By the Fireside..August 19 - 25, 2007

[Diane Cutter]

I started the fire this morning, the coffee pot is brewing...

The weather today is glorious ala the Caribbean. I hope to get some photos of my work taken later. Good sunlight seems to work best for me.

Diane

[Enchanted]

I'm not totally happy with this latest effort, so won't be putting it on my web pages, but might as well post it here since I've not got much else worth mentioning this morning. It's inspired by another artist's "pink skies" posted in other places recently. I used the treatment (or tried to) on the white sand dunes here. My reference is the White Sands Natl. Monument in south central New Mexico (http://www.nps.gov/whsa/) - where the dunes are pure gypsum as bright and sparkly as new-fallen snow. The composition is my own - from memory - and I suppose that's one reason I'm not all that happy with the result. IRL, the nearby snow-capped mountains wouldn't be nearly as visible. The title comes from the juxtaposition of the White Sands upon the White Mtn. Wilderness area nearby.
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/19-Aug-2007/80464-WhtonWht.jpg
Title: White on White
Oil on panel, 12 X 24 inches
:wave:

PS Forgot to mention that the yucca blossom is New Mexico's "state flower."

[Barbara Art]

Enchanted: Yuccas are great! I don't think I've ever seen such a tall, hairy-legged one. Your painting has the feel of being a landscape on some other planet. I love esp the area on the left, with the pink and blue kind of vibrating.
Barbara

[sassybird]

I agree about the pink and blue working together while diong their own thing. I love the yucca and the snow capped mountains in the background.

[Enchanted]

Thanks for the kind words Barbara and Sassybird. As for the "other-worldly" look of the actual dunes, they must be experienced on a full-moon night to really get the full eerie feeling. During the warm months there are "full-moon" programs held every full moon night by the park service. In the central dunes area there is nothing growing - just the white sand and the distant mountain ridges to keep one oriented.

There are several varieties of yucca that develop tall trunks. Other varieties don't - bear grass yucca being one of the low growing varieties.

:wave:

[Enchanted]

Even though it is over for another year - having occurred over the past weekend - I thought some reading this thread might be interested in this article describing what goes on during the week of the:

Santa Fe Indian Market (http://www.thesantafesite.com/articles-database/The-Santa-Fe-Indian-Market.html)

:wave:

[Enchanted]

Here's another news item about recent events in the Western Art market:

WESTERN ART RECORDS AT COEUR D’ALENE
Reno, Nev.-based Coeur d’Alene Art Auction set a record for an auction of primarily Western Art at its 307-lot annual sale, July 28, 2007. The house racked up a whopping $35,402,640 in sales, with 98 percent of lots finding bidders. One of the two top lots was Blackfoot Burning Crow Buffalo Range, a 1905 watercolor by Charles M. Russell, which sold for $2,912,000 to a private dealer from Denver (est. $1-1.5 million). Another high point of the sale came when another Russell work -- the small oil Joshing Moon (1918), measuring just 8.5 by 13.5 inches -- smashed through its presale estimate of $200,000-300,000, going for $1,680,000 after what the house described as an "epic battle," leading to a healthy round of applause in the room.


For complete results, see www.cdaartauction.com (http://www.cdaartauction.com/)

[sassybird]

Enchanted, I am aware of the Coeur D'Alene auction. I live in Idaho, and we as artist were thrilled that the auction went so well. Thank you for posting the article though:) Although I went through Santa Fe on my way to Taos every summer I was laways to early or to late for the market. I have heard that is it something ele as far as Indian artist goes. Maybe one day I will make it.

[Barbara Art]

Enchanted, thanks for the Market link. I loved seeing the videos, but I doubt that I could appreciate such a monster of a show -TOO big!
Interesting bit about the Coeur D'Alene auction. I guess that's probably what we'd all like for our art -huge prices and applause!
Barbara

[Enchanted]

This is intended especially for Diane but will also be of interest to others, I'm sure. Anyone who lives in Arizona would have to go out of their way to avoid seeing one of Ed Mell's paintings, reproductions or sculptures. Diane mentioned in another thread that she is going to try and find a photo of her interpretation of a Grand Canyon scene. Ed Mell's works have always been stylized - or at least stylistically distinct from the works of the more traditional realists. Here is one of his HIGHLY stylized works which, according to the web page where I found it, once sold for $23,000.

http://www.altermann.com/art-images/4648.jpg

:thumbsup:

[Barbara Art]

Thanks for the link, Enchanted! I'd never heard of Ed Mell, but found a bunch more of his stuff here: www.owingsdewey.com. A few of his paintings blew me away. No, I refuse to mention G. O'Keeffe! :angel:
Barbara

[Diane Cutter]

A belated thanks, Enchanted, for that link... Yes, I love the abstract quality of Ed Mell's work. I believe the gallery on the University of New Mexico campus has some of his pieces in their permanent collection.

Diane