Great Skellig

Robin and friend Carla contemplate the mystical island of Great Skellig (barely visible on the horizon) in the Atlantic, just off the southwestern shore of Ireland.

A monastery was founded on the barren rock island between the 6th and 8th century. It was continuously occupied until it was abandoned in the late 12th century.

I’ve heard of monastic solitude but, come on!

Digital print
22" x 18"

Robin, detail.

Botanical Garden

The Thursday Plein Air Painters met at the recently opened Santa Fe Botanical Garden for a morning of location painting. I'm getting used to the idea that I don't need to leave the painting location with a finished painting. That's probably a bad attitude, traditionally speaking, but I’m breaking lots of other rules too, so there.

A section of Phase One of the brand new Santa Fe Botanical Garden. Painters are setting up under a portal.

Color sketch of garden rock sculptures, painted on location with acrylic on watercolor pad. 

Later, in the studio, I added a little more detail. 

After reworking more, I took an iPhone photo of the painting, imported it into the computer, repainted the imported version using Corel Painter software, then enlarged the digital painting to 30 x 40 inches (below). 

The final digital version.

Detail.

   

Mermaid Tavern Plaza

Digital watercolor of the Mermaid Tavern Plaza, also known as the front yard.

G’s Studio

Last week, Bob (from my Tuesday night drawing group) and I visited G (also a regular at the drawing group) at her studio in Santa Fe.

Cookies, sparkling water, and freaky massive drawings exploding onto canvases. Experience some of them at her web site.

I shot a few iPhone photos in the studio, including one of Bob that I later used for a digital painting.

Visit to G’s Studio
Digital print
30" x 24"

Detail

I also grabbed a photo of the mysterious G and used it to create another digital painting.

G in Her Studio
Digital print
36" x 32"