"Let It Rain"

First of all, thank you for all the great title suggestions. You sure did not make it easy for me to decide. I really liked the deceptive simplicity of "Let It Rain," but wasn't sold on it until I read this interpretation:

"Although the barn design definitely sets the scene in the USA, the mood reminds me of time spent in southern Iran when the countryside is waiting expectantly for the first rains after the hot dry summer. I can almost feel the heat from those bright reds in the foreground. I thought of parched dusty grasses - the kind that rub the skin and itch, and I have memories of kids shoes covered in dust. Against that are the towering dark clouds – threatening thunderstorms: storms that will bring long awaited cooling, nourishing and reviving rains. Again, I can see those first raindrops splattering up the dust, turning the foreground to a mud and releasing a cool rich smell . . ."

As an artist, the thought that I could inspire beautiful words like that, makes me want to jump up and down! Prior to receiving this, I had started plans to revise the painting because even as the artist, I wasn't sure I was getting the message across. These words captured in writing exactly what I was trying to capture in colors.

As you can see, I think I found the perfect temporary home for it, viewed from an archway. Even though it's still for sale, I'm liking it quite a bit right where it is so I'm in no hurry!I'm also including a picture for you of where "Let It Rain" was supposed to hang (the big wall in the small room) and what is there now. This diptych was a departure for me as it was painted entirely in acrylic and was strictly done as a design element - like a giant doodle. I painted and played and didn't worry and fuss. It's a completely different experience when you are painting from a design perspective because there are different things to consider. It complements the room without demanding attention as the other did.

Thank you again for your titling help and, as always, I love hearing about what kinds of things you think about when you see a piece of my art.

"Barn Storm" - (Need titling help!)

Our home has a very large wall in an otherwise small room that has been begging for a painting so I decided to paint this barn that I snapped a photo of as we drove by. As you can see, I had fun getting carried away with the colors and my own ideas for the landscape and playing with contrasts. At 3'x4', this is a rather imposing picture, as I found out when I went to hang it up in the small room it was intended for. I absolutely love it, but this painting demands way too much attention and knocks the whole room off balance. I should've known better as I often paint pictures for people based on the room where it will hang and I totally missed it for my own home. Duh. I'm glad it wasn't for a client! Alas, I had to paint something else for the room, but that's ok - I had a blast with this one. I guess it will be looking for a home where it can be a focal point.

Only thing is, I can't seem to think of a title. Every now and then I draw a blank and I figured it's been awhile since I've asked my readers for help. Please email if you have a title recommendation for me.

"Untitled Barn, Before (or after?) a Storm"
3'x4' oil on gallery-wrapped canvas

Cozy Kitties

It doesn't seem possible that I haven't posted a painting since last November. (I need to do better!)

This painting is a keepsake for a family member whose cat, Romeo, passed away late last year. She had the cutest picture of him sitting on the couch with his sister, Sassy, and this is the composition we came up with. I love the way their legs are all entwined, sharing their spot on a cuddly throw perched on the couch.

"Sassy & Romeo"

11"x13" oil on canvas

Finally Finished - "Niece With a Pearl Earring"

I started my "Niece With a Pearl Earring" exactly one year ago, and then got so busy with other projects, it was put on the backburner. When I realized it had been a whole year, I figured it was time to finish it. Sometimes waiting is a good thing. I think seeing the wonderful paintings in the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC in October inspired me. No matter all the art you can see on the Internet these days, nothing replaces seeing great paintings in real life. (And I didn't even make it over to the National Portrait Gallery!)

If you'd like to see my original blog post, click here. I think I was able to achieve a glow (something I was concerned about after the first go around), but I won't be any so bold as to say it can compare with Vermeer's glow. I did knock out the straight black background with more colors than you can imagine by viewing on the Internet. That was kind of fun. You can learn a lot by painting a study after a master from long ago, but I think this one will be my last for a long time (if I ever do one again). I have too many of my own ideas I want to execute and learn from.

This has been sitting on my shelf for a week now and as I will often do, I like to live with a painting for a few days before I proclaim it officially "done." The only thing I'm trying to decide for this one is whether I will give it an antique glaze to tone down some of the colors and give it more of an "old world" look. Feel free to let me know what YOU think.

(I get a kick out of thinking of her ancestors, long after I'm gone, fighting over who gets to inherit this painting of her).

"Niece With a Pearl Earring"
14"x18" oil on canvas, NFS

"Headed Home"

I had some leftover paint on my palette and decided to play with this little farm scene. I'm always a sucker for a pathway and often when I'm painting one I think to myself "I wish I was taking a stroll right there, right now." Sure seems like I have a lot of buildings with red roofs. I thought about changing this one, but it just didn't do a thing for me when I tried to move away from the red. Oh well!

"Headed Home"
8"x10" oil on canvas

Yeehaw!

Imagine my surprise this afternoon when I received an email notification that "Life: Saddle Up" had, in fact, been selected for the Boots 2 Heal benefit art show! I guess I assumed incorrectly that it hadn't made it. Just wanted to share the news. I'm honored and excited.

LIFE- Saddle Up

Alas, neither of my two paintings were selected for the Boots 2 Heal Art Show benefiting pediatric cancer patients at MD Anderson, (a great cause, info here). Yes, I'm disappointed, but I realize that any contest is subjectively judged and for whatever reason, my paintings didn't meet the criteria they were looking for.

"It's all good," as the saying goes. I had so much fun creating "Saddle Up." Maybe I subconsciously did it more for myself and the judge saw that.

I put a lot of symbolism into this painted collage. I thought about cowboys and life and when I mixed them together, I chose a variety of objects which worked together to portray a universal message.

• The bronco rider is a symbol that my father would often draw when he would sit down and doodle on a piece of paper. For me, the bronco rider represents a great deal of the strength that was in my father, the old-time, hard-working, cowboy, not afraid of a challenge, honest and ‘WSIWYG.’ "When you fall off, you get right back up and ride again." The bronco rider in the sunset is a tribute to that and is what inspired the rest of the painting.
• Boots 2 Heal required that there be boots in the painting – I painted my brother’s boots. These are a little more scuffed up than his original boots. You gotta have good boots!
• The bolo tie is one that my father wore frequently. I like the fact that this is an Indian piece of art and for me it gives a nod to the importance of the spiritual life.
• The spur is painted from a very old sterling silver spur that my Uncle Jack wore as part of the Long Beach Mounted Police. Uncle Jack’s horse was named “Golden Splendor” and I think that’s appropriate to the painting.
• Cowboys loved playing cards and so does my family. Three aces are present, the Ace of Spades is covered by the Ace of Diamonds; but the Ace of Hearts stands out – it’s the most important, signifying love.
• The pocket watch represents time, of course, and is reminiscent of the watch that my grandfather always carried. I had to paint it from memory. I chose not to show a face on the watch because none of us know how much time we are given on this earth. The bandana was my father’s.
• The horseshoe is about “luck” and placed upwards so "the good luck doesn’t run out.” Cowboys can be pretty superstitious, can't they? I remember lots of horseshoes at the top of door frames when I was growing up. The only time luck does us any good is with card games, the rest is all grace! Wouldn't you agree?
• The rattlesnake belt was my fathers. Poor rattlesnake! The belt symbolizes how the evil that threatens our lives can be overcome.
• And lastly, the coffeepot. Much debate went on in my family about the coffee pot, but the artist won out. The boys wanted me to put a revolver there. I know it may have looked better, but I couldn’t do it because while guns may have one time been necessary to a cowboy’s life, I don’t think a good cowboy would let their guns define them. I chose a much gentler approach, the old, beat-up, campfire tarnished coffee pot. Every good cowboy needs a cup of coffee to start his day. I know I do.

I may not have had the opportunity to share this painting with the wider audience of the contest itself, but I'm sure glad that I have this blog so I can share it with you.

LIFE: Saddle Up
20"x24" oil on canvas

There's A New Sheriff In Town

A few months ago, I learned about the 2009 Boots To Heal juried art show which will be held at Morton Street Gallery this October. (For my friends who aren't artists, a juried show means that a judge decides whether your entry will even make it into the final show for judging). Proceeds from Boots to Heal will be going to the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Children's Charities.

The main requirement in all art submitted for the show is that there be "boots" somewhere in the artwork. I completed 2 entries, the first of which you see here of my boys, painted from a photograph taken on Fort Bend County Fair Day when they were little guys. I super-imposed them onto a photo I had taken a couple of years ago of a horse in the yard of a historical site in Richmond.

Honestly, I had so much fun with the title, it gave me lots of creative enthusiasm as I painted. One surprise for me was how few paint strokes I was able to use to get it to look like my son on the left. For someone who agonizes over every little paint stroke when I do portraits, this was a welcome diversion from the norm.

I'll let you know when I hear whether my entries make it into the show - it would be a real honor - and I'll also be posting my other entry which was a true labor of love.

New Sheriff In Town

14"x18" oil on canvas

Point Lobos State Reserve - California

I have great memories of this day as our California family hiked the trails around Point Lobos Nature Reserve in Monterey County, California. From the youngest (5 years old) to the oldest (70's), we all thoroughly enjoyed the easy hike on this beautiful December day.

Landscape artist, Francis McComas, was quoted as calling this "the greatest meeting of land and water in the world." It's certainly one of the most beautiful I've ever seen, but I don't know that I've traveled extensively enough to confirm that opinion with my own. How about you? Have you been to Point Lobos? Are there other impressive "meetings of land and water" that come to your mind?

Point Lobos State Reserve

18"x24" oil on canvas, private collection

Schilo's Delicatessen - Take A Big Bite

The latest edition in my series of diners and delis, these working men were enjoying their lunch at Schilo's Delicatessen in San Antonio. I was taken in by the atmosphere and surroundings of the old building but they were more interested in the food and fellowship, I think. I'm not finished with Schilo's yet (as far as paintings are concerned), but have several other eateries I plan on painting in the upcoming months. A restaurant reviewer stated that "Schilo's has the best root beer in the world!" What?! I missed out on that! Something to try on my next visit, I guess. I did have fun painting the neon beer signs in this picture though - part of what originally drew me to the photo. However, the first thing that made me realize I was going to paint it was the fact that I caught the man in blue taking a really big bite out of his hamburger, hence the title.

"Take A Big Bite" - Schilo's Deli, San Antonio

8"x16" oil on canvas