Here are the rest of the sketches from my recent trip to Santa Fe. Fellow sketchblogger Lisa was on the same trip and did some really great sketches too.
I love Santa Fe and try to go every year or two. The light, spaces, color and food are amazing!
See Also:
And Don’t Miss:
❀ ❀ ❀
Last month I went on a lively trip to Santa Fe with book club friends. There we met up with former member and fellow sketchblogger Lisa Reed and had a fabulous time exploring, eating, sketching and laughing.
I have a bunch of sketches from the trip to share, and thought I’d start off with the grid pages.
The top one is inspired by pages Lisa and I did this spring on a SketchCrawl in San Francisco. These are very fun to do! I draw out the boxes first, and then find little subjects to fill them.
The second grid is similar to one I did this summer on a cabin trip, and chronicles each day. This is a great way to capture the often forgotten moments of a trip.
And hey: to all the many of you who have inquired about my whereabouts and well being lately – thank you! I have indeed been busy, but am still here and have much to share. Stay tuned for plenty more sketch-stuff. In fact, next weekend Lisa and I are meeting up in Austin to celebrate the 20th World Wide Sketchcrawl. Care to join us?
Continued:
See Also:
And Don’t Miss:
❀ ❀ ❀
Continued from: New Mexico Sketchbook, Part One: Taos
After a couple of days in Taos we headed down to Santa Fe and stopped for lunch at Rancho de Chimayó, a rambling, bustling restaurant featuring authentic Northern New Mexico cuisine.
We ate well: bright pink prickly pear margaritas, warm sopaipillas with honey, posole, carne adovado, and assorted sauces featuring local chilies. Yum!
Santa Fe is one of my favorite towns. It is tourist-y to be sure, but the unique aesthetics of the region are not diminished and there are details to savor everywhere. Although it is a somewhat sprawling city the historic area is very walk-able, laid out on a grid around the Santa Fe Plaza. There are other interesting neighborhoods within walking distance as well. And on every block, great sketching opportunities.
On one walk I found my dream house; at least from the outside! On a dirt road and walking distance to the center of town, it is a true adobe building with five intriguing doorways. And it was for sale, but no, we didn’t buy it. 🙂
Another favorite restaurant of mine is La Casa Sena. They have tables outside in an enclosed and tree-shaded courtyard. We ate there on a warm breezy evening and it was sublime.
As you can see, there is lots of adobe to draw and paint in Santa Fe! The colors vary dramatically as the light changes. It was fun to mix up each batch of watercolor and try to get it just right. I used the same paint colors as I did in Taos, which worked quite well.
We were in Santa Fe right after Labor Day and the town was deserted! It was actually a bit eerie, but it was easy to move around, get into restaurants and museums, and to stand on the street working in my sketchbook. As I often do when traveling, I did the ink drawing on site and added the watercolor in the evenings and on the plane ride home.
I love Northern New Mexico environments, both natural and man-made. Pink-y brown adobe, warm blue details and sky, red chili ristras, and strong Mexican and Indian influences make the built atmosphere very alluring. And, the surrounding desert, subtle in neutrals, pinks and muted grey-greens and -blues, spectacularly sets off mountains and canyon walls with their warm red/orange/pink hues.
The light is special too. In September it was strong and bright: at other times it can be sparkly, almost electric, or fiery and glowing. The light enlivens the scenery and highlights the unique details of this extraordinary landscape.
See Also:
❀ ❀ ❀
Last month we went with some friends on a wonderful trip to Northern New Mexico to explore and relax. And to sketch, of course. I pulled out my sketchbook on a number of occasions in Taos; I could happily draw there for days. [continued below]
I have been to New Mexico several times and I love it. There is something unique and captivating about the colors, shapes, and light of the high desert and the towns there. And the food: oh my!
On our way out of Albuquerque we had the most amazing green chile cornbread at the Gruet Grill. The restaurant does not look memorable from the outside, but all our food was wonderful. I’m still dreaming about that cornbread.
Then we headed up to Taos for a couple of days. There the sky churned with alternating sun and dark storm clouds, adding drama to the views of the mountains beyond. We got caught in two torrential downpours: the biggest I’ve ever seen. Luckily for us they didn’t last long as we had no umbrellas. And, I managed to keep my sketchbook nice and dry.
The little sketch of the Chama River, carving it’s way through the valley, was drawn from the car. I noted the colors in ink right on the drawing for painting later. I rather like the effect: similar to what I did in the museum on my New York trip.
My standard paint colors covered most of my needs in New Mexico (for adobe walls and buildings: various combos of Perm. Rose, Burnt Sienna, and Raw Sienna, with sometimes a bit of Ultramarine or Perm. Alizerin Crimson). But trim and other details on adobe buildings is often a warm bright blue so I took along some Manganese Blue as well.
See Also:
❀ ❀ ❀
join 654 other subscribers
Feed 
Site Map 
