Green In Gruene (small study)

I snapped a photo of this barn after we strolled down Hunter Road in Gruene, Texas. My reference photo captures the lush green of early summer. I loved the way the old oak frames the barn across the street. I took the artistic liberty of adding the tire swing as an afterthought.

It is our tradition to always save enough time and energy after visiting Schlitterbahn to make our way to Gruene and the Grist Mill River Restaurant which overlooks the Guadalupe River. As stated on the town website, Gruene has been "gently resisting change since 1872." We usually walk off our dinner with a stroll through the historic town and pick up chocolate covered raisins at the Gruene General Store with it's old time Soda Fountain. Then everyone piles back into the car and falls asleep while dad drives home.

Next time we visit, I think I need to take a photo inside the soda fountain. That would be a fun painting.

"Green in Gruene"
8"x10" oil on canvas
(small study) sold

Happy Spring!

Do you think I got a little carried away by all the colors in this small study? Oh well, it was fun and I was "Spring dreaming." Recent sunshine-y weather has me wanting to get out and plant flowers. I always dream of having a garden like this, but alas, I'm sure I wouldn't want to take time away from painting to take care of it. I'm glad I can have fun and get carried away with the brush (without the weeds!)

Once the heat and humidity arrives, the thought of staying inside with the a/c becomes more attractive than the idea of tending the flowers anyway. I think I'll stick with the brush.

Cottage Dreams (small study)
8"x10" oil on canvas
Private Collection

Leftovers (small study)

I happened across a picture of an old homestead and decided to use the leftover paint on my palette for this small study. I chose the title "Leftovers" because of the leftover paint, and then because of the fact that these old buildings and homes that I see as we drive out in the country remind me of leftovers. I wonder what stories they would tell "if walls could talk." I suppose some might find the term leftovers depressing, but not me. I'm not sure why I find them so endearing, but they seem to be representative of a different time and era in history that speaks to my family heritage, I suppose.

"Leftovers"
8"x10" oil on linen
Small Study $55+s/h

Donkey Love (Small Study)

I have a friend who graciously forwarded some fun pictures of her horses and donkeys and this little donkey couple was just too cute to resist. I am fortunate to have many friends who are kind about sharing their photos with me. That is an enormous asset as an artist.

Another painter friend of mine has been encouraging me to start working on small studies and I've finally decided to follow through. Small studies are often done with the intention of completing a painting in a single day. Many artists these days are participating in this "painting a day" approach. While I have no desire to do a painting a day, it's good practice and very liberating because the whole goal (in my mind anyway) is to be less formal and restrictive and more creative and experimental. Even the brush strokes are more loose as I keep reminding myself to have fun with the brush and not over think any particular area of the painting. They are a welcome break from some of my long-term, planned commissions and larger works and should be easy to work in when I need a break from a more intense project.

As such, they are a great opportunity to own an original work of art at a reasonable price. I will be selling these small studies (8"x10"s) for $55 +s/h.

Donkey Love - SOLD

8"x10" oil on canvas

$55+s/h

"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.