I will have five miniature paintings in the museum's Christmas Show and Sale Nov. 6 through Dec 29, 2018. For 5"x7" landscapes very specially priced at $400 each and one 6x8 floral (shown here) priced at $500. I say specially priced as I almost never paint this small. Usually the smallest I paint is a 9x12 and most of the time these are pieces I do on location, as reference pieces for larger paintings. I really hope you like these miniatures and give them a good home and enjoy them for many years to come.

I know I have been slow on posting new paintings, but I have been experiencing some camera problems. But I got it figured out so here are four brand new oils. Two figures and two landscapes, all on linen panels, as usual for me. Now, please don't think I haven't been painting much having only four new pieces. I also have done three portraits and half a dozen 5x7 miniatures for a show at the end of this year. So no moss growing on me, I've been working hard.

The first figure painting is "Tribute to Stasia" Stasia is an interesting model. I believe her full name is Anastasia. She is Eastern European and is able to take on very different looks. This is a tribute to one of her more sensuous looks and with glasses. This painting is 14x11 inches.

The second figure is a woman having her first cup of coffee in the morning. This might become part of a larger more complete painting. It measures 16x12 inches.

Now my main forte, landscapes. "Dusk" is a 12x16 oil. I use a  a couple of photographs for this piece due to the quickly fading light. This time of day often gives us a variety of beautiful colors in the sky, and landscape itself. Maybe why it is called the "Magic Hour" or "Golden Hour" by both artists and photographers. This is the last part of the Magic Hour.

"Dawn of a New Day" is a 16x20 inches oil painting. I also used photos because of the rapidly changing light at this time of day. It was much easier for me when younger to get shots like these as I have to get up at oh dark thirty and get out on location for these. The older I get, the harder this gets, and at my age it is truly a chore to get up in time to do these, even though the Texas Hill Country is less than thirty minutes from my home.

When I use photos for reference, I use photographs I take myself. Be it a landscape or hiring models (exception is the "Stasia" painting in this post) or setting up a still life to paint from direct. I do not copy a photo cold. It is purely reference material. I make many changes in composition, color and sometimes the center of interest. This is mainly for landscapes. For figures, portraits. and still lifes I try and paint what I see. I want good likeness in a portrait, the composition is decided when setting up a still life to paint. I also take photographs of the set ups and people I paint for times when the model might not be available or when laying in the basic under painting. People tire of sitting in one position and flowers wilt, so I work with a photo I took for these passages in a painting where I don't need the model as much.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy these new offerings, and stay tuned as more are near finish and will be posted very soon.

These two new paintings are from my last trip in the Texas Hill Country. The first, "White Bluff Creek" (12"x16") was seen at one of the low water crossings which are very common in the Hill Country. The water was very low so "low water crossing" was an apt name. This is oil on a linen panel. It is also done with my usual limited palette. This is a very typical scene in the hills at this time of year.

"Goats" another common sight in the Texas Hill Country. I saw these goats foraging off the side of the Farm To Market road I was traveling. I stopped to make a sketch and take a photo and they looked up at me for a few minutes, then went back to eating everything  the found as they slowly meandered around that Oak tree.

This is also an oil on linen panel (9"x12") and available through this website. I hope you enjoy my latest pieces as much as I did painting them.

Days End Mason County, is a painting I did from memory in my studio. When I saw this scene while gathering material for paintings it was to dark to make a decent photo and no where near enough time to do a oil sketch. So I made a scribble of the basic elements for the painting and some comments on guesitmating what colors to mix for this painting on a small sketchpad I carry and a pencil.

I painted this on a 12"x 16" oil primed linen panel, in my studio as mentioned. This is not the way I usually work, obviously, but due to the time restriction involved, I had no choice. I think it worked out pretty well. It is somewhat in a "plein air style," though not really done in plein air or from a photo, other than the one in my mind after seeing the scene.

I  used a somewhat limited palette of Titanium White, Cad Yellow Light, Winsor Red, Burnt Umber, Cobalt Blue and Holbein's Viridian Hue. I used Mongoose flats by Rosemary and Company Two of which are very used, nearly worn out brushes. These work great for foliage. I can't say enough good words to describe how much and how well Brushes by Rosemary and Company work. I use the mongoose and pure hog bristle, mainly and their pure red sables for small touches when necessary and signing my paintings. If you paint and have not tried these brushes, do yourself a big favor and try them.

I hope you like this painting from memory.

Valley View

This is my first blog on my new website and I thought it fitting to start with a new, just finished but still wet painting. It is an 18”x 24” oil painting on a linen panel.

The subject is a scene I got glimpses of while driving between New Braunfels, Texas and Canyon Lake. The day I took the pictures that eventually became this painting three years later was one of those Texas spring days with intermittent showers, some pretty heavy. There was practically no traffic on this rural road this day, so I was able to safely pull over to the side. So this painting is basically right off the side of the highway and no time to make a sketch let alone get out my paintings for a plein air piece.

When I got out of the car and walked over to the guard rail, I realized the view was better than I thought, but no single view did it justice as there were always trees or a sign blocking the view. So what I did was take a series of pictures of the same area, but from slightly different views.

This would not be any real problem as I normally will take a series of pictures for reference when I can't make a sketch or actually paint a small piece for later reference. After over forty years of painting I have yet to find a single photo that would tell me all I need for a painting.

So what you see in in the painting is an actual place in the Texas Hill Country, but not faithfully rendered so that you will instant recognize it if you were driving don the same highway. You would see several similar spots, but the Hill Country is loaded with scenes like this so I guess this painting is somewhat generic, but typical of the area.

I hope you enjoy it.

                                                          "Valley View"

               18"x 24"   Oil on Linen Panel   Available from artist