Dancing Yucca
16 x 20 in.
Oil
$1200
Available through the artist’s website

I enjoyed painting this cactus blanketed with freshly fallen snow trying to capture its deep blue shadows, subtle reflections and colors. I used a palette knife and larger brushes and worked quickly, still needing to go out a second time to finish the detail as the light changed rapidly.

I recently relocated back to New Mexico and have been enjoying painting cactus and the landscape with the play of light between the mesas, mountains, and valleys, as well as the constantly changing cloud formations. I paint frequently with the Plein Air Painters of New Mexico and find that plein air painting is exhilarating as it allows for more spontaneity and brings more energy into the paintings, which seem more alive.

I was introduced to painting early in life by my mother, who painted and drew cartoon characters for Terry Tunes and worked for Norcross Greeting Cards in New York City. My mother taught me and my siblings to paint at a young age. I later studied art at California College of the Arts in Oakland and San Francisco.

I’ve also enjoyed plein air workshops at Carrizo Art School in Ruidoso, New Mexico; with Paola Berthoin in Carmel Valley, California; and with Alexander Zimin at Hidden Valley in Carmel Valley, California. I will also be studying with Joe Anna Arnett in March.

My work was shown previously in California the Artists Forum Gallery in Pacific Grove, Gallery Tonantzin in San Juan Bautista, and Beeches Gallery in Carmel. I participated in the Art and Wine Festival in Carmel and had a solo show in Seaside City Gallery in Seaside, California. In addition, I received a Best in Show at the Monterey County Fair and many second and third place ribbons.

Besides membership in Plein Air Painters of New Mexico, I’m also a member of Oil Painters of America. I’ve participated in the PAPNM National Juried plein air exhibitions for the last few years and received an award for excellence at the October 2019 Plein Airs Painter of New Mexico Exhibition. I will participate in the 2020 Santa Fe Plein Aire Fiesta March 7–10, with the exhibit held at Sorrel Sky Gallery in Santa Fe March 13–27.

You can find more of my work on my website and currently at the Eldorado Community Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico.