x8" Original Oil on Italian Gessoed Board

SPRING FLING! STUDIO EDITION ARCHIVAL PRINTS - 3 for the price of 2

SPRING FLING!!  THREE PRINTS FOR THE PRICE OF TWO ($210.00) - Now available from my High Road Catalogue - http://www.donnaclairart.com/prints.html     Offer good until April 30th.   "LILAS DE TAOS" - Spectacular spring show of lilacs in front of the old Taos News Building! - Available in two sizes - Small: $60, Large: $110.  Prices include shipping.  -  Call my Taos Studio at (575)758-7454.

"POPPY LOVE" - Archival Studio Edition Print

"POPPY LOVE" - Now available as a Studio Edition Print - Ultra Chrome Inks on Matte Presentation Paper - 17"x22" sheet size.  $110.00, Free Shipping.  Call (575)758-7454 to order. 

30"x60" Original Oil - NEW! "CANCION DEL SOL" - SOLD

SOLD

STUDIO #1010 - "CANCION DEL SOL" - 30"X60" Original Oil on Fine Belgian Linen - Framed in Gold with Linen Liner.  Completed 3/21/10.  This painting has been a long time in the "dreamtime" -- which is where I usually spend most of my days.  It is a view from Middle Road here in Taos on a late summer evening's walk....quiet, pastoral....peaceful.  As I hinted in an earlier post, I had "painted" this canvas in my head so many times that all I had to do was essentially sit there, mix the paint and hold the brush....something else took over.  However, once it was completed this weekend, I sat back and looked at it and realized it is one of my very best paintings. Once I walked away from the easel, I felt stunned and a little lonely....this image has been my companion for years!

STUDIO NEWS:  Am working on a 48"x36" canvas which I previewed in yesterday's post - "TAOS AFTERNOON SHADOWS" -- I love the colors so far.  It is from a digital photo I took through my kitchen window (one of my favorite places on earth) -- I made a digital print of the photo and am working freehand from that image.  House repair and spring cleaning taking up the rest of my time -- and watching the apricot tree in front of the house "bud" -- lots of happy chirpy birds in that tree this week!  DC

48"x36" Orig. Oil Painting - "TAOS AFTERNOON SHADOWS - Work in Progress -- The Glazes

STUDIO #1010 - "TAOS AFTERNOON SHADOWS" - 48"X36" Original Oil on Fine Belgian Linen - THE GLAZES:  Sky:  Dark snowstorm moving off into the Pecos Wilderness - Prussian Blue, Mars Black -- a touch of Permalba White at the horizon.  Trees: "Mud" color from mixing leftover colors on my palette.  Shadows in the foreground" Cobalt Violet Hue, Rose Grey, Payne's Grey, Permalba White.  Stay tuned.

"CANCION DEL SOL" - WORK IN PROGRESS - PHASE II-THE GLAZES

"CANCION DEL SOL" (SONG OF THE SUN) - 30"x60"WORK IN PROGRESS -- Phase II - The Glazes.  Have had the canvas and frame for this painting at least two years and I have painted this in my head at least a thousand times over the past five or six years.  This week I have been working over the glazes to the final painting which should be completed sometime early next week.  From it's inception, from the blocking in stage, this canvas has almost painted itself -- all I have been doing is holding the brush -- it's almost like automatic writing!  Because this is that very last moment of sun at the end of the day, I needed to have the glazes darker than usual.  When the opaque paints are applied, I will put them in lightly in order to protect the essence of this moment in time.  Foreground:  Prussian Blue and Burnt Sienna.  Middle Ground:  Yellow Ochre, Burnt Sienna and Italian Pink. Clouds: Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red, Violet, Permalba White, Payne's Grey.  Sky:  Thalo Green, Thalo Blue, a touch of Yellow Ochre and Permalba White.  Will send photo of painting as soon as it is completed.  I am really excited to see the finished canvas -- it is truly surprising me!!!!  If you have any questions regarding this new work, just give me a call. (575)758-7454.

24"x30" ORIG. OIL - "ROAD TO WILDERNESS GATE" - SOLD

 

"ROAD TO WILDERNESS GATE" - SOLD

24"X30" ORIG. OIL/LINEN - Framed in Gold

30X60 CANCION - WORK IN PROGRESS - GLAZING THE FOREGROUND

 

 "CANCION DEL SOL" (SONG OF THE SUN) - 30"X60" WORK IN PROGRESS.  From the bottom up today -- Prussian Blue and Burnt Sienna in the foreground.  Middle ground a combination of Alizarin Crimson, Burnt Sienna and Italian Pink.  I want the feeling of sunset -- early evening -- will work the opaque paints into the dark colors.  I will finish glazing the middle ground tomorrow and then move on to the sky -- which will inform the opaque colors.

"CALYPSO" - 24"x24" ORIGINAL OIL PAINTING - SOLD

 

"CALYPSO" - SOLD

New! 24"x24" Orig. Oil on Linen

Framed in Gold with Linen Liner

Call Taos Studio (575)758-7454 

"CALYPSO" - WORK IN PROGRESS - The Glazes

 

2/18/10- Here is the phase of the painting where I could absolutely go out for a cup of coffee and not return!  The glazes....the middle stage of the painting.  Transparent and semi-transparent colors over the underpainting -- Thalo Blue and Green, Cadmium Yellow, Prussian Blue, Rose Red -- background: Permalba White, Ochre and Payne's Grey.  Stay tuned!  

"VADITO" - SOLD

"VADITO" - SOLD

6"x8" Orig. Oil on Italian Gessoed Board

30"x60" Orig. Oil Painting -"CANCION DEL SOL" Work in Progress

 

"CANCION DEL SOL" - 30"x60" Underpainting - New Work in Progress - Original Oil on Belgian Linen.  Have had this large painting in mind and heart for about five years now, and I am very excited to have gotten it down on canvas this week.  Now I have two large format pieces in the works, with two more that I plan to "block" in this weekend.  What I love about putting down several underpaintings at a time is that each morning when I "bounce" through that door toward the easel, I just choose whichever one excites me that day.  Eventually it all gets done.....large canvases are as delightful as a big, heavy book one cannot stop reading -- it is even a little sad on the day of completion!

#1110 - LLANO SAN JUAN - Available

 

Studio #1110 - LLANO SAN JUAN

NEW 12"X6" Original Oil on Linen

Framed in Silver with Linen Liner

Call (575)758-7454

"STORMY WEATHER" - SOLD

 

"STORMY WEATHER" - SOLD

New! 6"x8" Orig. Oil (unframed) on Italian Gessoed Board

HIGH ROAD AFTERNOON - SOLD

 

"HIGH ROAD AFTERNOON" - SOLD

NEW! 6"X8" Orig. Oil (unframed) on Italian Gessoed Board

FEBRUARY MORNING, LLANO SAN JUAN, NEW MEXICO

 

"FEBRUARY MORNING" - LLANO SAN JUAN, NEW MEXICO

Now available as a Studio Edition Print

19"x13" sheet size - $60.00 includes shipping

Call (575) 758-7454 to order

"LADIES WHO LUNCH" - Click here for 100 Small Paintings

"LADIES WHO LUNCH" - Santa Fe Plaza circa 1969

 6"x8" Original Oil on Italian Gessoed Board unframed

 Call Taos Studio at (575)758-7454

TAOS WINTER SUNRISE 1/23/10 - (Photo)

1/23/10 - Up really early this morning and photographed the beginning of the sunrise through my kitchen window.  It was just a special moment - everything felt as though it was at the beginning again - that from this sunrise there will be a renewal - another spring.  "If winter comes, can spring be far behind?" - Shakespeare  Am planning some small studies from these photos this week.

48"x36" Orig. Oil Painting - "TAOS AFTERNOON SHADOWS" - Work in Progress

16 January 2010 - I didn't want to miss this beautiful light I saw from my kitchen window last winter.  Grabbed my trusty digital camera and shot the photo right through the window.  The 48"x36" canvas is gesso toned with Payne's Grey.  The "cartoon" of the painting is Prussian Blue.  I ran the photo through my large Epson printer to get a 16"x20" print of the photo as a point of reference.  Yesterday I placed a grid on the photo (not the canvas) to guide me in proportions.  This is one of the five large canvases I want to complete this year.   I will begin to lay in the underpainting this afternoon.  DC, Taos, N.M.

"CALYPSO" - Work in Progress - Underpainting

A perfect day today -- kind of cloudy, waiting for snow.  Here is the underpainting - am working mostly with pure colors - ochres, cadmium reds, cobalt blue, chrome oxide green opaque, cadmium yellow.  Background is a combination of Payne's Grey, a little ochre and MG Fast Drying Underpainting white.  Will let this canvas dry for about a week while I block in new canvases.