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musings from the studio and beyond ~

dawn chandler’s reflections on art and life. . . .

new mexico

the moreno valley & me – part two

[This the second of a two-part series. Read the moreno valley & me, part one here.] When my friend Carol asked me to paint their view of Baldy from the Moreno Valley, it was not the seemingly obvious view from the meadow near the main cabin that I and others had...

the moreno valley & me, part one

The first time I entered and crossed the Moreno Valley was in July, 1982. I had just completed a Rayado Trek at Philmont. My brothers were both working as Rangers at Philmont that summer along with some other Scouting friends from back home. My parents and another...

under the spell of new mexico gold

  Something magical has been spreading across New Mexico this September… I’ve never seen anything quite like it.     And I’m not the only one stunned by it. I go out each evening to walk and find, despite distressing world news, I’m smiling. And there’s...

a winter roadtrip with my muse, part one

    I knew I needed a break. I knew I needed to unplug. I knew I wanted to remove myself from the familiar, and just paint, just read, just write. Just think. Just not think. Just be. Without chatter. Without pinging and lights and alerts and the...

my hard new year heart

Walk along the Santa Fe River, and most of the year you'll be walking in dust. Either that, or on pavement. I don't know if its ever been a continually flowing stream, but I do know that human intervention has changed it considerably from what it once was. When I...

returning to autumn in new mexico

I love Vermont and I miss it. Though not a physical resident, in the last couple of years I’ve become a resident of the soul of Vermont. I’ve so much more to reflect on and share about my long walk through the Green Mountain forests.   But I am a physical and...