PAINT THE PARKS ENTRIES

"Loch Vale" 24" x 30" oil/canvas

That time of year again for Paint the Parks.
Paint the Parks is a great juried show and I am
entering two pieces this year. The painting
above is of Loch Vale in Estes Park. Its a long
hike up to this clear mountain lake which, by
the way, is full of rainbow trout.

My second entry is from the Grand Canyon.

















"Grand View" 24" x 30" oilo/canvas

This one of my favorite paintings of the year.
The toughest challenge in painting the Grand Canyon
is trying to capture the extreme amount of depth.
It just seems to go on forever and you have to pick
and choose which layers to include and which ones
to leave out while maintaining the overall
character of the landscape.

Its amazing to me that so many paintings start with
some obscure little bush in the foreground and then you
step off into limitless space. Its one of the ultimate
challenges in plein air painting.

EBAY AUCTION PAINTING #2

"Day's Done" 8" x 10" oil/canvas

click here to bid

My second auction piece for Ebay went online today.
I painted this tractor on location in Salado, Texas
about two years ago. I've always liked this piece and
I have done a couple of tractor paintings since that
aren't nearly as successful as this one.

The auction will last a week and then I'll post
something new.

MY EBAY STORE OPENS TODAY

"ROCKY MOUNTAIN CREEK
" 8" x 10" oil/canvas





















Click Here to Bid

Okay so today I jump off another cliff into the
vast unknown of online sales. I figure if its
good enough for Frank Serrano its good enough
for me. I mean hey, what's a painter to do with
a collection of field studies and smaller paintings
that will never make it to the gallery and will
otherwise just sit in a stack of paintings collecting
dust in the corner of the studio.

I just finished a six month stretch in which I
had my first one-man show followed by my first
three-man show and mixed in was a workshop or two.
Oh yea, let's not forget four shows in April. I took
last week off from doing any painting and kept my
social media activities to a minimum. I began the
weekend by cleaning my studio and reorganizing files.
I sat on the floor and flipped through about 50 paintings
that, in my opinion, are really nice. Most of them are field
studies. Some of them have made their way into larger
paintings and some never will, but it doesn't take away
from the fact that on their own merit most of them would
like to be in a frame hanging on someone's wall where they
would be appreciated instead of delegated to the corner
of my studio.

So I am offering my smaller paintings their path to freedom
by offering them on Ebay in my newly created store. I'm
still trying to figure out how to post the paintings and then
promote them, but I'm sure it will all work out so bear with
me until I get a system worked out.

In addition to offering my field studies, I will be posting a
new original piece of work every Friday. Watch for these to
be promoted on Facebook and Twitter as well. I am really
excited by the opportunity this presents for someone to start
a collection or add to it with one of my original paintings. Do \me a favor a check it out and let me know what you think.

THREE PAINTERS THREE VISIONS

Bob Rohm, Rusty Jones, Qiang Huang and Suzanne Owens

Last weekend was the opening for "Three Painters Three
Visions" at Riverbend Fine Art in Marble Falls. The day
started with each of the three painters producing a demo.
Bob painted a stone wall and farm scene typical of the
Texas Hill Country. I painted one of the stone bridges
found on the San Antonio Riverwalk and Qiang knocked
out a stellar still life. It was a great day to watch three
very talented fellas at their best.













Putting on a show.

The opening was well attended by collectors and artists
alike. Sales were slower than expected, but Marta Stafford,
gallery director, felt the interest level in the show will grow
and the sales will take place mostly over the next month as
more and more people find time to see the show.





















My demo.

I had a great time, especially during the demo. My parents
attended and it was the first time for them to actually
watch me do a painting start to finish. I always enjoy
being around Bob Rohm just because he's a great friend and
his talent is something I have always admired. Spending
the day with Qiang and his wife, Song, was a real treat.
Qiang is one of the state's fastest rising talents and he has
become a good friend of mine in a short period of time. I
look forward to many more opportunities to paint with him.

The show hangs for a month. Be sure to swing by and take a look.