Chaco Canyon triptych plein air - finished and framed

Frame for this arrived yesterday evening, just in time.

A Window Through Time - plein air
pastel on black cardstock
12x5.5", 12x12", 12x5.5" triptych
© S.Johnson

This is the finished painting still taped to the foamboard.  I mentioned in the original post about this painting that I worked on it in two sessions in order to actually finish it on location.  Not only is that a requirement for the upcoming National Parks show in Farmington, NM, that I painted it for, but honestly, it's just plain easier.  Besides, I'm back in that mental state where I'm finding it difficult to paint in my studio, and the last thing I wanted to do was to try and finish it at home.  So, I finished "bricking" it in on location, and added most of the mortar as well.  About the only thing I did back in the studio was to enhance some of the black shadowed areas between the stonework and finesse the values on some of them.

So, framing it.  I went back and forth about how to do this - three separate frames, mats or not, etc.  The problem with three separate frames is that the side pieces - 12x6"- are not standard sizes.  I cannot afford to custom frame anything, so it had to work within the confines of what is available pre-made.  I also thought the effect would be lost with matting each piece.

What I came up with was to frame all 3 pieces together in a 12x24" frame, separated by 0.5" on top of a mat.  I chose a 3" mahogany plein air frame, rather than gold, silver or black, which is what I most often use.  I'm also one of those crazy rebels that frames the pastels right up against the glass with no spacers.  Guess what:  despite what the naysayers try to tell you, it works great.

Here's what it looked like initially:

framed on off-white matboard

Later, while in the shower, of all places, I got to thinking that the white spaces were pretty stark, and I  quickly thought about what I could do to come up with a solution, and then it hit me:  strips of my dark brown cardstock that I use for painting.  Black or light brown were also options, but I thought the darker color seemed best suited:

final version

On the same note about framing, I am into refurbishing frames from thrift stores and garage sales.  Most of the frames you find there are junk, but occasionally, I find those made from quality wood that are in good shape.

Earlier in the week, I happened to swing by a nearby thrift store, as I was looking for some long-sleeved shirts to wear while painting.  In the frame section, this caught my eye:

It's solid oak.  And you can see the price - $5 - including glass.  And, a 1:2 aspect, although I wasn't sure of the exact dimensions (turns out it is 8x16").  But, I knew it would be perfect for one of the 6x12" pieces I did at Chaco:  Score!

I sanded all the clear glossy varnish off to bare wood, and using some titanium white oil paint and mineral spirits to give the effect of liming, transformed it to this:

Not bad, eh?   I think it suits "Fajada Butte" perfectly.

Chaco Canyon plein air, day #2

A full day of painting on Saturday...

Single Family Home - 12x12 inches, pastel on brown cardstock

After waking to a perfect, sunny morning, and having some much-needed coffee, I headed over to the informal "base of operations" campsite where Rhonda and another 4C member were staying.  Helen and Jerri came over, and said they were going to paint the modest little ruin in our campsite, so I decided to join them; after all, it's 50 meters from my campsite!

What I really liked about it was the contrast of the ruin structure, its subtle shadow and stone detail (including shadows along those open edges), and the contrast against the darker alcove in which it was located.  Painting that alcove - with its variety of reflected light, ever-shifting surface planes and intriguing desert varnish facade - proved by far the most difficult aspect of this painting.  Nonetheless, I got it done in maybe 1 1/2 hours, and it was a good warm-up for the day.

After eating an early lunch, I got my next painting surface ready.  For whatever reason, while driving around Friday, I got an idea to try something I've never done before, studio or elsewhere:  a triptych.  Don't ask me why this idea came to me on this trip, but I now had this compulsion to at least try it.

I did originally plan to try a large painting - 16x20 - on this trip, so I had the paper already taped to a 18x24" foamboard panel.  Off it came, and in its place went a 12x12 and two 12x6 pieces on either side.   Heck, the largest painting size I've done on location was 12x16, so this was new territory for me as well.

Perhaps channeling our first trip to Chaco about 1 1/2 years ago, I stopped at the first ruins along the drive - Hungo Pavi.  I'd taken a photo, not of the ruin, but of the canyon wall behind the ruin, and thought that might make a good painting.  Wasn't thrilling me as a triptych, though.

As I walked around the ruin, I came across something that also had grabbed my attention (and a photo, it turns out, of the same window!)  during the first trip:  a small window through which the opposite side of Chaco canyon was visible.  It suddenly occurred to me that I just stumbled upon a triptych subject!  I also realized that even if the side panels didn't work out, the center 12x12 could probably stand on its own.  And, my thought at the time I decided to do this was:  "this will either be pretty neat, totally different from anything I've ever painted or seen done, or just plain weird!"

I spent 3 hours on it, and got it about 75% finished, surprisingly.  Periodic gusts of wind made it a challenge to paint, but luckily, there was never any risk of anything actually blowing over (or away).  Our group critique was at 3PM at the visitor's center, so I hauled it, and the above painting, along for the critique, not sure what to expect from the group.

Sort of surprisingly, everyone really liked it, and the concept.  The group is having a show at the end of the month, in Farmington, for paintings done at Mesa Verde, Aztec and Chaco.  So, I will definitely enter this one.

Here it is, on location, at the end of the second painting session yesterday (Sunday), after I'd finished "bricking and mortaring" it in:

Amazing masonry of Hungo Pavi
(note black trash bag used as a ground cover:  a requirement by the Park to paint there)

It's not completely finished; I need to go and do some final finessing to the rocks and mortar areas.  When you are looking at Chacoan architecture, it's not just about the impressive size and scope of the Great Houses, but about the skill of the masons.   These buildings are over 900 years old.  I wanted to recognize the masonry detail in my painting.

I'll post a photo later when I've touched up the remaining areas and have it framed.  The framing is a whole separate issue that I've spent a good deal of time thinking about.  I've come up with a solution that I hope looks good.

hanging out during Sunday's painting operations

...

Unfortunately, my camera really didn't make much of an appearance during this trip, save for the first day and this shot.   When you are in the mindset of painting, snapping some photos just doesn't have the same appeal.

After the critique session, I went back to the camp, heated up leftovers for dinner, and then decided to head out and paint some more - this time, to Pueblo Del Arroyo, which as the name describes, is a ruin that is right near Chaco wash.  Four other 4C people were painting there when I arrived, so clearly, it was The Place To Be on late Saturday afternoon.

Picture Window - 12x9 inches, pastel on brown cardstock

This just appealed to me because it was really about sitting and observing the masonry detail again, since the entire wall was in the shade.  Noting, for example, how the very top has a variety of rock types, many dark, some very light.  The main section has little mortar, which is suggested by a few dark, thin lines.   The edge of the window was formed with thin, even sections of rock, and the outer edge formed an hourglass-type curve.  Then, the single layer of darker rock, protruding slightly.  The bottom layer of homogenous stone with mortar.  And, the small paired openings to a lower room.

For this painting, I was mindful to create interesting negative spaces and irregular intervals:  symmetry is not what we want here!  The paired openings, window and top of the ruin create a triangle, as do all 3 sections of sky.

After this painting, I was really too tired to try a nocturne a few hours later, although one intrepid member (Deb) did.  The rest of us sat around a blazing campfire, talking of things art and not, and enjoying the extra full, extra bright moon rising over the canyon walls.

I've already decided that if and when another 4CPAP to Chaco Canyon is arranged next year, I'll be back.

A weekend of plein air painting at Chaco Canyon

A trip with the 4CPAP at Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico...

Fajada Butte - 6x12 inches, pastel on brown cardstock

Friday morning, I packed up my pastels, painting and tent camping gear, and hit the road south to rendezvous with some members of the Four Corners Plein Air Painters.  It's about a 2-hr. drive from Durango, with the last 20-odd miles on a dirt road that criss-crosses through a patchwork of of BLM parcels and Navajo Nation land before reaching the park.

After securing a campsite and checking in at the visitor's center around 12:30 p.m., I took the loop drive through the park to re-aquaint myself with the areas and get ideas for painting.  The combination of a poor night's sleep and strong gusting wind made both standing and and attempting a larger painting a no-go.

I have been drawn to Fajada ("banded", and pronounced "Fa-HA-dah") Butte the other times I've been to Chaco, and decided it would make a good subject for a small 1:2 format painting.  The top of this butte, which was sacred to the Chacoan people, is the location of the famous "Sun Dagger" astronomical petroglyph spiral

The perfect location for painting...

 From this view to the west in full afternoon sun, this painting was about the colors of the land and the butte itself.  As you can see, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, but something needed to break up that large span of sky and help balance the composition.

...both shade and windbreak

After finishing this painting, I was feeling a bit energized, so I drove back to the Visitor's Center and picked up a backcountry permit to hike out to Wijiji (Navajo for "black Greaswood"), an outlier ruin I've not seen before.  The trailhead was conveniently located less than a quarter of a mile from the campground.

Since it was an easy 3 mile round-trip hike, I carried my chair and the small folding table along with my daypack of pastel boxes (I added a new box for this trip, which you can see in the above photo).  I must say that these little panoramas are very satisfying to create, and I'm finding that the light and dark brown cardstock worked out well for these landscape paintings.

Wijiji Wall - 6x12 inches, pastel on brown cardstock

On the hike back, I saw two photographers setting up for the full moon to rise over Chaco wash, and decided to head back to Fajada Butte to get some full moon photos of my own.

On the drive back, I saw a most unexpected sight:

I met up with the rest of the 4C group that was staying overnight shortly before they headed off to listen to the astronomy presentation and nighttime sky viewing through telescopes located at the park.  

In light of the full moon, one of the objectives of the coordinator for this trip, Rhonda, was to try nocturne paintings for those interested.  I did bring a headlamp, but was too tired to try and paint.  

But, before I headed to my tent to try (unsuccessfully, I might add) to get some sleep, I experimented with moonlight photography:

Light painting of the small ruin at the campground
33 seconds @ f/5.0, with a few quick passes on the ruin from a mini Maglite, which is known as "light painting"

60-second exposure @ f/5.0
Interesting to see how much the stars "move" in such a short period of time

Because there are more paintings to share, including one that is a complete departure for me on many levels, I'll save the rest for another post.

Chaco #7

Insanity, I tell you!

Chaco #7

12x9 inches

pastel on black Strathmore

Is it too over-the-top?  Maybe, but that full-on-disco sky refuses to be ignored.  It grabs your attention.  

I wasn't sure it was going to work out, and I had to brush off 2 attempts at the broken wall face before I got something remotely acceptable that wasn't going directly in the trash.  The original colors I had chosen included yellow and red, but all that remain of them are on the beams; they looked atrocious when I tried to use them there [on the broken wall], although tiny dashes still remain in the flat wall...can you see them?).  So, I just kept with the blue/green theme of the rest of the dwelling.  Works much better.  It's sort of growing on me.  

The source of my palette inspiration for this piece?  Fellow blogger Diane Mannion's recent post on her DPW challenge entry:  looook at those brilliant primaries and secondaries in her painting!  I discovered Diane's work and blog through one of her earlier DPW challenge paintings; be sure to check out the rest of her wonderful oil paintings during your visit.

On another front, I have decided to start up a studio page on Facebook.  I had one last year, but when I permanently deleted my personal account, that went away as well.  When I found out I could have a business page without having to have a personal account as well, I decided to roll with it.  There doesn't seem to be much cross-over between us blogger folk and those who rely only on FB for their social networking, so it's a good way to reach additional viewers.  I hope, anyway.

The fact that it is free, can be viewed by non-FB people and has the capacity to have many albums as a static source of one's work clinched the deal.  I'll keep it as a streamlined, soundbite-oriented version of my blog.  So, for those that prefer the format of FB for updates, here's the link:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sonya-Johnsons-Studio/105326102883760

And, finally, on the subject of inspiration again, I thought I'd share this video with everyone.  A friend turned me on to Mr. Conte's music last year, and even though I don't know a word of Italian, it doesn't matter.  Can you not listen to this and want to start pushing some pastel or paint around on a canvas?

Chaco #6 - Ancient Architecture series

More Chacos...

Chaco #6 - Window with Beam

12x9

pastel on black Strathmore

I'd planned to start with the Hovenweep series, but we took another trip to Chaco Culture National Historical Park (official, formal name) this past Saturday, and I came back loaded with enough reference photos to keep me painting for weeks if I chose.

I guess I must really like this green, because even though I am trying not to repeat colors, I discovered after I had finished the painting that I had used it on #3.  But, it gives a different look with a deep earthy red and robin's egg blue sky.  

This particular image is based on photos taken at the Chacoan Great House Pueblo Del Arroyo (house by the gully or creek), so named as it is closest to the banks of the Chaco Wash that runs through the canyon.  

On this trip, we also took the ~8 mile round-trip hike to the most remote of the Great Houses in the park:  Penasco Blanco (white rocks).  The weather was in the low 70's with a breeze and ideal for hiking.  

Below are some photos taken from the hike, some converted to sepia or b/w.

Monolithic sandstone cliffs form the edges of Chaco canyon

A trio of petroglyphs high up on the cliff face is seen below a cluster of old mud nests (swallows, I'm guessing).

A large raptor coasts silently on the thermals above.  Possibly a red-tailed hawk, but much larger than most I've seen.  

Grown-over ruins at Penasco Blanco.  This is one of the few pueblos in Chaco that archaeologists have chosen not to excavate, and I'm glad.  The Chacoan people deserve to have at least some of their history left untrammeled and not picked over and reconstituted.

The "keyhole" door at Penasco Blanco.  Original wood beams are visible in the small adjacent windows.  Given that this was built around 1100 AD, that even this much remains is remarkable.  Piles of rock from collapsed walls are seen in front.

The same wall and door as seen from behind (north).

A look down and across the canyon coming back from Penasco Blanco; it is one of the only ruins found on the south side of the wash and overlooks the canyon itself.  Willow and salt cedar (aka tamarisk - an invasive species found around most southwest waterways) line the edges of this now-dry wash.  

One of the larger petroglyph panels in the afternoon sun.

Casa Chiquita on the hike back.

A balanced rock sits precariously atop a narrow base along the edge of the canyon.

Chaco #5 - Ancient Architecture series

Chaco #5

9x12 inches

 pastel on black Strathmore paper

I never cease to be amazed by the skill and resourcefulness of the masons that built the Chacoan pueblo structures.  This is another view of Pueblo Bonita, and you can see what are probably the remains of a T-shaped door up at the top right - on the second story.

It's always fun to work in compliments, and I thought these blues and earth-oranges went well together.  In addition to the practice of experimenting with various color combinations, this series has also been good for practicing linear perspective drawing, something I haven't had to do much of in other landscapes.  

I hope it's not too obvious that the window in this painting is almost smack-dab in the middle of the paper; I made some minor adjustments, but that's where it just wanted to be.  

This will probably be the last of the series from Chaco for a bit [although we are possibly going to Chaco again either tomorrow or early next week].  Next up will be Hovenweep, a scattered set of puebloan style ruins that are much smaller in scale and decidedly less grandiose than either Chaco or Mesa Verde.  

---

Here is another example of human artistic ingenuity at work.  Theo Jansen is a Dutch kinetic sculptor.  Take a look at his amazing and delightful creations out of PVC pipe - they look like something right out of DaVinci's notebooks.   These make me smile:

Chaco #2: Doorway - Ancient Architecture series

Chaco #2: Doorway

12x9 inches

pastel on black Artagain

Anasazi architecture, both their pueblo and cliff-dwellings, is characterized by these unique T-shaped doorways.  This door is found within the large Pueblo Bonita at Chaco Canyon.  As you walk through the door, there are additional doors leading to other rooms on the left and right, as well as those you see in front.  Wooden beams form the strut supports for the roof of the doorway.  The doors are not very high - about five feet.

Unlike Chaco #1, for this piece, I wanted to do some bright, saturated colors that are not at all based in reality.  I have this amazing chartreuse-colored Unison that I seldom get a chance to use, and I love it with its compliment.  I picked accent colors I thought went well with the purples/yellows, and for value.  The limited palette (9 colors total) forces one to be creative in their application.  A grayscale conversion confirmed that the lighter purple, darker orange and turquoise are identical in value.  

By the Hand of Man - photoessay

From the archives....

Here is a collection of photos taken in various locations, showing historic and prehistorical marks of humans upon the land.

 Newspaper Rock 

This amazing petroglyph panel spans 2000 years in its creation.  Location:  near Canyonlands NP, southeastern Utah.

Anthropomorph pictograph in red

Found on the wall of a protected alcove formed from sandstone, this was the most elaborate of the designs.  Location:  Canyonlands NP.

Roadside Granery

Likely built by the Fremont in the 8th or 9th century, I believe, these small mud-and-stone structures were designed to store and protect grain and corn from damage from pests and weather, as the nomadic people traveled from season to season.














Historical hunt(?) scene

A herd of bighorn sheep are shown surrounded by riders on horseback, dating these petroglyphs to at least the mid to late 16th century.    They are skillfully executed.

Location:  along trail to Delicate Arch, Arches NP.

 Frog/lizard figures and.....?

What is that figure on the lower right side supposed to be?  This panel predates Picasso, suggesting that Cubism was perhaps invented by the Navajo living or passing through Chaco Canyon, NM ;).  It is believed to post-date the Anasazi who lived in the area in the 9th through 12th century, however.

Another Chaco Canyon panel

Birds and animal quadrupeds are seen, along with a few sun spirals.  These panels are unreachable except with a ladder, suggesting that the lower rock the artist(s) used has fallen away.

A trip to Chaco Canyon

No painting today - a trip to the bank in Aztec, NM, turned into a full day trip to Chaco Culture National Historical Park, and hiking to a few of the many pueblo ruins in the park.  The Chacoan culture began around 800 AD and spanned 300 years.  Multiple Great Houses were built along Chaco Canyon and throughout the region, all connected by a series of roads, and apparently as a trading and commerce hub.

The term "Anasazi" is the name most familiar to people to describe these prehistoric peoples living in the Four Corners region, both cliff and pueblo dwellers, including those living in Chaco Cyn.   However, "Anasazi" translates to "enemy ancestors" in Navajo, a term not favored by modern pueblo people such as the Hopi and Zuni, who are descendants of the the Anasazi.  So, they are increasingly referred to as "Ancestral Puebloans".

The architecture and masonry skills these puebloan people developed 700 years before any European set foot in the region are remarkable; one can only imagine the splendor of of these pueblos during the peak of their occupancy.

 A corner of a wall in the  Hungo Pavi ruin.  A perfectly straight wall from non-perfectly straight sandstone "bricks".

Masonry styles vary by pueblo and age of construction; I took several photos of the facades and marvel at the abstract patterns they form.

 Masonry detail of Hungo Pavi wall.  Remarkably intricate (and sturdy) laying of sandstone and mortar, with the wood cross-beam for support.   Wood is scarce in this area, and apparently these logs had to be transported 50 miles...by foot.

Outside of the largest of the Chaco Great Houses - Pueblo Bonito.  During its inhabitation, it was multiple stories and had hundreds of rooms.












One of the T-shaped doors in the large Pueblo Bonito ruin; this style of door is also seen in ruins of cliff dwellings, such as those in Mesa Verde.

These Great Houses were carefully planned and built over decades and sometimes centuries.  They also contained round, subterranean  structures known as "kivas", where fires and ceremonies were held.





 Another room in Pueblo Bonita, showing another series of doors and rooms.  With covered roofs and small windows, these rooms probably maintained reasonable temperatures even in the summer due to the thick walls and insulating properties of rock.   Wood beams show the height of the ceiling; the doors are short and necessitate stooping to walk through.




 Looking up out of one of the Pueblo Bonita rooms, a door and small window are visible, along with what appear to be a second set of beams and maybe a third floor.

A remarkable feat of engineering, for sure.

A section of the Pueblo Alto Trail Complex loop that leads through a narrow slot between two sections of sandstone.  It looks like a tight squeeze, but it's not.  Nonetheless, I had to take this photo as we entered it.  

After this short but steep climb through the sandstone cliffs, the trail  and overlooking Chaco Canyon.  It is from this trail you can get a real sense of the scale of these ruins.

Below:  Kin Kletso ruins, as seen from the top of the plateau and trailhead:

 

 A sampling of pottery sherds found by people who  resisted the temptation to pocket them (which is very illegal and hugely unethical), and instead placed them on a rock so others could see them.  Some plain gray, some textured, and some painted. Why paint designs on functional objects?  Because creating art and appreciation for beauty and design is as old as humanity.  Even in small pieces, the level of skill and craftsmanship of these vessels is apparent.

 New Pueblo Alto ruins.  About a mile after ascending the plateau these ruins are seen.

 Masonry detail of New Pueblo Alto ruins.  These apparent etchings into the sandstone caught my eye; they are clearly animal figures, and look equine to me.  If so, this dates them after the original builders left; horses were not present in the region until the Coronado invasion expedition in the mid-16th century.

Perhaps they are ancient versions of a child drawing on the walls with a crayon?

 A view across Chaco Canyon from the trail.   The sun was heading right to the left of the mesa across the canyon, and a sunset from this vantage point would have been unbelievably beautiful.

We didn't have time to hike to the main petroglyph and pictograph panels, but did take a short hike to some historical petroglyphs.  I'll save those for another post with some other rock art I've photographed recently.  

Catching some rays