I have a goal to do a lot more plein air work, so I’ve been making the effort to do so. It helps a lot that where I live is just crammed with great scenes to paint. My walking partner lives in a subdivision that is sparsely populated and further out of town. This makes…
I hate to say this yet again, but 2020 has been a challenge for everyone. Lately, it’s been even more challenging for me and my family. We are struggling with the knowledge that my mother’s days are limited, and while we know that all our days are written in His Book, and have been since…
My friend and art buddy Kathy and I decided to get out very early this morning and catch the light on an accessible creek bed for a plein air outing. Plein air just means outdoors, but some people even consider it plein air if they are indoors but painting from life. Kathy had spotted this…
Before and After. I painted this last July after a visit to this park. I never was completely happy with it, but I framed it and hung it at the co-op gallery. Every time I saw it it made me shrug. I asked a mentor and a critique group about it. This morning I took…
Packsaddle Mountain is a local landmark in my area. The elementary school and multiple local businesses have acquired the same name. It can be seen for miles. I see it every day that I come home from work before sundown. Ever since I started painting I’ve wanted to see if I could capture it. I’ve…
Bluebonnets and Longhorns. What could be more Texian? (Yes, Texian is a word.) These intimidating but adorable longhorn ladies are pets to friends of mine who graciously allowed me to come and photograph them. I’m learning to see good composition more often, and when they lumbered into this line up, I quickly snapped several versions,…
Grounded in comforting sunshine, weighed down with the heavy metal poisoning of a toxic world. Yet here the wind of the Spirit whispers, breathing through simple white blooms, “so even springs beauty from taint of toxin by the hand of our good God,” and away wafts the crumbled heart-lead as does the reborn caterpillar. These…
There’s no moment quite like coming upon fall color mirrored in still water under a brilliant sky in chilly air while all is silent. I seldom get the opportunity to finish a piece in one day. It just so happened that the last couple of days I’ve spent my time in the studio cleaning up,…
A couple of years ago, I had one of those dreams you have when you’re half awake. This wasn’t it. I did try to paint what I saw, but it never communicated the idea. A couple of weeks ago, I decided to try the concept again but in a different context–and it was so fun!…
The sun begins to slip down toward late afternoon. The firewheels preserve the glow of their infatuation with Sol’s warmth as long as they can: they are in love. Like a young girl who refuses to wipe away the first kiss for as long as she can, savoring the thrill, the warmth and the sweetness…
