BELLE

5x7 oil on canvas panel

Week before last was Spring Break, it was a most enjoyable week of painting. The folks over at Some Texas Artists Like to Paint chose "paint with your other hand" for this month's challenge. I'm right handed so I painted this little portrait study of my parent's dog, Belle with my left hand. Because it was such a difficult exercise, I had to sit on my right hand the entire time I painted. So much fun, I would encourage all of you to try it. I began with a blank canvas, quickly estimated a few reference points with my left hand, then just went for it. Mom, I promise, one of these days you will get a real portrait of Belle.

HOME GROWN

8x10 oil on moleskine

Perhaps I need to reintroduce myself to all of you, my blogging days were put aside for a little while, but I'm back.

Since I'm playing catch up here, I'm sharing Home Grown with 2 other blogs. For our Texas Moleskin Round-Up group, this is for Carol Morgan's book with her theme of Sides...work with me here please, this woman is gardening outside And for the Some Texas Artists group, November's theme is What's for Dinner?

Take care all, I do hope to be visiting you real soon!

UPSIDE DOWN #9/50

8x8 oil on canvas panel

Although I have not been posting, I have been painting...many more of these to come...The studio is almost finished and I've learned a lot of information I'll probably never need to know again. We've had triple digit temperatures for 24+ days now, so some minor details will have to wait for cooler weather, but move in for me might just happen later this week! I'm also posting this little painting on Some Texas Artists Like to Paint for July's theme: Upside Down.

WASH DAY

8x10 oil on canvas panel

April's challenge for Some Texas Artists Like to Paint was tools. Our students in the second grade experience Pioneer Day each Spring. The children dress in costume and experience a wide variety of activities, such as washing clothes with a washboard or a very useful tool prior to the invention of the automatic washing machine.

And speaking of school, I'm thrilled to say we have only 20 days left. These last 2 months are the hardest and most definitely the longest. Once again I'm looking forward to summer vacation and some serious daily painting.

ZOE, AGAIN

8x10 oil on gessoed moleskine paper

Some of our Some Texas Artists Like to Paint artists have decided to exchange moleskines. I still have two moleskines to paint in for The Flying Moleskins and am sad to see it come to a close, but so excited to be a part of these wonderful Texas artists. If any of you are interested in doing this yourself, I strongly encourage you to get a group together and do it, you will not regret it!

In trying to decide what to paint on my introduction page of my moleskine, I thought it best to stick with a subject I knew and knew well. One year ago this month, we lost our sweet schnauzer, Zoe. She had been our family pet for 15 years and was most definitely a loved member of our family. She had many funny ways and expressions, this was the look I got from her when she knew she was in trouble. I thought there was too much contrast between Zoe and the background, so I warmed up her beard a bit, but forgot to re-photograph it before mailing my book to Jean Townsend. I am thrilled to begin this new project and cannot wait to see the treasures you all create! You can follow our moleskine exchange at Texas Moleskin Round-Up; please join us!

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!

LONGHORN RANCHER by Angela Elledge

8x8 oil on canvas panel
I met Kermit several years ago while visiting home one summer. My brother had kept a newspaper article for me about a man who had left his successful career to return home to SW Louisiana and begin a career as a longhorn cattleman. I boldly called him and explained that I was interested in photographing his longhorn cattle for future paintings. We had 3 cameras working and took well over 800 photos...click and shoot, edit later...what did we do before digital photography? Not only did I leave Kermit's ranch with an abundance of material for paintings, but he would not let us leave without a huge bag filled with an assortment of longhorn steaks! If you've never been to Louisiana, you're missing out on meeting some of the kindest people around.

And speaking of kind people, that just happens to be all of you, too. Thank you so much for your comments and e-mails! This was specifically painted for this month's challenge, Cowboy Up, at Some Texas Artists Like to Paint, another group of really kind folks.

DAVE'S CATCH

8x8 oil on canvas board

Dave is one of my plein air painting buddies and a man of many talents, not only can he catch his own fish, he can cook them up, too! This is another one of my little 1 hour painting studies and was so much fun to paint. This month's painting challenge for Some Texas Artists Like to Paint is fish, take a look here for more paintings on this subject. Thanks for the photo reference, Dave!

GREAT AUNT TEE #2

6x12 oil on canvas board nfs

A while back I posted my first painting of Great Aunt Tee (seen here). Some important things you should know about Aunt Tee, she loves the Lord, loves to fish, rides a little grown up tricycle and a scooter with a license plate that reads "Here Comes Trouble", and has been known to take a shot or 2 or Crown Royal! Oh my, did I really just share that?

The original Great Aunt Tee painting brought a very pleasant surprise to my family. A very long time ago my father and his siblings lost touch with a cousin that they had not seen in 60+ years. That cousin and his wife were each on a computer one night working on different search engines searching for any relatives they could find. They had very few names to work from, but the one name Michael could remember was Sister Charlita Wills - Aunt Tee. He typed in her name and my blog came up referencing my painting. Michael took one look at the painting and knew immediately that that was his Aunt from his childhood! They contacted me through my website, I put them in touch with my Dad, and I believe there is a plan to get together next summer. You just never know what happens when you post a painting!

Thanks to my brother I have hundreds of photos of Aunt Tee doing what she loves most. Here is a short little article and a wonderful picture of Aunt Tee on her tricycle, which just happens to be fully loaded for the unexpected fishing excursion! I do hope you read the article, it's a quick little read and she's oh so cute!

THE COWBOY ARTIST

8x10 oil on canvas

I'd like to introduce a new blog called Some Texas Artists Like To Paint . We are a small group of Texas artists who have agreed to paint and post monthly challenges established by each other. This month, our first month, has 2 themes, I have chosen to paint something for our Anything Texas theme. We'd love for you to visit our blog and become a follower to see what else we will be painting in the weeks and months to follow.

This Cowboy Artist was quite the character, he was dressed in complete cowboy attire, all the way from the spurs on his boots to a turkey feather in his cowboy hat. In addition to his beautiful art, he even had his white horse saddled up right next to him at his booth. He definitely knew how to draw a crowd to his art. I have quite a few references of him, so I plan on painting a little series of this cowboy artist. Thanks for visiting!