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santa fe september

by | Sep 28, 2019 | Uncategorized

Dawn Chandler's oil paint palette for her New Mexico landscape painting 'Santa Fe September.'

Summer has been protracted this year.

~ sigh ~

I’m ready for the days to cool and the colors to heat up into hues of fire.

Maybe sharing this painting of an earlier Santa Fe September view will entice Mother Nature to pull out her autumn colors…. (Please?)

I began this painting two years ago and worked on it off and on….

Dawn Chandler's initial steps in creating her New Mexico landscape oil painting 'Santa Fe September.'
Dawn Chandler starting to block out color in her New Mexico landscape oil painting 'Santa Fe September.'
Dawn Chandler starting to add the initial cloud colors in her New Mexico landscape oil painting 'Santa Fe September.'
Dawn Chandler building up the clouds in her New Mexico landscape oil painting 'Santa Fe September.'
Dawn Chandler punching in the sky in her New Mexico landscape oil painting 'Santa Fe September.'
Dawn Chandler further developing the sky in her New Mexico landscape oil painting 'Santa Fe September.'
Dawn Chandler adding more touches to her New Mexico landscape oil painting 'Santa Fe September.'

It sat 98% finished for months. In fact at that point most people would have looked at it and deemed it 100% finished.

Dawn Chandler's New Mexico landscape oil painting 'Santa Fe September' nearly finished.

But my Muse and I just sensed that it was asking for something more… we just weren’t sure what.

And then I decided what it wanted. . . .

The sky in New Mexico landscape painting, 'Santa Fe September' oil on canvas by artist Dawn Chandler.

See that jolt of deep blue among the adobe buildings?

Detail of New Mexico landscape painting, 'Santa Fe September' oil on canvas by artist Dawn Chandler.

That’s what the painting was wanting. The overall landscape is an actual scene from a photograph I took in my neighborhood, but that patch of dark blue is a pure jolt of color from my imagination.

Finished! New Mexico landscape painting, 'Santa Fe September' oil on canvas by artist Dawn Chandler.

Think of is as a tool shed.

Better yet, think of it as a blue treasure chest — a big box of blue sky filled with dreams of New Mexico among golden cottonwoods. . . .

Autumn! I can hardly wait for you to get here!

Santa Fe September
by Dawn Chandler
oil on canvas ~ 36″ x 24″
private collection


New Mexico artist Dawn Chandler aka 'Taos Dawn' in her Santa Fe studio.

Thank you for reading my blog and appreciating my musings!
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I invite you to find more of my stories, insights and art here on my website, www.taosdawn.com, as well as on Instagram and Facebook. Peruse and shop for my art here. And please consider joining me for Tuesday Dawnings, my weekly deep breath of uplift, insight, contemplation & creativity. Learn more about it here.

~ Dawn Chandler
Santa Fe , New Mexico