Nov 17
Pursuit of the Southwest 6th Annual Juried Art Competition featuring local and national artist is hosted by the Dutch Art Gallery in Dallas. The show highlights the beauty of the Southwest and will run from December 6, 2014 thru March 7, 2015.
Show runs from December 6, 2014 thru March 7, 2015
Nov 13
Painting in the Pease River bed in the southern Panhandle Plains of Texas
“Watch yourself, sister! Everything in these woods’ll either bite ya, stab ya or stick ya!” That’s a quote from the movie “True Grit”, starring John Wayne. When my friend and artist, Pete Quaid, invited me along to paint on the property of one of his generous friends (many thanks to them for opening up their place to us), we were reminded of that line in the classic movie. Even though there are no “woods”, not like the woods further east, the southern end of the “Panhandle Plains” is rough and stubborn country.
Pease River bed at sunset
Red sandstone, mesquite, cactus, rocks and a lot of grit blowing in the almost constant wind. The Pease River cuts it’s way through this land, providing some scarce water to all it’s inhabitants. The fact that God’s creatures actually live here, and seem to thrive has always amazed me. Deer, raccoon, wild pigs, bobcat, various birds, rattlesnakes, spiders and about about 500 million-billion wasp…or at least it seemed that way.
We arrived a Sunday afternoon and set up “camp” on top of a sandstone cliff that overlooked the Pease River. It was a beautiful place, especially as the sun began to sink lower and lower in the western sky. That “golden hour” about sixty minutes before sunset lit up the faces of the sandstone cliffs with what seemed like electric neon lights. Since it was our first evening, we decided to shoot photos rather than setup and paint. We wondered around the clifftops with cameras in hand, and finally found ourselves in the very unique Pease river bed, far below the cliffs, shooting photos of the river and the escarpments that bordered one side of the river, as the sun fell into the west.
Looking down from the sandstone clifftops at the Pease River
The Pease River, for the most part, was no deeper than 4 to 6 inches, and the river bed is flat and ninety percent sand. The water in that sandy river bed doesn’t cover more than 25 percent of the width of the bed at any given time, unless it rains. Then the river rises over the shallow banks as it heads for the Red River. Tracks from the wildlife mentioned above were everywhere. One of the more interesting sets of tracks was that of the wild pigs… Large pig tracks, probably a sow, followed by many very little pig tracks, I’m assuming the little piglets following their moma around. The Pease River is the life source for many creatures in that dry landscape.
As the beautiful colors of the setting sun faded into the darkness of an October night sky, I was reminded of something I had forgotten having lived in the city for so long. Stars layered on many more layers of stars, accented by a steady treat of falling meditors. I can count on a couple of hands and feet the number of stars I see in the night sky in Dallas. I was blown away by the display of celestial glory from the hand of God. I’m guessing I didn’t see millions of stars, but billions. The cloud like glow of the Milky Way Galaxy stretched across the heavens, surrounded by a multitude of closer, brighter stars. Stars tinted by colors of blue and red, some clustered close together, some hanging in lonely places in comparison to the congested gathering of others. If I say it was incredible, the word falls miserably short of the awe of that night sky.
Since the moon was only a sliver that night, it added to the darkness of the sky and the brightness of the stellar lights hanging like magic in the universe overhead. Pete and I sat in the darkness on the clifftops, heads tilted back, staring up at the myriad of twinkling, luminous dots in the ever increasing darkness. I find it impossible to observe such an awesome site and my mind not be turned to the God of the Heavens. Psalm 33:6 says:
“By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host.”
Interesting idea…God breathed out the stars. Our sun is a star. A small one in comparison to other stars out there. You can put almost one million of our earths into our sun. This makes us naturally think, “wow, our sun, our star is huge”. But, the largest star I believe known to date is Canis Majoris. You can fit at least SIX BILLION (that is billion with a “b”) of our suns into Canis Majoris. That’s crazy big. My mind can’t wrap itself around how big that is. And God, the Creator, as it says in Psalms 33 breathed out the stars, even Canis Majoris. He is an awesome God; And as Pete and I sat in the dark observing this indescribable display, we indeed felt very small, and incredibly blessed. Blessed because this star breathing God loves us. Loves us for no other reason than it is who He is. The God who created the heavens and the earth, who created the stars by the breath of His mouth, this God loves us and desires a relationship with us. This is what makes the Gospel, or Good News of Jesus Christ such a remarkable and incredible thing. The cross of Christ made a way for us to KNOW this star breathing God. Amazing…
Pete Quaid painting the cliffs on the Pease River
As we sat in the dark enjoying the sights before us, I sat a few feet from a cot I was to sleep on, “under the stars”. Something I had not done since I was a kid. The wind was still blowing hard and cool, adding to the ambiance of the visual treat in the sky. It was getting time to call it a day, so I turned my led light on that I wore around my forehead and randomly shinned it around the area, hoping it’s beam would catch a deer or other wildlife that might be passing by in the starlit night. I couldn’t believe it when I saw a visitor approaching in what had been almost complete darkness. A little mid-sized diamondback rattlesnake was about 8 feet from my cot, and he seemed intent on making that cot his destination. Or at least that’s what I thought… I’ve noticed I give animals and crawling things much more cerebral credit than they perhaps deserve. Whatever his intent was, my plans for the night was not so sleep with rattlesnakes. I don’t mind them, just don’t want them laying around under my cot. My mind had the next 7 or 8 hours played out…I get up in the middle of the night to re-leave myself and in the process step on the little native Texan, who would protest with a swift fang slashing bite, complete with a toxic cocktail, which would then alter the next few days for the worst. So, I’m sorry to say our little friend passed away. I know that as I finally slept under that stars later that night, there could have been friends and relatives of this crawling menace passing by my cot, perhaps stopping underneath it while searching for a meal, but, to quote some words of wisdom from an unknown source…”Ignorance is Bliss”
This Diamondback Rattlesnake crossed our path on our Cap Rock trip a few years ago…it wanted to try my hat on, but decided it was too big and crawled off.
(Not sure why it is, but it seems when Pete and I get together to paint in the Panhandle area, there are rattlesnakes involved. A couple of years ago we painted a few days in the Cap Rock Canyon area and saw a rattlesnake each night we were there.)
When the sun came up in the east the next morning, we gathered our gear and headed to the river bed to paint…but not before we were motivated by some caffeine-laced coffee. The next 36 hours we painted three paintings, couple in the river bed and one from the cliff tops. As is always the case with painting out in the open air, the experience was both exhausting, challenging and rewarding. Challenging because painting out side in the open air introduced many problems that provide a great opportunity to learn, and it is the learning process that is rewarding. The works below are what I painted during those couple of days on the banks of the Pease River. I worked a bit more with them back in the studio, which is a continuation of the problem solving “dance”. I’m not real happy with these small, relatively quick studies, but really enjoyed the adventure under the west Texas sky.
Pease River One
Pease River Two (below)
Pease River Three
Oct 13
October has been a rather busy month, with several art shows and a couple of Pastel demonstrations at local art clubs. October 9th I loaded up some examples of pastel work, along with easel and pastels and headed to the North East Texas Fine Art Alliance meeting in Terrell, Texas. Every spring NETFAA host an annual paint out on the streets of Terrell and I was acquainted with this organization from the past two paint out events. (April of 2015 is the next NETFAA hosted paint out even – check their web site for details)
NETFAA October Pastel Demonstration finishing touches
I appreciated the invitation to do a pastel demo and as with the annual paint out, I enjoyed meeting more of the NETFAA artist and participating in their monthly meeting.
The demo consisted mostly of explaining the process/method of working with pastels on sanded supports, Ampersand Pastelbord in particular. The demo included some explanation of completed pastel works, brief descriptions of hard and soft pastels, supports and framing materials.
As always I really enjoy a trip out of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metro-plex to the more peaceful pace of Terrell, Texas.
NETFAA October Pastel Demonstration completing thinner wash on Ampersand PastelBord
A few days later, October the 13th, I also did a Pastel Demo in Mesquite at the Mesquite Creative Arts Center. I really enjoyed meeting the people at this art club and the facilities there were very nice! During both the Terrell and Mesquite Demos I worked through the same process, materials and subject. I’m finding that working on the same subject matter several times allows more exploration of that subject, as well as the process. Below is the NETFAA demo piece, after I spent a bit more time finishing it up back in the studio.
“This Old House…” Final Pastel Demo piece (finished up at Studio). This is on 16 x 12 Ampersand Pastelbord.
Jun 13
The last part of May and the first week of June of this year was the 9th Annual Paint Historic Waxahachie (Texas). I believe I have painted in all but 2 of the annual events, and I always enjoy the challenge. Waxahachie is a beautiful town packed full of history and old architecture. I love both. I believe almost 50 artist painted at various time during the span of the event, producing many beautiful paintings that were for sale the last few days of the paint out.
12 x 9 oil on panel of the Historic Rogers Hotel in Waxahachie, Texas. This Plein Air work won Honorable Mention in the 2014 Paint Historic Waxahachie Juried competition.
The artwork is also judged in a competition, with prizes and cash dispersed to winning artist. This year I was bless to win an honorable mention for my 9 x 12 oil on panel called “The Rogers”. It shows the old historic Rogers Hotel. The Rogers has been featured in several movies in years past, including “Places in the Heart”, staring Sally Fields and Danny Glover.
Below are the results of the several days of painting.
May 02
Spring in north Texas is the payoff for enduring the 110 degree summer. Most of the time the weather in spring, in Texas is intoxicating. Three things I find myself chasing when the weather warms and the world turns green: Canoeing, sometimes fishing and going out into the great outdoors to paint; aka Plein Air. There are many organized opportunities in this area to join other painters and invade the created beauty God has given us.
One such event I was blessed to participate in was a paint even at the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge. They are celebrating their 50th year and invited a group of local artist to come out and paint, followed by a sale and auction to help raise money for the center. The Fort Worth Nature Center is a quiet place to setup and easel and I enjoyed the two separate days I was able to go paint. One weekend towards the end of March was the first opportunity we were given. The day was an classic example of spring weather, and the many and varied green of the prairie grasses and cacti were inviting, and humbling. I painted a small piece (below) called Texas Spring.
8 x 10 Oil on panel, painted on location at the Fort Worth Nature Center, titled Texas Spring
April 26 we were invited back to paint and participate in a fund raiser Gala followed by an auction of our work and other donated items. The gala included an excellent dinner and was attended by many notable Fort Worth people, including Fort Worth’s Mayor. The piece below was completed in about and hour and 15 minutes and sold at the night’s auction.
8 x 10 Oil on panel painted during the Gale and Auction at the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge . This piece sold in the auction at the event.
A few hours before the evening festivities began, I set up my easel to work through a painting to perhaps sell at the fund-raiser. Desiring a quiet place to simply enjoy the day and paint a subject that had fairly stable light, I carried my setup down near the banks of Lake Worth, which is fed by the West Fork of the Trinity River. One of the reasons I chose this spot was it was in the shade, and the light breaking through canopy produced by the huge trees was was enticing. There was one huge cottonwood tree in particular that drew my attention. Big trees are an amazing anyway, and this one was beautiful and had seen many springs. Part of the intrigue of this enormous and aged tree was the question: What had this tree seen in it’s lifetime?
I thought of the written words of both J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, who shared a fascination of old, massive trees. In their writings the tree characters were usually powerful, but meek. Meekness is not weakness, but simply power under control. A character trait that I find lacking most of the time in myself. In the scriptures, Moses was described as “meek”. But, when you look at his life, he was anything but weak. History tells us that in the days before he fled Egypt he was a military commander and won several victories on the battlefield. Later, probably when he was around 40, he flew into a fit of rage and killed an Egyptian, an act that cost him his high standing in Egypt. His next 40 years were spent in a desert taking care of sheep. Once a powerful prince of Egypt, now tending sheep. This is where Moses learned “meekness”. He did not become weak, but through the trials and hardship of living he learned to keep his emotions and power under control.
8 x 10 Oil on panel painted on location at the Fort Worth Nature Center
It was at this point God sent him on the great adventure of delivering Israel from the slavery of Egypt. Hundreds of years later we saw another and far superior example of meekness in the life of Christ. The Bible refers to Him as Creator, God in the flesh, Son of God. Jesus had power that we can not even imagine at His disposal. But He laid that power down. He did not become powerless, but chose to humble Himself for the redemption of us. The undeserving, the ungodly, the helpless and the hopeless. Philippians 2:5 thru 8 puts it this way:
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
One of the things I love about painting outside is that when I find a quiet place, sometimes its a time of worship; A time to think about all God has done and is doing, and will do.
Such was the case this day when I was painting this huge, massive cottonwood tree that was probably well over a hundred years old. All of these thoughts were percolating though my mind. This tree had seen many years, standing silently through many summers, falls, winters, and springs. As it stands, it contains an unbelievable amount of energy. Thousands of gallons of water it has carried to the top of its branches. Hundreds of pounds of wood have been created by the nutrients in the dirt. This energy for the most part remains unnoticed and unseen. But if that old cottonwood were to fall to the earth, it would shake the ground in an awe inspiring crash. But for now, it stands, powerful, but meek in appearance, providing shade and shelter… like a patriarch.
Mar 29
This afternoon I came home from Terrell, Texas, having completed my forth plein air painting for the Annual Paint Historic Terrell paintout event. The spring paintout is hosted by wonderful folks of the NorthEast Texas Fine Art Alliance, or NETFAA.
9 x 12 Oil on panel titled “The Back Gate”. This painting won 2nd Place in the Plein Air competition
I participated in this event first in 2013 and enjoyed both the people involved and the beautiful town of Terrell, which was organized in 1873. Terrell has many seasoned homes, built in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. These historic homes and buildings make Terrell a great place to paint. As I was roaming around the town looking for locations to paint, I discovered the British Flying Training School. This unique little museum has displays that tell the story of the more than 2000 British pilots who trained in Terrell, Texas between 1941 and 1945. Many stayed in Texas after the war, married and raised families.
One of the locations I painted was at 405 Johnson Street, a beautiful house build in 1917 by the Orr family.This large house was renovated in 2005 and also has a large garage building on the property.
The work titled “The Back Gate” won 2nd Place in this Plein Air competition
I choose a detail section of the back of the house and part of the front of the garage. The day was overcast until I was packing up, which actually is a good thing if the painter is not in a hurry…I was not. This property was owned by David and Joyce Lewis, and it was great meeting these residents of Terrell. They bought the original work in oil, and it also won 2nd Place in the competition.
Friday, the last day I painted, my plans were a bit skewed by the weather reports of thunderstorms. The day started off overcast and grey and not knowing if or when the storms would come, I picked a place under the overpass of Highway 34 where I could see that backside of the Bistro 501, owned by Chef Alex & Aurora Lieshi. This location would provide shelter no matter what came, and I would not have to stop painting. The downside was it was a bit dark under the overpass and difficult to re-focus on the subject and the painting. Being under a bridge in the middle of town, I met several people who were walking by or who saw me and came over to check out the “artist under the bridge”. I guess not something you see everyday in Terrell, Texas.
I probably enjoyed the first location I painted that best. Sometimes the first day is the toughest for me to get going on these plein air events. This day, I was looking for some quiet place to perhaps paint a couple of paintings, away from the street where I could leave my easel setup if I needed to go get a Coke or whatever…the “whatever” seems to be more frequent these days.
Easel setup for oil on panel called Spring Shadows
After driving past a couple locations, I landed at 401 Pacific Street. This awesome house was built in 1880 and is actually two houses joined by a covered walkway. A lot to paint in a short time, so I concentrated on a couple details of the side of the house and the back yard, which contained a little small house that I found interesting. I spent a couple days at this location…loved the mostly quiet, huge back yard. Mostly quiet because to my surprise, and it was a good surprise, one of the local churches that was very nearby played several instrumentals of the old hymns. I was in awe as the sweet melodies flowed over the neighborhood like a gentle breeze, filling the air with the solid Truth of the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The well worn hymns were like a balm being poured over a weary and wounded traveler. Sometimes the old and familiar become part of the background, unnoticed. Perhaps that is what these old hymns have become… sounds from antiquity that have become background noise. In reality the music heralded over the speakers of some church in a quiet neighborhood in Terrell, Texas, is a sweet proclamation of real hope in what sometimes seems like a hopeless society.
9 x 12 Oil on panel called Back Door, painted during the annual Paint Historic Terrell Plein Air event in Terrell, Texas
Easel setup under bridge for plein air painting “Back Door”
6 x 12 Oil on panel, The Porch Stoop
12 x 16 oil on panel painted during the 2014 Paint Historic Terrell Plein air event in Terrell, Texas
During the painting event Gary E. Lindsley of The Terrell Tribune was out shooting photos and collecting information for several articles the paper ran in the days that followed. Below are a couple of the articles featured in the paper.
One of the great things about participating in these local plein air events is the other artist you get to meet and know. Below are a couple of artist I have know for a few years and they always add to the event, as well as create some stiff competition. Tina Bohlman, on the left, won First Place with her beautiful work. I won Second Place , and Maryjo Woodruff, on right, won Third Place with a beautiful acrylic.
Feb 13
A little over a week before Valentines Day, I broke away from the “salt mines” and experienced the exhibit of Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (1863-1923) at the Meadows Museum on the SMU Campus. I don’t get out to do this much, but usually when I do I am not disappointed.
Sorolla’s portrait of the 27th President of the United States William Howard Taft
I would not have gone or even given this exhibit a second thought had it not been for a couple of friends (Pete Quaid and Dan Spangler) inviting me to check it out. I was amazed at the depth in this painters work. The color, value and compositions of these many works were amazing. Some as large as a typical wall in most houses.
Sorolla was a Spanish painter who painted portraits, landscapes, as well as numerous works documenting the Spanish culture. He also painted many portraits in America, including a U.S. president, William Howard Taft.
Sorolla painting out in the open air
There was a section of old photographs in the exhibit that revealed the method Sorolla liked to work. After I looked at the photographic timeline, I got a better understanding of why there was so much depth in Sorolla’s work. First, he painted over 4,000 works in his lifetime, and second, much of his work was created outside on the spot, with local models. Often he would create many rough sketches of the subject or subjects and use them to help create a composition, and then move on the the painting process.
As mentioned earlier, this exhibit showcased some incredible works of art. The viewer felt as though he could step right into many of these images. The lighting conveyed in these paintings gave them as real sense of time and space. they were a slice of the life that Sorolla live both in Spain and abroad. After I spent several hours viewing this exhibit, I left the museum with my head hung down, feeling like a real “hack” in comparison to what I had just witnessed. 🙁
Painting of Sorolla’s Wife and Daughters in the Garden…with the dog, of coarse.
Although I know very little about the painter, I was impressed with his devotion to his wife and family. That’s a good thing. He painted several portraits of his wife and children, and sometimes the family dog. On one of the walls of the exhibit near one of the portraits of his wife was written an excerpt from one of Sorolla’s letters he had written to his wife, Seville, when he as abroad. It was dated Feburary 22-23, 1908 ―
“How unfortunate I would have been, if I had not loved you as I do. What sad times I would have when I did not paint! But even painting would not compensate me if you did not make me happy. God looks after me in all things. Many passionate kisses”
After reading this quote from Sorolla’s letter, I was reminded of the beautiful and awesome wife God has given me. Proverbs 12:4 says “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband…” and again in 18:22 “He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the LORD.”
The Sorolla’s exhibit, with the several portraits of his wife, reminded me of these solid truths about the gift of an excellent wife. My wife, Donna can be summed up in more words from Proverbs:
An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, And he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil All the days of her life. She looks for wool and flax, And works with her hands in delight. She is like merchant ships; She brings her food from afar. She rises also while it is still night, And gives food to her household, And portions to her maidens. She considers a field and buys it; From her earnings she plants a vineyard. She girds herself with strength, And makes her arms strong. She senses that her gain is good; Her lamp does not go out at night. She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hands grasp the spindle. She extends her hand to the poor; And she stretches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of the snow for her household, For all her household are clothed with scarlet. She makes coverings for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies belts to the tradesmen. Strength and dignity are her clothing, And she smiles at the future. She opens her mouth in wisdom, And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and bless her; Her husband also, and he praises her, saying: “Many daughters have done nobly, But you excel them all.” Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her the product of her hands, And let her works praise her in the gates. ― Proverbs 31:10-31
September Morning, Soft Pastels on Ampersand Board, 24 x 36. Portrait of my wife, Donna.
Feb 10
I recently completed a small oil painting of a portion of the front of the Hall of State building in Dallas’s Fair Park. Considered one of the best examples of Art Deco architecture in the state, the Hall of State building is at the head of the parks Esplanade, which includes the Centennial Building, the Automobile Building, the Women’s Museum and the Tower Building. The Hall of State building list the last names of 59 Texas heroes on its exterior, and at it’s entrance is an incredible gold sculpture of a Tejas Warrior by Allie Victoria Tennant, a Dallas sculptor.
Oil on canvas, 8 x 24 – Tejas Warrior
The canvas I used was tall and narrow, 8 inches by 24 inches. As per the canvas shape, the painting is composed of a thin detail of the front of the Hall of State building, highlighting the gold leafed Tejas Warrior.
I have always been intrigued by warriors, as I suppose a lot of men are. The tools of the “warrior” trade have always fascinated me. Be it knives, guns, spears, bows, arrows or whatever a warrior might use, they tend to cast a spell over me like the call of the Sirens did to Ulysses and his men in Homer’s Odyssey. Weapons and warriors….now that is what I’m talking about.
Illustration by F.O. Darley for the 1859-1861 edition of Fenimore Cooper’s novel “Last of the Mohicans”
When I contemplate the basic idea of “warrior”, it points to something deep within this universe. It points to things broken, or things that have been stolen, or taken captive. In a perfect world, the whole concept of warrior would not even be needed. But we are not in a perfect world and there is an evil that is present, and active.
The word warrior brings me to think of Fenimore Cooper’s book “The Last of the Mohicans”, set in the period around 1757. Two Mohican warriors, along with Nathaniel Hawkeye, their adopted son, fight numerous battles to rescue two kidnapped daughters of a British officer. Warriors fighting because something had been lost or taken; taken unjustly.
I also think of the men of the 101st Airborne who dropped into France and fought their way across the enemy held ground all the way to Germany. Warriors who fought for a thing taken unjustly.
This present world we live in is in need of warriors who fight for the thing that has been unjustly taken or to protect what is at risk.
To recognize that a thing is unjust, is to also recognize that there must be justice somewhere in this universe. Somewhere out there in the vast unknown, there must be “Justice”. A justice with a capital “J”. The Just One is the God described in the Bible. He describes Himself as a “Warrior” in several places in scripture. One example is in Isaiah 42:13 – “The LORD will go forth like a warrior, He will arouse His zeal like a man of war. He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise a war cry. He will prevail against His enemies.”
One of my favorite passages that mention God as a warrior is found in Zephaniah, chapter 3, verse 17:
“The LORD your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.
This verse tells a lot about the heart of God. The first “picture” this verse paints is that God is a warrior. It goes a step further and describes Him as a victorious warrior. He never looses a battle. Never. The second image you get from this verse is that the warrior God expresses joy over His people, over those who know Him. And then it says that this warrior God loves His people and then mentions that He rejoices over us with shouts of joy. Amazing image painted by this verse about God the Warrior.
Jan 27
It was a little chilly the Saturday morning a group of painters settled in Grapevine, Texas to paint some of the historic scenes. Wind was blowing pretty hard, and I guess chilly is a bit of an understatement. It was cold. However it did warm up nicely towards noon.
Easel setup across the tracks looking at the Grapevine Vintage Railroad
I set up across the tracks. Or, maybe I should say “the other side of the tracks”. Or was it? Which side of the tracks you are on depends on your perspective. Both offered some interesting views. Since the Grapevine Vintage Railroad had left the old Victorian style train setting on the tracks near main street, and because a friend of mine, Pete Quaid, was set up at that intersection, I decided to set up near the train and RR crossing and take a stab at the railroad cars, and so Pete and I could solve all the difficult issues that plague the universe. 🙂 However, I believe we got distracted and discussed the gold on the front of the railroad car.
Plein Air oil on panel titled “Intersection”
The final painting above is the result of the outing. I called it “Intersection”. It reminds me of all the intersections in life, some good, some not so good. It seems that how we handle those intersections define much of the daily attitudes of the heart. I’m learning more and more that as a believer, a follower of Christ, not ONE of these “intersections” slips through God’s hands without it being part of his plans, and with a deeper purpose for my ultimate good and His glory. I have also noticed that the journey is full of amazing intersections.
Jan 10
You never know what the month of January will bring you in north Texas. Cold, ice, snow, or maybe a nice spring-like day that makes you want to go fishing. Not long after New Years day we had such a day. Several painters were heading out to Ellis county to paint around the Five Points Cotton Gin area. I was able to join them with easel and paint, and like a fisherman, hoping for something I could take home instead of scraping off the panel like I have done many times in the past.
Final plein air oil painting of the Five Points Cotton Gin in Ellis County, Texas.
Five Points Cotton Gin is a unique place. The main cotton gin building is still standing, along with a couple of smaller buildings. This gin was the filming location of the 1984 movie “Places in the Heart” starring Sally Fields and Danny Glover. The movie tells a good story of Texas cotton farming and racism.
Easel setup with Five Points Cotton Gin building in the background in Ellis county, Texas.
I set up my easel in front of the main gin building which proved to be a little challenging as the sun moved across the sky. There were chickens and sheep near by and the beautiful people who lived on the property proved to be very gracious host.
I painted for two or three hours trying to capture the place before the sun drastically changed the shadows, making the painting more difficult. Near the end of my painting session a man and his wife pulled up in a pickup truck to check out the guy with the easel on the side of the road. He chatted a bit and then told me that the little building set up beside the big cotton gin building I was painting was the set of the scene where the characters Sally Fields and Danny Glover sold the cotton in the movie. I took a closer look and what he said proved to be true. Thirty years had passed since the filming of the movie but the building was mostly as it was in the movie.
The building used in the filming of “Places in the Heart” as seen in the movie in 1984, and today in 2014.
Dec 27
A few days before the new year began I was able to go out and paint. The day was warming nicely when I met with Kent Brewer, Tina Bohlman, Doug Clark and some other local painters. We headed to Five Points, a small community in Ellis County, Texas. If you remember the movie Places in the Heart, with Sally Fields and Danny Glover, a few of the scenes in that movie were shot near this place in Ellis County.
Five Points has a really cool cotton gin, rusty tin, busted windows; history sitting quietly as the world goes by. I looked the gin over, but I decided to paint a bit down the road from the gin where I noticed some round hay bales in a field. It was a bleak, partly cloudy winter day, but the hay bales seemed to speak of something better, of warmer days.
9 x 12 plein air oil on panel titled Winter Harvest.
A fellow painter, Doug Clark, and I set up our easels in the direction of the round hay bales and old farm house and buildings standing in the distance. Even though there was a certain deficient in the color of a winter landscape, there still seems to be subtile and sometimes elusive hues waiting for the coming spring. Red, purples and blues mixing with the yellow ochre and sienna of the hay fields.
When I saw these round hay bales, as if guarding the little farm house in the background, all I could think about was God’s common grace. The grace that He pours out on all. His Kindness. The Bible mentions a particular kind of grace that all share in, as in Matthew 5:45b “for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” The hay in the field screams of the kindness of God. Psalm 65:9 thru 11 mentions the bounty God provides:
“You visit the earth and cause it to overflow; You greatly enrich it; The stream of God is full of water; You prepare their grain, for thus You prepare the earth. You water its furrows abundantly, You settle its ridges, You soften it with showers, You bless its growth. You have crowned the year with Your bounty, And Your paths drip with fatness.
Painting on location in Ellis County, Texas near the community of Five Points. 9 x 12 Oil on panel called Winter Harvest
Common grace and amazing grace. I titled this piece winter harvest, but also wanted to call it “Common Grace”, or even “Amazing Grace. The other grace revealed in the scriptures really is amazing. It is that grace God gives to us to come to Him. Ephesians 2:4, 5, 8 puts it like this:
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
I know this is not the best painting “ever”, but I hope you enjoy it and notice God’s kindness toward us this New Year.
Aug 24
Like many people, lights grab my attention. One evening in Fort Worth the sun was setting in the west, and the reflection of that sunset was in these two towers in downtown Fort Worth, as you were looking east against a darkening eastern sky. The oranges and blues compliment each other as another day fades into the night.
12 x 9 oil on panel showing Fort Worth, Texas as the sun reflects off the high rise buildings of downtown.
