This is a short story on how this painting got its’ name. It began in 1981. When photos were taken with film cameras.
While some people might think that New Mexico looks like a great big brown baked potato, I think otherwise. Colors in the rocks, the sunsets, and landscape. Magnificent.
The painting started out as “The Draw” based on Blackwater Draw in New Mexcio. It landed on the canvas in 2011 with a monochrome under painting of burnt umber. I started it upside down because the perspective was challenging me. This way my brain would only see shapes. Other colors were going to be added, but we moved. And moved again. I kind of liked it with the one color.
2015 – This painting wanted attention. Encaustic wax called to me. I brushed the wax over the top very lightly and only heated it enough to adhere the layers. The sand is silica from those little packets that come in pills. In writing on the very last layer is “New Mexico is a great big brown baked potato” in oil pastels. This piece flowed out of me and I enjoyed the process.
