MIDWINTER SOLSTICE

I love Christmas, but it sure does sidetrack my painting schedule! I've been on holiday for the past 5 days, but now I'm back; I painted Midwinter Solstice today. It's 11 x 14 on 300# rough Arches.

"WHISPERS"

The title adds a little mystery...you're drawn into the painting by the 3 small figures in the distance; two are talking and the other has walked away... This is a watercolor, 16 x 20. I completed this painting 2 days before Christmas.

1st Place Award

I'm delighted to announce that my painting, AWESOME AUTUMN won First Place in DeSoto Art League's annual membership show. There were 44 entries and 4 "over-all" awards; 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and honorable mention. Winning is a good "motivator"....back to work I go!

RIVER BEND RANCH

RIVER BEND RANCH - Watercolor - 8"x10"
Today I spent about 3 hours cleaning up my work area; emptying the trash and sweeping up little bits of debris that is always under my drawing board. I only had a couple of hours before dinner so I decided to do a small landscape. This is the 3rd in a series of "River Bend" paintings.

AWESOME AUTUMN

"AWESOME AUTUMN"
WATERCOLOR - 20" X 24"
I think this painting has been "mentally" in process for about 5 years. I started with a quick pencil sketch, working out the composition. Then about a year ago,I worked up several "seasonal" color sketches then put them aside until I discovered the sketches this past week in one of my resource files. This is a panoramic landscape of fall colors, with distant hills (mountains?)and isn't anyplace in particular; it's a combination of many places I have been. Sometimes, with watercolor, a painting just falls together all by itself with little help from the person holding the brush. I love it when that happens; it's been a good week in the studio!

Winter Redbird (Cardinal)

This 9" x 6" watercolor is inspired by the dozen or so Cardinal pairs that live in my back yard among the Pecan trees and shrubs. I love trees, especially in the fall and winter. The obvious focus in this painting is the tree trunk contrasting with the orange background, but a closer look reveals the spot of red up high in the tree top!

"Outta Gas" 16" x 20" Watercolor
I've been painting every day the past couple of weeks, trying to meet several deadlines; 22 illustrations for a children's book and 2 exhibitions. I can't share my book illustrations yet...the author is still working with a publisher. But, I can share one of the paintings I completed last week for a membership exhibition of the Ellis County Art Association in my hometown of Waxahachie, Texas. This painting is of an old abandoned gas station with 50's era trucks parked behind it. The scene is on a corner of a little town in South Central Texas called New Zulch. It has most of the "ingredients" for a Texas landscape...all that's missing is a Longhorn standing in a patch of Bluebonnets! I plan to do several paintings of this location from different angles. The change from Daylight Savings time has resulted in a lot less time for plein air, and more time in the studio. Speaking of studio, I better get back to work.