Celebrating a 35th anniversary (actually last year), Sharon and I went to New Mexico so I could do some plein air painting. First stop was Santa Fe, NM where I painted just outside the city limits at the Randall Davies Home Audubon Society site. I sat down on a stone and painted this watercolor, a forest with path --- 5 X 7". Then we drove to Taos, NM and stayed at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House. It's a great place to stay with several beautiful living rooms, great breakfast and dining area. I recommend it. I took a chair with me to the road just behind the MD Luhan House to paint. I hate to say it, but actually I was trespassing by about 20 feet into Taos Pueblo. No harm though. I painted for about an hour and a half on an 11 X 14" page in watercolor. I took along a very small Winsor Newton traveling watercolor kit --- very small. However the poing is, use quality materials and you don't need a whole lot to do nice work. Since we flew in and I didn't want to risk taking oil paints, I decided to do watercolor. Our room had a small balcony and I was able to do a couple watercolors of the mountains from there, and then a couple around the campus of the Dodge House. They host workshops; some for writers, artists, yoga and whatever else -- you'd have to go to their website. Finally we visited relatives in Albuquerque -- no painting there, just fun.
