Fall Creek rambles through Camp El Tesoro near Granbury, Texas.  Last February, I joined a group of painters along the banks of this scenic little creek.  That day it was sunny but the temperature was about 40 degrees. The trees were bare and "grayish" but the water and reflections were bright and clear. 

Before I begin a painting on location, I like to do some quick value sketches.  As I started  my thumbnail sketch, the different pattern of the falls - some in sunlight, some in shadow - caught my attention at first.  But as I began to explore other design ideas, I was drawn to the flat, white table-like rocks, the deep warm earth colors in the water juxtaposed with the bright blue sky.  I painted a small 7 x 12 watercolor study that day; knowing I would be using it as a source for a larger painting, I exercised my artist's license...added more color and changed the season from winter to summer.  Try doing that with a camera! :-)

In the studio this past week, my sketchbook and watercolor study were the perfect reference source that enabled me to "re-visit" Fall Creek.....even though it had been several months, I could still see and hear the water as it cascaded over the rocks.  For me, the sights and sounds of that afternoon are forever captured in this painting.

On the morning of day 2, I returned to Terlingua ghost town, 5 miles north of the motel.  On a hill behind the general store and Starlight Theatre is a 100 year old chapel and a private residence.  In the morning light, both buildings were backlit creating great atmosphere.  If you think the road looks a little rugged in the painting, it was...and in reality, the road was much worse!  My little SUV really struggled to get up this road of dirt, big rocks & washed-out ruts.   The uneven terrain and steep grade in the road made it necessary to adjust the legs on my easel so it would sit level.  Not a big deal with oil paint...it's sticky enough so that it doesn't go anywhere if on a slant; but when mixing up a big juicy puddle of watercolor, the palette has to be pretty level.

  I love painting backlit scenes, but after 2 hours of looking up and into the morning sun, it gets difficult to see color and value correctly..not only in the scene itself, but in my palette.  In Big Bend, the Texas sky is clear of smog and the light is more intense and much brighter than back in an urban area.  It's more difficult to paint backlight, but it's worth the effort to capture the mood.

 11 x 14 watercolor - painting #1, day 2

The chapel is still in use and I learned from a passer-by that a wedding was planned for the coming weekend.  The resident of the adobe structure drove down the hill as I was painting and stopped to chat for a few minutes.  Some of my favorite moments when painting on location is when I get a chance visit with people "native" to the area. 

                                                                                        8x10 watercolor - painting #2, Day 2

This old mining shack was about 200 yards off the road and over a hill - hard to see unless you just happened to be looking in that direction as you're driving along the highway between Study Butte and Terlingua.  The adobe walls and rock basement/foundation has withstood the years, but wood rafters caved in leaving an iconic vision...it reminded me of the game "pick up sticks".  I set up my easel about 20 feet below the shack so that I was looking up through the rafters and windows into the intense blue sky.  I did a little "editing" by eliminating one window on the shadow side and another window on the sunlit side.  This painting is one of those that started out as a "study" but ended up as a finished painting  and may find it's way into an exhibition in the coming year. 

After looking into the sun all day, I was ready for a relaxing dinner and conversation with the other painters.  I'll post my 3rd day at Big Bend in a day or two.

I just returned from a very exciting - and productive - week in the area of Big Bend National Park. The purpose of the trip was to gather source material for studio paintings.  A couple of these may well find themselves in a future plein air exhibition; we'll see.  Anyway,  I painted 3 days around Terlingua, Texas and 1 day within Big Bend NP.   The subject matter in most of my paintings usually include some form of architecture; a barn, a house...urban street scene.  I did not anticipate finding  so many interesting structures in and around the little town of Terlingua, the historic Terlingua ghost town a few miles north and Study Butte, a mile down the road from Terlingua.   Mostly a tourist area at the west entrance to Big Bend NP, there are old mining shacks throughout the area. 

9 x 12 watercolor - painting #1, day 1.

This abandoned adobe was once a "spacious" 3 room home with a "covered patio" and a spectacular view of the Chisos Mountains.  Located in the ghost town of old Terlingua, the old ruin was fun to paint.   The roof had succumbed to years of the desert atmosphere...bad for the adobe, but excellent subject matter for a painter looking for interesting light, shadows, design and contrasts.

10x8 watercolor - painting #2, day 1.

By the time I finished the first painting, it was close to noon and the temperature was rising into the mid-90's.  I moved my easel inside the old adobe seeking a little  shade and discovered the view of the Chisos Mountains through the back room window.  The noon-day sun on the window sill "bounced" up onto the frame work....the prickley pear cactus outside literally glowed in the light and the Chisos mountains "shimmered" with atmosphere in the distance.   Not often does a painter find a "made-to-order" painting...in the shade!

10x12 Oil/panel - Painting #3, Day 1.

My first 2 studies in watercolor took me until about 3:00 pm - My favorite time of day for plein air.  I had already "scouted" this location on the way to Terlingua ghost town.  This is Terlingua Creek about 1 mile north of the motel.  Gathering my oil painting gear, I hiked down into the creek bed .  By this time the temperature was approaching 98 degrees so to find  shade and a soft breeze under  the bridge was a nice surprise.  I set up my easel, squeezed out a few colors and painted this unfinished study in about 90 minutes.  I wanted to be sure and capture the atmosphere and subtle shadow colors on the distant bluff at the bend in the creek.  I'll use this study as a source for a larger oil painting later this summer. 

I'll post my paintings from Day 2  tomorrow...stay tuned!

I'm excited and extremely honored to have a profile article appear in the April/May Issue of Plein Air Magazine.  The article discusses my plein air painting process and features a watercolor demonstration. 

 The location for the demo  is a farm only a short distance from downtown Waxahachie, Texas.  The original farm belonged to the Ganaway family and dates back to the late 1800's with it's most recent & colorful history at the turn of the century.  Currently in use as a horse farm and owned by Larry Sodek, it was an original railhead for shipping cattle.  The outbuildings are weather-worn with plenty of "character" that makes for great subject matter.  I'm thrilled to be able to share the article with you; please click on this link -  April/May issue of Plein Air Magazine.  With the exception of the images of my demo painting, you'll recognize the other paintings from my website.   I'd love to hear what you think about the article and welcome your comments!

This past Saturday was a test of fortitude for me and about a dozen painters.   We painted at Camp El Tesoro - a Campfire Girls retreat - on the banks of Fall Creek near Granbury, Texas.  I'm not sure, but I think Fall Creek is a branch off the Brazos River which was only a short distance away.  Temperatures hovering around 35 degrees at 10:00 am, I wore 3 layers of clothing, gloves with the fingertips cut away, ear muffs & a hat.  It wasn't too cold as long as I was out of the wind; it was out of the north about 20 mph. 

I set my easel close to the water's edge to get a good view up-creek.  There was very little color along the banks so I added some warm yellow and oranges to "liven it up" a bit....truth be known, I was so cold I tried to imagine that it was an 80 degree October day.  

As is my usual practice, I began the painting by working the background first and wet the paper with clear water.  Then onto the damp surface, I added various shades of ultramarine blue with burnt sienna to grey it down a bit.  As the paper begins to dry, I finish the background by putting in a few dark accents close to the bank using a darker value of my ultramarine blue and burnt sienna.  Moving forward into mid-ground, I add yellow ochre, pyrrol orange and new gamboge to the "puddle" I used for the background.  Once again, I wet the area I'm going to paint with clear water, then add the colors at random & allow them mix together on the paper.  While I wait for that passage to dry, I paint the creek and use the same color mixture I used for the riverbank to make the reflections.  By the time I've finished painting the reflections, the trees on the riverbank are ready for some additional dark values and at the same time, I lift & scrape out highlights. I saved the waterfall in the foreground for last; perserving the white of the paper.&  This area is also worked "wet into wet" to maintain soft edges where the water is falling to a lower level.  In just a few minutes, the waterfall has dried enough to I can add some dark accents using gestural downstrokes - again to give the illusion of motion. 

From start to finish, the painting took about 90 minutes.  That seems awfully fast, but that's the nature of watercolor; it's a "fast" medium.  Through experience, there's confidence in every stroke I make - without hesitation.

Several of my most recent paintings have water themes....and I do love to paint water; whether it's a lazy river or raging white water...or a seashore.  Water creates a wide range of emotions; from calmness to excitement...and I try to capture that emotion in my painting.

"Still Water Runs Deep" - 12x24 Watercolor.  Reflections in still water...... it has a calming effect on me.  I haven't been fishing for many years but  I've spent a lot of time on river banks watching a red & white "bobber" drift out to the end of my fishing line.  It never mattered whether I ever caught a fish; I'd just release it back into the river anyway.  Just "being there" was enough for me.  I painted this from memory; it combines my favorite time of the year, a lot of fishing trips and a bit of the "Rockies".  

The extra width of the panel is well suited for this composition.  The surface is 300# Arches paper mounted on 1/8" hardboard. 

Tomorrow I'm going to meet several other artists at the Campfire Girls Camp El Tesoro near Granbury, TX,  for a day of plein air painting.  It's going to be a little chilly - 44 degrees with a 10 to 15 mph north wind, but the sun will be shining!  I've never painted there and I'm told the Brazos River runs through the camp and there's a water fall...sounds like I may do another "river painting"......stay tuned!

"Arrangement In Yellow" -  6x10 watercolor on 300# Arches cold press paper - is from an OPS paint out  in downtown Grapevine, Texas on January 28.  It was a tad chilly during the morning hours so most of us painted inside a restored train depot.   Several still life set-ups were scattered around the room and I chose to paint this one.  I'm not a "flower person" so I have no clue what kind of flowers they were....I only know they had big yellow blooms &  I liked the clear glass vase with the "water line" and stems visable.  I don't paint many still lifes, with my subject matter preference being landscapes, but when I do, I usually "abstract" the shapes..... leaving the type of flower a "mystery"....and let my composition, color and values tell the story. 

Time flies when you're having fun....this year has really whizzed by! Today, I spent the last day of 2011 doing what I love best....painting on location. My friend and painting pal Linda Schindler invited me to paint with her at her country home...which consists of 8 acres of trees, a creek, farm implements, & plenty of subject matter.   It was a great day in Texas; 68 degrees, clear sky, & a soft breeze.  Perfect.  Today's painting isn't what I'd tag as a "masterpiece", but I think it's a good one that will be useful as reference for a larger studio work:

"Schindler's Creek", is an 8x10 Watercolor on Arches board -  I'm looking forward to expanding on it a little; the creek bank is a little too "edgy" and the colors are a little strong. I'll probably soften it some and may widen the composition and see how it translates into a horizontal format. A good project to start the year.....

Tonight, on the eve of a New Year, I'm reflecting back on 2011; it's been a really great year of plein air; 4 or 5 paint outs with Outdoor Painters Society, several plein air competition/exhibitions including Plein Air Southwest 2011, Artists of Texas annual Membership Exhibition, Women Artists of the West Juried Exhibition, as well as paint outs in Marble Falls, Terrell, Waxahachie, Rockport and Palo Duro Canyon.  In October, I spent 3 days in Port Aransas, Texas and participated in the Annual Invitational Coastal Paint Out .  One of the highlights of this year was the week I spent in Rico, Colorado with my friend and "Artist Extraordinaire" Jill Carver. In the course of assisting with her workshop, I learned a few new things about the color Green. There's no better place to "see" green & make it "work" than spending a week of painting along the Delores River in southwestern Colorado!

I'm expecting the New Year to be even more exciting; I will be teaching 2 plein air workshops; Waxahachie in March and Rockport in April.  Ten days of plein air competition in June with Paint Historic Waxahachie - Once again, I'll be part of a super group of artists & volunteers producing this great painting event which is celebating it's 7th year.  Outdoor Painters Society has 8 or 9 paint outs planned that are certain to be memorable!  Plein Air Southwest Salon 2012 at Southwest Gallery in April will be the best one yet, I'm certain! As a member of Professional Artists In North Texas (PAINT), I'll be exhibiting with this talented group in at least 4 shows to include the Doss Cultural Center in Weatherford, Texas.  The annual Artists of Texas exhibition at Dutch Art Gallery is in November.  I'll be submitting new work for jury in several national and regional exhibitions as well.  This new year will also be a significant year for me; can't believe that I'll "check off" another decade and celebrate my 70th birthday July 4th. So, yes.... Time flies when you're having fun.....

Happy New Year, everyone!

What a great 3 days of plein air painting this weekend at the 4th Annual Invitational Coastal Paint Out in Port Aransas on the Texas Gulf Coast.  16 Artists participated in this invitational event hosted by Port A Gallery .  The event also benefited the Port Aransas Museum's Farley Boat Works Project.  In addition to the paint out this weekend was the 5th Annual Art Walk;  15 galleries, studios & design businesses opened their doors & served refreshments to hundreds of art lovers.

I arrived in Port Aransas fresh off the ferry (love that little trip across the channel) on Thursday afternoon about 3pm and drove straight to a little chapel on a hill that I remembered from my trip there last November.  The best light, of course, is early morning and late afternoon into the evening...so my arrival time was planned perfect.  Another artist was just packing up to leave so within a few moments I had the location all to myself.

Friday, artists painted throughout Port Aransas - on the beaches, along piers & jettys.   On Saturday morning, from 9:30 to 11:30,  we set up our easels along Alister street for a Quick Draw - a friendly competition between artists to "capture the light" in only 2 hours!  Afterward, each artist submitted a Quick Draw painting plus 2 additional paintings to Port A Gallery.   Owners of Port A Gallery,  Rick & Cameron Pratt, hosted a reception, show and sale from 4pm to 8pm on Saturday evening.  And WOW... in those 4 hours, the gallery was shoulder-to-shoulder with guests, buyers, & artists....this was a happenin' place! 

I took a moment to snap this photo with my phone camera during the Quick Draw....waiting for the sun to pop back out so I could finish painting the shadows - in this shot it was almost done; just needed a few more strokes & my signature!    By the way, if you're interested in my "all in one" easel & palette, this is Eric Michaels' En Plein Air Pro - check it out the website - best ever easel on the market for watercolorists!

 "Pelican's Landing" -  11x14 watercolor 

Available through Port A Gallery 

By the way, this painting won the coveted People's Choice award at the Reception!  And....congratulations to my good friend & fellow OPS painter, Rusty Jones for winning the equally coveted Artist's Choice Award.

On Friday, September 16, and Saturday, September 17, about 30 members of the Outdoor Painters Society traveled to Glen Rose, Texas to paint.  For most of us, this was the first opportunity to paint on location since May or June - it has been too hot here in Texas to do much of anything outside!  It was also the first opportunity in several months to "meet up & catch up" with each other.  It was a great weekend - I completed 3 nice oils - The foliage along the Paluxy River,  although dry & parched, was showing early signs of Fall colors.  I completed 2 paintings along the river; one on Friday morning & another on Saturday morning. 

September on the Paluxy - 9x12 Oil on Linen

Paluxy River Reflection - 8x10- Oil on Linen

On Friday afternoon, all artists traveled south of Glen Rose to the private property of Dina Gregory, an OPS member, for an afternoon of painting and later agreat BBQ dinner.  This Live Oak had a stand of Prickly Pear cactus all around it....and the distant hills showing through the branches was a wonderful view & was a painting "made to order".

Live Oak South of Eulogy, Texas

In about a month, I'll be traveling down to Port Aransas, Texas for a coastal paint out sponsored by Port A Gallery.  Can hardly wait!

So excited to announce my watercolor painting,  Awesome Autumn, won an Award of Merit at the 41st National Women Artists of the West (WAOW) Exhibition at the Center for the Arts in Rockport Texas.  The exhibition opened May 14th and will continue through June 4th.  To view the show catalog, go to
http://www.waow.org/RockportTexas-show/SLideshow-new/index.html

"Boyce Feeds - Storage Barn" Oil/Canvas 8"x8"

Boyce Feeds-Storage Barn is a plein air piece that I painted several weeks ago but didn't quite finish it until today.  I touched up the background and enhanced the shadows under the eaves.  The building is a multi-sided structure and where I was standing, I could see 3 sides, with the far side angling back away from the light.  It was a challenge with the strange shape, but I think it "reads" well. 

"Saturday Market" - 11x14 watercolor - 

Nothing ever stays the same....except for a moment in time captured by a plein air artist. I painted Saturday Market during the farmer's market 2 years ago.  In the background is a "pocket park" (trees within) & left of that (the green building) is the 1879 Chisolm Grill.  I love the home-town feel and energy that is always present in our downtown.  Saturday is one of my favorite days to paint "down on the square".

I've always been an advocate for the importance of working en plein air, especially in historic districts.   Documenting local landmarks by an artist offers an interpretation and visual reference that no camera can replicate.  I don't mean studio work....this is about painting on location...on a street corner.....oblivious to the elements, on-lookers and the sting of sunburn.  For several years, my outdoor studio has been on all 4 corners of the Waxahachie courthouse square and points between. 

"Oma's Jiffy Burger" - 7x10 watercolor

Oma's is a favorite hangout in downtown.  Located just a block off the square, "regulars" gather early for breakfast and then show up later around lunchtime for the best burger in town. I was commissioned to paint Oma's by a loyal patron with a special fondness for the little cafe.  It was difficult to concentrate with the distracting aroma of burgers & fries wafting across the street.   

"Waxahachie Depot" - 8x10 watercolor

I completed this little plein air sketch last summer.  The depot had been empty for several years and was in serious disrepair.   Anticipating deterioration to the point of collapse, I painted it; and, for me at least, suspended the march of time.  The building has since been purchased and completely restored by the City. I love the "new" old depot building and look forward to many hours of painting it from every angle.

As I said at the beginning of this post...nothing ever stays the same. A couple of days ago, our community awakened to the charred remains of 3 historic buildings on our beloved historic courthouse square.  The tragic fire destroyed a restaurant, attorney's office, antique store, and a barber shop. The "pocket park" on the corner of College and Franklin received extensive damage from a collapsed wall.   In the background of Saturday Market, the painting at the beginning of this post, are the buildings that were lost in the fire.  I'm thankful for the countless hours spent painting along that street. Even though the skyline on one side of the square is forever changed, I have the memory (and a painting) of it....and look forward to the new skyline that will take it's place.  In a few days, the rebuilding process will begin and my sadness is replaced with an excitement and anticipation of painting new "landmark" buildings downtown.  

Last April I participated in a 3-day plein air workshop led by my good friend, Jill Carver. (I'm SO in awe of her talent...that gal can really paint!)  The location was in picturesque Wimberly, Texas, about 20 miles south of Austin.  At a workshop, the goal is to complete lessons or tasks...and seldom will a good painting surface.  This adventure into the Hill Country was no exception.

On the second day we set up along a riverbank lined with Cypress trees.  Subject matter was everywhere, but 3 trees in the river with their root systems all entangled caught my eye.  There were a lot of clouds that day that changed the light and shadows as they floated by the sun.  I struggled with the light source as well as getting color, temperature and value correct. I can't remember the lesson theme, but I think it was an exercise in frustration. :-) Anyway, I came home with pages and pages of notes, several canvas studies and a resolve to work harder.

Today, after several months, I studied the painting again...and with a fresh look, I realized that it only needed a few adjustments.  Below, on the left, is the result of a frustrating afternoon on a river bank.  The painting to the right is after changes made in the studio this afternoon.

" Three's a Crowd" -9x12 Oil (before)         "Three's a Crowd" - 9x12 Oil (after)

I "warmed up" the Cypress and "cooled down" the background water and trees.  Using highlights and 'sparkle' in the water at lower right as a lead-in, the eye is drawn from there to the darkened foliage near the distant waterline; then upward to the "v-shape" where the trees meet the sky; and then gently moves from there down the Cypress to contemplate a tangled web of roots and soft reflections.

I like it a lot better now.  What do you think?

Several months ago, I was in Granbury, Texas for a 2-day paint out with members of Outdoor Painters Society.  The weather was a little stormy...in fact, on Saturday about noon, it rained hard for about 2 hours.  The weekend was not lost, however!   As a group, we painted  a live model in a       garden settingI was particularly pleased with how the girl in the "Red Hat" turned out. This is a 10" x 7" watercolor on 300# Arches paper.

If the wind isn't blowing, a rainy day has wonderful soft gray light as well as great reflections on   

wet surfaces.The painting of the wine cask and flower pot reflecting in on a wet concrete porch turned out well too.  This is a 7" x 5" watercolor on 300# Arches Paper

After finishing 2 watercolors I was about 90% into an oil painting of a stone building at the Barking Rock Vineyard when the weather turned stormy again.  Not wanting to take on water in my paint box, I packed it up and headed home, satisfied that all-in-all, it was a good weekend's work on location.

Today was my first day back in the studio since before the Christmas holiday and when I looked at the painting again with "fresh eyes", I was more than 90% done..all it really needed was a little "punch" of red for a color discord. If I had continued another 30 minutes, I would have taken it about 20 minutes too far.  I'm thinking that it would be to my advantage if mother nature would intervene with my painting process a little more often......

"Stone Building" - 8" x 10" - Oil on canvas panel

This has been an especially busy commission year for me with "home portraits" being the most requested.  I delivered this painting last weekend.  "210 LaVista" is a Christmas gift for my client's husband.  

As an artist, accepting commissions has both a positive and negative impact on my thought and work process.
Some of the negatives:

~The stress of a deadline date for a gift or occasion.
~I'm reluctant to (and usually don't) accurately depict the subject "exactly" as it is.

~Subject matter issues; I have very little to work with....or... it's a bad photograph...or... subject hasn't any character...or... the season is wrong and trees are growing in odd places. This dialog with myself can go on for several days. 

~Working to include elements that are important to my client, I struggle with design and composition.

Some of the Positives:

~I'm flattered to be the artist selected to suspend time and provide a lasting remembrance for generations. 
~I get excited when I discontinue my "negative dialog" with myself and start to make a connection. About half-way into the drawing and design phase, I begin working as if it's my own "special place". 
~I'm relieved when I deliver the painting and see the joy on my client's face.  

    ~I love my job.  
 

I teach a weekly intermediate watercolor class with students working with ongoing individual projects. A couple of weeks ago, my students requested that we paint a still-life...together.  The subject was a good one with lots of color.  The persimmons laying in a cobalt-blue dish were gorgeous....and inspiring!  We quickly draped a cloth as a backdrop, rigged up a direct light source from the left and began to paint.  I finished this in about 90 minutes.  My class is 2 hours and I was very proud of what the group accomplished within the limited time frame.  Since I don't usually impose a time limit on their projects, it was a good exercise for them; forcing a quick sketch with focus on large shapes, and getting color, value, and temperature right with the first wash....no 'fiddling' with it!  I think I'll make 'painting from life' a monthly project......for all of us!  I seldom do still-life paintings & I was very pleased with this one....so I submitted it into the DeSoto Art League annual membership show yesterday.