WHERE THE BARN WAS

9/25/10 Plein air 8x10 oil on panel. I painted this at my dad's farm in central Texas last Saturday. My grandfather's barn used to stand in this opening many years ago. It was a beautiful morning and I set up my easel and painted while I enjoyed the peacefulness of the place.

Morning Shadows

Plein Air 6x8 oil on canvas on panel. These plants are in my back yard and I liked the sunlight and shadows on them. The weather here has gotten a little more tolerable lately. It still gets into the 90s every day, but that's a good bit better than the 100s! It should cool off some more in the next few weeks.

MARIACHI

8x10 oil on canvas on panel. I know, it's been a while since I posted, but I've been painting. I'm saving most of the paintings for my show this fall. I painted this today from a photo I took of a mariachi band at a quienceanera we attended in August. Hope you like it.

Blue Vase

14x11 acrylic on canvas board. Yes, another demo for my painting classes at the Museum.

Summer Flowers

11x14 acrylic on canvas board. You guessed it--another demo for my painting classes at the Museum. It's fun to paint shiny objects. Paint the shapes and colors you see in the reflections and not the object itself.

OUT THE WINDOW

8x10 acrylic on canvas board, yep, another demo for my Museum painting class. I can't get the same affect with acrylics as I do with oil, but I enjoy the adventure, anyway. My class is beside a huge window, so we can paint landscapes almost en plein air, but not quite.

Museum Bouquet

10x8 acrylic on canvas board. This is a demo I did for my Museum class this week. I don't know for sure what these flowers are, but I bought them for my students (and me) to paint.

CLEARING SKIES

6x8 oil on canvas on panel. I painted this from one of the pictures I took on my recent trip to Illinois. It had been raining and the skies started clearing. It was misty in the distance with the sun peeking out at times.

SUMMER BOUQUET

8x10 acrylic on canvas board--a demo for my Museum class.

I just returned from a trip to northern Illinois for my niece's wedding. I took my dad with me and it was a great trip--I drove about 2000 miles round trip. I took my paints, hoping to find time to paint en plein air, but, that didn't happen. I did take pictures, though, and I hope to be able to paint tomorrow. A bad case of poison oak has taken me over and I'm waiting for medication from my doctor. Obviously, he doesn't have poison oak or I wouldn't still be waiting... I think it's leprosy...ooooh!

WAXAHACHIE COURTHOUSE

9x12 Plein Air oil on canvas on panel. This is another one of the paintings I did last week at the Paint Historic Waxahachie paint out. It was so HOT (close to 100) and the light was so bright!!! I was standing partially in the shade, but it was a challenge getting this finished.

IN IT'S DAY

10x8 oil on canvas on panel Plein Air painting. This is one of the paintings I did at the Paint Historic Waxahachie paint out. This antique car with a 1949 Texas license plate on it is parked downtown almost all the time. I had lots of fun and did 5 plein air paintings.

Paint Historic Waxahachie

I'll be leaving at 6:00 AM tomorrow to drive to Waxahachie, Texas , near Dallas, for the paint out there. It's about 3 hours from here. I'm really looking forward to it. I will be home late on Sunday, the 6th, with plein air paintings to post.

SPRING MORNING oil on canvas on panel, 12x16

Here's another plein air painting I did at the farm. It's a view from behind the house looking south.

DOWN TO THE GATE oil on canvas on panel, 6x8

This is another painting from the farm. It's the view from the front yard looking down the driveway to the gate at the road. It's a beautiful, peaceful place and I love to go there. It's where my grandparents lived and now belongs to my dad.

MORNING AT THE POND oil on canvas on panel, 6x8

This is the view of the pond from the gate behind the house. It was morning and the sun was shining and then disappearing behind clouds while the wind was blowing and making ripples on the water.

I've just returned home from a plein air painting trip to my dad's farm in central Texas. I'll try to get some paintings posted tomorrow.

MOTHER'S DAY BOUQUET oil on canvas on panel, 8x10

I received these beautiful flowers for Mother's Day last Sunday and started this painting several days ago. Today, I finally got a chance to finish it.

OUT WITH MOM 12x16, oil on canvas on board

I painted this from a picture I took on the Bluebonnet Trail near Ennis last weekend. There were 3 sets of mothers with colts in the pasture and we watched and photographed them while they ran and played among flowers on this windy day.

Outdoor Painters Society paint out (plein air paintings)

FEEDSTORE AND TRACKS 9x12, oil on board

SUNSET AT LAKE BARDWELL 6x8, oil on canvas on board

BLUEBONNET PASTURE 6x8, oil on canvas on board

BLUEBONNET FIELD 8x10, oil on canvas on board

IRIS GARDEN 12x16, oil on canvas on board

BLUEBONNET ROAD 6x8, oil on canvas on board.

These 6 plein air paintings are ones I did on the OPS paint out in Ennis and Waxahachie the past few days. It was a great trip!

OPS Paint Out:
I'm leaving at 6:00 AM tomorow for an Ennis/Waxahachie paint out with the OPS (Outdoor Painters Society), just south of Dallas. The OPS is a great group of people whom I enjoy painting with. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate and we'll be able to paint the beautiful scenery including bluebonnets, our Texas state flower. I'm taking my camera and laptop, but I may not be able to post until I return home on Sunday...considering I have something good enough to post.

MY BIKE oil on canvas on board, 8x10

Plein air painting--I enjoyed sitting outside and painting my bike after I rode it this morning. It's such a beautiful, sunny, warm spring day. How wonderful it is to be able to paint! I know, I could do a more accurate painting if I worked from a photo in my studio, but this is more fun and has a fresher feel. I love shadows!

LIKE NEW oil on canvas on board, 6x8

This little blue Beetle was a lot of fun to paint! I saw it yesterday and took pictures of it so I could paint it. It has such personality sitting there by the road waiting for a new owner.

WINDOWSILL SUNSHINE oil on canvas on board, 6x4

I painted this yesterday afternoon in my studio when the sun was on my windowsill and the azaleas were mostly in the shade. This bottle of wine was given to me by my friend because it's such a pretty bottle and remains unopened. One day, we'll open it... I used a #8 bristle flat on this, except for my signature. I always use as big a brush as possible to keep me from painting details.

BLUEBIRD HOUSE oil on board, 6x4

Plein air-- I sat on the swing on my front porch this morning to paint this view of our bluebird house. We usually have bluebirds raising young at least once each season, sometimes twice. The weather is perfect, about 70 and mostly sunny. What a beautiful day to be able to paint!