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...
musings from the studio and beyond ~
dawn chandler’s reflections on art and life. . . .
Dawn Chandler
to journal or not to journal, part 2: transforming pain
Looking back through all of my journals, I'm particularly taken by the long and slender volume of 2006. That year was a tough one for me. Some intense relationship challenges and persistent and unhelpful compulsive mind-speak churned extreme feelings of self doubt. In...
to journal or not to journal, part 1
Always I carry with me a blank book; a journal. It's my Everything Book. Part diary, part sketchbook, part notebook, my journal is my brain center. It's where I jot down things I want to remember--quotes, addresses, book titles, appointments, songs, directions. It's...
a surefire way to humble yourself as an artist….
Yesterday was Vincent Van Gogh's birthday (March 30, 1854). Happy Birthday Vincent! I could think of no finer way to honor him than by getting outside and painting en plein air—my first outdoor excursion of the year! Hooray! Nor can imagine a more surefire and...
the art of writing made yet more artful: the new mexico landscape note cards
Friday afternoon I released to the world my new Note Cards: six beautiful cards, each with a different New Mexico Landscape painting. The scenes are the series of paintings I did last summer based on my friend Russell Smart's photographs from the Philmont Ranch in...
a small expression of big gratitude
Thank you. Thank you — you, who make time to read my words and look at my pictures here and on FaceBook and Twitter, Etsy and Pinterest and all the various...
lovers leap: why i paint new mexico
New Mexico. Colfax County. If you've been following my art for even a short amount of time, you know that the beauty of the land is my greatest inspiration. Look a little harder, and you realize that the land of New Mexico, in particular, resonates for me. Go...
enough already. time for taos.
ACK!! U N C L E! Enough with the computer already! A month of being glued to my keyboard — new website, new newsletter, dozens of paintings added to my online store, slew of emails vying for my attention — and I haven't painted since October! OCTOBER! So this morning...
home, for me….
With so much to be thankful for, it can be overwhelming when called upon to innumerate all that's deserving of mention. My heart and eyes swell as I think of my family and friends and pets past and present; of the roofs that have sheltered me, the clothes that have...
celebration! announcing my new website & blog . . . . . + a little personal history thrown in
I am overjoyed to announce the release of my new website and blog: www.taosdawn.com And —okay — I admit it: I'm feeling kinda smug about it. After months and months of work on this thing, the relief at finally being able to cross it off my "To Do List" is pretty darn...