It's been a while!

It's been a busy few weeks for me. I've recently finished a commissioned painting of cowboy boots, attended my last meeting as an officer of the New Braunfels Art League, and now I'm moving into my new studio/gallery space.

This picture is the front door (the one on the right) to my studio. The building is a relocated Texas cabin originally built in the 1800's.

The first thing you see as you enter the front door is going to be the public room... a place to greet people, visit with them and present my available work. It's a really rustic and cozy space and it will look great with a rug, a few comfortable chairs and a selection of my work.







This last picture is from the kitchen looking toward the front door. The area in the foreground will be my work area. It's only slightly separated from the public room and anyone visiting the studio will have a view of the work space. They'll be treated to the sight of the clutter of a working painting studio and the controlled chaos it involves. Fortunately, I have a small back room for storage and the "not so picturesque" elements of a working studio.



I'm looking forward to receiving visitors along with my studio/gallery partner, Brigitte Woosley, who will be offering her wonderful Western oil paintings in the adjoining gallery space.

I'd love to have you come visit me!

Check out Cindy Revell's work...

Sometimes you find an artist who's work makes you say "I wish I had done that!"
Cindy Revell is one of those artists whose work just fascinated me.

I hope you enjoy seeing her work as much as I did.

What caught my eye....
Check her out!

Dark And Stormy Still LIfe

It took me a year but I've finally finished this painting. It went through a few phases and ended up a bit surrealistic. I'm glad I finally finished it. It really bothers me when I get stuck and I can't seem to get back to something that's been around that long!

It's almost worse than facing a blank canvas!

"Dark and Stormy Still Life"
Oil on Board
12" x 18-1/2"

Just a little touch-up in the studio...

This was a beautiful southern Texas morning in the fall. We searched for a while to find the perfect place to paint and "that we did!"
This was a spot on Hunter Road between New Braunfels and San Marcos and there were 3 beautiful scenes to paint. I chose this one because I was wanting to paint some SKY!

"Hunter Road"
Oil
11" x 14"

ALAS!

I started a still life painting and I liked the way it was progressing but life is full of complications! Now the petals have fallen and the painting isn't done. I have to remember to make a good photo BEFORE I start to paint.

Hmmmmmmmm.... Maybe I'll just fake it!

(Unfinished Painting)
Oil on Canvas

Part of the Fun...

When painting outdoors, part of the process is interacting with the curious public. The last time I was out painting with my studio partner, a nice man stopped and took pictures of us. I was happy to find those pictures in my email today and I thought I would post one of them.

Some artists that I know say that they find it distracting to have someone interacting with you while you are painting. I find it interesting that others are fascinated by artists, what artists do, and how artists work. It's pretty much second nature to me to have someone looking over my shoulder. What is more difficult for me is to explain why or how I paint.

I'd love to hear what others think about this.

"A View of Cypress Bend"

Painting the river on this sunny afternoon was a real challenge for me. The water is beautifully clear and the first impression of it is that it is somewhere between seafoam green and aqua. In fact it is every color on my palette! It was a great piece to expand my comfort envelope.
I will certainly attempt this again but I think tomorrow I'd like to paint some rolling meadows and sky. Who would have guessed that I would fall in love with painting outdoors?

"A View of Cypress Bend"
Oil on Panel
12" x 16"