Nostalgic Adobe

Watercolor Painting by Dennis Pendleton. Every year in May I teach a Watercolor Workshop in Taos New Mexico and sometimes we paint at the iconic Saint Francis Mission. The church has been painted by so many artists including Georgia O'Keeffe and it is a magnificent building with a romantic history. There is a narrow road that circles the mission and on the other side of the road I found this dilapidated adobe structure. It interested me because of its undulating lines, interesting shape, and the cast shadows resulting from the sunlight shining through the broken roof. I have painted it every year for over 10 years and each time it was more rundown and even more compelling.

Behind the structure are cottonwood trees and that is where I started. Where the sky peeks through I used cerulean blue and for the tree leaves olive green. The tangle of branches are a mixture of burnt sienna and French ultramarine blue and I used the same colors for the big tree along the left border. That tree runs from the lower border to the top border and encloses the composition in a way that adds depth.

In the structure there are cracks, crevices, and exposed adobe bricks and I started with a mixture of cobalt violet and yellow ochre. I can vary this mixture and change the value so it worked well for the surface. For the deep cracks and crevices I added mineral violet and burnt sienna. The broken patio roof, which causes such fascinating cast shadows, is a gray mixed with cerulean blue and orange and the same mixture with an emphasis on the cerulean blue was used for the doorway.

Edges are always important and the hard edges on the cast shadows are counterbalanced by the softer edges on the right side of the building in shadow. More of the adobe color plus olive green, yellow ochre, and lemon yellow were used for the overgrown lawn and I added a few weathered boards with burnt sienna and gray. This year when I visited this sight the adobe building was completely tumbled down and I realized I had painted it for the last time. It was sad and I am glad I have a record of paintings that show its gradual decline over the years. Happy Painting! Dennis Pendleton