Nifty Piks – Photos and Art

Driving along a back road, I saw this strong adobe wall with this grand entrance. The sky was exceptionally blue and the Purple Sage and Spanish Broom were in full bloom everywhere. So, I couldn't resist adding those into the painting, reminding me of what a beautiful spring it was.

I found this agave in Old Town, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Desert plant life has appealed to me as a subject matter for a long time. The different varieties of cactus, yucca and agave have such interesting and unique shapes and are a favorite of mine to paint.

This painting is of the view I saw walking through the portico of the convent building adjoining the San Felipe de Neri church. The cactus was not in bloom at the time, so I added the flowers for color. This is located in Old Town, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Each year in October, the sky is filled with the beauty of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. In this painting, I combined my love of cactus with colorful hot air balloons, against a backdrop of the Sandia Mountains.

This was sketched from a prickly pear cactus growing in our yard. I just had fun with color, incorporating all the colors around me.

"The Blue Door" is a familiar sight in New Mexico against the warm terracotta tones of adobe walls. Hollyhocks add a beautiful touch of color during the summer.

San Felipe de Neri is a beautiful old church located in Old Town, Albuquerque, New Mexico. The original church was built in 1706 and was located across the street. It crumbled due to heavy rains in 1792. It was rebuilt in 1793 in it's current location and is the oldest church in Albuquerque.

"The Green Door" is probably the last painting in my little trio of Southwestern style doorways. I titled them in Spanish simply because the words are more beautiful. The pink autumn sage is so pretty when in full bloom and is one of my favorite shrubs.

This is the bright pink bloom of a hedgehog cactus. I used to have one and it would bloom vibrantly once each summer.

"The Red Door" is the first in a series of small paintings of Southwestern-style doorways, gates and adobe walls.

This painting depicts a peaceful courtyard scene on a warm summer morning in Old Town, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

This original acrylic painting on canvas began as a sketch of the Sandia Mountains around sunset, but evolved into something else when I decided to add the adobe wall. I especially like the adobe walls with the wagonwheels enclosed. People around here create some very charming adobe walls, gates and doorways

"Hollyhocks" is the final piece in my small series of paintings inspired by the San Felipe de Neri church. Hollyhocks thrive here in the New Mexico sunshine. I love the bright and varied colors against the earth tones of adobe walls.

Five volcanic cones lie along the West Mesa of Albuquerque, New Mexico. They are part of the Petroglyph National Monument. This area surrounding the volcanoes is a favorite place of mine, because it has such a sense of spirituality and solitude.

Tulips are one of my favorite flowers. This is a painting commissioned by my friend, Bridget, so I named it for her.

There were large zinnias growing in our back yard, so I focused in on this big red one. This was inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe's "Red Poppy", which is one of my favorites.

This church is in Corrales, New Mexico and it is a favorite subject of mine. It was built around 1868, but is no longer used for services. It is one of the many beautiful old adobe churches in New Mexico.

This is one of my favorite paintings of one of my favorite flowers. The tulips were sketched from those growing in our yard and I just had to place them against our beautiful blue sky!

This is my second and final painting of my mom's hens and biddies in their clay pots.

This painting is the first of a two-painting set, based on photographs my mama sent me of her hens and biddies bursting out of their clay pots.

Recently, I went for a drive through the village of Corrales, looking for the first signs of spring. This painting was inspired by a large planter of white daisies I spotted, basking in the sun.

The Southwest has such unique and beautiful plant life. The yucca is one of my favorites and the yucca bloom is New Mexico's state flower. They have been blooming profusely for the past few weeks.

One thing I miss about North Carolina are the dogwood trees that bloom in pink and white around Easter. It has been said that the dogwood tree was used to construct the cross Jesus died on. The bloom which is also symbolic, has four petals in the shape of a cross, with a notch in the edge of each petal, resembling a nail mark. The center of each flower symbolizes the crown of thorns worn on Christ's head.

The iris is one of my favorite flowers and the soft scent is synonymous with spring.

When the winds are quiet and the dust has settled, spring is a beautiful time of year in New Mexico.