Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Into The Trees

8" x 10"
oil on panel
I painted this little piece during the annual Powerhouse Animation picnic at Zilker Park on Friday.
What a beautiful day, ending up at Uncle Billy's Brew Pub with the gang for beer and bites.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Larry's Land

8"x10"
oil on panel


 Yesterday was quite windy. Even more so in the open fields of Hutto. I decided to paint some farm equipment and headed to a place I'd seen from the road. I was taking some photos when a truck pulled up. I wasn't sure who to ask for permission, so I was a little nervous. The man asked what I was doing and when I told him, he said he saw me from his house and asked his son if dove season was still open. He had allowed his sons friends to hunt on the property and I had noticed a lot of shotgun shells on the ground. Apparently season was over, so he drove over to check me out. After my explanation and several apologies, I introduced myself and shook his hand. He smiled and gave me permission to return. I gave him my card and told him about a painting of his house I had down a few months ago. That painting is titled "Hutto Silos". You meet some great folks while painting, but I'll make sure I follow protocol in the future. Thanks Larry!

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Turning

oil on linen panel
9"x12"
Painted this off a walking path near my house. It's great to see some color in all the greens of summer. 

Window

oil on linen panel
9"x12"

Monday, October 29, 2012

Fenced In Field (studio)

8"x10"
oil on canvas
This little painting was a study in texture and complementary colors. I have discovered that playing around with styles and colors is easier in the studio. Then if I wish, I can go out and employ this to my plein air painting.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Hay Bales

oil on linen canvas
24"x30"
This is my latest studio painting. I've been experimenting with cold wax and neo-megilp medium with brush and knife techniques.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Afternoon Glow

9"x12"
oil on linen panel

Stella

Fall is (almost) in the air. Still a little warm, it was in the 90's this weekend, but great weather for a paintout. I visit this area due to it's open spaces so my little nearly blind girl can roam safely. She likes to make sure I'm Ok.

Monday, October 8, 2012

Patch Of Trees

9" x 12"
oil on linen panel
A cold front came in on Saturday, temps dropping over 20 degrees, perfect for plein air painting.
I grabbed my painting gear and my little shadow, Stella, and headed out. I ended up in a field down a dirt road and painted near the tree line so as to block the wind. ( I neglected to carry a jacket and wore only a short sleeve shirt ). I LOVE FALL!

Monday, September 24, 2012

Last Of The Trumpets

Oil on linen panel
9"x12"
I had plans to paint "in the field" this weekend, but I kept being lured away by other projects. Not wanting to miss out on the great weather, I decided to grab my pochade kit and travel into the deep jungles of my small backyard for a quick study. I have to admit, sometimes there's nothing more pleasurable than your own quiet places.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Doodles


These are some quick marker sketches I've been doing at work on my breaks.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Cotton Bales

8"x10"
oil on linen canvas
The farmers have finished harvesting. I painted this in Hutto, Texas about 10 yards from a "No Trespass" sign. I was on the "legal" side.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Field And Stream

9"x12"
oil on linen panel
I decided to get out on Sunday morning despite the heat to paint and rid myself of the plein air cobwebs. I found a great spot under cedar trees, (note the limb on the left), and a cool breeze kept me quite comfortable. As soon as paint hit the canvas, I was reminded how much I love direct painting from nature.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Yellow Door #2

8"x10"
Encaustic on wood panel
Here's another small encaustic painting I completed on Sunday. This is a little more literal than the previous painting of this subject. I have one more of this series to add soon.

Monday, August 20, 2012

Yellow Door

8"x10"
Encaustic on wood panel
I worked on this hot wax painting on Sunday after taking Stella for a walk. It was a beautiful day following a rainfall on Saturday and was a difficult decision not to paint plein air. I've really been enjoying deconstructing scenes, but this is actually pretty close to the original photograph I took in Taylor, Texas by the railway tracks.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Blue Cactus


16"x20"
oil on linen canvas
This is a studio painting from a photo I took just off the path where I bike and walk Stella. I've been wanting to paint this for some time.

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Curb

18"x24"
Encaustic on Panel

Friday, August 10, 2012

Curb 2

So, I wasn't satisfied with the top area and decided to give the painting a landscape slant by treating it as sky.
Pretty sure this is it...

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Curb

I'm working on a series of oils and encaustic paintings under the label, "Abstracts On A Theme". This is an 18"x24" encaustic that started as a painting of a curb and was deconstructed into various shapes. I really like paintings that have a dynamic, such as a push and pull, effect.

Friday, August 3, 2012

Into The Open

24"x24"
oil on linen canvas
Just finished this scene from Coupland, Texas. This brought back memories of my cowboy days back in Arizona. I really liked how the gate frames the background and abstracts the foreground.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Yellow Gold

20"x30"
oil on linen canvas

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

WIP

This is a studio work in progress, 20"x30" gallery wrap, oil on linen canvas. I was planning to go over this with more texture, but it's kind of growing on me. Sometimes you just have to let things be.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Road Lines Rows

18"x24"
Encaustic on panel
I'm always searching for techniques to experiment with. I've been a fan of encaustic, hot wax painting, for years. It's very different from applying oil paint to a canvas. The wax dries on contact, so you must be diligent. On the other hand, it's easy to manipulate and glaze. The technique reminds me somewhat of gouache.


Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Sorghum Field

20"x32"
oil on linen canvas
This is a painting I just completed in the studio. I'm really experimenting with deconstructing the image and using cold wax medium to create impasto effects.

Friday, July 6, 2012

Texas Cropland #3

20" X 24"
oil on linen canvas
Here's a studio painting from July 4th. It follows the theme of Texas cropland I've been undertaking as a series. 

Sunday, July 1, 2012

House On The Hill

9"x12"
oil on linen panel
I painted this in Coupland, Texas. Seems to be calling me of late. I found another Native American scraper. The last time I was there, I found a scraper and arrowhead. I was really drawn to the vibrant golds of the grain crops and the approaching storm.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Park Composition #1

24"x32"
Oil on Linen Canvas
This is a studio painting of a park in Brushy Creek where I take my dog, Stella, to walk. It's about a 1/2 mile from my house.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Rows

9"x12"
oil on linen panel
This area was down a county road outside of Coupland. I've been going there a lot these days.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Texas Cropland #1

20"x24"
oil on gallery wrap linen canvas
This is the first of a series I plan to paint of the farm and ranch land in Texas. It's a little different than my past paintings as I'm trying to simplify the shapes and play with compostion and color.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Twin Lakes Cedar

9"X12"
oil on linen panel
I've been wanting to paint this little cliff for some time, so I went out Saturday morning and this is the result. 

Bull Creek Fugue

8"X10"
oil on linen canvas

When I read that Len Chmiel felt he would have been painting like Richard Diebenkorn had he not seen his work, I felt that it was a sign for me to try a new direction. I started college as a representational painter but was turned on to the abstract expressionists and pop artists. I remember my favorite teacher, Randy Shoults, chiding me in my junior year about all the reading I was doing and not working. It was a very inspirational and liberating time for a country boy living in Mississippi. When I moved to Arizona in the 80's, I went back to representational art while working in Joe Beelers bronze foundry in Sedona.  In the late 80's I was showing my abstract constructed paintings at Elaine Horwitch Galleries in Sedona, quite a reverse. I do that, I shift all over the place. I've learned to go with my emotions and simply shrug. Life is short.


Studio work

"Thistles"
18'X24" oil on linen canvas

"East Texas Cloudscape"
16"X20"
oil on linen gallery wrapped canvas
I've been trying to stretch the ol' painting muscles and go outside of myself to see what's inside.

Monday, May 28, 2012

Coupland, Texas

9"x12"
oil on linen panel
Found this abandoned grain building on the other side of the railroad tracks from the Coupland Dance Hall. I was drawn to the Black Eyed Susans as a foreground and the view of the building against the sky.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Hutto Silos

9"x12" oil on linen panel
 The clouds were impressive on Saturday morning, so I loaded up the gear and the dog in search of a painting spot. I've been meaning to paint this house and silos for some time. The fields were wheat and corn. Looking out at the vast landscape of crops makes one respect the hard work and long hours that go into farming.


Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Monday, May 14, 2012

Frank had a friend... or maybe a critic?

Waterfall at Twin Lakes

On Sunday, Mother's Day, Frank met me to paint at Twin Lakes. Due to the rain this past week, the creek from the lakes was flowing stronger than usual.

Monday, May 7, 2012

May Morning, Beck's Preserve

9"x12" oil on linen panel
It was hot and humid on Saturday, but after passing this preserve a few times this past week, I decided it was time to go out there to capture all those wildflowers.

Friday, May 4, 2012

Red Rock Peaks

12"x16"
Oil on Linen Canvas
I think I'm finished with this painting... sometimes you're never sure. Anyway, this was painted from a photo I took at Red Rock Canyon in Vegas a few weeks a go. I'm thinking it's a little saturated, so I may give it some glazing to push that peak further back. It's looks perfect in direct sunlight, but who hangs a painting outside? Ha!

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

2012 Plein Air SW Salon Show in Dallas, Texas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GMd80qYwBEs#!

Here's a nice vignette of the show at the SW Gallery in Dallas. I had three paintings accepted to the show.

Monday, April 30, 2012

Cactus And Thistle In Bloom

9"x12" oil on linen panel
I painted this at Twin Lakes in Cedar Park, Texas on Saturday around 11 a.m. It was hot and humid for an April day. 
This is kind of a breakout painting for me. I started it differently than usual and used some of the techniques I learned at the convention in Vegas. Honestly, it may not look it, but this is one of the most successful paintings I've done so far since painting outdoors in the 90's.

Gnarly Oaks

9"x12" oil on linen panel
After my Vegas trip, I couldn't wait to get out to sling some paint. I chose to paint these live oaks, or they chose me.