musings from the studio and beyond ~
dawn chandler’s reflections on art and life. . . .
10.31.2012 ~ of eastern shores: assateague island
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| our view ~ assateaugue island, i ~ by dawn chandler ~ oil and mixed media on panel ~ 12 x 24 inches ~ copyright dawn chandler 2012 |
It was one of the finest days of my life. And really, nothing all that extraordinary happened. It was early November 2010 and a couple days before, My Man and I ran in the Outer Banks Half Marathon — My first ever trip to the OBX to run in my first ever half marathon*.
Now, two days later, we found ourselves alone — not another person is sight — on Assateague Island, walking quietly through the early morning fog, making our way over piney paths to the edge of the ocean. To this view.
The rest of that morning the island, those pines, the long misty coastline….the wild ponies….remained ours. Alone.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, I wonder if Our Island remains.
*It was a horrible race for me, thanks to a number of reasons not the least of which was that I simply wasn’t ready for it. However the OBX Half is a GREAT race, and I highly recommend it! Very well organized, beautiful flat course, wonderful people and a whole lot of fun. I‘m looking forward to doing it again some time and having a much better race!
10.16.2012 ~ view from the top of wheeler peak
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| view from the top of wheeler ~ by dawn chandler ~ oil and mixed media on panel ~ 12 x 24 inches ~ copyright dawn chandler 2012 |
In my eighteen years of living in New Mexico, I’ve climbed Wheeler Peak at least fifteen times. There on the summit of the Land of Enchantment at 13,161 feet, on various occasions, I’ve supped with good friends on steamed asparagus and smoked salmon, quaffed my thirst with gin and tonics and single malt and beer, busted up at least one kite, and once watched incredulously and helplessly as my black dog in her pink collar sprinted balls-out for a third of a mile on the heels of a brawny bighorn sheep:
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| Canis lupis familiaris, of the rogue Taos purebred breed, alias “The Black Dog with the Pink Collar” |
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| Ovis canadensis. In fact, the very bighorn the above-mentioned Black Dog with the Pink Collar chased across the Wheeler tundra during the 2009 ascent. |
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| Taos Purebred vs Ovis canadensis race diagram. The neck-and-neck sprint resulted in a tie across and over that far ridgeline. The race STILL didn’t tire that damned dog. |
Anyhow…. here’s a recent painting of the view from the top of Wheeler, looking — — — which direction? Anyone?
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| view from the top of wheeler ~ by dawn chandler ~ oil and mixed media on panel ~ 12 x 24 inches ~ copyright dawn chandler 2012 |
Some painting details:
10.02.2012 ~ cathedral rock ~ autumn afternoon, i
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| cathedral rock — autumn afternoon ~ oil on canvas ~ by dawn chandler ~ copyright dawn chandler 2012 |
Autumn is my favorite season, especially in New Mexico. The weather and temperatures are more reasonable; more civilized. No wind. Not too hot. Not too cold. The surprise of late summer blooming, like purple asters and gold chamisa… The clear cool crispness of the mountain air, scented here and there with earthy heat-smell of roasting green chiles….The spicy edge of pinon woodsmoke cutting the morning chill… Farm stands overflowing with harvest… clear morning skies overrun by churning late afternoon clouds….
Hmmm…. …..All this leads me to remember one October about fifteen years ago when a friend and I were traveling by bicycle across Mexico, and we stopped for a few days in Mazatlan. We camped there on the beach in a lovely little campground that we had all to ourselves — save one other couple who were camped there in their RV for several months. Turns out they were “regulars” from Albuquerque, who every autumn journeyed to Mexico in their Winnebago, departing the Duke City on Labor Day and living the expat life in Mazatlan until early January.
“What?” I wanted to ask. “Are you frickin’ kidding me?! Autumn is THE BEST TIME to be in New Mexico!!! You’ve gotta be CRAZY to leave Albuquerque every fall!!!”
Anyho’….
here’s an autumnal Philmont view — my third in the painting series of Philmont’s Cathedral Rock (see the first painting here and the second one here.) This one is based on a photo taken last fall by Bill Cass, the co-author of the book for which I’m doing this project.
09.30.2012 ~ sunset light on glorietta mesa (x2)
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| sunset light over glorietta mesa, i ~ oil on panel ~ 8 x 10 inches ~ by dawn chandler ~ copyright dawn chandler 2012 |
Last evening’s view from my balcony, looking east toward Glorietta Mesa.*
It’s funny: I painted the first one as quickly as I could what with the wind whipping up, me getting oil paint all over my hands, and the light shading rapidly to grey as a massive bank of clouds moved in behind me. Disappointed in the fading of the light, but relatively satisfied with my little painting (my 3rd attempt at plein air painting in many years!) I deemed it finished, gathered my brushes, packed up my paint box, and carefully walked down the outside stairs from my balcony to my studio. I was swishing my brushes in fresh turps getting ready to wash and retire them for the evening, when I looked up at the window only to see the setting sunlight beaming brilliantly across the hills. QUICK!! I gathered up my brushes and box again, darted up the stairs, praying the light would last as I started a second painting…
Sure enough.
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| sunset light over glorietta mesa, ii ~ oil on panel ~ 8 x 10 inches ~ by dawn chandler ~ copyright dawn chandler 2012 |
*If you’ve read Hampton Side’s excellent book, Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West, then you know much of the history of the US conquest of New Mexico happened right here at Glorietta Mesa, within plain view of my bedroom. In fact, I’m quite sure Kit Carson himself walked right over my septic tank.
09.26.2012 ~ cathedral rock ~ taking it all in
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| cathedral rock ~ taking it all in ~ oil on canvas ~ 18 x 24 inches ~ by dawn chandler ~ copyright dawn chandler 2012 |
My second painting of Cathedral Rock for the book project mentioned in the previous post. This one based on a photo by my 80s Phil staff colleague, Gina Dobratz-Rezner. I wanted to do at least one painting with a vantage from higher up in the meadow, and Gina’s pic fit the bill perfectly. (She also has some glorious photos with lots of sunflowers in the foreground…May need to try to capture one of those next…). I like that this one clearly includes the road; there’s something inviting about it.
When comparing this painting with the previous one, it’s interesting to note the difference in the color overall and especially of the Rock. The colors in the first painting are much, much cooler, with the greys leaning toward blue (hence my comment that it almost feels more like the Pacific Northwest), whereas here the colors are all much warmer, with the greys leaning toward red or pink. Neither is wrong; color is relative, so the exact color of that rock — and the whole scene — will change throughout the day depending on the weather and light.