With the fear about the financial crises dominating the news I'm reminded again that in uncertain times getting truly creative is the road to salvation. While painting this very large mixed media painting several years ago I was reminded of my beginnings as a professional artist.

I had just turned 18, living in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Fransisco CA searching desperately to move my life forward towards my goal; to be an Artist. Feeling unqualified about my technical talent to make it as a painter, having NO MONEY, what was I to do? Tossing all fears aside, I took the clean bones from the chicken dinner the night before, some bits of red yarn I had and stripped the copper out of some old electrical wiring I'd picked up some where and wove and wound it all into some jewelry. I took those rough affirmations out to the streets and offered them up. Needless to say I made no money from those efforts but it was the response to my determination which shifted the world for me and allowed the "vehicles" (my own thoughts as well as a few helping souls) to arrive and start me on the path that I still walk today.

Don't let fear stop you from achieving your dreams.

Busting Loose; the Red Yarn about 70" x 80" mixed media on canvas

On October 18, 2008 the City of Santa Fe is hosting a paint-out on Canyon Road to celebrate the history of art making on Canyon Road. I've been going around looking at my plien-aire works to hang a show at Aura Dez Fine Art for that weekend. I painted this maybe a year-an-half ago at the rest area pull off on the road to Taos. I joined a number of other painters that were all focused on the Rio Grand Gorge that opened up on the other side of the road. It was a stormy afternoon and I was working on a larger than normal canvas...had to hold on when the wind picked up. I managed to paint this completely on site and only needed to do a few touch ups where it got smugged during the drive home.

The Rio Grand Gorge 20" x 20" oil on canvas plien-aire

Today I sat down to finish up a mailer going out to former clients and a few hopefully new ones. I was including images (many that I've posted here) of newer work. Searching through my photo folders I was reminded how much I loved and appreciated the many works I've done and sold from the Serenity series.

From the Serenity Series mixed media on canvas, probably sold and probably 36" x 48"

This painting recently sold.

It generally appealed to a more sophisticated person who enjoyed it's abstract quality but who also appreciated the representational elements. Worked in mixed media I used various applications of foils, glazes and textures; finished with thick paint. An overall dark tone to this painting yet the foils over texture created interesting variations as you would walk by. Then there was the pops of color to balance the whole image. It's a favorite of mine.

Abstracted Still Life 30" x 20" Mixed Media on canvas

I've just finished this Valley View painting. Again I was playing with combining different perspectives into one image and I used palette knife and brush. A sunset sky, far distant view, and flying into and over farm fields.

Untitled Valley View 26" x 20" on canvas

This small painting is part of the 20 piece series I worked on over the summer. Later in the series; I really like the soft colors, composition and loose brush work combined with some drawing using ink and water base crayons.

Working in the studio this week instead of on the computer, I sleep better at night.

Fly Over #1 9" x 7" water medias on paper

Another Valley View sold. This one is a very abstracted and minimalist approach. It was a favorite of mine and many people were drawn to it. The "softer" color with pops of red-orange and a very strong composition are I feel what makes this painting work so well. Unlike the earlier Valley Views this painting did not rely on heavy texture which gives this painting a more sophisticated feel.

I need to finish up (about 10 works on paper and several canvases) and begin some new explorations of the concepts within my understanding of what I call Valley Views...since most of the earlier works have found homes!

Untitled Valley View 18" x 18" oil on paper

This acrylic on canvas painting is all about energy healing; of letting go of old, outdated emotions and thought patterns. It's about the unraveling of those tangled patterns from the physical, mental and ethereal "body" which impede health and healing. The imagery is based on my personal experience while particapating in an energy healing session; I "saw" a tightly tangled ball of strands inside the left side of my brain, and I "felt" it begin to loosen and unravel it's stranglehold. It was a very startling moment. I've been developing a series of works on paper and canvas since that experience. This canvas available through WildeMeyer Gallery, Scottsdale AZ

From The Rising Series 48" x 60" acrylic an canvas

Over the summer I began a series of larger canvases using acrylics. Imagery is water. My focus is with building a depth to the paint, textures over texture, transparent or translucent layers, sinking and/or floating foils in intense color. I had fun making what I call "acrylic paper", a thick layering of paints which I can peel off it's original support and then cut and "paste" where I need. This particular painting absolutely sparkles under the Gallery lights at Aura Dez Fine Arts, Canyon Road, Santa Fe, NM.

Floaters 48" x 30" acrylic and foils

I'm dipping back a few years with this painting; an early version of Valley View(s). I worked with Oil on paper using brayer, palette knife and brush. Sent to one of my agents (along with some other versions), I was hoping it would be a hit. Like many of my creative efforts I'm ahead of the curve and it's taken till this summer before this concept has begun to resonate with the greater art buying public. So I'm glad to return and further the many and various ways I'd hoped to explore (abstraction, pattern, color, various painting processes, my affinity for those far distant views, especially from an aerial perspective of landscape) that this single painting represented for me.

Untitled Valley View 16" x 16" oil on paper

There's a nip in the air this morning, and the trees here in the Valley are just starting to show some color other than Green. Have started to change the studio over to winter use (moving stacked canvases away from the wood stove and getting plants ready to bring indoors. So why have I posted this painting?

A couple of winters ago I did a small series of Fruit in a red glass bowl. A friend had come over and we set up a still life to paint. Inspired by a show I saw at the G. O'Keeffe Museum of 4 painting she did where each one was pushed further towards non-objective abstraction. She started with a still life, her colors were cream, greys and browns; though I love primary colors they are not so easy to use with any subtlety! With winter coming around again I'm hoping to make the time to do another series-study of this concept. I learn so much from the process.

Red Bowl With Fruit 12" x 12" on panel, oil

Major financial companies failing and the stock market sinking yet still there are people out there willing to invest in art! This work on paper sold along with a companion piece yesterday, I am so grateful.

I've been up-dating my website (more time in front of the computer than the easel...) and will continue to update it. My focus will be to keep adding newer works as well as some older works that seem relevant. Check it out @ www.rayasartstudio.com and give me some feed back.

Crazy Canyonland 16" x 16" Mixed Media on paper

This one in a series of 20 works on paper and are very small for me, only 7" x 9". I was experimenting with ink, gouache and assorted water media drawing pencils and crayons. Exercises like this series I find are wonderfully freeing for me. If I feel stale or a client is looking for something that's really new.

I will admit that I went to a showing a the Harwood Museum (Taos, NM) this past year to view a show of Richard Diebenkorn's paintings done when he lived in New Mexico. I appreciated his interpretations of landscape from the air and his loose brushwork and mark making have a bit of influence on this series. I used this series to explore also my continuous love of patterns and joyous color.

There seems to be so much doom and gloom in the news that sinking into those joyous colors and warm to the heart art making seems to be a great antidote for me to keep on an even keel.

Happy at Home 7" x 9" mixed media on paper

Abstracted farming feilds

This work on paper is a new favorite of mine and was purchased by a lovely couple from England. They mentioned some of it's elements reminded them of David Hockney's newest works, which they described as his study of farming fields. Though I haven't seen any of Hockney's newest works I was pleased. I've been intrigued with the natural and man made patterns in nature since I was very young and after a balloon ride in rural France back in 1996 the ariel view point has been added to my arsenal of design/composition language.

Untitled Ariel View 16" x 20" on paper, Mixed media

New Oil Painting, Abstracted Landscape

I'm finally joining the 21st century and am starting to blog. I'm excited to see where and how I (and hopefully readers) will take this.

I've been working for years with developing an intuitive understanding of abstraction and how to express landscape through abstraction. This painting was inspired by the gorgeous stormy sky's I watched while driving home from Santa Fe this summer. I've played with my extreme love of color and long standing appreciation for patterns with this oil painting.

Untitled Valley View 20" x 24" oil on canvas