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.

The Texas Masters Show

Me working on my demo at The Texas Masters Show at the Insight Gallery
 

     This weekend was one of the ones  I most  look forward to every year. It was the start of the Texas Masters Show at the Insight Gallery in Fredericksburg. This year I did a sculpture demo during the opening reception.  It was really great meeting some of my collectors. I was truly impressed by them.
   
      Another thing that I thoroughly enjoyed was visiting with the other artists. Because I was doing my demo I didn't get to talk with all of the great artists there, but  some of my favorite artists that  I visited with were Gladys Roldan-de-Moras, Jill Carver, D. Larue Mahlke, Bob Guelich, Mary Buchholz, George Halmark, and Chuck Rawle.


       The next morning after the show I drove around to enjoy the scenery and wildlife of the Hill Country and then went back to the Insight Gallery to watch painting demos by Cheri Christensen and Mark Haworth. It was a very interesting demo and a nice way to wrap up the weekend at Fredericksburg. This turned out to be a profitable and enjoyable weekend.

Two of my bronzes in the show.

 

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Three of my bronzes in the show.

Two more of my bronzes in the show.

A Golden Fall

First to Turn
8 x 10
oil on canvas
$75

We have had a very beautiful fall so far, perhaps not as great as we had hoped but much nicer than last year. The yellow golds are brilliant. I have been very busy with shows and events but have been able to get out and paint some too while the color lasts. Today was a super day. We had a large group turn out. Olivette Hubler, Jeff Ott, Linnea McKinney, Dan Spangler, George De Chiaro, Ann Hardy, Debob Jacob, Cecilia Robertson, Claudia Davis, Maryann Brummer, Sara Ward, Janice Weaver, T.K. Riddle and I made up today's group. We met at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens. It started out pretty chilly but did warm up. Some artists painted the roses which are really nice, but most chose to paint the foliage.

The Pecan Pickers
11 x 14
oil on canvas
$200

 We went to lunch at the Kimble Art Museum. It is always a great place to eat. Then we went to see the new show at the Amon Carter Museum. We had a docent led tour of this exhibit which is from the Phillips collection. Wow, it was really great! Paintings by Whistler, Homer, Eakins, and many other great American artists but I have to say one of my favorites was a painting by Grandma Moses. It was the first painting I ever saw of hers in person. It was a very pleasant  painting, a snow scene.

November Path
8 x 10
oil on canvas
$75

   That was today. Earlier in the week I painted out as well and last weekend too. Some other things I have done recently were participating in Campfire's an Artists' Christmas where my donation was one of the three top selling pieces of art in the silent auction. I also participated in the creation of a video for the Sid Richardson Museum in which I am working on a sculpture and talking about a painting with one of my former students. It should be on their website later this month. I had a small piece in the small works section of the November Issue of the Western Art Collector magazine. I've got several shows coming up in December but more about those later.

Paint the Cowtown Art Show

Invitation to our show.

       This Thursday is the reception for the Paint the Cowtown Art Show at the Fort Worth Central Library in beautiful downtown Fort Worth on 500 West Third Street. This show features the plein air paintings from 12 North Texas artists - Robbie Clemmer,Tosca Engisch, Sabine Higgins, Olivette Hubler, Sheri Jones, Steve Miller, Linda Popple, T.K. Riddle, Dan Spangler, Sara Ward, Beatriz Welch, and myself. Our reception is from 6:00 to 8:00. I hope you will be able to join us.
Doug

My Work Is On Display at the Modern Art Museum With Lucian Freud.

Me sculpting a bison from a Charles Russell painting.

I am horribly behind in posting. I have had so much going on that I've let that slide, but I'll at least write about today. Today, I did a sculpture demonstration at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
Of all our fine museums in Fort Worth  this is one I never  expected  to have my work in. Currently there is a large Lucian Freud exhibit, only being shown here and in London. But for today, visitors to the museum could see my sculptures and the portraits of Lucien Freud in the same venue.

Me blocking in my sculpture in the Fort Worth Modern Art Museum

 I was actually here as a guest of the Sid Richardson Museum. This Is our  Educators Evening in Fort Worth. all the  museums are free  to educators today and they have special exhibits to show what all they have to offer. The Sid Richardson is in down town quite a distance from the museum district, so they had a setup here in the Modern.

 

 The Sid Richardson is having a sculpture exhibit on the works of Remington and as part of this  they asked me to do the sculpture demo.They asked me to choose a painting from their collection and do a sculpture based on it . I selected a Russell painting, The Wounded Buffalo is the title I think. I decided to do a bison from the painting.

 

One of my works in clay, one in wax, and a finished piece.

 I brought a sculpture of a bison in clay, a wax copy of one of my bison sculptures, and a bronze, in addition to the materials  to create a new  sculpture.
 There were hundreds of people here and I saw  many that I  knew. It was a really fun evening.


Me explaining my sculpture process.

So as I said, for  one day at least,  my art  was in the  same  museum as  Lucien Freud, Andy Warhol, and many other modern artists.

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

I want your opinion.

The Story Teller - Concho
Work in progress in my studio.

Work in progress in my studio.

 This is one of my Indian busts I have been working on. I know that many people say that art should tell a story. I decided to call this piece The Story Teller - Concho. In the past the Indians of the Southwest had an oral tradition of passing down their stories and history. They also left beautiful petroglyphs and pictographs on the walls of canyons, caves and rock formations. These also were a form of communication.

The front of the base.

   I was trying to decide what kind of structure to place my bust on that will attach to the granite when it is cast. I decided ( I think) to create kind of an organic rock like base covered with the designs taken from the rock art of the Southwest. So this is my question. What do you think? Does it work for you? As artists I would like to hear what you think.

Side view of base.

Back of the base with my signature.

Side view of the base.

The Stars and Stripes

   Happy Fourth of July today. I got up early and worked in my gardens, picked some fruits and vegetables, had a visit from some Jehovah's witnesses traveling through my neighborhood, and played with my dogs.

Today's Harvest
Squash, peppers, tomatoes, peaches, okra, a cucumber, and three miniature oranges

   Soon I'll be going out to lunch and then out to paint with my friend Kent Brewer. I hope you all have a Happy Fourth and see lots of beautiful fireworks.
    Doug

Scout in the backyard.

More from Fort Worth

Fort Worth Livestock Exchange
8 x 10
oil on canvas
$350

 On Sunday I went to the Stock Yards to paint with my friend Olivette Hubler. It was a very nice day, sometimes cloudy but wonderful for January. I began by painting the Fort worth Livestock Exchange building.

My painting and the subject.

 There were many tourists as usual. People come from all over the world to Texas to see and experience the Old West and this is one of the best places I know of to experience remnants of that period of history which is gone but not forgotten.

Me, painting on Exchange Street.

The livestock exchange is one of the most beautiful buildings in the stock yards. Once it was a great place of business and commerce. Now I think a museum is in it and some offices. During the summer various demonstrations and events (like armadillo races) are held on its lawn.

Stage coach on Exchange Street

Every weekend there are stage coach rides, cattle drives and other events. It is an experience meant to be a pleasure for the entire family. I truly enjoy painting here and although this is my home always feel like a bit of a tourist myself while I am here.

The colors of Winter
8 x 10
oil on panel
$300

 After painting on Exchange Street, Olivette and I had lunch at Riskys and then walked over a street to a totally different view. This is an area near the train tracks for the steam locomotive that comes into the stock yards. There is an old house, windmill, and great clumps of sage and cactus.

Olivette on the other side of the tracks.

 These photos were taken when the sky was clearer and there was more color. But while I painted my painting it was very overcast and everything was shades of gray and pale blue greens, except for the winter grasses which were a bright and beautiful green.

The old house and cacti.

 I had driven by this site many times and always desired to paint it. I am very glad that we painted here today. This is a small site but it has the feel and look of being far from the city. I will be sure to come back again and perhaps try painting a scene of the house and windmill as Olivette did.

A young longhorn cow with her first calf.

On Tuesday evening I went to the Fort Worth Stock Show. I've always enjoyed this from my childhood when I used to go and watch my cousins show their Hereford cattle.This event lasts several weeks. Every few days new breeds of animals are brought  to the show. The longhorns were going out today so I made a point of going to work on my longhorn sculpture while they were still there. The great thing about sculpting at the stock show was being able to work right up close to the animals. I was able to make some very important changes to my sculpture. I may go back and sculpt a Hereford  or Angus before the show ends. (I had a pet Angus calf that my grandmother bought me when I was about eight.)

Me sculpting, using a  young longhorn as my model.

The Road Not Taken

The Road not Taken
9 x 12
oil on canvas
$400

This is an unpaved service road/trail in the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens. I've never walked all of  it, but I like how it looks and have painted it a few times.  I just recently painted an 8 x 10 of it and decided to do a larger version of it in my newer, looser style. This one is a 9 x 12. I really am enjoying painting faster. I think I'll get a larger brush and try an even larger version in the near future.                               

Color at the End of Fall.

Warm Colors of Fall
8 x 10
oil on canvas
$300

Here is a painting that I began in early December, still fall, in the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens. Then I decided to go back in and try loosening  up my brushwork. I think I like it better now. It sure has a different feel to it.
 I love the colors of fall and of course in Texas fall comes late, and sometimes hardly at all. There is something so special to me when the weather first starts to change. But tonight it is COLD and I'm sitting in front of the fire in my den with one of my dogs curled up beside me and I'm thinking I wouldn't mind some warmer weather.

To Be Continued

Winter Path
8 x 10
Oil on Canvas

 Here are two works in progress. The first is a painting that I began in the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens in plein air. It looked like one of my regular paintings. Then my friend Beatriz encouraged me to really loosen it up. I like the result a lot although it looks nothing like my regular work. I'll do a bit more with it but probably not much.

Black Bear
Clay

The second wip, (work in progress) is my plein air black  bear sculpture. I've been working on her at the Fort Worth Zoo. I read a book about Rodin recently. He often had his models pace or walk around his studio as he sketched or sculpted them. If it was good enough for Rodin it is good enough for me and the bear. Of course he had the advantage of being able to ask his models to stop or hold a pose so I am using some of my photographic reference material as I refine the sculpture. It has been a fun process and I look forward to casting it in bronze.

Merry Christmas

Me and Scout (my chocolate lab) on my front porch

 I want to wish all of my art blog friends a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. As this year comes to a close I can not help but think how blessed I am and wish that all my friends can feel as blessed. We are having some cool weather and I really appreciate it this time of year, of course after December 26th I am ready for spring weather again, and of course a lot of the time we get it here in Fort Worth,

My house lit up for the Holidays

 But despite the cool weather we have been having I have managed to go out and paint a bit and although it is getting quite late in the season there is still a lot of fall color out there waiting to be painted. The painting below is actually one I began around Thanksgiving as I was getting over Pneumonia. I'd seen this tree in the botanical gardens and it was so beautiful. I knew it wouldn't wait for me. So the first time I felt at all up to it I headed out and got an hour's painting in and a photo  so I could finish it later, which I did  last week.



Autumn Gold
8 x 10
oil on canvas
$175



A full weekend

               
                                     

My new sculpture
13 x  8 x 7

                                     
 I finally am back to creating art, working on both sculptures and paintings. One of the sculptures is the longhorn shown above. It is a much larger version of a small longhorn sculpture I did a few years ago. I'm also working on a small horned frog sculpture and a few landscape paintings.
I  went to the radiologist on Friday and got an all clear on my pneumonia and then left to go down to Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country.

A group of blackbuck antelopes.

 As I have said before I love the Texas Hill Country and go every chance I get. This time it was for the opening of the small works show at The Insight Gallery. I have three or four pieces in this show. I was kind of torn because I also had an opening right here in Fort Worth at a brand new gallery, The Gallery in the Alley with my friend Georgia Clarke. This is a two man show and I have a lot of art in it and so would have loved to have been there for it, but I'd already set my mind and heart on Fredericksburg.

The old German cemetery 

 I love the German influence of the region. The language and accent is heard across the town. This weekend there was a Christmas parade and the annual German Christmas Market with ice skating, German foods and gifts.

Deer on a ranch

 The other thing I like about this part of the state is the wildlife. In addition to our native animals like deer and coyotes, there are animals from around the world living here. The most common are deer and antelope from Europe, Africa and Asia. They were originally imported to the large ranches of the region but over time many escaped and have managed to thrive in this area.

Part of the Insight Gallery

 The town was packed as were the galleries, due to all the weekend activities. The Insight was looking great and had large steady crowds all night. They  served egg nog and all sorts of Christmas treats. As always everything was perfect!

Art in the Insight, the smaller bronze sculpture is mine.

 The Insight is in one of the restored stone buildings on Main Street. The building is amazing and really showcases the art well.

One of the floats

 The parade began after 6:00 and consisted of lots of vehicles and floats decorated with Christmas lights, marching bands, representatives of the military, horses, llamas with Christmas lights, and of course Santa Clause. The weather was dreary with light rain but it didn't dampen the spirits of the crowd.

Part of the parade

 The rain lasted through the night and all the next day as I drove back to Fort Worth on Saturday. I did a bit more sculpture on Sunday and it is still raining but after our drought we really need all the rain we can get.