High Desert Beauty
This painting of the mission with the aspens trees is in a quaint little town just outside of Taos. This site is one of our favorite painting destinations because of the abundance of charming subject matter. I was attracted to this subject because the aspen trees were in back lighting and the mission was in direct sunlight. I also liked the way the aspen trees overlapped the foreground, middle ground and background resulting in an interesting depth of field. The handsome cast shadow from the wooden bell tower with the white cross on top made me realize I was there at just the right time and I needed to get busy painting before the light changed. The shadow color for the aspen trees was a mixture of cerulean blue and cadmium red and the adobe color for the mission was a mixture of cobalt violet and yellow ochre. I decided to simplify the distant mountain into a single dark value of perylene green and I adjusted it to repeat the shape of the adobe wall. Deciding what to leave out was important and I cropped the church, aspen trees, adobe wall, lilac bush, and mountain leaving only the bell tower and cast shadow totally in tact. I can hardly wait until the workshop when I can paint again in the legendary light in the land of enchantment.
Dennis Pendleton will teach both the beginner and seasoned artist at this year's 5-day watercolor workshop in Taos, headquartered at the charming Mabel Dodge Luhan House. We will paint outside at a variety of southwestern sites with the shimmering light, historic adobe architecture, and spectacular high desert vistas for stimulus. Each student is responsible for lodging and meals. Mabel Dodge Luhan House holds rooms under my name for students in the workshop. After a complimentary buffet breakfast, we head out to paint on location. The daily demo, one-on-one guidance, and friendly critiques make this a fun and favorite workshop. Come experience a painter's life as you talk, live and breathe art together with Dennis and fellow artists!
May 20th - May 24th, 2019
Workshop Price:
$475.00
(Instruction Only)
Only Two Spaces Left!
DEPOSIT: $100.00 HOLDS YOUR
PLACE AND BALANCE IS DUE ON OR BEFORE APRIL 16, 2019.
CLASS SPACE IS LIMITED.
EMAIL ME FIRST at pendletonstudio@gmail.com
