Sunset In New Mexico

 New Mexico was my first home.  I was raised in a small town called Alamogordo.  After high school, I moved to Albuquerque to pursue a dental hygiene degree, then moved with my husband to Tucson, Arizona.  We frequently make trips to and from Albuquerque to visit family.  This painting was inspired by the New Mexico sunset during a trip back to Tucson.  I shot a reference photograph on Highway 26 between Hatch and Deming, New Mexico to help recreate the scene.  From the photo and memory, I completed this triptych panoramic view of a gorgeous New Mexico sunset.  It was done using oil paints on three 4" x 4" canvases.  

Kona Sunset

One of my favorite places to be is near or on the ocean.  This Kona Sunset oil painting was inspired from a picture taken from the last day of a babymoon trip to Hawaii with my husband.  Our last adventure during the trip was to take a boat with a group of snorkelers to watch the manta rays feed at night.  Maybe due to a full moon, the manta rays failed to show, but the sunset was of good use! 

I used a combination of warm and cool colors to add variety, drama, and movement.  It was so fun to paint this!