"Lake Travis Sunset"

Well the big holiday is over, so I thought I'd post something calm and soothing. This is a plein air I did a couple of months ago over at a friend's house. It was painted very quickly as the sun set very fast. In the summertime we have a longer time to paint the sunset. In the winter the sun seems to drop like a rock.

"Self Portrait II" Abstract

I think this time of year is what caused the creative spark for this painting. I think it's a pretty good representation of how I see myself in the month of December.

"The Tree"

This was painted from a sketch I did on a private ranch near Fredericksburg. It was suppose to be a plein air painting day, but it was so cold my oil paints were too thick. So instead, I sketched quickly and headed for the warm car (whimpy painter). I later did this acrylic in "Van Gogh" style with heavy paint and some palette knife work.

"Poppies"

I am trying to stay in "red mode" because of the time of year, but I don't think these guys really bloom until spring. Oh well. Thank you to all who have ordered the greeting cards. I still have some stock left, so it's not too late to get in an order.

"Poinsettia"

I was trying to "get in the spirit" of things and paint something seasonal. Since I'm in the middle of a remodeling project, and was too busy to go shopping . . . I found an old fake plant in the closet, chopped off a bloom and painted it! Now I feel compelled to buy a real plant and paint it.

"Sunflowers" - Still Life

I'd like to tell you these are French sunflowers, painted on my trip, but I can't tell a fib. They're direct from HEB in Round Rock, but they do look just like the ones I saw in the fields in France!!

"Sweetie Pie"

Not to be outdone and demanding equal time . . . meet Sweetie Pie, our mutually adopted cat. She found us just a couple of weeks after we lost our precious Yorkie and we found her love helped heal a couple of broken hearts. Now she's the lady of the house and lives a wonderful life. In the morning when she's all feisty she comes running into the entry way, hits the long rug and flips herself in and out. One morning I got a photo of her resting before tearing thru the living room.

"Which Way?"

This is another painting using the tools learned in Vie's workshop. The object was abstract movement with an overlay painting. After completing the background I thought I saw a fish - I pursued it from there and came up with this painting.

"Pearl" SOLD

Meet Pearl, the sweetest little Papillon I've ever met. Her owners were walking her down the street a couple of weeks ago when we crossed paths. She immediately came right over to me and started with big kisses and dancing on her hind legs. It was love at first sight! I took her picture, came home and painted her.

"Palmetto Morning"

This painting is the 2nd of 3 paintings using the techniques learned from the Vie Dunn-Harr workshop. It starts with an underpainting of colors which is quickly followed by an overpainting. At the beginning of this painting (and most of the way thru it) I had no idea what I was going to paint. It's sort of an inspirational/intuitive process that's very uncomfortable while doing it, but can yield some good results if you can just go with the flow. Hope you like it!