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

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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

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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.

Monument Cafe

Monument Cafe, 11 x 14

Here is another building I found interesting in Georgetown. To say the least, the Monument Cafe is one of Georgetown's most popular dining spots for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Its classically art deco design, which originated as a car dealership built several decades ago, certainly hasn't hurt its popularity. It just looks like a perfect place to come in and relax.

Capital Title

Capital Title Building, 10 x 8
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This is one of the more impressive older buildings in Georgetown. I'm not sure when it was built, but I'm guessing sometime around the 1920 or 30s. Today it is home to Capital Title.

Escape in Georgetown

Escape, 8 x 10

Belated Happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there. I hope you had a great weekend! This post and the previous one depict architectural landmarks in downtown Georgetown, Texas. I'll be posting a third one tomorrow. If interested in any of these paintings, please contact Through the Looking Glass Gallery in Georgetown. Just click the link for contact information.

Palace Theatre

Palace Theatre, 8 x 10

This is the Palace Theatre, just off the square in Georgetown, Texas. It's one of many nicely restored old buildings in the area.

Georgetown Townhouse

Georgetown Townhouse, 16 x 20

commission

(Updated) This is a commission I just completed for a resident of Georgetown, Texas. I worked from a photograph I took, but created the spring feel at the request of the client. The photo was taken in winter, so the foliage was without its, uh, foliage. Happy Easter, everyone.

Driftwood Station

Driftwood Station, 8 x 10

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You may have seen this old gas station depicted in paint before, as it is a favorite subject of Plein Air Austin painters. This was my second attempt at this venue, which we revisited as a group several weeks ago. I haven't been able to paint as much so far this year as last, so I really enjoyed taking the time yesterday to touch this up before posting. 

Summers Past No. 2

Summers Past No. 2, 8 x 8

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Here is the second painting, this one of Matthew's younger brother, Jeffrey. The style of this painting came out a bit different from the one posted yesterday, for a few reasons. Among Jeffrey's favorite childhood memories were piñata parties given along Cypress Creek in honor of his and other relatives' birthdays. While I didn't have much in the way of compelling reference photography, I did have enough to give me an accurate sense of the setting, where various trees, paths, the creek, etc. were in relation to each other. Considering how well family members know this place and how much time they've spent here over the years, this was important. 

I also had a sharp photo of one of said colorful piñatas in motion, as well as photos of Jeffrey at prime piñata-busting age, though none showed him whacking, or primed to whack, a piñata. Taking these elements into account, yet painting quite a bit from imagination, I ended up emphasizing the bright colors and movement of the piñata and carrying this through to the rest of the composition. The result was a more whimsical piece than the first. I think this is okay, since the paintings will reside in the respective homes of each brother, both of whom are now young adults living on their own.

Local Flavor

Local Flavor, 5x7

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Garcia's Restaurant is the place to go for authentic Tex-Mex when you're in Round Rock. Nothing fancy, just really good food and an atmosphere that makes you feel you're among friends. I rediscovered this little spot this weekend after several years away, during Round Rock's inaugural Chalk Walk, an art & music festival.

Homework

Glass Cube With Stem, 12x16
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This attempt is for a class I'm taking at Laguna Gloria, taught by Laurel Daniel. The class is focused on painting glass objects in still life. If this particular exercise taught me one lesson, it is to not be late to class! Still life classes often have several set-ups, and it's usually the case that the most challenging set-ups are the ones that always have room for a late-arriving student. With only so much painting time available in class, the simpler set-ups are at a premium. As a result, I was stuck with this little monster, which still has me seeing spots.

Not Dead Yet

Salt Lick Shack, 6x8

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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.

Krause Springs Cactus

Cactus On The Rocks, 6x6

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The site of last week's PAA paintout, Krause Springs is about thirty-five miles west of Austin, not far from where the Pedernales River feeds into Lake Travis. Our summer sites are invariably near water, so we can cool off before, during or after we put the paintbrushes away. This particular day, the forecast was for a high of 105º, so it was absolutely necessary to take a dip in the 72º spring early on to keep cool while painting. I chose this rocky, cactus-laden outcropping partly because it offered nearby shade and also a variety of textures, colors and values.

Bungalow with Blue Trim

Bungalow with Blue Trim, 8 x 10

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I passed by this bungalow while in Marble Falls in April. There was nothing really unusual about it, other than I found everything about it inviting. I always loved the porches common to houses of this era.

Power In Repose

Power in Repose, 6x8
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This is one of four bengal tigers at the Austin Zoo. When the first two walked out from their shelter, I was amazed at their size. Then this one appeared and it was huge, in comparison. It was obvious by the size difference that this was a male, which was confirmed. He weighs nearly 400 lbs.

Having never painted at a zoo, I wondered from the outset whether it would even be worth trying. I eventually tried quick pencil sketches of a couple goats nearby, but the exercise was less than satisfying.  Then this magnificent cat climbed up on a rock to sun himself after taking a swim. I came over and was able to get a quick sketch of him in this pose, which was very fortunate. I took a couple pictures later but none had as good a head position. With a sketch I liked, I spent the remaining time mapping the composition on my panel and blocking in main color, before heading home. I used the photos back in the studio to reference accurate color and shading.

Overall, I found painting at the zoo a little nerve-racking. But in the end, the one pencil sketch made the trip worthwhile. I managed to get the pose I wanted from probably the most beautiful animal I've ever seen.

Save The Queen

Save The Queen, 10 x 8

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Hello, everybody. My postings have been few and far between the last several weeks, but they will be back on a more regular schedule beginning with this post. This piece was done in Bryan on Saturday, as part of Plein Air Austin's participation in a promotional paintout put on by the Forsythe Gallery. The Forsythe is presently exhibiting the work of PAA members through July 31 and they invited us down to join in with locals interested in trying their hand at painting en plein air. The turnout was good and we all enjoyed the trip. Bryan is undergoing a renaissance of its downtown area and they are fortunate to have many wonderful old buildings to work with. The Queen theater is one of its most unique and one most in need of repair. I was happy to hear the city has recently secured funding for the restoration of this magnificent structure.

Right Turn

Right Turn, 6 x 8

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This is the last of the paintings from the PAA retreat, done Sunday morning before Laurel and Julie headed back to Austin. The water here looks muddy, but being the Guadalupe, it is actually very clear. The brownish color is from the reflections of the ledge faces in the early morning sun.

Julie's View

Far Shore, 8 x 10

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Here's the next in line of the the subjects from the PAA retreat. This is a look across the Guadalupe from Julie Davis' property in Hunt. It's a beautiful place, especially as the late afternoon sun reflects off the far bank. I hope she'll invite me back.

Camp Mystic

Camp Mystic, 8 x 10
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Another piece from the PAA retreat. This one was from Saturday morning at Camp Mystic, a girl's summer camp on HWY 39, which runs alongside the Guadalupe for several miles. 

An interesting note — Camp Mystic's property ends at the spillway indicated here by the abrupt end of the water at its top edge. Just out of frame to the left, about ten feet above the level of the water shown, there was a kayak lodged in the canopy of a tree. Since the tree in question was downstream from the spillway, which itself was at least seven feet tall, the kayak had to have been floating at least seventeen feet above the normal level of the river where the tree stands. Camp Mystic, indeed.

I later found out that several days before our visit, the area upstream had received about ten inches of rain over two days, causing the Guadalupe to flood far beyond its banks. Kayak mystery solved, but an awe inspiring sight, nonetheless.