April07

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Home For a While in June:
I've neglected this blog for over two weeks now because we've been off in Kansas with the grandkids. As always the subjects I post will vary with the changing interests of this old retired middle school art teacher. I hope you continue reading my blog and will send me any comments you have via e-mail to: woodyduncan@comcast.net

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Tiffanie

Back From the Zoo (6/29):
Yesterdays visit to the Albuquerque Zoo was a blast. The triplets took photos of every creature they saw several times. I'm glad the world went digital so we don't waste film - just batteries. As a city, Albuquerque goes all out to have city owned facilities for it's families. The list would be a long one, starting with pools, parks, museums, etc. etc. Our city easily puts much larger cities to shame. Below is one pic I took of the Polar Bears.

Albuquerque Zoo

Obama 08:

The open house I went to last night to support Barack Obama was a real success. There were about 40 people in attendance. I walked there since it was only a block from our house. About 45 of these events took place today around Albuquerque. Thousands were taking place all over the country. It is quite apparent that a movement is growing. With hard work it will mean many, many more democrats elected this year. And of course President Obama in the White House. If you want information on Obama and updates on the campaign go to:
http://my.barackobama.com and sign up.

Timothy

Tess on Wall

Blossom at Home (6/28):
I picked up Blossom at the Doggie B & B yesterday morning. They had phoned me while we were in Taos. Seems like she was really stressed out and getting sick because we deserted her. Now that she is home, everything is fine.

Blossom at Home

Posing for Pics:
The triplets each posed for photos in our backyard yesterday so the Sandia's were behind them. Then we went downtown to spend time at Explora (Albuquerque's Hands On Science Museum). After about four hours they still didn't want to leave.

Obama Neighbor Meeting:
Tonight, I'm attending a neighborhood meeting to support Barack Obama for president. I got the invite on my computer. It will be good to meet others of like minds living in our area of Albuquerque. Or, perhaps they will be of very differing points of view but are simply looking for real change. I'll find out soon - the home is only a block away.

Tiffanie on Wall

Back from the Train (6/27):
Wednesday we enjoyed the train ride on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad as it climbed up above 10,000 feet. We ate lunch at the top and then road the train back to Chama. Afterwards we drove to Taos to spend the night.

click on any pic to see a larger image

my shot as we rounded a curve in the tracks

shooting pics
from the train

Family About to Board the Train in Chama

A Day in Taos:
Any excuse to go to Taos is OK. We slept late and then explored the shops and galleries. Tess was lucky enough to get a ride on local artist Ed Sandoval's horse. Ed and his wife Ann Huston live just outside Taos. Ed has a studio in town and keeps his horses nearby. We topped off our day by having lunch at Michael's Kitchen. Frani even tried the Fast Eddie's Philly Cheesesteak I've been raving about for years.

Sculptor:
My artistic grand daughter, Tiffanie, and I spent some time visiting with a sculptor named Doug Scott who recently opened a gallery in Taos. Tiffanie is my little artist buddy. She will go into any gallery or museum with me.

Off to the Train (6/24):
I dropped Blossom off at the Doggie Bed & Breakfast before we leave town to ride the train. She thinks it's punishment when we leave her. We are riding the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad up into the Rocky Mountains. she thinks it's punishment when we leave her. This summer is also the first time our son Buddy (father of the triplets) has been able to spend more than a couple of days in New Mexico. We want to be able to show him our adopted state. I also wanted to post a pic of Frani from swimming yesterday. I hope she forgives me. Before coming back to Albuquerque, we are stopping in Taos so Buddy can see where I go to paint every June.

click on frani
to see a big splash

Tiff and Tess

Swimming Today (6/23):
We went swimming today and then I cooked hamburgers on the grill. We use chili cheese buns of course. The kids loved the big water slides at the pool. I was able to get in a few laps before shooting pics as they came down the waterslides. Tomorrow seems like an easy day. We plan to take in a movie like "Horton Hears a Who". We need to get to bed early because we are driving up to Chama to ride the train into the mountains on Wednesday. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad was originally constructed in 1880 as part of the Rio Grande’s San Juan Extension, which served the silver mining district of the San Juan mountains in southwestern Colorado. Now it's a living moving museum riding on those (3 foot wide) narrow guage tracks. After we ride the train, we will spend the night in Taos so we can explore my favorite part of New Mexico.

Tim on Slide

Tiffanie in Old Town

What a Joy (6/22):
The family went to Albuquerque's Old Town today. Before that Tess had to practice her piano. She brought a keyboard and set it up on our dining room table. I recorded a one minute movie of her playing this morning. (320 x 240 pixels - 19.43 MB) Tomorrow we plan to go swimming at the West Mesa Aquatic Center. They have large slides there for the kids to enjoy. Of course, I plan to shoot pics there as well.

<<< click on pic to view movie
(320 x 240 pixels - 19.43 MB)

Behind the Camera
pic taken on top
of the sandia

Poppie gets a Hug

Triplets in Albuquerque (6/21):
Frani and I are blessed in having three beautiful and talented grand children as Tess, Tim and Tiffanie. Their parents drove them in from Kansas yesterday. After a well needed visit and a good nights rest we headed for the top of the Sandia (our mountain). We drove up to Sandia Crest for the view of Albuquerque. Then we hiked along the edge of the mountain at a 10,600 foot altitude. To get there we took the Truquouise Trail which runs through towns like Madrid on the way to Santa Fe.

Now we are planning what else to do each day for the next couple of weeks. Our son Buddy and his wonderful wife Shari are very generous to share these three precious ones with us. Now I will get to go to all kinds of fun places since the kids are here. Being young is such fun - and as they say, it's such a shame to waste it on the young.

Grandma is Loved

My Final Monotype
click on image
for larger view

Final Monotype (6/20):
I left class early today so I'd be home to meet the triplets when they arrive. In my final experiment with monotypes - I worked with a photo of one of my watercolors. It's of my grand daughter Tess playing in the surf in Santa Monica. Below is how I started, by tracing the major shapes and reversing the image. I also cut both positive and negative stencils of Tess.

photo of my watercolor used for reference

Texture in a Monotype (6/19):
We added texture and experimented with stencils in our monotypes today. I added pics of prints I pulled today on the web page I created about monotypes. All the prints we created were done using Akua Kolor Monotype Ink which is available from Takach Press Fine Art. That's the same Albuquerque company that manufactured the etching presses available at New Grounds Print Workshop. Tomorrow we are suppose to work in a series so I'll try to capture my grandkids at the beach. Working at this small scale (6 x 9 inches) is unusual for me and difficult to adjust to.

<<< playing with texture and stencils

Creating a Monotype (6/18):
Today we worked in color. I created two different monotypes of my Poppies. I took photos at various stages of the process as I worked on my second creation today, then I put the pics on a web page. CLICK HERE to see my monotype. I'm taking the printmaking class at a wonderful establishment called the New Grounds Print Workshop and Gallery on Central here in Albuquerque. Here is a link to a blog created by New Grounds that shows pics of the printing process and tells about artists working there.

<<< my monoprint

pulling a print >>>

Day 1 - We worked with black ink only to learn the process

Day 2 - We worked in color, printing one color over another
Day 3 - We will experiment with adding texture to the image

Tim up a Tree

Monotype Class (6/17):
I began my monotype class this morning. We began with black ink to learn the basic procedures and techniques. Monotypes is often confused with monoprints. All printmaking is creating multipal images from a surface. As it was explained today. In a monotype the image is gone after one printing. You put ink on a plate, manipulate the ink and pull a single print. Then the image is gone. Monoprints are somewhat the same except that some element on the plate remains - such as a scratched line, an etched area or any altered surface. Here's an explanation of monotypes vs monoprints. Tomorrow we work with color.

Triplets are Coming to Visit:
Wonderful news - the triplets are coming to Albuquerque on Friday. We told their parents that gas prices were too high but they are driving anyway. But that's OK because we love to see them and to have them visit us is a joy. Also - I'll get to go to the zoo, to swimming, to the bio park and lots of other fun places. I'll be posting pics of the triplets having fun in New Mexico.

More Pics:
To the left is a photo of Tim when we were camping. He loves to climb trees and decided that this tree would be a good place to read his new bird book. He spotted a Baltimore Oriel while we were camping. Below is a photo Charlotte took of me painting in Taos.

Woody Painting in Taos

"Superstition"
Ernest Blumenschein

Busy Monday - Busy Week (6/16):
I'm back to the museum this morning for training on the Ernest Blumenschein exhibit at the Albuquerque Museum. I was up in Taos painting watercolors when it opened on June 8th. The exhibit called "In Contemporary Rhythm: The Art of Ernest L. Blumenschein" will continue until September 7th. This is a major exhibit on Blumenschein (1874-1960) should be quite a show. He was one of the founders of the Taos Society of Artists and perhaps the most accomplished of the group. For a list of other members of the Taos Society - Click Here. The Blumenschein exhibition will have about 60 major paintings on display, as well as several illustrations and sketches. Do not miss this one.
Then, Monday night, we have our June meeting of the New Mexico Watercolor Society. Jae Drummond will be doing the demo tonight. New Mexico is quite proud of Jae. She is a fantastic talent and an excellent teacher.
As for the rest of the week - starting tomorrow morning, I begin a four day workshop on monoprints at the New Grounds Print Workshop and Gallery. I also begin my diet. I'm starting at 227 1/5 lbs and my goal is to get close to 200 lbs before September. Today, being Father's Day, we had steak - but tomorrow we get serious.

The watercolor below was done using an old photo of my grand daughters in their dance outfits at about age four.

"Angels in Training"

Back From Taos (6/15):
It was another wonderful week of painting with old and new friends in Taos this year. Adams State of Alamosa, Colorado sponsers the watercolor workshop. It's always held at the beautiful, historic Sagebrush Inn. So, the second full week of every June, I head for Northern New Mexico to paint. Even though I had access to the web at the Sagebrush Inn - I never took the time to update my blog. I was too busy painting, enjoying the great food and shooting pics to paint from through out the year. I painted portraits this year, so I only finished a total of seven watercolors. Portraits take concentration and time to get them correct. I think I'll go back to adobe and flowers to loosen up a bit. Below is a painting of my friend BJ, leaning over a wall at the Sagebrush, trying for the perfect shot of an Iris for her own painting.

"The Perfect Shot"

I'm posting four of my new watercolors on my blog today. You can click on any of them to view a larger image. Tomorrow I begin a serious diet to loose 20 pounds or more. I failed to drop my weight prior to my annual trip to Taos and my scales are telling me to cut back on food. We will also get back to walking every day. A week in Taos can spoil you. Ken and Louise Blair feed us so good at the Sagebrush that adjusting to not being pampered is difficult. Three fantastic meals a day, with all those deserts and then wine with every dinner has taken it's toll. Now I will pay the price. Yet, today is Fathers Day so perhaps the diet starts tomorrow.
I knew gas would be high in Taos (it was $4.09) so I filled up in Albuquerque before leaving. I drove a total of 417 miles through the mountains and still got better than 25 miles per gallon. Yesterday, when I got back, I filled up at Sam's for $3.74. I drove back through Mora County to Las Vegas so I could get some pics for more watercolors. I plan to stay close to home and paint the rest of the summer rather than put my money into the gas tank.

Happy Birthday:
As well as this being "Father's Day", today is also our youngest son's birthday. Happy Birthday Buddy. He celebrates his birthday and I'm sure his triplet children are also pampering him today for being a such a special father.

"Adrian"

"Wyoming Tim"

Beautiful Cactus Blooms (6/6):
Oil hit $139 a barrel today and the stock market took a dive. After my trip to Taos I may be staying close to home for a while. We filled the car at $3.64 (Sam's Club) before the price jumps up. With a full tank I can easily do Taos and back. The prices are always higher up there. I'll just plan to hang around home and paint my flowers. My roses and especially my cactus blooms are beautiful this year. Those little drip tubes under the soil do a great job. Our sparce rain won't do much. We've only had a total of 1.06 inches so far this year.

Turning 65 i$ Getting Expen$ive:
I turn 65 next month and qualify for medicare, weather I want it or not. What a rip - They start deducting $96 a month from my Social Security check next month. This is suppose to be a deal. When Frani turns 65 they will take another $96.40. Now our medical insurance costs us ZERO. Next year medicare will cost us $2313.60 - for what ??? It would be cheaper just to stay 64. I paid all those taxes so they could bill me ???

Road to Taos

Packing for Taos (6/5):
Every year at this time, I pack my painting supplies and head for Taos, New Mexico. A week of intensive painting at the Sagebrush Inn is just what I need. I don't need those wonderful meals but I'll wait another week before I start to diet and exercise. This will be my 23rd year of painting with my friends in Taos. I highly recommend this week of watercolor. If you are interested in information - click here. Adams State (Alamosa, Colorado) sponsers the watercolor workshop in Taos the second full week of June each year.

History Museums:
When Frani and I were in Kansas City we drove down to Fort Scott, Kansas. We went down to tour the historic Fort Scott established in 1842. This pre civil war fort, on the eastern edge of Kansas, is quite a contrast to adobe forts in the west. Fort Scott is composed of clean, neat white buildings surrounded by lots of neatly mowed grass. It's no Bent's Fort.
Just before Memorial Day, we also toured the National World War I Museum under the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri. This is a wonderful museum to tour. We were very impressed with what Kansas City has created to honor the veterans of this war to end all wars. Too bad we continue to fight war after war. The artifacts on display are fantastic, but more important is learning how this war came about in the first place.

Frani on top of the Liberty Memorial
click of photo for a larger view

Woody
Roughing It

Our Trip to Kansas (6/3):
We are back from our trip to Kansas. Of course our major reason to visit Kansas was threefold - Tim, Tess and Tiffanie. They convinced Frani and I to go camping with them for a couple of days. It was a unique experience which we may do again one day. If I have time I'll post a page of pics from our visit. Right now, I'll just put a few on my blog. I'm told It's not real camping if someone cooks and cleans up and you sleep in a travel trailer - but it was rough enough for us.

Triplets Eat Breakfast by the Lake

This morning, I'm back at the museum to guide a group of students - K to 3rd graders. Then I have to pack up my paints and head for my annual trip to Taos so I can paint for a week. We returned to New Mexico just in time to watch my favorite sport - politics. Of course, Obama secured enough delegates to get the nomination but when will Hillary call it quits - enough is enough already. After her comments about the Robert Kennedy assassination, in June 0f 1968 - I have totally rejected her from being on the ticket with Obama - but, it's not my decision. I was also in hope that Obama might choose the Kansas Governor, Kathleen Sebelius, to run with him. I find Sebelius an excellent choice. She has a 61% approval rating in a state that Bush carried by 25%. I'm also looking for Bill Richardson as Secretary of State and John Edwards as Attorney General. Of course, I also want to win the Powerball as well.