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During the exhibition at the City Hall in Keller Texas I was asked to give a demonstration.  I chose one of two gouache studies that I painted during our Christmas Vacation in Taos n 2022. The two gouache studies are approximately 7" x 10".

Below is my finished demonstration.  It measures 12" x 16".  It's always fun to see what you can do with a small sketch on site.  They did not have much snow that year but the colors of the vegetation were nice to work with and the warmer temperatures were appreciated by this artist!

Such a joy it is to paint with Gouache!  It's light to carry.  I have only 8 colors, tiny tubes.  Water is the cleaning and mixing element.  It surface has a matt powdery finish which I find if particularly beautiful  No ridges, colors are vibrant and flat.  It's just an easy medium.

Somehow it's just lovely even when the subject matter is not particularity desirable! Blow a cedar tree its needles with their winter orange tings against some post oak trees and a robins egg blue sky!  What is more beautiful that that ?

Joe Pool lake a favorite of mine to paint.  You  never know what has blown in with the last wind s storm and deposited itself onto the beach  amid various colored grasses.  

They have their years of drought at Cedar Hill State Park!  There just seems never be a season that is favorable to the trees that struggle there.  But come spring and it is home to fields of Blue Bonnets and wildflowers.  Ive collected random seed pods and unused birds nests to paint n the studio.  When you are painting outdoors you notice things here and there that are beauful and interesting just by themselves.  Things that you would never see if you weren't sitting in one spot and staring, absorbing and drawing on the surroundings for hours at a time.  

Southwest Watercolor Society brings top artists to Dallas for Workshops.  I spent 3 days in one given by master artist Antonio masi from new York City.  It has been sometime since I have taken a watercolor workshop.  I took up doing watercolor again after years long abandonment of the medium during Covid.  I found myself enthralled with new enthusiasm for the media and have been doing a lot of work in the medium ever since.  I have been however hesitant to take it outside en plein air practice.  My desire to do so was increased by my new friend Al Klien who is a retired orthopedic foot doctor who delved into the art world in the form of watercolor also during covid at the encouragement of his daughter.  So I thought a workshop would give me some more confidence. 

We all brought some photos that we thought would be appropriate to watercolor.  I have just returned from Galveston and boats in water seemed a good choice.  The bedrock practice for Antonio is to make small "value studies' before beginning.  Now I'm not new to painting and I have heard of this forever.  But I have not made this a common practice.  However,  somehow he got through to me about how to do this and what iy could to to improve the final outcome.  My friend Al does this too with every thing he paints.  I watched Antonio do a couple of these things and when it was my turn he promptly said "no, no, no," took my brush and did his version.  Somehow it clicked and I have been doing it not only with watercolor ut with oil  I had way t00 much detail in mine,  I missed the point,  his was lightning fast and to the point.  Lay out the large areas in three values, white, grey and darker gray.  Voila! 

So on the next one I did two value sketches in nano seconds an it helped to decide which subject take forward.  It was not so obvious of having large areas of a particular value but it still worked.  Just  when you think you know about everything something happens that is a serandipious  moment

This Year's Paint Historic Waxahachie Paintout ended this past weekend.  I was so pleased to be awarded Second place by judge Patrick Sanders. Below is the piece that received the award.  

Year after year I have returned to this friends lovely farm.  They have a collection of variously aged goats and rams.I do believe that the animals enjoy watching me painting them as much as I enjoy doing it. Like so many people who live in Waxahachie they family enjoys the pleasures of  living in the country. 

During the last day of the paintout the artist painted on the beautiful County Court House Square.  There was a band and various businesses had wine and crafts of all kinds  There was a beautiful your lady on stilts.  She walked around for a good part of the afternoon all dresses in black and white.  I decided to paint her as she walked by me ever so often.   Afterwards she came by to see what I had been doing.  Her clown like make up was diving.  I wished that I had had the time and view point paint that also.  I think that  even with the short glimpses as she passed by I was able to get the essence of her spectacular display of talent.

Painting animals is definitely a challenge while painting plein air. But when confronted by such a handsome ram with his magnificent ruff of wavy fur around his neck how could and his curly horn mantle  how could I resist?

In the fall when the leaves begin to turn yellow and fall from their branches, some of them seem to “stick.” That creates a “lacey appearance” to the landscape as the light catches each on as it flutters while teathered to its branch. 

My favorite farm located on Highway 66 near Waxahachie is home to a collection of chickens – all of which have names. They are all quite beautiful with feathers that catch the wind and glow in the sunlight. One horse, a donkey, a bobtailed cat, a host of  blue birds and these pampered chickens keep them company and very busy.  

Red stones, marble, grey and white stonework copper shingles on the turrets of the courthouse give a wedding cake appearance to this incredible building.  Not a single area of it is with out the marks of the stone masons chisel.

The Courthouse in the middle of the suqare in Waxahachie is one of the most beautiful in Texas.  Time has been gentle to this 

historic town and many beautiful buildings abound. It is frequently surrounded by an army of flags that flutter and wave.  It’s a great place to enjoy dining at a restaurant or shop for yarn, antiques, art works or the latest in bar-be-que  equipment

Painting the edge of a forest has always had a special meaning for me. Forests invite thoughts of a journey. It comes from the lyrics 

for a song written by Stephen Sondheim:

“Sometimes people leave you

Halfway through the wood.

Do not let it grieve you, 

No one leaves for good. 

You are not alone

No one is alone.”