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

French Quarter - After Morning Shower

I couldn't have been more thrilled as I strolled the streets of the French Quarter in New Orleans one morning, and turned the corner to see this delightful "old world" image of a bicycle (with a real basket - not plastic!) in front of two shops. Thank goodness I had my camera with me. I snapped the shot and said to myself, "Oh, you are SO getting painted!" It had just rained, so I had the added benefit of the light shining from the damp street and sidewalk. I wish I had made note of the street it was on...maybe Royal Street?

For those of you who haven't visited NOLA recently and wonder about the condition of New Orleans and specifically the French Quarter after Hurricane Katrina, we found it to be beautiful with a sense of much fresh paint and spirit restored. I was able to capture many great images which I hope to turn into paintings.

Old World Charm in the French Quarter
11"x14" oil on canvas

Hurricane Preparedness

We have some friends who have given us an "open invitation" to come to their ranch whenever a major hurricane is headed our way from the gulf. We have taken them up on this offer a couple of times and I wanted to do something nice for them. I asked if they'd like a painting and she told me, "How about a painting of one of our longhorns?" So here is Mama, painted in the old style of horse portraits, next to her water bucket, with the scenery of the Texas hill country behind her.


There was debate in our family during the painting process about whether females have horns, and come to find out they do. I thought only steers had horns, but apparently it depends on the breed. (?) You can tell I'm no ranch hand. I didn't know much about longhorns at all before painting Mama, other than as a mascot for University of Texas.


Longhorns as a breed faced extinction as of 1927, until the US Forest Service saved and bred them exclusively, along with a few dedicated ranchers. Apparently they have quite a knack for surviving in harsh climates and are often bred with other cattle to enhance the health and viability of other breeds. Other longhorn facts from Wikipedia:

- Texas Longhorns with elite genetics can often fetch up to $40,000 or more at auction with the record of $160,000 in recent history for a cow.

- Most breeds of cattle fall into either beef or dairy. The Texas longhorn is a beef animal and is known for its lean beef, which is lower in fat, cholesterol and calories than most beef.


I felt a little under pressure to finish their longhorn before the hurricane season arrived - I didn't want to show up on their doorstep without the promised longhorn. So far, all's quiet on the Gulf and I hope it stays that way. (But I am looking forward to seeing Mama's portrait framed and hanging up at the ranch house).

Keeping One Eye On God

"Keeping One Eye on God"

6"x12" oil on canvas, gallery wrapped

For purchase information, contact me at fineartbymj@aol.com

Antiques U.S.A

Texas has some wonderful, old downtown areas, and I love to try and imagine what it might have been like 50 or 100 years ago to walk down these same streets. I admire the dedicated individuals who have worked so hard to keep the historical evidence of small town America at hand.

I sometimes paint with a group of friends in the upstairs room of a local gallery in our hometown which overlooks the downtown historical district. For years now, I have looked out at this charming little antique shop that sits at the corner and have wanted to paint it. I am always pausing to admire the American Flag painted on the front of the building.

Having finished another painting the same day, I finally decided to grab a blank canvas and give it a whirl. Typically, I paint from photographs so this was a switch for me. I did, however, take pictures with my camera just in case I second-guessed anything after I got home.

I wonder if the man shopping with the woman was happy to be antiquing or if he was hoping she'd had enough so they could head home? Or maybe he was the one who enjoys antiquing?

"Antiques U.S.A."
8"x10" oil on canvas

Not So Mellow Yellow

It wouldn't normally occur to me to do a painting of taxicabs, but a recent challenge on the "Different Strokes from Different Folks" blog presented a photo of a busy New York City street scene (Madison Ave). This is partially why I like to participate in this challenge, because I paint scenes I most likely would not tackle of my own volition. Unfortunately, I got busy with other paintings and didn't finish mine in time for the deadline, so I did not submit it on the DSDF blog. If you would like to see how other artists approached the same photo, click here.

As you can see, the content in the photo (below) made the task more than a little daunting, but I tackled it anyway, trying to remember to paint shapes instead of details when starting out and not get overwhelmed by trying to paint every single object.

I don't let myself look at what the other artists do until I'm all done myself - I don't want to be influenced. Now that I see their postings, it's interesting how so many of us cropped it in much the same way, myself included. Second guessing myself, I'm wondering if I should've used a taller canvas to capture the height of the buildings? Probably. (But I'm not doing it over!)

"Not So Mellow Yellow"

8"x10" oil on canvas board

Quick Sketch - New Orleans

I just returned from a "most wonderful" sister getaway to New Orleans. As we sat at a cafe near the French Market, I pulled out my new watercolor sketchbook to do a quick sketch of my view from the cafe.

I thought I might be crazy for even trying to attempt all this architecture at one, quick 20 minute setting (architecture is HARD!), but I reminded myself that it was good practice for me drawing from life and not to be so perfection-oriented. At one point my box blew away as wind and rain swept through the French Quarter, but I was determined. Anyone looking over my shoulder probably would've thought "Get another job" at that point. I snapped a quick photo for reference before we left, and when we got back to the hotel room, I did a quick watercolor wash and closed the book for the day.

Now that I'm home and I've downloaded the photo, I see a lot that I missed, but my objective was not to get everything in the picture, just the major shapes. It's interesting to compare what I noticed then as compared to now against the photo. Hmmm...I missed a lot! But I still like my rendition. I guess that's what they call taking artistic liberties.