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| miranda morning ~ by dawn chandler ~ oil on panel (en plein air) ~ 6 x 12 inches ~ copyright dawn chandler 2013 |
“Do you want to go paint in the backcountry?” Philmont’s Museum Director asked me the first day of my art residency.
“Are you kidding me? YES!“
“Where do you want to go?”
And so it was that I ended up last Thursday morning — a day forecast with rain, but which ended up being the most clear and glorious day of the summer — with my plein air paint kit up at Miranda.
Miranda.
Miranda!
In all my years of working at Philmont, in all my years painting, never did I imagine the two passions would meet so…so….so physically! And yet there I was on the edge of my favorite, most beautiful meadow in all of New Mexico at 7:15a.m. watching the long shadows of night time recede from the damp meadow back into the surrounding aspens, my fingers numb with cold mixing colors, the smell of wildflowers and pine trees and coffee awakening my senses.
