Dancing Cypress on Frio River

20x24 oil on stretched cotton canvas
$600 (email me if interested)
I really wanted to emphasize the cypress roots in the water so I thought by putting the horizon in the top part of the painting I could use majority of the space on the water's edge. I am really pleased with the outcome using this composition. I have been preparing to hang some of my paintings at Magnolia Cafe in Austin the first of June. I am making my own floater frames. This is very time consuming with cutting, assembling, painting and sanding. I am ready to be finished so I can get back to painting. I have some ideas for paintings in my head I am anxious to get started (hopefully soon).

Black Cows

20x24 oil on stretched cotton canvas
NFS
I finally finished my parents Christmas present. I couldn't post it until I delivered it to their house, because my Mom looks at my blog. We ordered a frame from King of Frames. She received the frame a few days ago and said it looks really nice. I have personally never seen a King of Frames frame but have heard only good things about them. We decided on a distressed black frame with hints of green and red and a gold trim on the inside edge. I will have to wait a while before I get to see the painting framed. I am still painting daily but working on larger pieces so I do not have anything to post as often.

Michaelis Ranch sheds

8x10 oil on stretched cotton canvas
$75 (email me if interested)
Another plein aire outing with the Austin group. The Michaelis Ranch in Kyle, Texas is on the U.S. Department of the Interior's list of National Register of Historic Places. There were so many wonderful painting ops. Being new at this plein aire thing, I think my biggest obstacle is composition. I am so used to painting from photos that I can crop to set my own boundaries. When painting on location I see all around. As on this painting I feel as if the shed in the foreground is too dominate on one side which to me throws of the balance of my composition. On a positive note I do feel as though plein aire painting is going to help me paint only the important details. I have alot to learn but I am enjoying every minute of it.

Alley no.1

18x24 oil on stretched cotton canvas
$600 (email me if interested)SOLD
Any time I visit a new town I like to explore the heart of the town-back alleys, neighborhoods, local restaurants (no chains), no tourist traps for me. This painting is for my collection of Austin works that will hang at Magnolia Cafe in June.

Rio Vista Park

8x10 oil on stretched cotton canvas
$75 (email me if interested)

I recently joined Plein Aire Austin a group from Austin, Texas and surrounding areas. My first outing with them was this past Saturday at a park in San Marcos, Texas. To get me out there painting I knew I would have to follow some established veterans of plein aire. I confess, I am a sheep. I loved it! They are a bunch of wonderful painters and it was so nice being out in the fresh air, it was a beautiful day. The colors! After I got home and compared what I had painted and the photo I took, I was amazed at the intensity of colors that was lost in the photo. I WILL be painting plein aire more!

Barton Springs Hike

16x20 oil on stretched cotton canvas
$600 (email me if interested)
I am adding a few larger pieces to my Austin series. I have been invited to hang some works at the Magnolia Cafe on S.Congress Ave. in Austin in June.

Longhorn Calf

8x10 oil on cotton canvas panelSOLD
It's been awhile since I have posted anything. The holidays rolled around and I was pretty busy enjoying my family, cooking and just over all good spirits. I have been painting though. I have been working on a larger painting to be a gift to my Mom and Dad. My Mom requested black cows. It is now finished but I can not post it just yet because they have not seen it. Mom looks at my blog. Meanwhile here is a small Longhorn calf I just finished today. I enjoyed painting the black cows so much I wanted to paint another cow.

Prickly Pear Blossom

8x6 oil on cotton covered panel
$120 (email me if interested)SOLD
I enjoy painting cactus pads. I can achieve their green color by using cerulean blue, ultramarine blue, viridian, yellow ochre and/or cad yellow. It just depends on how the light hits the pad on which I use.

First Snow

6x8 oil on cotton canvas panel
$75 (email me if interested)

My first plein aire using my new "Cigar Box" by Guerrilla. Jim and I took our first RV trip to Taos, New Mexico this past week. We woke up to an early snow. This is what was left by the afternoon.

Mission Gardens

8x10 oil on cotton canvas panel
$250 (email me if interested)
The next best thing to painting plein aire is coming home and being able to paint from your photos. It takes me back to being at that location and what a good time I had with my Mom and daughter.

bougainvillea

8x10 oil on stretched cotton canvas
$150 (email me if interested)
Another painting of the Mission San Juan Capistrano.

Mission San Juan Capistrano

20x24 oil on stretched cotton canvas
$600 (email me if interested)
I have a hard time photographing my work. This one seems to be washed out and the previous post you can see dull reflections. I have tried different times of the day and different locations. Anyway, while in California taking Robin Hall's workshop, we visited the mission in San Capistrano. What a beautiful place! Every corner you turn is a photo op or in my case a painting op. I would love to spend many hours there painting on location. Unfortunately I live many miles away and I have to settle painting from photos. One day I want to be able to paint plein aire every where I go. Its going to happen soon.

Salsa Bowl 4

6x6 oil on cotton canvas panel
$100 (email me if interested)

Salsa Bowl with lime and lemon

6x6 oil on cotton canvas panel
$100 (email me if interested)
I enjoyed painting my little Mexican bowls so much I decided to paint one again.

Waterloo Icehouse Austin

8x8x3 oil on stretched cotton canvas
$100 (email me if interested)

I'm finally back. So many things in my life have been going on. I was kinda in a painting slump for awhile. It just seemed as though I couldn't paint anything I was happy with. Then I got the opportunity to take Robin Hall's Color Theory workshop in San Clemente, Ca. If you haven't ever seen Robin's work,take a look at her web site. Her use of colors are amazing. In fact, that is the reason I jumped at taking her class. We spent four days talking, mixing and painting colors. I was so pumped to get home and try out my new knowledge of color. I am working on a 20x24 painting of a photo I took at the Mission San Juan in San Capistrano. I am taking my time and thinking a lot about values and tones.
This painting is number 9 of my series of Austin Landmarks.