AZALEAS IN THE PARK

11x14 oil on canvas

This month our theme for Some Texas Artists Like to Paint is flowers. Oh, dear it is official, I am not a flower painter. I attempted a few this week, all wipe outs and one so bad, I just threw it in the trash. As I wailed and threw fits, my sweet husband very confidently suggested, "just paint like Nancy Medina". As you know it doesn't quite work like that, but I do like that a few posts down on our little blog she refers to a glass of wine, now that I can do.

Ann Rogers encouraged me to post this painting for the flower theme. She and I went out last spring together and painted one day in the Turtle Creek area of Dallas. Each Spring the azaleas put on a show and just scream paint me, so we did!

SUMMER SLUMBER

8x8 oil on canvas

For those of you who were wondering what my husband looks like, here you go! This was painted for the Summer Time theme for our new blog, Some Texas Artists Like to Paint. You can read why Jay became a subject for this little painting here.




My summer is going by so very fast, once July gets here it's time to start thinking about returning to school. Last week I had lunch with some great blog friends: Gwen Bell, Ann Rogers, and Nancy Medina, after lunch we checked out the awesome art at Southwest Gallery. If anyone has an extra $40K, there's an incredible John Cook painting I'm coveting! To see Mr. Cook's paintings on the SW Gallery website, click on events, then his name, you won't be disappointed, I promise!

GUS

8x10 oil on canvas sold

This is one of 3 portraits I recently painted for a client. Without a doubt, it was difficult for me to part with this portrait. As I began my blocking in process and began to see his portrait develop, I could not help but feel that it had an old fashioned and nostalgic quality to it. I loved his one floppy ear, his warm eyes and the way the light fell across his face.

My client's children found this bulldog mix sleeping next to a gas pump at a gas station outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The owner of the station thought he had been dropped off by a trucker. They tried unsuccessfully to find a shelter that would take him, but there was no room for him anywhere. The only thing they could do was bring him home to, you guessed it...Mom in North Texas. Promises were made that the bulldog mix would only stay with their Mom for the weekend and then first thing Monday morning they would contact the Dallas area shelters. Somehow this bulldog mix dog knew he only had the weekend to win this family over. He got along beautifully with their little terrier, bonded with Dad on his evening walks, and Mom, admittedly a sucker for a cutie, fell in love with him. Well, come Monday morning, this bulldog mix had found a home and a name, Gus.

LAKESIDE PARK

8x16 oil on canvas

After a very difficult week, I joined several artist friends today for a much needed respite from school and home. This painting did not begin easily, it began as a different view of Lakeside Park, but it soon became a lovely color of mud after wiping down my first start only to begin anew. As beautiful as it was in Dallas today, my mind was on information overload. This area in Highland Park is lovely, trees are beginning to bud, children were romping through the park, and dogs were happily tugging on leashes, but boy did I struggle. This painting almost became another wiped out canvas until I picked up the palette knife and attempted to try something a little different.

In addition to my regular painting friends, I had the pleasure of painting with Ann Rogers. This was Ann's first time to try a little plein air painting, and despite my painting difficulties and whining because I was cold, Ann happily painted and her amazing results can be seen here. Apparently I did not whine that much, because Ann has agreed to meet up with us again.

Thank you so much for your thoughtful words of comfort for our little Zoe; you have each helped my family more than you could ever know. Take care!

WINSTON & OTHER NEWS

8x10 oil on canvas sold

Winston is a 2nd commission for a couple of outstanding actors in New York. Brian originally had wanted this portrait as a Christmas present for his wife, but my commission list could not accommodate him, so he agreed on his 10th wedding anniversary for his sweet wife, Ashley...congratulations Brian & Ashley! Winston is a little black pomeranian and his portrait will join the portrait I did of his brother, Little Sweetheart Emmett.

As you can see Winston was another one of my black dog commissions, but painting this black dog was a little different from the others. Unlike the other black dogs I've recently painted, Poms have a dense coat so I had the added challenge of not having the sleek shiny coat to paint...instead, I focused on Winston's "come play with me" smile.
February 12, 2010

So, by now I'm sure ya'll are sick and tired of hearing about our snowfall last week, but this was big news for us in Dallas. We received 12-1/2" of snow and it resulted in a day off from school and an appreciation that I know I love snow for a couple of days, but not a real winter's worth of snow like some of you experience.

February 16, 1985

Yesterday, my husband and I celebrated our 25th anniversary and well, I'm feeling a little brave so, why not show you what we looked like way back when...

Thank you all for visiting; I appreciate your comments very much! Take care. :-D

TUX

8x10 oil on canvas sold

This little painting was commissioned as a special anniversary present for a husband who dearly loved this little guy. Tux came into the family when their 3 little daughters, all wanted a Cock-a-poo puppy. Tux was purchased with the understanding that he was a Cock-a-poo, but the vet determined a Cock-a-poo, he was not! Regardless of the mix-up, Tux became the most loved dog in this family of 5.

For 16 of Tux's 17 years, he ran leash free all over Dallas at his master's heels. People had become so accustomed to seeing the 2 running buddies over the long span of time, that when Tux could no longer run, strangers would come out of their homes to ask about him. He befriended a little Burmese kitten, often sleeping together and he tolerated a wild rabbit that hung around the family's yard, but the one thing that Tux was not fond of was other dogs...he would simply ignore all dogs.

Tux, the little Cock-a-poo-Not was loved by this family of 5 and for his 17 years Tux loved them right back with the biggest heart ever.

Having 17 years of photos to choose from for Tux's portrait, I really liked that a long ago puppy picture was selected. Once again I found myself painting another black dog, but this one offered an interesting challenge in trying to portray that super soft puppy fur.

For those of you from the Dallas area, a group of us have committed to do a little Spring plein air painting beginning the second Saturday of March. Turtle Creek is a favorite place and I'm sure we'll plan some painting time in that area, in addition to other places. We'd love for you to join us, e-mail me and I'll send you the details, I promise we're fun folks! Thank you for visiting. I do try to visit your blogs and comment, but right now I have fallen behind, hopefully I can catch up real soon. Take care and enjoy your Super Bowl weekend!

MY AFRICA

6x9 oil on canvas sold

My commissions come from many different sources, but I have to say receiving a commission from your daughter’s long time friend is a first for me. My daughter is 19, soon to be 20, and I've known her friend, Laynie since she was a little gap-toothed 5th grader. Laynie commissioned me to paint something from her mother's mission trips to Africa.

Cyndi received her painting on Christmas Eve and very kindly shared her journal entry about where the original photo was taken for this painting. As I read her journal entry, I was in tears thinking of my own family, how very different our lives and circumstances are and it’s only by the grace of God, I live in the United States and not someplace else.

Through Cyndi’s church in Dallas, Watermark Church, she and a group of lawyers go to Africa annually on a mission trip in the fall. Among many things, their mission is to assist Congolese lawyers, visit prisons, and spread God's word. The following is an excerpt from Cyndi’s journal upon visiting The Women's Sexual Violence Treatment Center:

"We stopped in front of a small house with a sign in front and picked our way carefully down the rocky slope to the front door. There were people to meet us at the door, and a happy group of women who clapped and sang their welcome to us after we had found a seat in the tiny gathering room. It was hard for me to wrap my brain around the reality of their circumstances. They were counselors to the women who had been violated, but my gut tells me that they too had been brutalized as well. Shara opened the suitcase full of bears and blankets and explained why we had brought them, and they were so appreciative - again they sang and clapped their thanks. Then Rick stood up to speak for us all and explain why it was important to us to be there with them, that we wanted to remind them that God had not forgotten them, that the world had not forgotten them. Then he pointed to a box of Healing the Wounds of Trauma books, to which again we heard the clapping song of gratitude. And then he leaned over and opened an ordinary looking cardboard box packed with Swahili translations of the Bible. And the women literally leaped for joy, they squealed with excitement, they were exultant, and their gratitude was uncontainable. I began to cry and did not stop crying for a long while. We prayed together and one of the women prayed for us. She sang the prayer, and the women joined in the refrain. I joined hands with a woman with a beautiful infant swaddled to her back. Our eyes never met. One squeeze as we said "Amen". I never heard the translation for this but I knew for certain this to be true, GOD was in that place. He was filling their hearts, our hearts, with His Spirit, and the conviction that His word is true, that there is power in His work and that He is able to accomplish His will with those who seek Him and trust in His word.

I was humbled and convicted. They knew what I often forget or take for granted, that the LORD God has revealed Himself in His work, and His greatest desire for us is to seek hard after Him, whether it is at the kitchen table in the suburbs, or the desolation of a place like Goma."

I know this was a long post, thank you for visiting and commenting. Thank you Laynie and Cyndi!

TRINITY RIVER & HENRY FINKELSTEIN

PRAIRIE POND sold

16X20 oil on canvas
PRAIRIE PATH

10x20 oil on canvas

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending a plein air workshop with Henry Finkelstein, an abstract expressionist from New York. I attended 2 of the 5 days and painted at the Trinity River Audubon Center. TRAC, just South of downtown Dallas, once an illegal dumping ground and reclaimed by the city, is now a wonderful educational facility for families and students.

In addition to my 2 paintings, I've included an exterior photo of the TRAC facility and a party photo we had on our last evening with Henry.

MY WEEKEND WITH HENRY FINKELSTEIN

6x12 oil on canvas
16x20 oil on panel
8X16 oil on panel

Another great weekend to talk about, but I will keep this short because I have so many photos to post...I spent a long weekend studying with Henry Finkelstein, an abstract expressionist from New York (3rd from left on back row in group shot). Our plein air painting days consisted of 30-35 mph winds, very gray days, rainstorms, and the occasional burst of sunshine. Our days began painting in the morning, breaking for lunch with a critique, and then back to painting into early evening. Before we sent Henry back to New York, we celebrated with a wonderful party last night. Artists are just the best people, I have made so many new friends, here in blogworld, and through workshops. We had so much fun painting together and plan on painting again very soon. I love seeing photos of artists at work and hope you enjoy seeing these amazing artists and their incredible paintings. Please keep in mind these landscapes were pretty quick, but hopefully I have some good studies that I might develop into larger works soon. 

HACKBERRY CREEK

This is the plein air I did last weekend at Hackberry Creek near Turtle Creek in Dallas. Because this area is so beautiful and bursting with Spring everything, I had great difficulty in selecting a scene to paint. If I were to be honest, I would admit I can never decide what to paint. Thank goodness for my plein air buddy, Paula Mele, who finally said, paint this! A couple of posts down is a photo reference to this painting.

We were unable to paint today because Winter decided to visit North Texas at the end of March, hopefully we can revisit Hackberry Creek next weekend. So instead of a little plein air painting, I was able to deliver a painting for an exhibition, paint a pet portrait commission, and bake a chocolate chip cheesecake for my daughter's 19th birthday, another busy weekend. Tomorrow will be a non-painting day, we will celebrate Taylor's birthday in Tyler. 

3 IN A ROW

12x24 oil on canvas

Yet another black & white cow in the series. This painting, along with others, is featured for the month of July at Cafe Izmir in Dallas.