musings from the studio and beyond ~
dawn chandler’s reflections on art and life. . . .
a small expression of big gratitude
lovers leap: why i paint new mexico
lovers leap return (detail) – by dawn chandler – oil on canvas – 36″ x 24″
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 deeper still, and you realize that there’s a swath of land through the heart of Colfax County in the northern part of the state that appears again and again and again in my landscape paintings.
That swath of land — some 215+ square miles — is the Philmont Scout Ranch. Owned and operated by the Boy Scouts of America, it’s the home of the largest outdoor adventure operation in the country, providing thousands of teens and adults experiences of a life time. Backpacking, horse-packing and lessons in leadership and group dynamics are some of what Philmont specializes in.
When I was a teenager, thanks to a little-known co-ed branch of the Boy Scouts, I got to go to Philmont. For two weeks I backpacked through the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of Northern New Mexico and witnessed my life changing before me. I returned the next summer for another high adventure backpacking trip, and again the one after that. For six more summers I worked on staff teaching backpacking skills, further deepening my love of nature and the outdoors.
And in the process I made some of the deepest friendships of my life.
No other place in the world has had a more profound and rippling effect on my life than Philmont.
It’s why I came to live in New Mexico; why I came to paint the land.
There’s absolutely no doubt that I am richly blessed — blessed to have a whole community of people who admire and appreciate — and sometimes even buy — my art. And of these patrons, a great many of them — indeed, the vast majority of them — have a connection to Philmont.
And so it is that I often receive requests from people to paint specific places on “The Ranch.” So it is that over the years I have looked at countless Philmont photos, as I try to paint people’s memories.
And what I can tell you is that it’s darn hard to finding really good photos of Philmont. That’s because most people don’t really know what they’re doing with a camera; few have any sense of composition or of light and shadow.
That was trumped about a year ago when I received a request from a gentleman who wanted a Philmont painting for his office, but wasn’t sure what scene.. He had a number of photographs he’d taken himself — perhaps I could look them over and see if any of them spoke to me? “Sure” I replied, fully expecting to feel a little flat when looking at his photos.
W O W.
They were among the best photographs of Philmont by a non-professional I had ever seen.
Of his photos I chose six to paint as “studies”, with the plan that of these six, he would select the one for me to do as a larger painting. (Secretly I had my favorite — the one I’d hoped he’d choose for the large canvas — but I kept my opinion to myself so as not to sway him).
For the studies I used 16″ x 20″ panels and a very limited palette of just ultramarine blue, alizarin crimson, cadmium yellow medium, and titanium white. Thanks to the terrific reference photos, they were an utter delight to paint.
Then the moment of Truth: I emailed him images of the paintings….
He chose my favorite.
And here it is, the grande finale, Lovers Leap Return, by Dawn Chandler, oil on canvas, 36″ x 24″ (based on a photo by Russell Smart)
lovers leap return – oil on canvas – by dawn chandler
And here are the “studies” which I think are some of the best paintings of Philmont — heck, the best paintings period — I’ve ever done. All of these paintings are based on photos by Russell Smart.
And all of them — including the two versions of Lovers Leap — are now available as prints. (Click here to visit my shop).
the tooth in the clouds – by dawn chandler – oil on panel – 20″ x 16″
the tooth from urraca – by dawn chandler – oil on panel – 16″ x 20″
meadow below baldy – by dawn chandler – oil on panel – 16″ x 20″
new mexico morning – by dawn chandler – oil on panel – 16″ x 20″
baldy from red river – by dawn chandler – oil on panel – 16″ x 20″
lovers leap looking west – by dawn chandler – oil on panel – 20″ x 16″
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 I decided Screw it. Everything else can wait. I’m painting no matter what.
And there you have it.
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 swaddled and warmed me, the food that has nourished me, the books and music and art and education that have enriched me; the good health and wellness that sustain me; the fans and followers and patrons who bolster and inspire me. I am so very thankful for all of these, and more.
But today, as I sit beside a fire in a cozy home in western Maryland, and look out through tall eastern oaks, the calligraphy of their branches etched with fresh snow, I’m feeling particularly grateful for trees.
I miss trees, and I’m reminded of this fact every time I return east. Oh sure, we have trees in New Mexico. But mostly they’re dull shades of drab green: pinon, juniper, Ponderosa, Russian olive. The cottonwoods and aspens are obvious exceptions, and thank goodness for them, for their color — such a contrast to the earth tones from which they spring — are a big part of what makes the landscape of northern New Mexico so enchanting. But for me, the cottonwoods and aspens are all about memory and a certain yearning: The verdancy of their springtime leafing and the gold coinage of their autumn canopy stirs a nostalgia in me that is tapped directly and deeply into the soil of the eastern woods.
I’ve often claimed that while I was born and raised in New Jersey, it was in New Mexico where I found my soul.
Yet, the northeastern landscape will always be Home. Even these twenty years since I moved west, these seven years since the family house was sold, these four years since the death of my father, this shrinking landscape of small green farms and ambling stone walls, of mellow creeks and stands of tawny hardwoods — this is comfort to me; this is familiar. This is Home.
Yesterday after raking dry brown leaves from the lawn and ivy, and piling them in a heap upon an already dense bank of white pine needles, My Man and I lay down upon them. With arms like wings, we ruffled more leaves over us, quilting ourselves in a bed of boughs and leaves. Looking up to the sky through the scramble of barren branches, we watched as a couple of ravens circled high. Sleep came to us easier there on a bed of oak leaves than it has most nights upon a mattress, as did feelings of calm and safety. For then, as today, when I look to these woods and these branches like so many arms widespread, I feel as though I’m looking out to family, as though each tree trunk and limb holds within it an ancestor spirit who’s looking after me.
And I suppose they are.
And for them, especially, I am feeling grateful.
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 tremendous!
Of course, if you’re reading this, you’ve already found my new blog presence and website. Thank you! I’d be grateful for you to take a look around the site and let me know what you think. And please, especially, let me know if you find any bugs or glitches.
Anyho….
As I sit here savoring my new WorldWideWeb presence, I can’t help but reflect on past iterations of my website and the evil-ution of my relationship with the web.
And so… For my amusement and likely no one else’s, here are some questionable highlights of my relationship with the WWW:
c.1993
— Grad school graduation is imminent and I realize computers are starting to be important. Hmm…maybe I’d better learn how to use one. Sign up for “Computers for Beginners” on a PC and learn some basics like where to find the “On” switch and where to slide in a floppy disk.
— Decide I need a computer. Friends in the desk-top publishing world advise me to get a Mac. “The Mac is by far the best 
choice for an artist or anyone who’s into design or visuals.”
— I become the proud owner of a Mac IIci; have been a Mac junkie ever since.
c. 1994
— After four years in Philadelphia, I move to Taos, New Mexico.
c 1995
—Working as a waitress and bartender at Eske’s Brewpub in Taos, I meet their computer dude and “Mac” guy Howie Roemer [HFR] of Brainwax.com who becomes—and remains for going on 20-years now—my irreplaceable Computer Guru.
— I learn about something called “E-mail.” HFR sets me up with an account.
c.1997
— Retire from Eske’s (though have been known to quaff a few there since) to become the director of the Philmont Staff Association [PSA].
c. 1998
— Decide I need a website for my art. HFR helps me set one up. Black background, rainbow color fonts.
c.2000 – 2007
— A series of computer upgrades from desktop -> laptop. I become a sucker of gadget obsolescence and the perceived need to 
acquire the latest-greatest-fastest-newest-wiz-bang computer. [Have since been attempting to ween myself off the concept.]
c.2003+
— Frustrated that my art is being neglected. I resign from the PSA, taking the fearful leap of focusing on my art full-time. Parents surely now suffering from countless sleepless nights.
— Lacking confidence in my ability to support myself through art sales alone, I contemplate becoming a web designer. HFR and Oban Lambie [CEO of Brownrice Internet [BRI], the host of my website] encourage me.
— Read Web Pages That Suck: Learn Good Web Design by Looking at Bad Web Design. Still takes me a few years to decide to change the background color of my website from black.
— During various trips to visit family in Denver, I spend a series of weekends studying web design courses at the Colorado Free University in Denver: HTML for Beginners; Dreamweaver, I,; Dreamweaver, II.
— Start building my own website with Dreamweaver, with frequent cries for help to HFR.
c.2005±
— Several friends and acquaintances generously and graciously hire me to build their websites. I do an okay job, but soon realize that the technology is expanding far beyond my ability to and interest in keeping up. Eventually (after a few years) I abandon the idea of being a web designer, but continue to slog through maintaining my own.
c.2006
— Philmont acquaintance Douglas Fasching [DFF] bullies — err — gently prods — me to start blogging. “You owe it to your art fans.” I set 
up an account with Blogger.
c.2007 – 2009
—Work part-time at BRI as a “Mac Tester.”
c.2008
— Childhood friend Heather bullies — err, gently prods — me into opening a FaceBook account.
c.2009
— DFF bullies — err — gently prods — me to start tweeting. I set up an account with Twitter.
— After 16 years living in Taos, move to Santa Fe.
c.2010
— DFF suggests I create a “placeholder” on another blogging platform called “WordPress,” which will link to my Blogger blog.
c.2011
— Frustrated with FB and the narcissism it incites, I close my account; art sales decrease substantially.
—10 months later fully embrace narcissism and open a new FB account; art sales increase substantially.
c.2012+
— My website is becoming colossal and archaic; updating it is an epic undertaking, so I rarely update it thoroughly. I’m envying websites like my friend Joan’s that has cool and easy navigation (not to mention great art!)
c. 2013
— Frustrated with Blogger. Thinking about moving my blog to WordPress. DFF is supportive, but also advises “you’ve already got a a website, so it’s (sorta) crazy you don’t host WordPress at TasoDawn.com already. Lots of benefits of doing this….I might even insist.”
—”Huh?”
— “WordPress dot COM is a web service like Blogger. WordPress dot ORG is an application you install on your own site so that you could run a blog from your site with your branding….More freedom. Not hard.”
— Overwhelmed. Not enough braincells to even begin to think about creating a whole new website and blog. But realize, too, that it’s inevitable. Decide to shelf it “till next year.”
2014
— Hooray! Will start on new website this spring! Line-up HFR to help. Early November deadline for going live.
— HFR’s directive: Start researching “WordPress Elegant Themes,” for appropriate templates for your website.” I find “Divi” and it’s the ONLY one I want.
— Whoops — Offered art exhibition opportunity in Taos for August; postpone website/blog overhaul til mid-August.
— September: C R A N K I N G on website; 80% done by 9/30.
— October: Offline, painting in WY.
— November. First two weeks glued to computer wrapping up new site. Jazzed. Proud. Bragging rights. Send link to DFF for approval.
— Ready for live WWW. New newsletter composed ready to send announcing new site……when H A L T E D in the 11th hour as DFF comes back with 40-gazillion bugs/tweaks/edits. UGH. Postpone..
— Make 95% of DFF’s edits.
— 18 November 2014: It’s Showtime, Folks!
www.taosdawn.com
— 20 November 2014: Can I please now unpack from my October Residency and get back to painting?
