Below — pages from my 2023 sketchbook. I began this on a road trip last June to the Oregon coast. In years previous when we made that trip (the last being in 2017) I didn’t draw much, if at all. Rather, I was still on [READ: addicted to] social media, so I spent more...
musings from the studio and beyond ~
dawn chandler’s reflections on art and life. . . .
new mexico landscapes
eagle nest gold
It's become a cherished late August ritual for me: Driving the Enchanted Circle through Northern New Mexico.I started the tradition two years ago…. it was the last drive my sweet pup and I did together before she died.As a tribute to her I made the journey again last...
celebrating grace ~ she paused to listen . . . .
As I write this, a gorgeous snow is falling in the soft grey light of dawn. This is the second of two snow storms to move across New Mexico this week: The first arrived mid-morning of the 26th blessing us with four inches of snow. This storm arrived last evening, and...
creating 60 paintings in 30 days and other bad ideas
Back in September — because evidently planning to be away for a month on a 4000+-mile road-trip wasn't time consuming enough — I decided to set a challenge for myself of creating 60 paintings in 30 days. Lots of artists do this sort of thing from time to time,...
painting among lovebirds, enemies & johnny depp
A week ago my pup and I hiked up to one of our favorite spots high in the forest above Santa Fe. Take one of the major thoroughfares, then turn off onto a well-used ‘unofficial’ trail; after a ways cross a meadow; make your way through the far evergreen grove and...
painting morning light on albuquerque’s la luz trail
When My Good Man revealed this weekend that he is on the “waiting list” for this year’s La Luz Trail Run, and that he wanted to do a training run up there this weekend, my painter’s mind started scheming. My last plein air painting excursion was in early April. After...
how a landscape painting evolves
It's always a little amazing to me how a landscape painting evolves. Even though I'm intimately aware of the stages, it still surprises me every time when, in the end, I have something I can actually recognize and identify. Between the first dabs of paint and my...
jumping off and leaping in
I guess it was my turn. My turn to have a crappy week…or two. Let’s face it: I lead a pretty charmed life. I’m self-employed doing what I love; I’m active and in good health (I haven't had a cold in five years); I’m reasonably financially secure; I live in desired...
finding grounding in the new year
I never would have thought I'd find grounding in the sky; in flight. This new year loomed for me with a feeling of. . . . . . lack of focus? Imbalance? My birthday is lost in the week between Christmas and New Year’s—a weird time when I always feel kind of in...
celebration & honoring
This past weekend marked some significant events in my life: June 19 = the 61st anniversary of my dear late parents’ wedding (1954) June 21 = the 83rd anniversary of my sainted mother’s birth (1932) = the first day of summer (always a glorious day) = Father’s Day (yet...