Caught up as of today!

Mustang Spirit
bronze on granite

    March 7th was the Texas Masters Show at the Insight Gallery in Fredericksburg. As always it is a tremendous honor to be part of the show. This show features some of the very finest representational artists working in Texas. This year my newest sculpture in the show is a running mustang called Mustang Pride.
     One of the most enjoyable things about this time of the year has been the Sorolla exhibit at the Meadows museum in Dallas. This has to be my favorite show of any artist''s work I have seen. It really gives a complete view of the artist, his process, and his work. By the time the show ended this weekend I had seen it six times. Each time I went it was with  different groups of friends and each time I saw different things and in different ways. Some of the pieces were from private collections and so there was a certain feeling of sadness in thinking that I would never see some of them again.



Bison in Spring
8 x 10
oil on canvas

    I had two big events on March 29th. The first was a paintout with ten of my friends at the Fort Worth Nature Center .I painted one of the bison. These paintings will be auctioned off at a dinner and fundraiser on April 26th at the Nature Center. The show may be viewed online on their website.



Spring in Texas
8 x 10
oil on canvas

      The second event of the day was the Fort Worth Art Dealers Association's Spring Gallery Night.I had paintings and sculptures at a place called Portfolio on Camp Bowie. My friend Margaret did a sculpture demo and I did a painting Demo. I did a painting of bluebonnets and cattle. This one was started from photos and finished in plein air.



Dutch Branch Park

       The last two weeks I have discovered a new place to paint, Dutch Branch Park at Benbrook Lake only a couple of minutes from my house .It is a beautiful place with wildlife, hiking trails, horse trails, and nice views. ( I used to take my Labradors here to practice their retrieving in the lake.) Last Saturday a group of seven of us went out around sunrise and painted there. I started two paintings there and also worked on my painting from Gallery Night. I had to leave early to take some sculptures to David Dike Fine Art to replace several that had recently  sold there. Then I went back to the Meadows Museum to see Sorolla for one last time with some more friends. I ran into several other fellow artists there. I think almost every artist I know who saw it went more than once.
      Today I met my friend Linnea back at Dutch Branch Park to paint again. It was a beautiful day, not nearly as windy as last Saturday. We saw a flock of six wild turkeys and several deer. I worked on my two paintings from last Saturday, started a new one, and finished the one from Gallery Night. I would have liked to have painted longer but my nephews had baseball games today. In the evening I worked on several sculptures and watched a movie on Theo and Vincent Van Gogh.

Kachina still life paintings and one by Qiang Huang

The Crow Mother
12 x 16
oil on canvas

    Last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday I was very fortunate to take a workshop in Granbury Texas on still life painting with my friend Qiang Huang. I have known Qiang for several years from several events we were both involved in with Camp Fire USA and from the Insight Gallery where we both show and I have  always admired his talent as a painter and I can honestly say that he is an amazing teacher. Being gifted at painting and able to teach it do not always go hand in hand. but when they do you are in for a treat. Qiang is a very organized and thoughtful painter and teacher.



Grandmother Kachina
12 x 16
oil on canvas

   One of the things that excited me about the class was that we were able to bring our own objects to paint. I gathered some indian corn I'd grown, picked some peppers from my garden and then raided my collection of Hopi kachinas and pueblo pottery. Being able to select what I wanted to paint really created a lot more interest in painting for me. Several of my good friends from the area were in the class also. The first day I went out to lunch but after that I was too busy painting to go out for lunch. Friday night we did all go out to dinner as a group which was very fun.


painting by Qiang Huang
9 x12
oil on canvas

   On the last day of class I traded Qiang one of my small bronzes for his first demo. I have pieces of art from many of my friends and I'm always eager to add more, I just wish I could add more wall space

Dedication of the Phyllis Tilley Memorial Bridge

Phyllis Tilley Memorial Bridge
8 x 10
oil on canvas
SOLD
 

This morning I, along with four other artists, went down to Trinity Park for the dedication of the Phyllis Tilley Memorial Bridge.   This is the first bridge for pedestrians and bicyclists to  have to cross the river. The other artists present were Carol Ivey, Cecilia Robertson, Blair Currin, and Linda Reedy. Almost as soon as I arrived it began to rain. So we found places to paint out of the weather and then enjoyed the cool temps and soft light.

The view of the bridge I chose to paint.



My painting on the easel with the view in the background.

Me painting my first painting of the day.

Me sitting under a tent painting.
 

The rain softened the light and colors and made it really a fun view to paint. Deborah Ferguson from channel 5 news  was the master of ceremonies of the event. Fort Worth's  mayor, Betsy Price, The engineers, architects, and many of the council men were present. They gathered on the far side of the Trinity River to begin the dedication ceremony.

Linda  Reedy in the red hat and Cecilia Robertson in the light colored hat.



The mayor's party  crossing the bridge to the sound of  "When The Saints Go Marching In".



Mayor Betsy Price making a speech.

Then while we  continued to paint, the crowd on our side gathered at the end of the bridge to greet the mayor's party as they crossed the bridge for the ribbon cutting. When they reached the end the crowd released blue and green balloons into the air. Then the mayor and other members of the delegation spoke, including the family of Phyllis Tilley, the Woman the Bridge was named for. Phyllis had been a real promoter of the land along the Trinity River. After the speeches we turned in our paintings. Linda and I both sold ours. Mine was purchased by Phyllis's daughter.

My second painting of the day after the light changed.
Opening Day of the Phyllis Tilley Bridge
8 x 10
oil on canvas
$250

My friends left after that, but I stayed and painted a second painting in the sunlight. There were air boat rides, craft booths, and catered lunches to be eaten under the tents while a variety of musical groups performed. I finished my second painting as the event ended. Streams and Valleys the group that sponsored the event will be selling the unsold paintings on their website. I think my second painting was sold also, but I am not positive.

A group from the Fort Worth rowing club.

Two air boats that were giving rides on the Trinity River

Bison Painting

Yellowstone Bison #2
11 x 14
oil on canvas
$600

  Here is another bison painting I just finished today. It may be a bit shiny in a few wet areas but I am pretty pleased with it. Bison are one of my favorite animals and I have so many photographs of them from all over but especially in Yellowstone National Park. This painting is of a bison cow and bull in the park. I always used to picture them on flat treeless plains but in Yellowstone they are everywhere, and often in lightly forested areas.  As a kid I remember seeing the paintings and sculptures of Charles Russell and thinking how neat buffalos were. As an adult,  they are some of my favorite animals to  paint and sculpt.