****Note, this is a “public” post.  An offering to all, as I will do occasionally and have done for many years pre-patreon.  Please consider supporting my patreon page if you have not done so already if you like what you read here.  In gratitude…. 

Spring has truly sprung here.  Iris’s are blooming and wee fawns can be found along the edges of things, deposited by their mothers in hopeful safety and quietude while they go off to forage.  I wanted to share a bit of how I prepare for my upcoming workshop in Taos, New Mexico.

The desert will be very different from this verdant river valley.  It always is.  And there will be adjustments for sure upon our arrival.  But delving into my new sketchbook with some writing and a few basic color matching swatches can be just the thing for warming up.  This way I can hit the ground running, painting in one of my favorite landscapes.

In the long run, this artistic practice is all about opening my eyes to really see what is in front of me, no matter where I am.  And this begins here at home, before any travels commence.  It could be so easy to overlook the little things.

But I am here to notice, to take note.  To observe and recreate color and line and form as best I can.  To remember this moment in time.

Like this small fawn (who will surely come by to nibble my dahlias later this summer once he’s grown!) I rest a bit until ready to go forth into the world properly.