Greetings! I am freshly back from the week long , utterly amazing, Plein Air Convention & Expo (PACE 2018) which was held in Santa Fe this year. As always, it was an awesome experience! It was a week of classes and paint-outs with about 80 of the most famous and accomplished artists in the world as our mentors. My head is still whirling!

I returned home exhilarated, filled with new techniques and ideas to try. The classes are always fun and informative but but the best part is always the paint-outs. Imagine setting up an easel and painting outside in the clear, dry New Mexico sunshine, with 1100 artists!!! It takes my breath away! In fact, we set a new Guiness world record this year for the most artists painting in one place! On Friday, we spent the entire day painting at Georgia O'Keefe's beloved Ghost Ranch. Best! Day! Ever!

The class I loved most, was about painting "nocturnes," painting in the dark, using a headlamp to illuminate my canvas. That was a new experience for me and was great fun! I started a few other paintings too, which I will finish and post on my website soon.

It was COLD in Santa Fe. It is around 7200' in altitude. We painted in snow flurries at Ghost Ranch! We also visited Taos, which, sadly, I did not enjoy because of altitude sickness. No painting for me that day! I returned home 6 days ago. A few days after my return, I had surgery on my back, from which I am now recovering. I am chomping at the bit to get back to those paintings. Watch the website for new work soon!

Tip of the Day: Paintings are completed in two parts: the light family (sunlit areas) and the shadow family (shady areas.). Everything in the light family must ALWAYS be lighter than anything in the shadow family, period!

Let's chat again soon!
Di

I'd like to introduce myself and tell everyone a bit about me. If you've read my bio, you already know the basics. The main thing you need to know about me is, I LOVE TO PAINT! Another major passion of mine is camping. My love of nature seriously influences my painting and I paint outside whenever I can. Other things I enjoy include sewing quilting, and my dogs.

This morning finds me trying to figure out the business end of art, not my strong suit. So much to do! I need to photograph and upload more paintings to my sparkly new website. Right this minute, I am learning about writing a blog, something I have not done before. I need to start a newsletter one of these days. Sigh. I want to be painting!!!

Today, I spent the early part of my day trying to remove a stain from a favorite tee shirt (Yes, I forgot to put my apron on before I started painting - darn!). Here's what I learned: Alizarin Crimson Permanent really is permanent! I am guilty of bragging, in the past, that I can remove oil paint from anything. I stand corrected! Tip of the day: to remove oil paint from nearly anything, I use Jack's Linseed Studio Soap. I use it for cleaning brushes too. It leaves them clean, soft, & supple. I have no affiliation with this product, it's just something I love.

It has been nice chatting with you this morning. Welcome to my world!