Plein Air and the Texas Masters Show

Black and Green
8 x 10
oil on canvas
$250

   I had a terrific weekend at Fredericksburg on Texas Independence Day. I went down for the Texas Masters Show at the Insight Gallery yesterday. It was a beautiful drive down. It felt like a late spring or early summer day. The peach and plum trees were in bloom as were the first bluebonnets. And if you are wondering, this is usually way too early for these things to be blooming.

Two of my longhorn sculptures at the show.

   The show was great. I sold three sculptures, two last night and one sold before the opening. This show highlights the work created by artists living and working in Texas. Many great artists were in attendance including Jill Carver, Chuck Rawle, Gladys Roldan de Moras, William Kalwick, Jim Eppler and D. Larue Mahlke. The gallery was packed from six to eight and even after that more people were still coming in.

Four of my sculptures at the show.

   As always, everything was first rate from the art work to the food at the reception. In keeping with tradition wild game including quail, venison, and shrimp and margaritas were served.

Guests at the Gallery.

    The next morning after the show I went out painting. A cold front had arrived during the night and although the sky was a beautiful blue and the grass bright green it was cold and  windy. Still I was able to do a quick 8 x 10 of a field with some Angus cattle in it.

The scene i painted at fredericksburg.

   If the weather had been nicer I would have loved to have painted other animals I saw today along the road and at the Saurer Beckman  Farm..There were fields of sheep, goats, bison, and all breeds of cattle including Angus, jerseys, herefords, and longhorns..

A young ram at the farm.

   After I painted I went to the nursery in Fredereicksburg and bought a persimon tree and bought some tomato plants in a feed store. The nice weather we have been having makes me want to be out planting.

A field of goats.

   I stopped off at Salado at the old Stagecoach Inn. The inn was built in the early 1860s on the site of an old Indian village and became a crossroads of the Chisholm trail and the military roads. Many famous people stayed there including Sam Houston who gave a speach on its balcony against Texas Secession and General George Armstrong Custer. Lunch in Salado was a great way to top off my weekend trip. 
   Now one more show to get ready for tomorrow, so more on that later.