Pilgrimage to Abiquiu, home of Georgia O'Keeffe

I finally made the journey to the home of Georgia O'Keeffe, after many years of unrealized intentions to do so. Wow, what a moving and beautiful experience. Photography was not permitted in or around her home, but I did photograph some of the surrounding landscape that she made so famous. Here I have placed photos of her paintings alongside photos of her home I found online, and with my photos of the landscape.

O'Keeffe grooming her Chows in the courtyard.

O'Keeffe's courtyard, where she was sitting when grooming the Chows. This would have been her view if she looked up.

The Pedernal mountain both as O'Keeffe painting  and a photo I took.

Red rocks near Ghost Ranch, the dude ranch where she first stayed in the area before purchasing the home at Abiquiu (which took ten years of negociations!)

The view from her window of the road to her home in Abiquiu.

Ah, the skull.

Two profiles.

Me with Ghost Ranch in the distance.

Red and Blue: which is "better"? discussion at Jesus Barn Farm, Vashon Island, WA

At a party last night on the Island of Laid Back, that is, Vashon, I had a forty minute conversation with another painter about the colors blue and red. She has trouble using blue, I have difficulty with red. I feel that there are qualities inherent in colors- red screams out and blue soothes and settles. She felt the opposite about them- for her red is grounding, and blue kicks up uncomfortable emotions. It finally became the age old question of whether anything exists apart from our perception of it, and are the qualities we think belong to something just installed by us? Is blue always cool, and red always warm? For me, red jumps out and blue settles back, but uh . . . maybe that's just me!

Invitation to Working Artists Program by Chroma Paint as Dog Artist- Seattle, WA

I was contacted by Chroma Paint, an Australian based acrylic paint manufacturer specializing in quick drying paints that can be reactivated and reworked, even after the paint is dry.Chroma makes Atelier Interactive Paint, and has offered to send me 12 complimentary tubes of my choice of colors to try, as well as the Unlocking Formula and some glazing mediums. In return, I will send them samples of work created with their paint and give them feedback on how I like working with the paint. Nice! Chroma has developed an "Unlocking Formula" which can be sprayed on the dry paint to reactivate it for reworking. I am especially interested to see if these paints and mediums will resolve a problem I've had for years- mixed paint drying out on the palette. The dried out edges of palette paint end up leaving tiny bits of dried paint on the canvas, which then become small bumps- not a texture I would like to have on the canvas.