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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.