Transitions Collection

While not as famous as Montana or Idaho, the high deserts of southern New Mexico can equally be considered Big Sky Country. From early spring to late fall huge supercells grow, and the combination of flat terrain and low atmospheric density gives you a spectacular vantage point wherever you are. The Transitions series focuses on uncovering the mystery and beauty of this prominent but often underestimated aspect of New Mexico, highlighting the hidden meanings of form and shape that our imaginations create as we gaze.

Transition #1

Transmigration

OIL CANVAS - 2017

Original Dimensions: 24"x48"

'Originally, I wanted to draw a column of cloud ascending into an anvil thunderhead and having it rain down. As the raindrops accumulate at the top of the cloud, they freeze and drop so I wanted to include that within the picture. However, once I got going I thought it’s kind of like the process of life, where you start out young and you grow old and start moving up the ladder. The higher you get up the ladder the older you get, and the less resilient you are so once you get to the top you penetrate the membrane of the cloud, disintegrate into liquid, and fall down as rain. In the finished canvas the rain at the bottom is broken down pieces of the ascending angels, reconstituted through the cycle of death and rebirth known as Transmigration.' - JDP

#hiddeninplainsight

Transition #2

Amboß oder Hammer

OIL CANVAS - 2017

Original Dimensions: 30"x36"

'When I originally painted Transition #2 it started off as a simple effort to recreate a picture I’d taken from my backyard of a developing mesocyclone over the mountains. It was one of the largest anvil clouds I’d ever seen, and I thought it looked quite like a nuclear explosion. Of course, the Trinity Site where the original Manhattan Project tests took place is a short drive to the north on the other side of the range, so when I showed it other people many of them assumed it was a tacit reference to that. Subsequently when Andy looked at it and started piecing the website together his take was that the fields in the foreground drew a metaphor between “the peaceful cultivation of an agrarian existence with the destructive forces of nature / man.” He then started talking about how that in turn reminded him of an episode of The Prisoner called “Hammer into Anvil” in which the forces of oppression (the nuclear test) attempt to subject everyman (the agrarian) into submission. As Goethe famously said "Du mußt Amboß oder Hammer sein" - "You must either be Hammer or Anvil". But which is more powerful - the ability to wield a sickle and develop civilizations, or the power to wipe out generations of work in an instant? I figured the metaphor seemed to track, and elevated the overall concept, so I decided to rename the picture using the german of the original quote.' - JDP

Transition #3

One Peak

OIL CANVAS - 2017

Original Dimensions: 36"x30"

'The third in the series is a summer view looking towards Picacho Peak north of I10 as you enter the city from the west. In the foreground is the Rio Grande River flowing through the valley, while the line of the Organ Mountains comes from the east. For this one, I wanted to focus more on the clouds and scenery, so I didn't add any characters or hidden elements to the clouds. In reality, the view of the valley is much wider and the distance between the landmarks is farther, but I wanted to show the peak, the river and the mountains on the same canvas, so I made a composite to bring them closer together.' - JDP

Transition #4

Stalled Beneath the Dryline

OIL CANVAS - 2019

Original Dimensions: 30"x36"

'One day an old friend who lives near Taos gave me a photo he took in Tres Piedras of an abandoned 1939 Ford pickup that had been modified to drill for water. I thought it looked cool so wanted to add it to my transitions collection, but with a different type of cloud structure. Over to the east of the continental divide, storms often form along the dryline before moving into Western Texas. When this happens and you get close to the edge of the line, you see the tops of storm clouds near the horizon, with layers of cirrus stretching overhead. Sometimes storms stall along the front and you'll often hear them talk about it on the weather channel, so between the weather and the abandoned truck, I came up with the name “Stalled Beneath the Dryline”. After that, I thought it would be a good canvas to experiment with my neon technique, so I came back to see what I could add. The friend who sent me the original image is a big fan of fly fishing, and he often shares this story about battling a 25-pound rainbow trout on Lake Santa Cruz. So when you see the finished blacklight side you’ll see him fighting to reel it in.' - JDP

Transition #5

San Fransisco de Asís

OIL CANVAS - 2019

Original Dimensions: 30"x40"

'Number 5 in the series depicts the San Francisco de Asís Mission Church in Ranchos de Taos. It's an important cultural landmark for a number of reasons, and the classic adobe style is something I wanted to capture. I've always been drawn to the building's earth tones and rustic vibe and tried to stay true to those on the canvas. A few months prior, I had the idea to paint an angelic protector on the Basilica Cathedral canvas, so I wanted to combine that with the larger anvil structure I'd been working on in the Transitions Collection. When I look at the finished figure, it seems to represent freedom, perhaps a Lady Liberty kind of character watching over the congregation. Like the other canvases, this one has hidden elements, the most obvious being the image of my trusty poodle.' - JDP

#hiddeninplainsight