Title

Cliff Abstraction 18x24

Size

18x24

Price

$1500

Capturing the texture and the chroma of the cliffs of New Mexico.

Title

Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the Winter 10x16

Size

10x16

Price

$600

"En plein air" from the WW II Internment Camp Monument Park in Santa Fe while the snow was still on the mountains (Feb). Near golden mean proportions.

Title

Ghost Ranch 10x16

Size

10x16

Price

$600

Title

Golden Mesa 12x16

Size

12x16

Price

$700

Painted at Ghost Ranch. Touched up in studio. Note the traces of the Dynamic Symmetry Armature in pencil Painted primarily with a Catalyst Wedge.

Title

Camino la Tierra 9x12 PAPNM 2023 National Exhibit

Size

9x12 Aspect Ratio 4:3

Price

$500

Exhibited in the National Juried Members' Show for the Plein Air Painters of New Mexico. at the Legends of the West Gallery in Santa Fe, Sept 2 - 16, 2023. Plein air near my home with the Santa Fe Pleinarians.

Title changed and slight modifications made. Link to the Painting with Armature.

Title

Chromatic Lands I 8x10

Size

8x10

Price

$450

Available at the Karen Wray Fine Art Gallery: www.karenwrayfineart.com.
In this painting, the darker ‘path’ is an s-shape leading to the cliff in the distance. This is a well- known device to lead the viewer’s eye to a focal point. Chromatic Lands I is a favorite painting due to its range of colors and its textures.


Link to Painting Armature =>

Title

Land Abstraction I 8x13 2024 NM Masterworks (sold)

Size

8x13

Price

Juried into the 2024 New Mexico Masterworks Exhibit: Mar 22-Apr 14. Abstracting the land in New Mexico:

Land Abstraction I had its origin in another painting; I wasn’t happy with it so I used a squeegee to restate straight edges, applying dappled color while doing so. I liked the result and retitled the painting to incorporate “abstract”. Though sold, it will be on display at the Masterworks Exhibit. Visit my blog post on the development details of this painting: Anatomy of Land Abstraction I .

Armature =>

Title

Land Abstraction II sold 2023

Size

8x16 Aspect Ratio 2:1

Price

$550

Sold at the Fuller Lodge Art Gallery. Abstracting the landscape of New Mexico.

Dynamic Symmetry Armature with (dotted) rabatment lines, that in the case of a 2:1 (Root 4:1) aspect ratio do cut the painting in half. We like the way the main diagonal from the upper left touches the top of the cliff. The middle cliff accidentally lies at the center line; this might make the painting too centered. But we liked the painting as is and didn’t want to make any changes. It does seem as if there are two focal point: the two cliffs just above and to the left of the center of the painting. Directional lines lead the viewer around the painting up and down the hills and cliffs. We think that the viewer can find a place to rest in the skies.

Link to the Painting with Armature.

Title

Dawn - Los Alamos 10x16

Size

10x16

Price

$600

Available at the Karen Wray Fine Art Gallery. www.karenwrayfineart.com.

"En plein air" at dawn on the road to Los Alamos.

Armature =>

Title

Luminous Lands IV 8x16

Size

8x16

Price

Inquiries: karen.halbert@gmail.com.

Light illuminates the lands of New Mexico..The original title of this painting was "On Golden Path" to emphasize how the golden path leads the eye around the painting. The trees were made intentionally dark to put the mountains into the distance, illustrating the effect of atmospheric perspective.

Armature =>

Title

Turbulent Lands I 10x16

Size

10x16

Price

$600

Available at the Karen Wray Fine Art Gallery: www.karenwrayfineart.com.
On the road to Los Alamos. The road is lined with canyons and cliffs, a beautiful welcome to Los Alamos. One can see fusion at work with the sun illuminating this turbulent landscape. Circumstances prevented me from painting this in the field, but I spent much time thinking about the proportion and the subject based on photographs I took of the cliffs going up to Los Alamos. You can read a detailed account of the development of this painting on the Radical Impressionist: A Mathematician Paints' blog at: Painting in Los Alamos .

Link to Painting Armature =>

Title

Land Fusion - Los Alamos 15x25

Size

15x25

Price

$1200

Available at the Karen Wray Fine Art Gallery: www.karenwrayfineart.com.
Continued series with more abstract landscapes. Painted from photographs and smaller on-location studies of the dramatic cliffs of Los Alamos. Tools used include a squeegee (straight edge), brushes, palette knife and wedge to mark the lines during the painting process. Yes, this is the home of the Atomic Bomb from WWII but it's also the home of advanced research in Fusion, a promising source of soloar powered electricity.

Link to Armature =>

Title

Turbulent Lands 15x25 2024 NM Masterworks Third Place

Size

15x25

Price

$1000

Juried into the 2024 New Mexico Masterworks Exhibit: Mar 22-Apr 14. Thrilled to hear that my entry into the prestigious annual Masterworks Show in New Mexico won Third Place in Oil/Acrylics. This is part of a new series of paintings in the Abstract Landscape category. I am trying to capture the feel of the texture of the land and the form of the cliffs all around us in New Mexico. Aspect Ratio: 1.67. Near Golden Mean (1.62). Capturing the shapes of the hills leading up to Los Alamos and the texture and the aged feeling of these ancient hills. These were visible to the World War II scientists on their way up to the Labs to work in secrecy to win the war and as Oppenheimer said, to stop future wars forever.

Armature =>

Title

Turbulent Lands VI 11x14

Size

11x14

Price

Inquiries: karen.halbert@gmail.com.

Natural geological formations result in patterns that attract the viewer. These striation patterns appear throughout the cliffs around Abiquiu, Ghost Ranch and the Chama River in northern New Mexico, forming a natural landmark on a par with the most spectacular of the world. .

Armature =>

Title

Turbulent Waters I 12x16

Size

12x16

Price

Inquiries: karen.halbert@gmail.com.

Fond memories of many walks along rivers and creeks seeing the turbulence in the waters and listening to the sounds. I like the 's-shape', zig-zag of the river/waterfall to help draw the viewer's eye around the painting. The ripples of the water also keep the viewer's eye moving. The brightness of the waterfall makes it a natural focal point (area).

Armature =>

Title

Turbulent Waters II 12x19

Size

12x19

Price

Inquiries: karen.halbert@gmail.com.

Larger studio work based on an award-winning "en plein air" painting, titled Santa Fe River Turbulence. Painted after the storms when the water was flowing. The river runs along Alameda Drive near Canyon Road. An understanding of turbulence is one of the great unsolved problems in Physics/Mathematics.

Armature =>

Title

Turbulent Waters III 9x12

Size

9x12

Price

Inquiries: karen.halbert@gmail.com.

Ah to be in the refreshing water splashing in the waterfall in the middle of the woods!

Armature =>

Title

Turbulent Waters V- Santa Fe River 10x16

Size

10x16

Price

$600

"En plein air" at the Santa Fe River, when the water was as high as I've ever seen it. Painted in the Spring when the leaves were beginning to show themselves. Some darks were added to the closer rock walls since this photo, to increase the aerial perspective.

Armature =>

Title

Yellow Cliffs 15x24

Size

15x24

Price

Inquiries: karen.halbert@gmail.com.

Available at the Karen Wray Fine Art Gallery: www.karenwrayfineart.com.
Full disclosure: I utilized chat gpt to help with the wording here. "Upon traversing Monastery Road, the commanding presence of the yellow cliffs on the right beckons the artist's gaze, evoking an irresistible urge to capture their essence upon canvas. Utilizing near golden mean dimensions for the painting, I orchestrated a composition designed to guide the viewer's eye along a journey across the canvas, following the subtle curvature of the implied golden spiral. Each brushstroke was meticulously placed to accentuate points of interest, with a deliberate emphasis on the point of sharpest contrast near the right-most dominant cliff, ensuring a captivating visual experience that resonates with the discerning collector".

Link to Painting Armature =>

Title

Taos Gorge Nightfall 20x16

Size

20x16

Price

Inquiries: karen.halbert@gmail.com.

Taos Gorge is one of New Mexico's iconic landmarks. The inspiration for this series of paintings came from a plein air piece painted during a storm. The lighting was unusual, leading to many possibilities for capturing this scene.

Title

Black Mesa 12x16

Size

12x16

Price

$700

Available at the Karen Wray Fine Art Gallery: www.karenwrayfineart.com.
"En plein air" over two days in July 2023 and Feb 2024 at the White Rocks Overlook Park. The Black Mesa in the San Ildefonso Pueblo stands out when looking out toward the Sangre de Cristo Mountain range.
Link to armature superimposed on the painting =>

Title

Ashley Pond Los Alamos 12x16

Size

12x16

Price

$700

Available at the Karen Wray Fine Art Gallery: www.karenwrayfineart.com.
"En plein air" during the Los Alamos Paint Out sponsored by the Plein Air Painters of New Mexico in Aug 2023. This pond in the middle of town was named after a prominent resident of Los Alamos. Painting at the edge of the pond was delightful. Cool breezes could be felt off the pond even during 90 degree weather. (Of course, there was a pavilion for cover).

Link to an armature of the painting =>

Title

Rural New Mexico 12x16

Size

12x16

Price

Inquiries: karen.halbert@gmail.com

En plein air near the Santa Fe Airport, toward the Sangre de Cristo Mountains with early snow capped peaks.