Aspen Trees in Chama New Mexico

One of my most favorite places on earth is New Mexico. And of all the beautiful places I've seen and those I have yet to see the scenery around Chama, in the northwest part of the state, is one of the most beautiful. The aspens are glorious in the fall and the weather is perfect.

Red Maples - 2010 redux

Sometimes an artist is not quite satisfied with a painting after it is framed and hung somewhere on view. After living with this Red Maples for a while and having it shown in galleries, I decided it was too dark. So I went back into it to lighten it up a bit. I am very please with the results. It is framed in a mesquite frame image size is 17"x 21" looking for a home.

Red Maples - 2010

Sometimes an artist will complete a painting, but it is just not quite right. This piece was an example of that case. I went back in to do a little reconstruction and make it brighter. I am very happy with the results. This piece is 17"x 21" in a nice hand made mesquite frame. Looking for a home...

Evening Above the Frio-Garner State Park

The scenic overlook at Garner is just one of my all time favorite views in Texas. I have painted this scene many times and never get tired of painting it. I will be posting other new paintings of this part of Texas in the next few weeks. Our hill country views are similar to other locales around the world, but just knowing this is the real deal THE hill country, makes all the difference.

Blue Door- Santa Fe, New Mexico

Santa Fe is just my perfect place on earth. Weather, golf, food and of course art. I completed this little pastel piece this morning. Worked on it yesterday with my friend Regina Calton Burchett. The light in Santa Fe is exquisite and the cast shadows on the adobe walls are just magical and colorful. Cheryl and I will be in New Mexico at the end of this month, can't wait!

Bandon Dunes - 5th hole

This piece is the second of two paintings of one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Bandon Dunes in southern Oregon is on the Pacific ocean. We played golf there for a week in March. This particular day was the best weather we saw all week.

Pacific Dunes 13th Hole - Par 4

During my excellent trip to Bandon Dunes, Oregon, with ten of my golf buddies, I promised to paint a couple of paintings to remind us of the trip. This first one is one of the most memorable, #13. The wind was blowing so hard off the ocean my ball actually was blown off the green into a fairway bunker below and 40 yards away. I went from a hopeful par to a certain double boggie or worse, in a heart beat. The green is resting at the foot of the monstrous sand dune throne where we paid our respects and homage.

Our Blue Heaven - Grey Rock circa 1993

When Grey Rock first opened in 1992 the whole area to the right of #6 fairway was all wild flowers. I painted a pastel piece of that scene and reworked it this week. I like this painting because it really captures then sense of natural beauty that can occur on a golf course. This is indeed our blue heavenly sanctuary.

Texas Sunset

Finally back to pastels! This medium is really my favorite because it is so much like drawing. With oils you have that annoying little brush that keeps me away from the action. With pastels I am on the field in the thick of things. I know it may seem strange to talk like this, but art and the creation of it is a little mysterious anyway. This piece is one of the first pastels I have started and completed in the studio in 2010. It is large 24" x 28" and will be for sale in the May auction at Heritage Art Auction, unless someone wants it now. If you want to see it let me know.

Working Fast Outdoors

When artists, out in the elements, get their easels all teed up, ready to paint, they have to move pretty darned quick, PDQ. As the sun goes up or down, the clouds are always moving, bad weather maybe coming in, insects working for a meal, you get the picture. It is a test of skills: organizational, artistic, patience and humility. I'm pretty good on most of the skills except the last two, patience and humility. I am working hard to acquire a bigger share of these. This painting was done outdoors in the Sandia Mountains outside Albuquerque and required all of my skills. Therefore,I humbly offer it for your viewing.

Palo Duro Canyon - Amarillo Texas

People in the Panhandle of Texas call the Palo Duro Canyon the Texas Grand Canyon. I have to ask, "Have you seen the Grand Canyon?" While this is certainly one of the most beautiful places on earth it is only a fraction of the size of the other canyon in Colorado and Arizona. But yes, it is very beautiful! I painted here with Albert Handel and a group of other artists and produced this piece. The colors are very typical of this wonderful state park. I camped out all week in the canyon alone. It was a spiritual week indeed.

New Mexico Landscape - Sandia Mountains I

A few years ago I took a workshop with Gil Dellinger a professor and painter from California. I chose to work in oils during the workshop. It was held in the Sandia Mountains just outside of town in Albuquerque New Mexico. The Sandia Mountains overlook the city and are beautiful and accessible from my friends Steve and Diana Jackson's house. So it was a very comfortable trip and a pleasant experience. I remember my oil technique was new then and I struggled a bit at first. I have been working hard with my oils for the past couple of years and I decided to re-paint a couple of these Sandia scenes. I am quite pleased with results. Maybe Steve and Diana will let me come back this year and paint these scenes again from life. we'll see.....

Hawaiian Sunset

Over thirty years ago, before Cheryl and I got married, we went to Hawaii for a vacation together. Our hotel in Waikiki was right on the beach. One afternoon I shoot some beautiful pictures from our room balcony. The colors of blue in the water were gorgeous. The range of color was from deep violet to shimmering turquoise. I always wanted to paint this photograph, so with the weather as cold and rainy as it has been here, I decided it was a good time to visit Hawaii, again. Although it is not in person, this mini-vacation is relaxing and fun. Hope you enjoy..

Fall Shadows ~ Grey Rock Golf Club

I have been messing with this painting for a couple of years. Every now and then I drag it out, whip on it a little until I get tried, then I put it back until next time. I suppose we need to be reminded how hard this painting thing is for most people. However, this time I took a different approach. Throwing caution to the wind, I decided to lower my expectations and have a little color fest, what the heck! And I really like the results. So I guess I can leave this one in the light out of hiding in the closet. Poor thing it just needed an little infusion of FUN, sound familiar? Maybe you should relax and have more fun, too.

Edgar Payne ~ My Rendition

Many times artists copy the work of other artists they admire as an exercise, sort of like doing pushups or going to the driving range and hitting wedges for 2 hours. The main benefit that comes from painting someone else's work for fun and practice is you usually end up with a pretty nice little painting. Now I have done this and even sold them to other people but only after I attribute the original artist and make it clear that I have created a rendition of another's work. I have always admired Edgar Payne and I painted one of his paintings for practice. Golly, it was almost like having a lesson from Mr. Payne. Thanks very much, pro!

Hill Country Trail - oil on Ampersand board

I have been working in oils lately and have enjoyed learning more about the surface treatment. There are several reasons why a particular piece appeals to certain people. The subject, composition, color, size, price and surface treatment. Or as some people say "how you handle the paint". This particular piece is a familiar subject and composition, but the use of the media (in this case oil paint) is the attraction for me to this scene.