Pintura Fresca

I love that I live in the Texas Hill Country, and even more so, that I am in Boerne, and one only has to drive a short distance to have a decent place to paint. My favorite place by far is the Cibolo Nature Center. It's always quiet and peaceful, and gives me a great place to go paint. Mornings are especially nice, because even in the summer, one can find a cool, shady place.

I went out to one of my favorite spots, where two branches of the Cibolo Creek converge. There is a steady stream of water over the rocks, and the banks are lined with some very old, very tall cypress trees. Few people make it out there, but occasionally, a wandering couple will come by and spend a moment watching or talking to me. I can spend a few hours out there, and create some pretty nice art.

I just completed this in the studio this morning - the paint is still fresh and wet. I'll have it framed as soon as it's ready.

"Twin Sentinels on the Cibolo" Oil on Canvas Panel, 8" x 10"

"Morning on the Cibolo Creek"

Painted en plein aire. That's French for "I painted outside."
The Cibolo Creek runs through Boerne, and a private foundation has set up an area of land called the Cibolo Nature Center. (www.cibolo.org/) It is pretty much untouched, and with a short hike from the parking area, there are several places along the creek where one can sit for hours and enjoy the peace and quiet, and paint, write, reflect, or just be still. I was out there yesterday for about 2 1/2 hours and saw a total of 2 couples that walked by to see what I was doing. My dog, Nigel, had a great time romping through the shallow creek and greeting those that came by.
The morning lights create some interesting shadows and reflections on the water. This is at the end of one of the trails where 2 branches of the creek converge.

"Morning on the Cibolo Creek" Boerne, TX. Oil on panel, 9" x 12"

Happy Moo year

2013. Beginning of yet another year. The funny thing about time is that, perceptually, it seems to go by faster the older we get. Realistically, though, we have the same 31,536,000 seconds in each year (31,722,400 in a leap year), and they go by at the same rate of speed, no matter how old we get. tick, tick tick tick....
What we choose to do with that time is up to each one of us individually. We each have the same 86,400 seconds in each day, no matter who we are. How many of us, though, choose to use the time to our advantage? We can pass 14,400 seconds a night (or more) watching TV - be it sports, news, or other things of no consequence. We can easily blow 7200 seconds a day on Facebook, or sending text messages. If we are lucky, we get 28,800 seconds of sleep, and most of us work another 28,800 seconds a day. That leaves roughly 7200 seconds to important, consequential, and other momentous pursuits. Most people, though, tend to use those precious seconds doing nothing, or worrying, fretting, complaining, gossiping, or being stupid. And we wonder how time gets away from us so quickly...especially as we get older.
Some of us have decided life is too short - or too long, depending on your point of view - to merely waste our seconds on trivial pursuits. I've made a decision to spend more time pursuing my passions - writing, painting, drawing, practicing my art, drinking fine wine, loving those around me, and making the rest of my life mean something more than ordinary. I don't want to reach the end of my life and realize I wasted it in front of the TV or Facebook. I, like everyone else, only have 86,400 seconds each day to be extraordinary. And when it's all said and done, I want to know it was well done.
Here are what paintings look like in the beginning.

Happy Moo Year - a pencil study for a larger painting. These little longhorns belong to a dear friend, Lora, who let me come and get them to pose for me one day. Pencil on cotton paper, 9" x 11".

Beginning of #3 of 3, "Winter Field on the Cibolo," oil on panel, 18" x 24," First painting of 2013. Not wasting any time.

If you are reading this, it means you're important to me. Give me a call or send me a note sometime this year. We only have seconds left in this life. Don't waste them.

Merry Christmas, and yes, I am still painting

Merry Christmas, to you, my friends, who take time to read what I am up to, and put up with my thoughts and words. And much thanks to those of you who comment every now and then, either on here, through email, or even those who call me on occasion.

This is not intended as one of those "Christmas letters" (thank God we got none of those this year - if I ever wanted to write one, I would have put all the bad things that happened in the letter just to make it real - anyway).  But I did want to mention some things that have happened this year that make 2012 a memorable and turning-point year for Linda and me.

I committed at the beginning of the year to learn about and paint with oils. In 2011, I told my friend, Johny Rosa (who has encouraged and inspired me to continue painting and get better with each one), that I had a goal of 10 paintings this year. I don't know quite how many I actually completed this year, but as I look around my little studio, I count 21 paintings either on the wall, on a shelf, or still drying on an easel. There are at least 4 more hanging in other rooms, I have sold at least 8 more, and given away no less than 7. So there are at least 40 paintings accounted for in 2012. Completed oil paintings....there are several more laying around in various stages of completion, some of which may never be finished because I just don't like the direction they were going, or my style has changed. And that doesn't include the watercolors!

I went from struggling with thin paint on canvas ( a penurious style, according to Bill Zaner), whose colors were slightly thin and dull, somewhat strained in their presentation, and a bit muddy at times - to some rather full, rich and colorful paintings, full of life and texture. My techniques have started to become more relaxed and confident, and I am seeing a new boldness in my use of paint, color, and depth. I spent several hours learning basics from Bill Scheidt, an artist I met through another gallery in town. Bill S. taught me several techniques to mix, apply, and glaze. Not knowing much of anything when I started, I needed to understand some of the basics and learn a few time-savers and tricks.

My trip to Big Bend, and the time I have spent watching, listening, and reading the works of Bill Zaner and David Caton has been the real turning point for my art. No doubt about it. Something changed, like night into day - almost like a sunrise, it happened that quick - the dim morning light in a short time becomes full daylight, and colors change with each second - and then the day exposes all of the full colors. From the evenings spent talking about spirituality and writing limericks, to the early morning watching the sunrise with a cup of coffee and bourbon, my life and painting "DNA" was changed. Bill promised/threatened I would never be the same, and he was indeed right on point. I learned in one morning a completely different way to apply my paint, how to create depth and space, and how to feel the morning and express it on a surface.

I spent time reading Zaner's book on Texas landscapes, and understanding his passion to capture the Texas landscape and preserve its beauty for the next generation to enjoy. The landscape....not a lot of artists portray realistic landscapes any more, so I have a lot of respect for those who can do it well. Bill Zaner and David Caton are two of those people - and I count it a privilege to know them and call them friends.

So what's in store for the years to come? I am working on a 5 year plan to get out of debt, and be selling enough art to allow me to do that full time. Next year, I commit to 50 new pieces of fine Texas landscapes. And I commit to put my heart and soul into each one, to continue what was birthed in me this year.

Thank you again for listening and believing in me, and especially to those that have bought my art this year.

Hill Country Red Oaks #4 of 4, Oil on panel, 14" x 18", last of the series

More Red Oaks

Here is another painting of the little Red Oak grove on the back road home. This is what a stressful day creates. Yesterday was probably the worst day I have had in a long time. I was totally unmotivated and burnt out at work, and I pretty much did nothing except have a pity party all day. It was bad, and I just waited out my time there, waiting to get home. I don't like that Linda works so much, and there is about a 3 hour period between when I get home and when she does. I took advantage of that time to attack a canvas I had prepared. An hour painting always just melts away the stress, and passes quickly. Before I knew it, those 3 hours went by, and I realized 100% of my issues were between my ears. I had nothing to feel bad about, and I decided in that time to change my attitude.
Painting connects me to the beauty within me, and helps me see things in a different light, instead of worrying or feeling sorry for myself. Somehow all that  is wrong is forgotten, and all that is right comes out. Everything I need for peace and a harmonious life is within me, and comes out with the colors of my palette, placed carefully on a surface that becomes my interpretation of what I see.
The music in the background takes effect to relax me, and put me in a different state of mind and space. There is no need for anything else but the quiet and somehow it transcends my circumstances and my pain. In an instant, all is well and right.
So here is the prepared canvas:

Here is the first layer:

 
And finally, the end product - most of which I did "pleine aire" on site.

Red Oaks Grove, Boerne, Oil on canvas, 9" x 12"

I have one more to do in this series - a 14" x 18" with more detail. I am really liking the progression and the colors.