Last spring there was a little ad in the News Chat that caught my eye. It was for a watercolor workshop in New Mexico. Alas, I had already booked my sister and me for a road trip to the area for April and I could not see myself spending the money to return in September to do a workshop.

When I came home from our “Thelma and Louise” adventure (we drove from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon, Canyon de Chelly, Sante Fe, Taos, Bryce Canyon and Zion Canyon and back to Vegas) I read the ad again. A quick look at the web-site for the artist, Gail McDaniel, and the location, Ghost Ranch, titillated my interest. On the trip in the spring, I found Sante Fe with its Georgia O’Keefe Museum and Taos in its setting had been inspiring. The landscape of adobe pueblos, painted deserts, and red rock canyons, had been intriguing but I had been frustrated on the road trip because there was so much to see and so little time to paint. So I emailed Gail to get more details about the workshop.

Ghost Ranch and the little town of Abiquiu are the areas in New Mexico that O’Keeffe called home! The Ranch is now being run by the Presbyterian Church. It is a retreat for artists, Elder Hostels, and many other organizations. There were two spaces left in the workshop! And, the cost was not outrageous. Well, I couldn’t let this pass. I emailed Gail and said I was interested.

Then the task of getting there! A Clipper to Seattle, a stay over-night in Seattle to be able to get a plane early enough to Albuquerque so that I could get the shuttle to Ghost Ranch. Suffice to say, it took 2 days there and 2 days to get home. Otherwise an Air Canada ticket was going to cost $1100, and not that much less time. (Air and travel was approximately $800.)

The experience at Ghost Ranch was more than worth the hassle getting there. As a landscape painter I was already in love with the country, but it exceeded my wildest expectations! Glowing rock mesa’s, huge skies that kept changing, sunsets to die for and a very different pallet from the one that I had been using here at home. With meals in the dining hall and

bag lunches, if needed, 18 of us were free to devote 6 days to paint from dawn to dark. Gail and her husband, Ken, took care of our every need. The studio was large and comfortable. Gail taught in a very positive way, letting us work at our own pace and providing guidance when asked. Her demos were provided as issues came up and were relevant to what we needed. The participants were from all over the USA. (I was the only Canadian) and the accents were flying thick and fast! I can now talk with a southern drawl (honey lamb) on cue! Written material was provided in a well organized loose-leaf binder. Ken provided a printer for our digital camera memory cards so that we had quick references to the days’ plein aire sessions.

When the workshop ended I stayed on at the Ranch for an extra 4 days to give myself time to hike a bit and wind down. Ghost Ranch sits on a high plateau (6000 feet elevation). The history of the region is fascinating. Ghost Ranch has the oldest dinosaur bones in the world. The ranch was bought and sold over a poker game at one stage. The Native Americans, the Spanish, the Mexicans and lastly the American’s have all fought over the territory which the Spanish called Piedre Lumbre (Land of Shining Stone). And, of course, Georgia O’Keeffe made it famous in her landscapes. Her spirit is everywhere you turn.

When Ken asked me how I had heard about the workshop he was delighted to hear that his email to 100 organizations which he found on the web (including SPAC) had born fruit.

Here are the web-sites for those who might be interested: www.gailmcdanielart.com, www.ghostranch.org. some of my recent paintings from the trip can be viewed on a shared web-site www.MyArtClub.com Look for Karagianis under the “K”s .

I will be looking into organizing a BC coastal workshop with Ken and Gail in 2006 and will keep people posted through the News Chat.