Bluebonnet Time

Spring in North Texas
oil on canvas
8 x 10

 As a painter this is one of my favorite times of the year. Many of our wildflowers, including the bluebonnets are at their peak. Plus, the temperature is very nice to be out painting and the mosquitos and chiggers don't seem to be out yet. Like all great times in life, you are aware that it won't last, so the only thing to do is appreciate it while we can. So today after work my friend Sheri Jones and I met to paint near Benbrook. ( Sheri is a real trooper, she is up painting an hour before most people are awake in the morning and today after working all day she was out painting in clothes that looked like she was headed for church; and not a speck of paint on her.) Besides bluebonnets there are so many other wildflowers in bloom. There are also prickly pear, yucca, and mesquite and oak trees with fresh foliage. There is so much to appreciate and enjoy. Hopefully we will have more great days like this before the heat sets in,

Wildflowers and Cacti

Getting caught up

Frog Princess
bronze

     One of my new sculptures from this winter is a horned toad with a tiara that I call Frog Princess. My horned toads continue to be some of my most popular sculptures as well as among my best selling pieces.





The Shed on the Hill
8 x 10
oil on canvas

    This winter was a mixed time of very cold days with snow and ice as well as some weekends of very nice painting weather. We continued to paint in the Five Points  area near Waxahachie as well as other areas close to there. I revisited some of the same locations and painted them again as well as venturing Into some newer areas like Maypearl.




Memories of Fort Worth
acrylic on guitar

   Some of my friends and I, who helped out the North Texas Alzheimer's Association last year by painting stars for them to auction off last year helped out this year by painting guitars. I was not horribly enthused about painting on a guitar and I struggled with what to paint. In the end I decided to paint a sort of collage of scenes and symbols of Fort Worth. Once I started however I really enjoyed this project. I hope it will raise a lot of money for a very worthy cause.



closeup

     Another event that I was involved in was called All Out Trinity. I was on a committee that helped to organize a days worth of outdoor activities along the Trinity River in Dallas. My part was to bring some local artists out to paint in plein air near the new Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge



Poster for All Out Trinity

     This was  not so easy to do as several other events were going on at the same time and the weather started out very unpromising. In fact, most of the time that I was there it was  so foggy that I could hardly see the bridge let alone the Dallas skyline, but I actually wound up enjoying the effect of the fog and the way it softened everything.


Foggy Morning in Dallas
8 x 10
oil on canvas

A Merry Christmas and a Fitting End of 2013 and Start of 2014




My dog Scout and I

    This has been a very good year. My family has been blessed with health and happiness. The end of the year came and went very quickly. We had an ice storm that kept our roads frozen for days. The roads were so bad that I had to miss the opening of the Christmas small works show at the Insight Gallery. I wasn't able to get my car out of my driveway for four days, but I did get some nice photos of the Christmas lights with all the snow and ice. on the lawns and trees. Christmas was wonderful. Christmas Eve we were at my sisters and Christmas Day at my parents. We had delicious meals and played games and enjoyed each others company.


Round Bales in Winter
8 x 10
oil on canvas

     After Christmas the weather has been somewhat erratic with warm and cold days but my friends and I have made good use of our time. Last Friday, Dec.27th a group of six of us went down near Waxahachie at a place near an area called 5 Points. It was a beautiful day. There were so many interesting things to paint including an old cotton gin, farmhouses, out buildings, and barns with rusted tin roofs, round bales of hay, cattle, sheep, goats, horses, and chickens. On this day I began a couple of paintings and finished the one above.


Texas Farm and Field
8 x 10
oil on canvas

 On the next day Saturday even more of us, around 10 or so, converged on this small community. The locals were intrigued to find artists painting their farms and livestock. They were all very welcoming and hospitable. We received invitations to paint on peoples ranches and even had an offer to cook hamburgers for us. I painted a hay field with the farmhouse in the background. The following Sunday was going to be cold and windy , so no painting, but a group of us used this day to go to Dallas to see the Sorolla exhibit at the Meadows Museum. This is an incredible exhibit. I can not say enough good things about it.


Winter Sun
8 x 10
oil on canvas

    On Monday it was a little cool again, no painting. I had lunch with my parents, two of my nephews, and some cousins. Then in the evening we went to my sisters to watch the Alamo Bowl.
    Tuesday it was still somewhat cool, but it was New Years Eve and I wanted to get one last painting in during 2013, so I went to the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens. The scene I painted is one that I have painted before .  I like it because when almost all the leaves are gone, this tree still has glowing orange leaves.


Winter Greens
8 x 10
oil on canvas 

    Today on January 1st, 2014, I wanted to get the year off to a good start. I went back to the 5 Points area with my friend Kent Brewer. We were joined by our friends Tina, and Mary. We were painting an old barn beside the road when the owner showed up. She unlocked the gate and invited us to park and paint on the property. She was on the way to another ranch and just told us we could close the gate and put the lock on when we left. The hospitality of the people of rural Texas is so amazing. It was a very nice day for being outdoors and painting.

Red Dots, Painting, and More Painting

My Historic Stock Yards paintings, 5 red dots.

I haven't posted in a while but I haven't neglected art. Saturday will be the final day of two shows at the Fort Worth Community Art Center that I participated in. The first show is one I put together for my friends and I called Worth Painting, Plein Air Paintings of Fort Worth.   This is a show of about 15 artists and around 50 paintings. I sold 6 paintings in this show including the five pictured above from the Fort Worth Stock Yards.

Me at the Preservation Show with five of my small paintings, two with red dots.

 The second show is the Preservation is the Art of the City Show which benefits Historic Fort Worth. This is always a great show. I sold two paintings in this show, One of a horned toad and a small bluebonnet painting.

My good friend Kent Brewer with 5 of his paintings.

 Several of my friends were in this show including Kent Brewer who was one of the top sellers, T.K. Riddle who won one of the awards, and other top artists including Beatriz Welch, Carol Ivey, Steve Miller and Dan Spangler. This was a really diverse show although most of our group showed landscapes.

Round Bales, Round Buildings
8 x 10 oil on canvas
$150

 Then last week was the Outdoor Painters Society's paintout in Glen Rose. About 12 of us painted there and enjoyed a great lunch at the Green Pickle, I painted near the old feed store.

Old Bales and New
8 x 10 oil on canvas
$150

 I painted two paintings of the bales of hay and two round tin buildings. Five of us painted in that area. This was a really great day for painting out, there was a real feeling of fall in the air which in Texas is always appreciated after a hot summer.

Waxahachie Morning
8 x 10, oil on panel
$100

 Something new I have started  is painting a thirty minute painting each day. I got this idea from my friend Travis who has been doing it. I have been going through my photo albums to select my subjects.

Wheeler Peak Rains
8 x 10, oil on panel
$100

 I  am painting 8 x 10s. I'm trying to paint them like they are plein airs. I'm using brushes larger than I usually do and obviously working faster.

Arizona Desert
8 x 10, oil on panel
$100

 I have thousands of vacation photos from all over the western United States. Many of them are from the National Parks and a lot of them have wildlife in them. I really feel like I am learning so much from these. I plan on doing these for quite a while. I am finding it really energizing to do one each day; knowing that I have only 30 minutes frees me to work fast and loose.

Rocky Mountain Elk
8 x 10, oil on panel
$100

Paint Historic Waxahachie 2013

Memorial Day
8 x 10
oil on canvas
$100

    This week was one of my favorite events of the year and one of the last big events before the heat of summer sets in. Last Saturday, May 25th, I painted in Waxahachie with several of my friends including Kent Brewer, David Tripp, Chris Toplyn, and Nancy Bozeman. We all started out near the square. It was fairly cloudy. I painted the statue of the Confederate soldier on the courthouse square.

Ellis County Courthouse, Waxahachie, Texas

    The court house is amazing to look at but I've never attempted more than a bit or piece of it in any one painting. Kent painted a super painting of a street scene. When I saw It, I told him it would be the winner of the show, and it was by the way. We had lunch at Leons barbeque, a block from the square. It was very good and a huge sandwich.


Indian Blankets and Bales
8 x 10
oil on canvas
$150

    Then we went to go paint near the bike trail behind the cemetery. There was a large field of Indian blanket flowers with round bales of hay in it. We started painting and it was going very well. As we painted the clouds rolled in.

Indian Blankets and Round Bales
11 x 14
oil on canvas
$250

 

    The thunder started and then the rain. I moved under the trees and Kent put up his umbrella. It wasn't long before my trees were leaking water as much as if I was standing in the rain and my paint box was filling with water. So I moved to my car to wait out the rain.

 

Kent painting in the rain.

 

    The rain stopped so I got out to paint more. My canvas was soaked so I began a second painting. I got a second start and things were going well when the rain began again. I put up my umbrella and continued to paint until the thunder got too close. I went back to my car and Kent kept painting. When the rain stopped I painted a bit more and then called it a day and went home.

After the Rain
8 x 10
oil on canvas
$150

   On Sunday I went back down and painted on the square again where I ran into Kent and George De Chiaro.  I worked on my Confederate painting and then met Kent and George at the County Catfish restaurant in the old Rogers Hotel. Then George and I went to paint where Kent and I had painted. I finished the two I had started and did a third.

Oma's Jiffy Burger
8 x 10
oil on canvas
$95

    On Monday I painted at Oma's Jiffy Burger. I also finished the other painting from the field with hay bales. As I finished the painting the hay was being hauled off. After painting  I went and had dinner  with my friend Kent and his wife and son at a new Mexican food restaurant.

After the quick draw.

   On Thursday I came down and painted some paintings of the roosters at the feed store. It was a fairly hot day.  This was the day of the quick draw. In the evening the artists assembled at the College Street Pub. We had an hour and a half  to create a painting.

My Favorite Boots
8 X 10
oil on canvas
SOLD

    I was not inspired by the views so I pulled off my boots and placed them next to a building and painted in my socks. This was actually a fun painting to paint and one I will do again some time. After the time was up we set our easels up on the street with our paintings on them for a silent auction.

Rose Comb Rooster
8 x 10
oil on canvas
SOLD

    I was very pleased because my friend Olivette Hubler purchased mine. Other than artists buying paintings from other artists the sales were few indeed. At 8:00 after the sale was over we were hot, thirsty and hungry. Most of us went to the Pub for dinner and drinks. A band was playing inside so we had to sit outside on the patio under the ceiling fans. It wasn't too hot there. I had several iced teas and the fish and chips, which are a favorite of mine. I made it home  a bit after 10:00


Country Alarm Clock
8 x 10
oil on canvas
$95

   Friday, at the  I went down to the dinner and awards ceremony at the Chatauqua  Auditorium at Getzendaner Park. My friends did very well and I was so pleased for them. Kent, as I predicted won best of show, Ted Clemens won 1st, George De Chiaro won 2nd prize, Sheri Jones won 3rd. Olivette, Nancy, Debob, and David were some of the artists who won honorable mentions. There was a delicious barbeque dinner and a slide show of photos from previous years. It was a very nice evening.




Spring Chicken
8 x 10
oil on canvas
$95

   On Saturday morning I drove down early and stopped off at the Farmers Market. I bought a bag of plums and several baked goods from a group of  Mennonites who always have the best items, I left with a loaf of jalapeno cheese bread, a small loaf of pumpkin bread, peanut butter cookies, and pumpkin bread whoopee pies. I went back to the feed store and finished this rooster painting and painted two roses at the train depot across from the feed store. It was a nice morning I framed these and dropped them off . This made 11 paintings so far. I had lunch from Oma's .

Some of my paintings at the Chataqua.

   I hung around at the Chataqua. I sold one of my rooster paintings. In the evening I went to dinner with Kent and his family at the Catfish Plantation, the most haunted restaurant in America, according to cable tv. Several deaths occurred there in the past and according to the guest book several soap dishes falling off the bathroom sinks in the present time confirm the hauntings. Anyway the food was very good and the servers are terribly enthusiastic.
After dinner we returned to the Chataqua where they were showing Places in the Heart. This movie starring Sally Field and Danny Glover was filmed in Waxahachie and based on a true story there. The movie is full of scenes from town and local people. I really enjoyed it. The Chataqua is a neat place to see a movie, no air conditioning, but the doors raised up and ceiling fans and the Lions Club selling concessions.

The house where I painted on West Marvin

    Sunday morning I headed back down to Waxahachie. The Ginger Bread Tour was going on and I met Kent at one of the homes to paint in the garden, It was an amazing home. The man of the house had several antique Packard automobiles and the lady had beautiful gardens. The house was very interesting and full of art and antiques.

The tool shed in the garden.

    The gardens were very well taken care of . I decided to paint a sculpture of a chef pig in one of the herb gardens. It was a fun painting to do. This garden had many interesting things in it and many artists painted there including Sheri and Debob.

Me painting in the garden on West Marvin Street.

    After I finished my painting. I dropped it on the way back to my car and had to fix a few things after that. I went to the Chataqua and dropped it off. I hung around there for a while and then went and helped out at the Ellis County Art Associations booth in the park where children were invited to paint in Plein Air. This was a very  popular booth in the fair grounds.

 

The Garden Pig
8 x 10
oil on canvas
$95

 

   After 3:00 my friends all started showing up to pick up their paintings. It was great seeing everyone one last time at this event. It has been a super week, I painted 12 paintings.  I'm exhausted and it feels a bit like Christmas is over, but there will be  new events and activities to come.

Demos, Plein Air, and Things to Come




Sheri and I at the Dutch Art Gallery

   Last Saturday, May 11th, Sheri Jones and I both did demos for the Dutch Art Gallery in Dallas. It was a very nice day. I sculpted a bison and Sheri painted a large landscape.
   Yesterday, Saturday, May 18th, I went to the Paint the Glen  paint out in Glen Rose. I didn't paint for any length of time because one of my nephews received a baseball award and I wanted to go to the ceremony. My friends Olivete Hubbler, and Sheri Jones both won awards.



Westridge Roses
8 x 10
oil on canvas

   Today, I participated in Historic Fort Worth's Hidden Gardens tour. I along with eight of my friends, Kent Brewer, Carol Ivey, Olivete Hubbler, David Tripp, Sheri Jones, Sharon Chastain, Steve Miller, and Leslie Talty painted in four gardens in my neighborhood, Ridglea Hills. We had a great day with wonderful weather and nice breezes.

   




View in the garden.

 Kent, Carol, and I painted in a 5 acre garden at 4900 Westridge Road. This garden belonged to 12 Spanish style homes of white brick and orange tile roofs. There were multiple ponds, pools, streams, and fountains with swans and ducks.


A swan by one of the ponds.

 The garden felt like a resort full of masses of roses and other flowers and greenery with paths and walkways winding throughout. This had once been the home and sculpture garden of a Texas oil man. He had an incredible collection including works by Modigliani and other artists. The art is gone and there are twelve houses instead of one but it is still a magnificent place.



Chandor Koi
trio- 5 x 5
oil on canvas
SOLD

 I painted from 12:00 to 6:00. I also brought some other paintings. I sold the three 5 x 5 koi paintings above that I painted at Chandor Gardens a few weeks ago.


Fountains in the Garden

 

  The day passed quickly, as days in beautiful places do. I painted one painting (Westridge Roses) and started a second, which I have not finished yet. This was a busy weekend but I enjoyed it all.
   Paint Historic Waxahachie is coming up soon and in July I will have a two artist show with Ann Hardy at the Palace Arts Center in Grapevine Texas. The show will feature new works by both of us. I have a lot of painting to do to get ready for this.