SCENES FROM BIG BEND #2

"Santa Elena" 9" x 12" oil

No trip to Big Bend is complete
without painting Santa Elena Canyon.
The Rio Grand River makes its final
push to the Gulf of Mexico through this
canyon. You can cross a small creek
and climb a man-made catwalk to
get a good view down the canyon.

I've painted it several times now and
just like painting the Grand Canyon
or the Tetons if you don't get it
right there are plenty of people to
tell you just how bad you messed up.
So on this trip I walked further up
the dried creek bed and painted it
from a different angle. Those familiar
with the canyon will immediately
recognize it. Those that aren't can
enjoy a nicely designed and executed
painting of the canyon entrance.

SCENES FROM BIG BEND

"Near Panther Junction" 9" x 12" oil

Been awhile since my last post. Took a
week-long paint trip to Big Bend then
came back and had knee surgery. Just
now getting back into the studio to work.

I am painting in the Plein Air Southwest
competition this year. There are four
paintouts including Big Bend National
Park,the Texas Hill Country, Ouray in
Colorado and Canyon De Chelly in Arizona.
In December there will be a show and
sale at Southwest Gallery in Dallas, Texas.
Over the next two weeks I'll post the
plein air pieces I did at Big Bend.

I produced fourteen paintings over five
days. Half of the paintings will never see
the light of day. The others are worthy
and will be posted here.

I also produced a video which is now
playing on YouTube, BlipTV and YahooVideo.
The YahooVideo is actually the best quality.
As soon as I figure out how to make
a link I'll put it here.

SALON ENTRY ACCEPTED

"Cape Royal" 20" x 24" oil on canvas

My painting "Cape Royal" has been accepted into the
Salon International at Greenhouse Gallery in
San Antonio, Texas. The Salon International show
has become one of the premier events and is
always a strong show. Jim James and Mark Smith
do a great job and the Greenhouse Gallery is
a great place to view art.

BIG RED

"Big Red" 9" x 12" oil

Big Red (my name for him) lives on a working
farm in Stonewall, Texas a few miles east of
Fredericksburg. I say working farm when it is
actually a living museum where the family
occupying the farm live life as it was found
on a typical Texas homestead at the turn of
the century.

They wear period dress, have no running water,
raise their own farm animals and vegetables. It
is a great place to paint and collect photo reference.
I have four to five paintings still to do from
this location.

Big Red struts his stuff around the barnyard
with an attitude. It is obvious after watching for
over an hour as I painted that he rules the roost.

LARGEST PAINTING EVER

"Santa Elena Canyon" 48" x 60" oil

This is my first attempt at a really large painting.
It is 48" x 60" and was painted from a field sketch
and a few reference photos. Santa Elena is one
of our state's most famous canyons. I have not
taken a float trip into the canyon but I've heard it
is quite the ride.

The challenge in painting the canyon as a plein air
piece and in the studio was lighting the canyon.
The only light came from reflected lights coming
off the wall of the right canyon wall and the sky. There
was no direct light anywhere in the canyon.

Photography was useless. Everything was black.
My plein air sketch saved me because I had
captured the light and remembered it when I finally
got around to producing the studio piece.

MORE BIG BEND

" Big Bend Washout" 9" x 12" oil

Can't seem to get enough of Big Bend. Got to admit
the place impressed me. This gulley is typical of
the ones running throughout the park. After a ten hour
drive I had just entered the park about an hour
before sundown. The gulley was catching the late
afternoon sun and the mountains had started turning
various shades of blue and purple. There are no
mountains in north Texas where I live. The scene was
was surreal and definitely worth the paint time.

PORT A PAINT-OUT

Along with fellow artists David Moreland Bates, LaNell Arndt,
Roy Murray and Lynn Dicky, I participated in the first annual
paint-out sponsored by Port A Gallery. The event included three
days of painting in and around the historic fishing village, harbor
and jetties. There was a Quick Draw event and my painting
"Port A Harbor" won the competition.

Port A Gallery put on a successful and heavily attended artists
reception and show. Gallery owners Rick and Cameron Pratt
put on a great event and I look forward to going back next year.



Painting the jetties

Port A Gallery owners Rick and Cameron Pratt
next to their fully restored MG




Rick announces the start of the Quick Draw
with a bagpipe tune. The bagpipes could be
heard throughout the harbor as he drove around
in the convertible MG




"Captain D" 8" x 10" oil on linen


Rick Pratt, David Moreland Bates and me



Rick Pratt and me at the opening