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.

Spring Break 2013

This is the painting that I did out at the Fort Worth Nature Center, in progress.
 

This week was spring break. We were blessed with beautiful weather, and I had many opportunities to work on sculpture and plein air painting, as well as some yard and gardening work. Eight of us went to the Fort Worth Nature Center to paint on Wednesday. We had a beautiful day of it.

This is the view I chose to paint.
 

    I chose to paint part of a trail as it wound up a hill. I'm not finished, and I used a lot of artistic licence and editing, but I am enjoying it. I thought the composition was interesting. Some people did two paintings, one before lunch and one after. But, I came back after we took a break for lunch and continued working on the same painting. 

Some of the marsh grasses and ducks near the causeway to the island.

  There are still many ducks, pelicans, and other waterfowl residing in the wetlands at the nature center. Most of our group chose to paint  the water and grasses or shoreline.

Some of our group already left, but here I am with Janice, Trish, TK, and Olivette ready to have lunch.

    On Thursday some of our friends went to Weatherford to paint at Chandor Garden. We had a glorious day of it. The garden was looking very nice as a lot of work and painting has gone on during the winter. We ordered lunch (chicken salad sandwiches, iced tea, chips, and brownies) delivered from Yesterday's Sandwich Shop.



The scene I started painting.

   I chose to paint the stream, bridge, and fountain. It is a beautiful location to look at as well as to listen to the bubbling of the water.


The flower bed across the back of my yard.

   Spring is in full swing. Every morning I go out and see new plants in bloom and hear more birds singing. I love the colors of fall best, but the promise of spring is my favorite time of year.  I spent a great deal of time working in my gardens. I also worked in the vegetable garden planting asparagus, tomatoes, peppers, and raspberry plants. I already have peas and potatoes planted. 

Some of my daffodils in bloom.

Texas Masters show Demo, Painting at the Fort Worth Nature Center, and Jill Carver's Workshop

      First my big news, Friday, March 1st, I will be doing a sculpture demo  at the Texas Masters Show at the Insight Gallery from 6:00 to 8:00. They always have a really top notch opening to the show with Texas foods and drinks and some of the best artists from the state will be there. I was so thrilled when they asked me to do the demo. Other artists who have done demos recently there are Scott Christianson, Quang Ho, and Jill Carver.



View from the boardwalk at the Fort Worth Nature Center

   Today I went with six of my hardiest friends to paint at the Fort Worth Nature Center. I say that because the temperature was about 40 when we started. If it had been warmer we would have had about 15 artists instead of just seven of us.


Me Painting on the end of the boardwalk at the Fort Worth Nature Center.
 

    When we got there we decided to go and paint out on the boardwalk. This was probably the worst place for us to set up as it was really cold being there above the water, exposed to the wind and in the shade. However we liked the color of the grasses and the water. There was also an abundance of ducks and other waterfowl in the area..



Steve Miller, Dan Spangler, Olivette Hubler, and Linnea McKinney painting at the end of the boardwalk.

   Despite the cold it was a great place to paint. After we got to a stopping point some of us left and the rest of us went to lunch and then back to paint. By this time it really had warmed up to a very nice temperature. We were glad that we had returned. The nature center is such an amazing place. Several of us said that we felt like we were  on a vacation just being there surrounded by the beautiful scenery.

The second  study  I worked on today.

We went to a different location to paint in the afternoon. I chose to paint a study of some cedar and prickly pear cacti, a very Texas scene. I took a workshop last week at Acton Texas with Jill Carver. We worked on values mostly but also on painting looser. I was pleased with the looseness on this one but am still working on the values.

The paint was wet and shiny, so my study looks lighter here than it really is.

    The Jill Carver workshop was really super. She is an extraordinary teacher.  The workshop was at Campfire USA's El Tesoro campground in Acton, Texas. It was three days, Tuesday through Thursday. I love Jill's work and without doubt this was three of my most productive days with regard to education.

Jill brought several paintings showing her work . I bought this one she painted at Port Aransas, one of my favorite places.

      The subject of the workshop was composition (using Notan - creating a black and white  painting to simplify and check the composition before beginning the actual painting) and value by limiting the painting to three or four values. This was a very different way of approaching painting and all of us felt like beginners. .


Some of our group at Maryann's in Acton.

      This was a very intensive class. I think all of us were exhausted at the end of each day, but still we had time for fun. There were 15 of us in the class and I knew, and had painted with all but one of them. The first evening after class we met at my friend Maryann's property for a bonfire and cookout.We had  hot dogs and wine and a lot of other great things.



A view at camp El Tesoro

The last day of class was one of the best, the weather was incredibly nice. Warm, sunny and no wind. We painted along the stream bed with the limestone cliffs, winter grasses, and cedar trees. Then Jill bought us pizza for lunch and she did one last demo that afternoon.  I would recommend her as a teacher to anyone. She talks about everything from the creative process to safety issues regarding artist's materials. I will absolutely take another class from her when I  have the opportunity again.


Jill doing a demo at camp El Tesoro

Two Projects Finished

Fort Worth Nature Center
oil on steel star
Donation for the North Texas Alzheimer's Association

      Here are two pieces of art I've been working on recently. The first is a painting that I've been working on for a while. It is a steel star that I painted for the North Texas Alzheimer's Association. I, along with several of my friends, decorated these stars and they will be auctioned off at a fund raiser at Ridglea Country Club early in the spring for the group. My painting is inspired by the landscape and animals of the Fort Worth Nature Center. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the others come up with.

Marine Creek Schoolhouse
20 x 24
oil on canvas

     The second is a painting of the Marine Creek schoolhouse, Fort Worth's first school. This school was originally in Fort Worth's Northside and now sits in Log Cabin Village.It was built as a school for the 20 or so school age children in Fort Worth at that time.
      Today Fort Worth has beautiful trees everywhere but in the oldest photos of the city there are very few trees. I imagine most of the first trees were cut down to build the early structures in the city and also as fuel for heating and cooking. I wanted to capture that empty feel but decided to add a few bare trees for the purpose of the composition.
       

My Paintings for the Preservation is the Art of the City Show

 My paintings are finally ready for Historic Fort Worth's Preservation is the Art Of the City Show.  I had a bit of trouble with my photography, meaning I think they look better in person than here on the computer. I will have one painting in the Stories from the City category, that is the painting above. Heading for the Shade- Fort Worth Nature Center. I have really enjoyed the nature center this summer. I hope my painting at the show will introduce and encourage new people to visit and become interested in the nature center. I think it is a real hidden gem in fort Worth.

 I have three other  large paintings all based on my photography and sketches from trips to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. I have been there several times  and love it but I am so pleased that we have our own bison herd right here in Fort Worth at the nature center.

 I have five smaller paintings in the show most of which are plein air. Four of them are 8 x 10s and one is a 6 x 8. The first is a painting of Belted Galloways from Fredericksburg, down in the Texas Hill Country. Two others are fall paintings from Aledo and Granbury, two towns near here.The fourth is from our Botanical Gardens right  here in Fort Worth. The last painting is the 6 x 8. It is a painting of a sunset in New Mexico, just outside Santa Fe. I guess what my paintings have in common is that they are all  landscapes from some of my favorite places in Texas and the Western United States

Art Every Day

The Garden Child
8 x 10
oil on canvas
$175

 I have not posted in a while, but I have been really busy creating art. I have a lot of paintings in progress but I'm posting one I finished on Saturday. I am also working on several sculptures, working on entering shows, and generally staying really busy.

Olivette and I painting at Chandor Gardens in Weatherford.

Today for example a group of us went out to Chandor Gardens in Weatherford  to paint. It really was not too hot, and it always seems about 10 degrees cooler or less in these gardens. We had a good group turn out to paint, Olivette Hubler, Steve Miller, Allen and Tosca Engish, Dan Spangler, Moira McCarthy, and Linnea (I don't remember her last name.) It was a great day for painting. We also had a great lunch catered by a local restaurant called the Wild Mushroom. It was served in the  room that served as the studio of Douglas Chandor. I sculpted later in the day.

One of Dennis's great landscapes.

Yesterday I went to the Art with Artists critique group. This is a super group that I go to in the summer. They meet once a month at one of the member's homes and have breakfast and then they bring their art to critique and share what they have been working on. This month the group met at Blair and Janelle Curren's home in Aledo.

Four of John's great still lifes

Not all the members were there this time. Those present were, Blair and his wife, a friend of theirs, John Cook, Dennis Farris, Beatriz Welsh, Darnell Jones, Nancy Boren and me. Blair and Janell fixed a great breakfast including fresh Parker County Peaches.

John getting ready to share a larger painting.

There was a lot of really great art to look at. One of the things that makes it so great is that they all have very different styles but they are all very talented. John Cook brought the most paintings, two large partings and four small ones. Nancy brought five, Dennis  brought three, I brought two paintings and a sculpture, and everyone else shared one painting. One of the topics was information on painting from old art books. Nancy told about one from England, that talked about how when an artist goes out to paint they should find a "rustic" to carry their materials when painting outdoors. Blair had a great old book  from his grandfather from the 1920s. It said that  to create a great painting took two artist, one to paint it, and one to "kill him" before he over painted it. This was the author's way of talking about the universal  problem of overworking a painting.

Blair and Janell's patio, it reminds me of a view in New Mexico.

Blair and Janelle live out in the country. We saw several hummingbirds on the patio and a roadrunner in the front yard. There is a great view off the back patio. You feel like you are far away from everything. In fact they had a lot of photos of a mother fox that raised a family of six foxes under their deck. Seeing wildlife up close is one of the treats  of living in the country. At my mom and dad's they have some foxes too, as well as deer, armadillos and cottontail rabbits.

Scout on my patio where I did some of my sculpting and painting.

   
Sunday I worked at home on my sculptures and paintings on my patio, accompanied by my studio assistant Scout. My friend Tosca had told me about an old British mystery called Five Red Herrings by Dorothy Sayers. It is about a  group of plein air painters, one of whom gets murdered,  on a painting trip in Scotland. I had  ordered this from Ebay and started reading it today. I'm also reading a book on the art of Maynard Dixon.  Lastly I did quite a bit of yard work.

Me painting the picture I posted at the top of this blog.

Saturday several of my friends went to paint in the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens.We had a good group show up for painting and later lunch. My friends with us today were Olivette Hubler, T. K. Riddle, Tosca Engish, Candy Clynch, Margie Whittington and her husband, who has started painting more, Hai Chi Lee, Dan Spangler, Moira McCarthy and Linnea.

T.K. painting behind where I was set up.

Tosca painting on a park bench in the gardens.

Candy painting a floral painting

A grazing bison at the Fort Worth Nature Center.

 I'm working on several bison paintings for some shows this fall so earlier in the week I took some more photos at the fort Worth nature Center when I went painting there with my friend Kent Brewer from Waxahachie.

Bison in the shade at the nature center.