Misty Morning

Misty Morning, 10 x 8

Today's Plein Air Austin paint out was held about an hour west of town near Johnson City at a place called the Preserve at Walnut Creek. The paint on this study is a bit thin in places and some areas need a little more definition, but I enjoyed painting outdoors again in this quiet setting. 

On the Clock

Back Yard, 8 x 10

purchase

This back yard view was painted from a reference photo I took a few weeks ago in Georgetown. To keep the style loose and to avoid overworking the subject, I set a timer for 1 hour.  I did go over by half an hour before gaining enough courage to post it here, but I am glad to have rediscovered this helpful exercise.

Water Feature

Water Feature, 20 x 16

commission

This giant urn rests in a back yard outside Georgetown. Thankfully we've had more rain this year and flowers are popping up everywhere after a typically hot summer.

More Gas Pumps

Corner Station, 36 x 48

commission

Hello friends. Outside work and painting larger of late have kept me away from blogging much over the last few months, but today I do have a new piece to share. It will look familiar to many who have visited this blog before, as I was commissioned to do a larger version of a piece I painted in early 2011 called Corner Station. The new piece, above, measures 36" x 48" and is hanging in the lobby of the new north Austin branch of Horizon Bank near Oak Knoll and U.S. 183. Not much different than the first, though considerably larger and, therefore, a bit more detailed. The first studio version and an earlier plein air study are shown below.

Corner Station, 24 x 30

available

Corner Station, 8 x 10 plein air study

SOLD

Magnolia

Magnolia, 16 x 12 oil on panel

purchase here

I started today's still life thinking I would paint it with a pallet knife to help me stay loose. But because I've been wanting to try using round brushes more often (after having seen both Randall Sexton and Jill Carver use them extensively in workshops), I decided to experiment with that instead. I must say, I experienced a few "aha" moments today using the rounds and will continue playing with them.

Workshop, the Day After

Newport Pier, 8 x 10

NFS

Since we missed painting on the Balboa Peninsula on Friday, a workshop classmate and new friend, Valari, and I used a bit of our inspiration from the workshop to make our own trek to the spot. Neither of us painted the Crab Cooker, but the pier instead, which was across the street.

Stately Arrival

Stately Arrival, 6 x 8

purchase here

I painted this study today, simultaneously with another that I will post tomorrow. In an effort to loosen up and focus more clearly on the shapes and values, I painted each upside down, until the last stage of adding a few defining touches. I've done this exercise a couple of times now, and I find it a lot of fun. I took the reference photo for this one on a trip last summer to Ohio. This is the new main bridge into downtown Malvern, about twenty miles east of Canton.

Continental Club

Continental Club, 20 x 16
SOLD

The Continental Club has been around since the late fifties and is one of the most beloved of Austin's music venues. I like to think it will never disappear.

Red Barn, Yellow Light

Red Barn, Yellow Light, 5x7

SOLD

If this barn looks familiar, it's probably because I painted a portion of this same cowshed, which I posted back at the beginning of August after my trip to Ohio. This one makes more of the barn itself, rather than the rolling countryside, and in a looser style.

Not Dead Yet

Salt Lick Shack, 6x8

SOLD

This morning's Plein Air Austin paintout was on the property of a famous central Texas Bar B-Q joint, the Salt Lick, in Driftwood. Before this image convinces you never to visit said gathering place, rest assured this is not the actual restaurant. In fact, this forlorn structure is a good quarter mile away, back where some maintenance and repair equipment is kept. I guess you could call this a supply shed, as it's full of all sorts of, "supplies." I don't think you'll find any of them on a working inventory list, however.

Afternoon Ride

Afternoon Ride, 5x7
purchase 

I found this red motorcycle parked in front of the Firehouse Grill in Malvern. It is one of an endless number of cycles we saw while in Ohio. The rolling countryside and summer sunshine no doubt contributed to their ubiquity.

San Marcos Gazebo

Veramendi Plaza Gazebo, 6 x 8

purchase

Saturday morning Plein Air Austin met at Rio Vista Park in San Marcos. I was glad to find the solitude of this gazebo a few hundred yards upstream from the park's waterfront recreation area. With the river up and the summer heat on the rise, the park was crowded by 9:00 a.m. with locals ready to cool off in the San Marcos River's spring-fed waters.