Late Light

Late Light, 20 x 24

commission

This painting was done for a homeowner in Georgetown, north of Austin. The challenge here was to channel my inner arborist to make the home's signature turret adequately visible behind what is, in reality, the much thicker foliage of the front yard trees. We chose this angle in order take advantage of the wonderful, late afternoon sunlight and shadows.

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.

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.

Front Gate

Front Gate, 8 x 10

NFS

I'm no botanist, but I thought this scene was evidence of Austin's somewhat unusual climate. The red flowers evoked a feeling of springtime to me, while the orange foliage in the background unmistakeably said fall. Either way, after an extremely hot summer here, this November has been SO welcome.

Back Porch

Back Porch, 6 x 8
SOLD

Today I spent a few hours across the street from one of the offices at the Riata apartments. Its design is reminiscent of farm and ranch houses built by German immigrants to central Texas in the late 1800s. It's kind of ironic, but they didn't make apartment offices like this when I was growing up. Nor did they care as much about preserving local foliage. Both wonderful trends, however late.