New Year - 2019

Trying to turn over a new leaf is hard sometimes but also exciting too.  I am going to restart my newsletter efforts which have been pretty lame I must admit.  So we get that apology out of the way and make room for the new effort to start.

Been doing lots of life drawing lately trying to improve my vision, because drawing is not about making marks as much as seeing. It's also about practice.  Again, I find golf and art with similarities, both require repeating motions and clear focus. I'll be talking about practice and focus more this month.  Here is an example of my life drawing.

First Stop Palo Duro Canyon

Once I got out of Austin, I seemed to relax and breath a little easier.  Not sure why except I probably realized I was finally on my way to adventure.  Good time to look at a map.  So I stopped in Lampasas to plot a course.  Once I got back on the highway and was immediately pulled over by the local sheriff for speeding! 

Epic Art Road Trip

This is day one of my road trip through Texas, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico.  I am very excited and pretty serious!  I have a loose agenda which includes a workshop in Denver with two excellent artists and teachers Casey Klahn and Ken Elliott along with 7 other artists.  Besides that confirmed date I am totally freelancing my trip.  As the character from Pulp Fiction said, "I'm going to walk the earth"!  Here we go!

Chama Hillside

Majestic Baldy-Frio River

We have gone to Garner State Park almost every year for over 10 years and I never get tired of painting this mountain above the river.  This is the scene we see from our campsite.

Evening Glow

I wanted to create a painting with a triad color scheme and since this blue violet is one of "my" colors, green and orange fell right into place as the additional two colors!  No matter how I resist being creative and spontaneous, sometimes having a plan can be very beneficial.  I am pleased with the results of this 15x18" pastel on sanded paper, enjoy!

Enchanted Path

I have been working with oil pastels recently and have really enjoyed the experience.  There is more of a "painting" feel to this medium unlike soft pastels.  I suppose it is because of the wax base that it seems to be oily.  Also a reminder to come to my gallery opening at Hyde Park on Duval this Monday Oct 3 from 5:00-7:00.  I have 32 pieces on display!

Sunset in oil pastel

I recently completed this large painting of a sunset which was inspired by Palo Duro Canyon in the Panhandle.  In reality the sunset actually occurred in New Mexico but the foreground was too distracting to be a part of the painting so I took artistic license and added the mesas in the foreground. I have been working with oil pastel to see how the medium performed on a larger piece than I normally paint in soft dry pastel.  I am expecting to complete the framing without the glazing necessary for dry pastel.  I photographed it on my patio under the dappled light of the huge oak in our yard.  I like the effect of the shadows.

Sunset on the Ranch

Sunsets in Texas are special because there is always a story.  This sunset could be almost any ranch in Texas but this particular scene is from the central plains not far from Dallas. Painted with soft pastel on sanded paper. There is no other place I would rather be than here at this time of the day.

Hill Country Wildflowers

The hill country around Texas west of Austin is beautiful in the springtime. There is such an abundance of color amid the huge canopy of green that covers the whole state. Unfortunately it does not last very long.  I painted this during a Dallas Cowboys game that was on my studio television while I painted.  It was like have  the radio on while used to do my homework in college.  i don't know why but it seems to help me concentrate. I guess I never really liked the Cowboys.. Go Oilers, Luv Ya Blue!

Working with art galleries

Several years ago I was very much about finding galleries to show and sell my work.  I even spent a couple of days while I was in New York to visit potential gallery partners. That was all before the WWW revolution and Google. I was very pleased to find a large, prominent and willing gallery in Santa Fe to carry my work. I placed I think, 14 paintings there.  here is a picture of two friends visiting this gallery and standing in front of 2 paintings of mine. Unfortunately this gallery sold 3 pieces of mine, went bankrupt and closed without paying me!  

Self Portraits

Many times I have fooled around creating a self portrait for fun.  The only person I can paint and not offend is me.  So I am the usual suspect!

Shadows on the Sandia Mountains

While I was in New Mexico this spring the clouds were beautiful like floating mountains. The patterns on the landscape highlighted the shapes and contours of the majestic Sandia Mountains.Although not as tall as the peaks in Colorado, these mountains have a soulful mystery that is inspiring to artists everywhere.

Giant Bald Cypress

These giant bald cypress trees along the waterways in central Texas are 400-600 years old.  The recent flooding along the Blanco and San Marcos rivers dislodged many of these ancient trees and sent them careening down the river wiping out all in their path. Their stately beauty is as awesome as their destructive power.  Life in balance. Pastel on paper 10"x10".

Tranquil Sunday

This is a Little Green Tree which gives me peace and tranquility on a beautiful Sunday in Austin Texas. We are building a beautiful stone patio at our home.  I need to leave the process to the pros I have hired.  So I'm doing what I do...paint!

Bait and switch.

Just did a quick turn around to Dallas yesterday.  Atlee Phillips at the Heritage Gallery selected this work to go into the May sale.  Although I caught her eye with the previously posted piece from the Frio River, she switched to this image called "West Texas Sky".  I am just grateful that she has chosen my work to be in the next sale.  I am the only artist she works with directly.  All her other clients are collectors who are consigning work to Heritage.

Heritage Art spring auction

It has been about 2 years since I submitted anything to Heritage for their Texas American and Western art sale.  I contacted my friend and Heritage rep Atlee Phillips and she happily invited me to submit a couple of pieces to see if they qualify.  I have been working on this one today and expect to finish it later tonight.  Of course, Garner State Park and the Frio River.

Now Golf

Had good time last night with some friends from Westbury HS I had not seen for literally 50 years. Needless to say there were some surprises!  I told one friend, it was like being at a costume party.Everybody made up as someone else, with all of guessing who was who! There were several ah ha moments!

Passing Time

It has been several months since my last post.  Of course as time passes things change, as it should be. Thank goodness I am not stuck in time!

I will travel to Houston today to play golf with some of my HS buddies in conjunction with the Westbury HS class reunion of the 1962-1965 classes.  Although my class was 1966 I have many friends in the earlier classes.  I am a little nostalgic, and so I think and plan what is to come next for me.  Traveling into the past helps me to see into the future.

I will post more often, I promise, maybe daily.

And so I'm off for the days of future past!

Passing Time

It has been severalm