It's 2013!!!

"Hagey"

7" x 7", oil on canvas

It's been a lonnnng hiatus, and I'm wondering why there aren't two of me -- one of which would do nothing but sit at the computer, uploading and posting and generally handling all forms of electronic communication. The other would, of course, just paint.

It's Second Saturday at Winter Street Studios, and my door is open to the public, as usual. We consistently get more new visitors, even after several years of doing this. On any other Saturday, I would be painting. That's the thing with working in a building with other art studios. You are more directly involved in your own promotion. There are 70 studios and about 120 artists at Winter Street, and it's a very active environment, with frequent happenings that allow me to open my door to the public. Great exposure, but it means actually CLEANING UP my space and GIVING UP painting time in order to meet and greet. And hopefully sell.   Not complaining, just saying.

"Hagey" is one of several holiday commissions that kept me busy in December. I was very pleased with the result. But, then, who could resist that face?

A Creek Runs Through It

50" x 40", oil on canvas

A recent commission for a really nice couple who wanted a scene from the creek on their ranch.  I really enjoyed painting this one. 

All she wrote . . .

Untitled, 42" x 42"

oil on canvas

Here it is, number four, the final of the four-painting campus life commission. As my daddy would have said, "that's all she wrote." The four pieces have been framed and installed in the brand new UAC building at Texas State University in San Marcos. I haven't visited the building yet but have received positive feedback on the paintings. 

Now for some nice simple landscapes!

Number three . . .

Untitled, 42" x 42"

This is the third in the four-painting campus series -- and another that almost rendered me goofy. I had eye strain from trying to sort out all those bicycle parts.

Second of the big four . . .

Untitled, 50" x 40"

Here's another of that four-painting commission. I happened upon these guys just after they'd settled in for a guitar session in the campus Quad. 

I Got Some 'Splainin' to Do . . .

Untitled,  50" x 40"

I'm still around in case you were wondering. Just been totally absorbed with a four-painting commission for a Texas University. They're large pieces (two 50"x40" and two 42"x42") with lots of figures and detail work, and they took over my life for the last few months. Did I mention there was lots of detail?

Above  is the first painting. The scene has 21 figures and nine thousand steps in case you were wondering. I painted this one first, because I figured it would be the biggest challenge to my sanity. But there's another one that was equally challenging in terms of hair-pulling detail; I'll get to it in another post.

A job of this magnitude can be tricky, especially when there's  a short timeline on top of multiple trips to meet with a committee and to get plenty of photo references. I was in the studio seven days a week for most of that time, sometimes till 8 or 9 at night. (Okay, it's true I don't start painting till around midday, after I've put in several hours with the business side of my career -- and other, uh, business.  Still.) 

AND there's a chance I may have emerged from the project as a total wino. But maybe that will turn out to  be a good thing. We'll see.

Anway, I DID emerge -- with most of my brain cells intact. So I'm celebrating. The paintings have been hung, and the reviews are all good. Doing the happy dance here. 

Much work in progress . . .

Thank goodness we have periodic openings at Winter Street Studios! Otherwise, I'd never clean up my space. Next thing you know, I'd be featured on Hoarders, and my studio would be quarantined, if not condemned. Right now, I'm busily getting ready for the upcoming Spring Open Studios -- cleaning, framing, re-hanging, and re-considering the whole process. Meanwhile, I've put aside commission pieces until the dust settles and the show's over.

Just three days away, (Saturday, April 28th from 3 to 9 p.m.) this show will feature all the Winter Street and Spring Street artists in their native habitat.  Visitors will be free to roam among us, wander the studios, sip some wine, and take in a huge array of spectacular art. 

So, if you're in Houston, come on down to Winter Street Studios and check us out. I'm in C-5 on the east end of the building, and I'll be looking for you. For a map and directions, look here: 

http://www.winterstreetstudios.info/directions.html

Way Out West

"Way Out West"

14" x 56", oil on canvas

A road that wanders through the vast land known as Big Bend.

A Place to Lose Your Heart?

"Cafe de la Presse"

12" x 12", oil on canvas - Sold

There's much to love about that city on the Bay; for instance, its fine eateries and casual bistros. Its cool summers. July in San Francisco is downright cold. About as cold as January in Houston.

Taos Falls

I'm comfortable painting big; maybe more so than working on small pieces. I find I work faster and somewhat looser with big renderings. Here's one I've almost finished -- meaning I've reached the point where I let it rest  while I try to ignore it until I can go back to critique it with a fresh eye.  Then I'll either make changes or . . . not. If I do tweak it later, I'll post the finished product. Meanwhile, here's how this one has progressed.

Taos Falls

48" x 48" oil on canvas

"Gullfriends" and Grandmas

"Gullfriends" 

(in its original form)

52" x 48" oil on canvas

I'm a sucker for grandchildren, so when a grandma who had bought this painting (it reminded her of her granddaughters) asked me to add another child -- a boy -- to it, I folded.  Of course, it's not as simple as "just stick him in there anywhere." Adding a design element after a painting is completed can destroy the integrity of both the art and the artist. (And I would never make such a change to someone else's work.) It requires rethinking the whole composition for balance and color and -- everything!  In this instance, it also required moving and/or removing some elements and repaintng others.  As with a lot of work, I have to let it sink in a while before I can judge its worth objectively.  I'm happy to report, though, that Grandma was thrilled with the result.

"Gullfriends" 

(with its updated cast of characters)

The painting was photographed at differenct times, with different cameras and lighting, which accounts for the difference in color. 

Same Song, Different Verse . . .

This painting was done in oil on a 22"x28" black canvas. 

The version below is 8"x10",  gouache on white paper.

A bit different, huh?

The patch of flowers is located -- along with many, many more -- in Harmony, CA.

Noon on Nassau Street

12" x 16" oil on canvas, nfs

What a rip-off! She starts a blog then leaves town. 

Well, maybe she had a good reason.

Like what? It better be good.

Maybe she went to Princeton to see her granddaughter perform Shakespeare.

Oh.

And maybe she revisited some of her favorite sidewalk cafes, like the one above.

Oh.

And now that she has that out of her system, maybe she'll settle down and PAINT.

   (Her granddaughter is definitely going places, by the way.)

Board Meeting

12" x 36"

oil on canvas

A blog is born . . . and for my first outing on this daunting path, I'm choosing seagulls. They're wonderful creatures and, I like to think, a bit lucky for me.  In case you're wondering, these fifteen posed tirelessly for me out in the blazing sun at Port Aransas, Texas.