Life is imperfect. I know that’s a ridiculously over-simplified statement that hardly bears saying. But, even so, I’ve fought against that idea my whole life. You see, in spite of life’s imperfections, I somehow thought I was meant to be perfect within it (does that sound familiar to any of you?). Y
It’s been far too long since I’ve written to you all and there are so many reasons for that. One is that I was busy working with a friend to present a woman from our community as a CNN Hero nomination. Sadly, we didn’t win and Kathleen Ramsay did not receive the recognition we feel she deserves, nor
When asked what she thinks her biggest contribution is to her community, Kathleen Ramsay says that it is her Cottonwood Veterinary Clinic in Española, New Mexico. It’s a fairly rural area, and quite poor. She says, “Probably 60% of people living there make $10,000 per year." And she has personally s
I woke up at 1:30 this morning thinking about those things that we all, whether we’re working artists without a secure income or not, toss and turn over. Every one of us has something that wakes us in the night. I reached for my kitty, Tobey, who always sleeps with me and, as if the room had sent ou
Kim and I (see previous post A Very Mini Artist’s Colony in New Mexico) have started going to the LaFonda Hotel in Santa Fe fairly regularly for breakfast these days. It’s a wonderful place because of its history alone. In fact historical records suggest it sits on the oldest hotel corner in America
... and standing in the middle of that street, with no traffic, in the midst of all those abandoned buildings, the mercantile and houses, it was so quiet... It was almost as if I was sensing the silent footprints of a world now out of fashion. Kim and I (see previous post A Very Mini Artist’s Colon
[All photos in this post were done by my dear friends Kevin and Katie Hulett in 2009 and 2010. Find them here:http://khpstudio.com/].I feel as though I’ve let out a breath—a breath I didn’t know I was holding. When had it started? When I was one, sixteen, thirty, sixty-four? I honestly don’t know, b
I have been wanting to talk to y’all (this fresh word compliments of some new friends, I like it so I’m using it) for a long time now. You have been on my mind and I’ve been trying to put my thoughts together in a post. Photo: http://khpstudio.com/I was told when I was younger that I was not a manif
Note: I wanted to re-publish the piece I wrote about taking “The Walk” with William deBuys to celebrate his receiving the inaugural Jane Wing Petchesky Conservation Award from the New Mexico Land Conservancy. DeBuys, long a steward of the land, recently published the book, A Great Aridness: Climate
A reader presented me with an idea this morning. She asked if I would consider incorporating some of my paintings into the blog and talking about my process. The thought isn’t entirely new. I’ve touched on this a bit previously (see previous posts The Canyon Series, How to Begin Painting Again,Paint
There is a real story to tell--about where I was as an artist BEFORE I came to Truchas and AFTER Truchas. It is a story of fences and horses and grasses and how they changed me. A reader wrote to me the other day with a simple request. She suggested that I incorporate some of my paintings into the b
A reader wrote recently expressing an interest in both my paintings and my process (see previous post Is There More to Tell?). While her interest lay mainly in my New Mexico work, her query has made me realize I do have something of a story to tell, one that could have meaning to some of you as you
This is the third in a series of posts taking you back through a history of my work, from its very realistic roots and on to my abstracts (see previous posts Why Aren’t My Paintings PRETTY For God’s Sake? and So You Think Artists Are Lazy?). I will endeavor to shed light on how the one led to the ot
This is the fourth in a series of posts taking you back through a history of my work, from its very realistic roots and on to my abstracts (see previous posts Why Aren’t My Paintings PRETTY For God’s Sake , So You Think Artists Are Lazy? and Stripped Down and Broken Open: Giving Birth to Art).Of Tra
This is the fifth in a series of posts taking you back through a history of my work, from its very realistic roots and on to my abstracts (see previous posts Why Aren’t My Paintings PRETTY For God’s Sake , So You Think Artists Are Lazy?, Stripped Down and Broken Open: Giving Birth to Art and Of Tran
This is the eighth in a series of posts taking you back through a history of my work, from its very realistic roots and on to my abstracts (see previous posts Why Aren’t My Paintings PRETTY For God’s Sake , So You Think Artists Are Lazy?, Stripped Down and Broken Open: Giving Birth to Art , Of Trans
This is the sixth in a series of posts taking you back through a history of my work, from its very realistic roots and on to my abstracts (see previous posts Why Aren’t My Paintings PRETTY For God’s Sake , So You Think Artists Are Lazy?, Stripped Down and Broken Open: Giving Birth to Art , Of Transi
This is the ninth in a series of posts taking you back through a history of my work, from its very realistic roots and on to my abstracts (see previous posts Why Aren’t My Paintings PRETTY For God’s Sake , So You Think Artists Are Lazy?, Stripped Down and Broken Open: Giving Birth to Art , Of Transi
There was also a small herd of horses pastured on the four acres in front of my house. They were rather skittish at first but, slowly, we got to know each other. Then, in the middle of what could only be called a blizzard, a little one was born. I saw her with her mama just after the sun came up. Th
This is the tenth, and last, in a series of posts taking you back through a history of my work, from its very realistic roots and on to my abstracts (see previous posts Why Aren’t My Paintings PRETTY For God’s Sake , So You Think Artists Are Lazy?, Stripped Down and Broken Open: Giving Birth to Art
Within the time and space you have been gracious enough to grant me, in addition to painting, I have been reading–something I hadn’t had the energy to do much of when I was still posting the blog seven days a week. More specifically, I have been reading a lot about the heritage of this art form I’ve
I wish for all of us the pursuit of our dreams and the blessing of parents who grant them; to BE the parents who grant them, and the friends who support them. May we all live within our greatest possibilities and trust the process of life. I wanted to write about beauty because I live within it ever
I took a glorious, artful day trip today, something I don’t do often now because I never know when I’ll be able to make it work physically—good days and bad days you know. But today dawned sunny and bright and Kim and I just decided to hit the road…We were given a real sendoff by a couple of local T
This piece was originally posted on November 8, 2010 under the title A Little Mountain History. I thought there would be many of you who may not have seen it before. I’m endeavoring to give an idea of the place where I live. It is old. There have been battles for centuries, over place, heritage, rel
I am, once again, living in a place that is surrounded by ancient sites. Some of them are ruins, inhabited only by the spirits of those who went before, some are national parks and some are still active pueblo villages. The living pueblos include Taos, Picuris, San Juan, Santa Clara, Nambe, Pojoaque
Unlike Bandolier, which is inhabited only by the spirits that went before, Taos Pueblo is a living ancient village. This Pueblo is considered to be the oldest continuously inhabited community in the US, formally acknowledged as older than one thousand years.However, the people of the Pueblo say, “Th
After Mabel and Tony passed away (see http://high-road-artist.com/16750/an-artful-life/georgia-okeeffes-introduction-to-new-mexico/), there was some upset at the pueblo.They had believed that the house and land would come back to the pueblo after the couple’s death. Perhaps it was pueblo land that T
Okay, this time I did go looking for Georgia O’Keeffe. I was inspired by experiencing her White Place the other day (see http://high-road-artist.com/16700/southwest-history/georgia-okeeffes-white-place/.Arnold H. Ronnececk Casa LuhanAnd I was headed to one of my favorite places to stay, the Mabel Do
I did not set out seeking Georgia as so many seem to do. I just went on a hike with friends. It didn't occur to me until days later that we were in Georgia O'Keeffe's White Place. I did not set out seeking Georgia as so many seem to do.Kim and I were invited on a hike with our friends who had a spec
This post was originally published on November 1, 2012. Since then it’s gone through many updates on its platform and had lost its photos and comments and such. While putting it all back together I decided I wanted to republish it now because it’s such a great recipe that perhaps many of you haven’t
So, President’s Day Weekend. I’ve been wanting to get excited about Valentine’s Day/Presidents’ Day, but just hadn’t found the heart with all that’s going on.I mean I felt celebratory over Biden’s inauguration, and thought I might anchor to that. But somehow my personal sense of betrayal by the outg
