~GALLERY REMODEL COMPLETED~

After a few months of work my gallery is once again open with a new look both inside and out. I still have a few small things to do as far as touch up painting but as of this week it will be back open though still on a limited bases until the fall when hopefully tourism in the area will once again have picked back up for the area.

The following are some photographs of the new color scheme and gallery arrangement following the remodel.

The northwest corner of the gallery.

Western wall.

South Wall.

East Wall and Southeast Corner.

Southwest Corner.

I am very pleased with the new colors of my gallery and lobby area and also how my gallery and studio are arranged. I am looking forward to now getting back into the studio and working on some new pieces of art now that the remodel is coming to an end.  I hope tourist start to return to the Rodeo, NM area now that the forest over in Portal, AZ has begun to recover following last years devastating wild fires. 

Come visit my gallery and the other businesses here in Rodeo, NM,

-Roger McKasson

The Rehang Of The Gallery Begins!!

Started putting my artwork back on the freshly painted walls today. Still lots of clutter in the middle as I pick and choose what goes up and on which walls. 

Larger View of Main Gallery.

South, Wing, and West Wall areas.

Hanging of paintings and placement of sculptures continued today. I'm loving the wall colors I chose for this part of the remodel of the interior of the gallery and lobby/studio areas.

Southeast corner of the gallery today.

Lobby and Studio Area.

The lobby and studio area are also starting to be repainted . These areas should be finished sometime this week or next after I buy more paint this week and get the time to finish the painting.  All in all I am pleased with what I have been doing to my Studio/Gallery both inside and out. A fresh new look is something I think the place needed to create and showcase my artwork. Brought back some artwork I had at a local gallery to finish the look I wanted to establish in mine gallery. They had the works in their storeroom and not up where customers could see them. My lighting is better too! 

Enjoy!!

Roger

My Gallery Remodel!

I have started a remodeling project on my studio gallery here in Rodeo, New Mexico. It started with making repairs to trim boards and the start of a major color change from the long time blue to something new and inviting. I chose a nice chocolate brown to paint the body of the building.

Finished Exterior Colors.

The color change was completed with dark trim and turquoise blue doors which gives the exterior look a warm and inviting look and still maintain a touch of the southwest.

West Wall Interior Colors.

Moving to the interior I have really started to make bold changes from the the traditional white gallery walls to bold dark blue and terracotta that hopefully will make the artwork really POP once the gallery is finished and rehung.  

East and South Wall Gallery Colors.

Though the gallery is still unfinished and cluttered with everything stacked around the colors are already starting to work even through the clutter.

Lady of the Lake Against New Color.

In the next installment of the remodel, the gallery should be rehung and new stands will be constructed for the  sculptures as well. Keep coming back to see the process continue to the new finished look in the next few weeks. 

March 2012 Poppy Bloom in Portal, AZ/Rodeo, NM

Poppies creeping up the slopes of the East Face of the Chiricahua Mountains.

Panoramic View of the poppies along the mountains.

Poppies!

The poppy bloom is not only on the Chiricahua Mountains but also across the valley in New Mexico on the flats and on the slopes of the Peloncillo Mountains.

Field of Poppies just south of Rodeo, New Mexico with the Peloncillo Mountains in the background.

Chiricahua Mountains with Poppy Bloom.

As the weather warms up so grows the poppies and soon other wildflowers in the Portal, AZ and Rodeo, NM areas. Now is the time to come and visit the area and see first hand as the beauty of nature blooms in this area. 

Come and enjoy our local businesses and scenic beauty while also enjoying our Coronado National Forest in both Arizona and New Mexico. The campgrounds are open and waiting for you or spend a few bucks and drive through the the area and enjoy our friendly community!

All Photographs by: Roger McKasson

                               

Rodeo/Portal 2011 Community Christmas Dinner

     The communities of Portal, AZ and Rodeo, NM got together on Saturday evening, December 17th for their Annual Holiday Dinner & Program. There was lots of turkey, ham, and side dishes to make for a scrumptious feast for all to enjoy. Not to forget the large selection of desserts which included tables and racks filled with plates of cookies, pies, and even Tiramisu!  

Tiramisu & Other Goodies. Yum!!

     The event catered to a nearly packed house at the Rodeo Community Center with locals from both Rodeo and Portal in attendance. There definitely was not a shortage of food at the event! So if anyone went home hungry it was their own fault!!

     Following the dinner there was a brief holiday program with the high point being Howard Topoff's "Upside Down Christmas Singer"s. They were pretty funny to watch on the projection screen.

     The program continued with Carolers singing Christmas and Hanukkah songs which all enjoyed. At the end everyone joined in to sing a few Christmas songs to round out the end of the program.

    The festivities ended when Santa Claus and Mrs. Clause as well, showed up to wish everyone there especially the children a Very Merry Christmas!!

Santa Claus

Santa and Mrs. Claus

From my town of Rodeo, New Mexico and neighboring Portal, Arizona.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Photographs by Roger McKasson

Roger McKasson Studio-Gallery

Rodeo, New Mexico

www.rogermckasson.com

November 10th Granite Gap Hike

Susan on Quartz Boulder

     It was a nice day to go hiking and the local group was divided up into two small groups. One had gone up by the Interstate to watch an old steam train go by the ghost town of Steins. The other group which I was with went directly to the Granite Gap area which is about 20 miles north of the town of Rodeo, NM. 

    The air was clear but cool but not cold and my group settled into their hike. Shortly into our hike we encountered the other group who found the Steins area too cold and windy for an enjoyable hike so came back to the Granite Gap area as well. We all posed for a large entire group picture then went off in our separate ways.

Entire Group minis Julie from Juno, Alaska

    My group that went on consisted of Myself, Linda, Greg, Marsha, Julie, and Susan. We hiked around the base of Granite Peak to the western end then began an assent up to the saddle area of the peak itself. 

North face of Granite Peak.

     As we climbed the western slope up towards the saddle we notice large boulder outcroppings towards the saddle on the south face of the saddle.  We worked our way up towards those boulders to see what they were as they were most intriguing to the eye as to just what they were made out of.

White boulders up in the saddle area.

     Once we reached the very large boulders we discovered that they were very large Milky Quartz outcroppings. Largest quartz boulders I have ever seen!!!  We all climbed up on them and checked them out. It was very cool to be on such large pieces of quartz. I have to wonder what energy they give off!! The following images are taken on them as I wandered around checking them out while the others did the same.

Greg on Quartz

Me on Quartz

Susan & Olive the dog on quartz

Susan on quartz. Nice view too!!!

     After exploring the boulders we hiked back down to the road and around the peak and back to our vehicles. Our hike was 7.6 miles and a climb of slightly over 1,200 feet in elevation according to Linda's GPS.

I personally think we hike farther than modern technology says we do!!! 

   All in all it was a good day of hiking for both groups but the group I was with did the most intensive hike I think with all the climbing and distance we covered. We all got energized too by the quartz crystals for sure!! 

Linda coming down from quartz boulders

Hikers coming down below quartz boulders

Granite Gap Area

     It was a good hike with lots of interesting formations and excellent panoramic views of the area. Nice group to hike with as well!! Look forward to exploring more of this area in  the future!!

PORTAL IRISH CONCERT AT PORTAL PEAK LODGE

Portal Peak Lodge where Irish Concert was held.

Irish Concert Stage at Portal Peal Lodge.

     On Saturday night October 15, 2011 there was the first Portal Irish Concert at the Portal Peak Lodge.

The music was nice as the viewing crowd enjoyed themselves. 

     The setting for the event was outdoors and the environment and temperatures were perfect for the event!!

This was part of a week long event of instruction and workshops and was kicked off nicely with the nights concert event. Portal Peak Lodge put on a nice event with a buffet and refreshments outdoors as well for purchase. I had a killer chocolate cake!!

     After the concert there were two sessions of Irish Dance Lessons. Fortunately I was in the first secession so no pictures of me having fun making a fool of myself with others. Those dance steps and not easy to do!! 

When the second group took the dance floor there steps were even more complicated so glad I was not part of that group!!

Concert Viewers.

Dancing!

Dancing in the dark!!

More Dancing.

     One thing that was interesting when I downloaded my pictures was that a few also included interesting Orbs seeming to also partake in the dance. I guess the spirits of Portal also enjoyed the Irish Concert. What was interesting was all pictures of the dancing was taken from the same location and the camera settings were all the same so it is unknown why some pictures of the dancing were filled with various sizes of Orbs and yet other pictures have very few or none at all. Orbs are an interesting paranormal phenomena! First time I have ever experienced capturing them in pictures. Thought I post a few here.

Orbs enjoying the dance!! 

I haven't a clue what is going on here!! 

     The Irish Concert was a big hit and look forward to the next one next year!! - Roger

All pictures by Roger McKasson.