American Cutting Horse Association's Summer Spectacular, Prix de West, Fort Worth Nature Center, Fort Worth Zoo ,Dallas Heritage Village

Some of my sketches.

    I have not posted in a few weeks. I should have because I have created art in a lot of super places and at some really wonderful events. For the last few  weeks I have been sketching at the American Cutting Horse Association's Summer spectacular at Will Rogers Coliseum. These sketches are just for my own use and reference as I observe how the horses and cattle move.

A cowboy and his cutting horse approaching the herd.

    I have been there almost every day. It is really entertaining watching the horses work the cattle. Once the calf is separated from the herd the rider turns everything over to the horse. A really well trained horse is a pleasure to watch. I have done page after page of gesture drawings. I have met many people in the cutting business and have made plans to go to some of the local ranches to work on a new sculpture I'm starting of a quarter horse.

My button quail chicks a few hours after hatching.

   This morning I had a bit of a late start as my button quail began to hatch. One of the females was sitting on some eggs and unexpectedly died a few days ago. I got the eggs and put them in an incubator. They began to hatch this morning. They are about the size of a quarter.

The End of the Trail statue in the National Cowboy Hall of Fame.

   Yesterday, July 24th, I took my parents up to Oklahoma City to the Prix de West show at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. We had lunch at the museum and enjoyed the art. Then we stopped off at my gallery in Oklahoma City, The John B Strong Gallery, where I dropped off one of my bronze longhorn sculptures. It is a beautiful gallery. I am very proud to have my art in it.

Morning Bison
work in progress
8 x 10
oil on canvas

    On Saturday, July 20th, about ten of us went to the Fort Worth Nature Center to paint the bison. The temperature was fairly pleasant. The bison came right up to the fence to model for us.

My friends lined up to paint the bison.

   We lined up on one side of the fence and the bison lined up on the other. I think they were smarter than us because they were the first ones to decide that enough was enough and head for the shade.

The white buffalo cow and calf.

   Every time I go it is with the hope of painting the white buffalo cow and calf. However, they always seem to be the farthest away of all the bison. I will have to paint her in my studio. After painting we left for lunch at an Italian restaurant just out of the gates.

The new baby elephant calf and its mother.

   On Wednesday, July 17th, my Friend and fellow artist Linnea and I went to the Fort Worth Zoo to see the new baby Asian elephant and to sketch. It was only 10 days old and very cute. We did more looking than drawing, but it was hot anyway.

Cowboy at the cutting horse show.

   On Sunday, July 14th, I went to the cutting horse show with Janice and Linnea and we sketched and took photos at the cutting horse show. This was the first week of what is a three week event. It is a great place for anyone who likes to be around horses, cowboys and cowgirls, and millionaires. Ha ha. Participants come from all over the world including Venezuela, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, France, Canada, and Brazil. Of course, many of the best riders come from right here!


Shotgun House
8 x10
oil on canvas

    On Saturday, July 13th, a group of us went to Dallas to paint at Heritage Village. There were about six of us there this day, Kent, Olivette, Jeff, Mary, Claudia, and myself. I painted a shotgun house. After we painted most of us went to lunch at The Dancing Marlin. Eating out after a morning or afternoon of creating art is always a good way to finish the outing.

New coyote sculpture, sculpture demo and painting at the Fort Worth Nature Center and in the Cultural District.

Western Singer
bronze on granite
7 x 5 x 6.5
$675
 

    Last Wednesday I went to the foundry and picked up several sculptures including my newest one of a coyote called Western Singer. Then on Saturday I went down to Glen Rose to the White Buffalo Gallery where I did a sculpture demo and my friend Mary Rabien did an oil demo. I worked on a sculpture of a longhorn and Mary, who does beautiful bird paintings, painted a rooster.


The Fort worth Nature Center's white buffalo and calf.

   On Sunday my friends Sabine Higgins, Linnea McKinney, and Nancy Bozeman went to the Fort Worth Nature Center to paint the bison.. I got a good start on my painting, but it isn't ready to post
yet. The others all did really nice paintings. One of the coolest things was seeing the  white buffalo cow and calf.


Bison cow and calf.

     There were lots of bison cows and calves. They were pretty cooperative and lay and stood around in front of us before eventually heading to the trees for shade. We were ready for shade too so we drove around in the air conditioning and explored the park.


Water lilies near Greer island.

I saw lots of deer, turkey buzzards, ducks, and egrets. One of the prettiest things were the water lilies near Greer Island. The water was almost gone but the lilies were so lush and green,  and their blossoms were large and fragrant.



My painting on the easel in front of the Will Roger's Coliseum.

 This morning I went painting in the Fort Worth Cultural District with my friends Linnea McKinney, and Janice Weaver. They painted a view of Fort Worth's skyline from the steps of the Amon Carter Museum.


Will Rogers (work in progress)
8 x 10
oil on canvas

     I walked over to the front of the Will Rogers Coliseum  and painted the statue of Will Rogers that sits in front of it in a bed of cacti and other western plants. This is a very nice equestrian statue that was sculpted by the late Fort Worth sculptress and socialite Electra Wagner.