Take a campstool, paper, pastels and your lunch.
Then go anywhere!
If it's windy, stay in town.
If it's cold, go south.
In the winter, take along hot tea and brandy.
If it's hot, go to the mountains or a river.
Sometimes in July it snows.

Wherever you go, your heart goes with you. Walk around and smell the air, listen to the trees or rocks. Ask yourself what pulls your heart to sit at this particular spot. Is it the light, the patterns or just that it makes you happy? Then pick up your pastels and begin to paint.

What happens is always a conversation between you and the landscape. In pastel, you have 10 brushes (10 fingers) so it's great to see what they can do. The end result is always a surprise. As an artist, I am the last to know what will happen. At its best, you become so much a part of the landscape that you disappear. I like the adventure.

When I see my finished pieces, I remember the heat on the rocks and the sound of the bees on the wild roses - it's all inside the painting.

PLEIN AIR PASTELS

On The Road To Taos - Rio Grande Gorge

Sunset Dance - The Spirit Of Glorieta.jpeg