A DAY WITH COLLECTOR

"After the Storms" 8" x 16" oil/canvas

Without question the most pleasant surprise this
past year has been the developing relationship between
me, my art and the collectors that purchase my paintings.
Today's post is a perfect example. I could have just as
easily titled this painting "A Day with a Collector". I sold
a painting in April to a first time buyer of my art and
at the opening I had the opportunity to have an extended
conversation with them. I cherish these opportunities
to be able to ask buyers what drew them to the painting
and what was it that excited them enough to make the
purchase. And the buyer had the opportunity to learn things about me, my family, the galleries I'm in and the things I like to paint. Usually they want to know where the scene is and what motivated me to paint it.

A couple of weeks later this same buyer calls me to let me
know the farmer that owns the property behind him had
just baled his field and invited me to his home to see this
field. He had remembered from our conversation that
hay bales is a subject matter I'm drawn to and he was
thoughtful enough to call me. So I packed up my gear
and out to this field I went and sure enough, it was a
great scene. The collector watched as I set up my gear
and began painting the scene when he admitted he has
always been interested in how plein air painters do their
thing. For the next hour and half I painted and
we talked...one on one. It was an absolute rush! And I
got a nice painting and a new friend it the process.

Having collectors is a new deal to me, but the common
thread I have found so far is the collectors are interested
in more than just the art. They want to know you, the artist, as well. They feel vested in you, your art and your career. They want to know the person behind the brush and I find this kind of interaction to be motivational. I find that it is pushing me to create better art, to create more paintings and the do the best I can.

NOT YOUR ORDINARY SHRIMPER

"Polly Anna" 12" x 16" oil/linen

The Polly Anna is an Port Aransas icon. Built in the
back yard of skipper John Nixon, this unique looking
vessel started out as a catamaran. Nixon hauled the
the shrimper from his back yard to the harbor in two
big pieces and welded it together. After several trips
Nixon decided he didn't like the way it handled in open
water so out came the blow torch and he chopped it up,
redesigned the hull into a tri-hull configuration then
welded it back together.

Like clockwork, every morning at 9:00 a.m. you can take
your cooler right up to the captain's door where he parks the
Polly Anna in the Port Aransas harbor and buy the freshest,
plumpest shrimp found on the Texas coast. Nixon's Polly Anna is just one of the reasons I love going to this coastal location to paint.

EBAY LISTING #3

"Red Rock Study" 6" x 8" oil/canvas

$150 on Ebay...click here to bid

A couple of summers ago I traveled to Canyon De Chelly
in Arizona for a five day paintout with the Outdoor
Painters Society. It was two full days of hard driving
broken up with pitstops and long stretches through
west Texas with nothing to look at. Getting into
New Mexico and the red rock formations that run along
the north side of the highway was a welcome sight.
I had never painted red rock canyons before and
now that's all I was going to be painting for the next five days.

On the second day of driving I decided to stop along the
way and do a series of 6" x 8" studies to break up the
drive and, more importantly, to get some serious painting
practice under my belt before reaching Canyon De Chelly.
These small studies have been sitting on a bookshelf ever since. I've decided to make them available on Ebay. Father's Day is not too far away you know.

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.