Title

Cliff Abstraction

Size

18x24

Material

Oil

Price

$1500

Available at the Karen Wray Gallery - (505) 660-6382: www.karenwrayfineart.com.
Capturing the texture and the chroma of the cliffs of New Mexico. Tools used: squeegee, painters' trowel, Catalyst wedge, palette knives and paint brushes.

Title

Aspen Fusion (gift)

Size

9x12

Material

Oil

Price

gift

From my imagination but only after studying my Aspens and the aspens up at the Santa Fe Ski Slope. See Aspen paintings - studio and plein air. Palette Knife only. The painting seems to illustrate a type of fusion of the sun with the aspens.

Title

Black Mesa

Size

12x16

Material

Oil

Price

$700

"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

Cliffs of New Mexico

Size

12x16

Material

Oil

Price

$700

The cliffs of New Mexico continue to astound one.

Title

Camino la Tierra

Size

9x12

Material

Oil

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.

Inquiries: call the Karen Wray Fine Art Gallery - (505) 660-6382: www.karenwrayfineart.com.

Title

Chromatic Lands V

Size

8x10

Material

Oil

Price

$450

Available at the Karen Wray Gallery - (505) 660-6382 : www.karenwrayfineart.com.
The aspens above Santa Fe are glorious during the fall and are part of my continuing series to capture fall color. One of the most important points is for the viewer's eye to travel around the painting. The painting encourages the viewer to follow the foreground tree line up to the upper right clouds and then, follow down and around the painting.

Armature =>

Inquiries: call the Karen Wray Fine Art Gallery - (505) 660-6382: www.karenwrayfineart.com.

Title

Chromatic Lands III

Size

8x10

Material

Oil

Price

$450

Available at the Karen Wray Gallery - (505) 660-6382 : www.karenwrayfineart.com.
Part of a series to capture the brilliant chroma of the fall in the Mountains of New Mexico.

I did not use an armature when designing this painting; Iwere concentrating on the curves of the hills and of course the use of chroma. One could find points in the picture plain that when joined would create lines and curves following the armature. Note that the top ridge seems to go through or close to the "eyes"

Armature =>

Title

Chromatic Lands I (sold 2026)

Size

8x10

Material

Oil

Price

$450

Sold at the Karen Wray Gallery - (505) 660-6382 : www.karenwrayfineart.com. (Thank you, Karen)
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 BASIC Armature =>

Link to Painting wirh Combined PHI Armatures =>

Title

Dawn - Los Alamos

Size

10x16

Material

Oil

Price

$600

"En plein air" at dawn on the road to Los Alamos. I've enjoyed painting the cliffs at many times of day, either "en plein air" or in the studio. My landscaped abstractions are often based on this or similar scenes.

Armature =>

Title

Georgia's Towering Cliff

Size

14x11

Material

Oil

Price

$600

The clouds opened up on Georgia's cliff while hiking in her back yard.

Title

Land Fusion - Los Alamos\

Size

15x25

Material

Oil

Price

$1200

Available at the Karen Wray Gallery: - (505) 660-6382 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

Land Abstraction II sold 2023

Size

8x16

Material

Oil

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

Land Abstraction I

Size

8x13

Material

Oil

Price

$1200

BREAK-THROUGH new painting. 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”. Visit my blog post on the development details of this painting: Anatomy of Land Abstraction I .

Armature =>

Title

Luminous Lands I

Size

12x19

Material

Oil

Price

$700

First phase of the painting: flat color blocks, with brighter colors in the foreground. Then the colors were modified with lighter or grayer colors to show form. The overall intent was to show how light illuminates the southwest as if the sun is infusing the land with its light and power. The eternal question to ask: is the viewer’s eye drawn around the painting. Another question to ask is: is there a resting point? The sky is a good restful area to pause for a few moments.

Title

Luminous Lands IV Sold 2024

Size

8x16

Material

Oil

Price

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.

Sold Dec 1, 2024. Armature =>

Title

Luminous Lands VI

Size

11x14

Material

Oil

Price

$600

Near Root PHI proportions (1.270...:1)From a plein air trip up Sabino Canyon in Tucson.We missed the tram so we trekked up the road, crossing over rivers that were overflowing onto the road/path.

Title

Luminous Lands VI - Northern Lights

Size

15x24

Material

Oil

Price

$1000

This painting of the Taos Gorge Overlook anticipated the recent sightings of the Northern Lights in the New Mexican Skies. The intent at the time of the painting was to place the main focal point near the eye of the golden spiral at the upper right where the brightest part of the sky meets the mountain.


View this painting with an Armature.

Title

Sun Infused Santa Ritas after the Storm

Size

9x12

Material

Oil

Price

gift

A dramatic scene after a late winter snow storm. Gift to my niece.

Title

Storm Coming (PAPNM 2020)

Size

12x9

Material

Watercolor

Price

400

Exhibited at The Wilder Nightingale Gallery in Taos: July 17-Aug17. www.wnightingale.com. sponsored by the Plein Air Painters of New Mexico. I enjoyed capturing the feeling of the New Mexican clouds during monsoon season. As I painted I let the watercolor take shape, moving and blending as is it desires. - with a little help tilting the paper. Years ago I began painting using watercolors, my first love. In the intervening years I have concentrated more on oil paints, the medium of masters. Oil paint is more forgiving and it’s easier to achieve rich colors. But watercolor still calls to me. And here’s one of my first results after these many years. I will do more watercolor!!! And will have it with me whenever I travel or venture out onto distant paths.

Title

Turbulent Winds III

Size

12x16

Material

Oil

Price

$700

The growth of trees is so intriguing, which makes them natural candidates for painting. Capturing the feeling and sound of the wind as it moves through the trees is part of the joy of plein air painting.

Armature =>

Title

Turbulent Lands IV Borrego Springs

Size

10x16

Material

Oil

Price

$600

En plein air in Borrego Springs, Ca.. The shadows were remarkable. Visit the Blog Post: here for a detailed analysis of this painting. The dramatic shape of the main shadow on the upper right dictated that it be the main focal point.

Link to the Painting with Armature.

Title

Taos Gorge Nightfall

Size

20x16

Material

Oil

Price

$1000

ITaos 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.

Inquiries: call the Karen Wray Fine Art Gallery - (505) 660-6382: www.karenwrayfineart.com.

Title

Turbulent Lands VII

Size

10x16

Material

Oil

Price

$600

On the drive along Monastery Road in the late afternoon, the shining cliffs suddenly appear - always a welcome sight, magical in their splendor.

Armature =>

Title

Turbulent Lands VI

Size

11x14

Material

Oil

Price

$600

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 =>

Inquiries: call the Karen Wray Fine Art Gallery - (505) 660-6382: www.karenwrayfineart.com.
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Title

Yellow Cliffs

Size

15x24

Material

Oil

Price

$1000

Available at the Karen Wray Gallery - (505) 660-6382: 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 Fusion 20x16

Size

20x16

Material

Oil

Price

$1000

As light rakes across the Gorge we can see the power of the sun; we witness the effects of fusion. As water flows through the depths of its canyons, we marvel at this moment in time as we witness the creation of and the ongoing beauty of the Gorge. The configuration of the gorge has inspired artists for generations. The composition possibilities are endless. The natural power evident in this gorge illustrates the magnificence of science in nature, from the fractal curves in the fissures to the explosive power that took place in its formation and continues to this day. Has the sun's fusion contributed to the gorge's power? One of a series of Taos Gorge paintings juxtaposed against the Taos Mountains.

Armature =>

Inquiries: call the Karen Wray Fine Art Gallery - (505) 660-6382: www.karenwrayfineart.com.