Two Weeks of Bluebonnets

Blue Sky and Bluebonnets
oil on canvas

    Last Sunday, Kent Brewer and I went down to Ennis to look for bluebonnets to paint and to scout for a place to paint this weekend. We drove around quite a bit looking for a place. They are really thick along the roads and highways, but finding a place where you can safely pull over and get some distance from them was not so easy.

Kent painting on Liska Rd.

     We finally found a place along Liska Road. I reworked the painting from Glen Rose since the scene had the same elements of cedar trees and bluebonnets. Then started a second painting. I've still got to rework it before posting.

Me painting on Liska Rd

     It was a really pleasant place to paint. After we finished we continued looking for a place for our group to paint out, as nice as this place was there wasn't enough room for a large group. We found a Corp of Engineers Park on Lake Bardwell called Love Park. It had wildflowers, places to park, and clean restrooms. We decided this place would work well. So we headed to our houses. Later during the week I started calling, texting and emailing my friends to come paint there on Saturday.

Part of my gardens.

     The bluebonnets have been really pretty this year as are the flowers in my garden. I always am thinking that I'll have to paint my garden but I never get around to it. So I took more photos and today, Saturday, we all went down to Ennis to paint.

 

The view I chose to paint.

    It was a beautiful day. Sunny and warm with a pleasant breeze. I had a nice drive down, a little over an hour from my home, until I stopped for an iced tea and realized  that I'd left my wallet  with all my money, driver's license, and credit cards at home. Luckily I brought my lunch.

 

Some of my friends painting.

     We had a really good group today of about 20 including my friends Kent Brewer, Candy Clynch, T.K. Riddle, Olivette Hubler, Hai Chi Lee, David Trip, Chris Toplyn, Dan Spangler and his wife, Sheri Jones and her husband, Nancy Bozeman, Trish Wise, Tina Bohlman, and artists from the Trinity Arts Guild, Texas Artists Coalition, and the Ellis County Art Association.

Some more of my friends painting

 There were two large fields of bluebonnets that most of us painted near. Some of our group used watercolors, some used oils, some used pastels, and others used acrylics. Many of the artists finished more than one painting. We were there from around 9:00 to 4:30, so a full day.


David and Chris, two of our watercolorists.

 

 Sheri and her husband B.J. drove their antique truck down for the group to paint. Some really great paintings were created of the  truck surrounded by wildflowers and mesquite trees.



Sheri and her husband brought down his restored old truck for our group to paint.

 After we had had enough painting, many of us  went to dinner in Waxahachie at the Tuscan Slice. It was a super day, spending it outside with friends and then going to dinner together. Special thanks to my friends Kent and T.K.,  who loaned me money for dinner and for gas to make it home.


Kent and Olivette painting.

Fort Worth Nature Center Painting, Chandor Gardens

Heading for Shade -  Fort Worth Nature Center
Work in Progress
24 x 20
oil on canvas

 This is a painting that I began last week at the Fort Worth Nature Center. I am working on it for the Preservation is the Art of the City Show in the fall. I went out to the nature center last week and found most of the bison as well as lots of deer taking advantage of the shade to escape the Texas heat. I hope to finish this in the next few days.

A neat view in Chandor gardens.

I went back to the Chandor Gardens in Weatherford to paint again today. I was joined by T. K. Riddle again and Dan Spangler. My painting from today is far from finished and until I finish the bison painting I won't be able to finish it, so I'm not posting it yet. Instead, I'd like to post some more images from  the gardens.

.

An Asian portal in the gardens.

It was an absolute blessing being out painting in the gardens today. The temperature was delightful. This was the sort of day that we can't really expect to see until late September. It was not a bit hot. It was a cloudy day, and it even sprinkled a bit on us as we had lunch. Speaking of lunch, it was great.  T. K. picked it up for us from the same place as last time.

A quiet pathway .

The gazebo.

One of the beautiful fountains in the gardens.

A peaceful spot.

A very photogenic  cadmium red dragonfly.

A small waterfall in the garden.

A blue dragonfly  near one of the streams.

A cicada shell on an agave leaf.