V....Vaughan's Small Works

Sketch of M.C.

2012-01-25T22:43:00.004-06:00

Sketch of M.C.___a lesson on values
Each week my art students have sketches to do on their own. I usually take THEIR sketchbook and do a demo so they can see what it is I am looking for.
This one is about CONTAINING the shape of the values...(that is, the light areas and dark areas on a face)...contain by outlining the shape of the value, whether it be a shadow or a highlight....If you can see a shape, and get its size and proportion "right" in relation to the shapes around it, you can draw a pretty good likeness, and do it fairly quickly!...I am not sure these high school students believe me, so I show them! This one is M.C.....

Famous Otto

2012-01-24T18:41:00.007-06:00

Amy and Otto___10 x 8 commission____SOLD
A few years ago, I painted this dog, Otto, with his owner. (see first painting below)
Over the Holidays, this owner, Kathy, contacted me to see if I could do another painting of her little sister, who is now bonded with Otto. Amy has Down Syndrome, and is full of life and love for Otto! Apparently Amy and Otto have a sweet and special relationship, and Kathy wanted to honor Amy with a similar painting...
There is nothing like the love of a big sister (ask ME!...I have SIX older siblings!!!)
...and there is really nothing like the friendship of a special dog!...now is a good time to send this link to all dog lovers ...watch it in a quiet, thoughtful place, and allow yourself to THINK about the words...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H17edn_RZoY

Otto and Kathy____10 x 8___sold

Sketch-Samantha

2012-01-23T20:20:00.001-06:00

Sketch - Samantha in Class_____not for sale
I keep nagging my students to put a BOUNDARY on those values...it's the BEST way to do that "shading", and if taken to a careful extreme, you can get a better likeness this way! The "boundaries" of values have a shape, a proportion, and a relationship with the other shapes, and if done well, you actually get a likeness!....
Hard to explain in words, but I can SHOW YOU if you come to a workshop! hahaha!
I just updated my schedule with another workshop in September. Go see my schedule!
http://www.v-vaughan.com/art/workshop_show_calendar.htm

Duke-ish

2012-01-20T06:17:00.000-06:00

Duke-ish___18 x 12 watercolorpencil with wash____$100
This month in art class (I teach a few high school art classes in Austin at Hyde Park), the students are doing watercolor works, so I will post a few more of my class demos.
I learn BEST by WATCHING, so I assume these students do, too...thus, my classes consist of a lot of demos. I do them quickly, because there are also many who learn BEST by DOING, and they want to get on with the assignment!
Which way do YOU learn best???
THis was a quick sketch from a photo, and everyone said it resembled John Wayne, so I call it "Duke-ish" in his honor!
I hope you will see my updated SCHEDULE...please come to one of these events if you are in the area...all are somewhere between South Carolina and Arizona and Montana! :)

Watercolorpencil Ponies

2012-01-18T22:18:00.000-06:00

Watercolorpencil Ponies___12 x 18 sketch on paper___$190
I am teaching my high school classes about quick sketching and this week we are using watercolor...here is my class demo with watercolor pencils...
Next week I will do a demo in oils for the Austin Palette Club...and I have a whole bunch of things coming up soon....SEE MY UPDATED SCHEDULE! ...and please let me know if you can come to any of the events!!!

Laura's Place

2012-01-17T23:06:00.000-06:00

Laura's Place___8x10 oil on linen panel___commission / SOLD
I enjoy painting commissions...especially when the patron says "do it your way!"
I did not have to change much for Laura's Place...only leaving out the swingset and a few house-tops in the distance....Having a "deadline" brings me back to my years as a "commercial artist"...years that I really enjoyed!
I have just added a few teaching dates to my calendar (not posted, yet...but SOON!), and a new show in Montana...I will put all the info on my website, but FIRST it is time for me to deliver all the sold works from Passing America....
If you purchased one of these, watch for an e-mail from me!

Bird

2012-01-16T13:06:00.001-06:00

Bird___9x12 oil on linen___sold
I loved hearing from many friends who missed my blog/posts...THANK YOU!
Here is another dog painting I couldn't post till after the Holidays...just in case...since it was commissioned as a gift. The dog is named BIRD..a sweet name!
This one was ALMOST a problem, as I received photos of a DIFFERENT dog, at the same time, and BOTH DOGS looked nearly IDENTICAL. The other dog, Otto, is on the easel...maybe I will post it soon. Bladen (who I posted Friday) was also very similar in color to this, and I have almost sworn off painting black dogs with brown points for awhile!!!
Happy New Year!
I have some demos, workshops and show events to tell about, so please stay tuned!

Bladen

2012-01-12T23:05:00.002-06:00

Bladen_____12x9 oil on linen______sold
Bladen is the beloved friend of a friend, commissioned by a friend!
Knowing that Bladen is very sick made me really enjoy painting this one-a Christmas commission for D.W. to give to J.P....I waited to post it, just in case J.W was looking at my blog!
I have MISSED the regular posting and visiting with my blog-friends, and apologize for being "quiet" for a whole month. This is the longest break I have had since starting to blog about 5 years ago!
Did you enjoy the break from my art???...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Kelly's Coach on First

2011-12-15T18:40:00.003-06:00

Kelly's Coach on First__10 x 8 oil on linen panel___SOLD to Kelly

A Christmas commission...I am painting some works for friends and patrons and collectors who have gifts to give....Merry CHRISTmas, y'all!

Hunter's Fence

2011-12-01T15:38:00.005-06:00

Hunter's Fence__6x8 oil on linen panel___$190 ...wet

Below is the plein air version of this one...my "state 1", which was a demonstration at my Fredericksburg workshop a few weeks ago....I was making some points about painting trees. Just yesterday I was sitting at the Hyde Park Marketplace, in Austin, showing some work and tending to some student art projects, and decided to finish this one....Without any reference, I just started putting some dark colors into the foreground. A boy watching me said, "I like that fence!"

I said "What fence?" ...He pointed to some strokes that he said look like a fence, so I went with it!

Then I told him I would name the painting after him! ...I hope he is looking at the blog today!

Hi Hunter!

Hunter's Fence- state 1

Cowsides

2011-11-30T21:09:00.002-06:00

Cowsides___6x8 oil on linen___$250
This is another one from my November workshop in Fredericksburg...Hey KF, let me know what you think!

Cowside

2011-11-29T19:46:00.000-06:00

Cowside___8x10 oil on linen panel___for K.F....I THINK!
I began this one as a one-color value sketch...demonstrating how our brush is a "shape-maker" and not a "line-maker" as a pencil is...I intended to fill the canvas with various views of the cattle in the pasture, but somehow ended up creating a composition with the elements there....ah well....I got carried away...

Moonlift

2011-11-28T17:39:00.007-06:00

Moonlift___8x6 oil study on linen panel___$190
Yesterday's painting is literally the "other side" of this one. I painted it facing west as the sun went down, and called it "Sunslide" for a special reason. Immediately after painting it, I turned to the east to paint the full moon rising. But because of the cloud cover, we never really saw the moon, but could see the "lift" of moonlight from behind the clouds. So that explains the title of this one....Both were "lessons" or demos painted during my last workshop in Texas. We had been hoping for some interesting skies and were mostly given CLEAR BLUE skies...until this one evening.

Sunslide

2011-11-28T17:39:00.005-06:00

Sunslide___6x8 oil study on linen panel___$190
Here I resume works from my recent workshop in Fredericksburg...hello to the workshop gang! For the next few days I will post the rest of the finished studies. I title this one "Sunslide", because the sun did not set that day, it just "slid" out of sight"......Happy Holidays to all!!!

If I miss a few days of posting art, you can almost be sure something is not well...
I have lost a dear, dear Brother-in-Law....more of a brother to me, since he has been in our family from the time I was a little girl... Doyle Bridgefarmer married my sister, Mary in 1970, and was the father of SIX of my nieces and nephews....He was sick since summer, and cancer claimed him just before Thanksgiving....so, it has been a sweet month of much time spent at their house, and with all the family.
My family is rather fun-loving and very up-beat, so having this time to say long goodbyes has been good for many reasons, but now we have the long process of missing him...

Line of Light

2011-11-17T18:56:00.003-06:00

Line of Light__6x8 oil on linen panel___$ 250 unless you were in the Fredericksburg workshop
K.R. remembers chatting with me while we waited for the sunset to BLAZE its spectrum during our last session of my Fredericksburg workshop. While telling her how the color "works" and what to look for, I did a color sketch. I had to make up the clouds to scatter the color, since we had only a few high, wispy clouds. The sky in the painting above was my "demo" for her, and illustrated my point...later on I added the coastal landscape...just for fun ...

Orange in the Dark

2011-11-16T17:44:00.004-06:00

Orange in the Dark__6x8 oil on linen panel___$250 unless you were in the workshop :)
OK, I have a lot to say about this one! I painted it while we waited for the moon to rise in the workshop last week in Fredericksburg. K.R. was "shadowing me" and had lots of questions about the sunset colors and how fast they happen...I stalled and him-hawed while waiting for some good color, but it was just too bright looking into the sun...so I created a "South Carolina" landscape and made up a sky with the color I needed so I could tell her a thing or two....Well, in an INSTANT, 15 minutes or more after the sun was down, this BLAZE of color sizzled on the few clouds above us...There was NO LIGHT on my palette, and I only painted the VALUES, using what I THOUGHT were my bright mixes of orangey sunshine...I knew where the darks were on the palette, and used them quickly on the foreground when the color faded in the clouds. All the while I painted, I gave a disclaimer that there was no telling what colors I was using, and that it might not look so hot in the morning!...wouldn't you know it! This is the ONLY study I brought home that I will NOT change!...I guess I paint better in the dark...maybe I will try one with my eyes closed!

11-11-11 Moonset

2011-11-15T21:45:00.004-06:00

11-11-11 Moonset ___6x8 oil on linen panel___$190 unframed
I miss my workshop buddies! Anyone who will get up before dawn and drag their paints out in the cold (it was 25 degrees one morning!) is a FRIEND of mine!!! And I have more than a dozen new ones after last week in Fredericksburg!...
Below is this painting above, in its plein air state! When painting fast (which I have to do when the light changes quickly), I often lay down only enough details that I can finish it later. All the info I needed in the field is there!...I was able to do a couple more such "starts" before the sun got too high...now I am home, finishing these! You will see such "finishes" in the days ahead! Let me know what you think! ESPECIALLY those of you who were with me when I started this one :)

11-11-11 Moonset_state 1__in Fredericksburg, Texas Workshop...My next workshop there is during June 2012. Email me for details! vvaughan8@yahoo.com

Chilly for Breakfast

2011-11-12T18:46:00.004-06:00

Chilly for Breakfast__ oil on linen__sold to F.S.
We had a couple of paintouts at this location during my Fredericksburg workshop this week.
These cows look like they are all safe in the corral, but the gate was open the whole time and they were free to leave and roam up to our hilltop location....which they did! Cows are very curious and could not resist inspecting our easels and art gear!
Our hands froze on this chilly morning, but it was worth it to paint in such a great location!
(A BIG version of "Chilly for Breakfast" one will be on the easel right away)

End of the Day Lights

2011-11-10T21:36:00.005-06:00

End of the Day Lights___11x14 oil on linen___$950 (unless you saw me paint this)
If you saw me paint this, then you are in my workshop this week in Fredericksburg, TX. This was my first demo...NOT a fast demo, because I talked a lot while demonstrating all the color you can get out of a BASIC limited palette of 3 ccolors plus white. It was painted from a photo of a place in Colorado's San Luis Valley (my FAVORITE place on earth to paint)...I will teach a workshop there in August next year...e-mail me if you'd like info!....
We are painting en plein-cold-air this week, and enjoying warm beverages afterwards. Wait till you hear the stories!...I have to wait till after we are through tomorrow to share...just in case my workshop is blogging tonight!

Art Student - JK

2011-11-05T18:19:00.002-05:00

JK___18 x 12 sketch on paper___for JK
My student sketches usually have some lesson that is easier for me to SHOW than to tell...This was a quickie in class not too long ago. Since then, we have ventured into clay and then oils, but I want to take the students to the Cameron Park Zoo in Waco, soon. The weather is cooled off and the animals will be active and fun to sketch.
Various "life matters" have prevented me from posting lately, but hopefully things will settle down soon!

Plain View

2011-10-30T23:10:00.005-05:00

Plain View___6x8 oil on linen___one from Passing America__$350 unframed

This one has a story...it was painted for my current exhibit, "Passing America...".

...in the place with the biggest sky of my travels: western Nebraska...Because I ran out of panels that day, I painted it on a "loose" piece of linen, and then never found time to mount it, so it was not delivered it to the museum for the show! I have since mounted it, so it is available unframed...

The Digital Goddess, Kim Komando mentioned my "Last Year on the Farm" in her newsletter this week! I have received some HEARTFELT notes from all over the country from people who are missing their farms, too. Click for Kim's newsletter, and scroll down halfway for my feature (it's a video)

Missing the Farm - part 2

2011-10-26T15:10:00.004-05:00

Last Year on the Farm, Late Spring Day- 16 of 24___available $450 framed and shipped

Yesterday I invited everyone to the opening of a small showing in Austin. I have put together about 100 small works, remnants of Last Year on the Farm, my 2008 exhibit. These are the ones still available from that exhibit of over 365 works. The painting I posted yesterday was from a group of works : "24 paintings in 24 hours"....I did this 6 times that year...once for each season of the year, plus a couple special days. Yesterday's painting was from a Late Spring Day at 6:50 pm. The one above was painted immediately after it, at 7:20 pm. Click to note the differences. I remember chasing down the hill so that I could paint the same cloud as it built into a thunderhead, wanting to keep the tree as my foreground....ah, memories...missing the farm!

See "Late Spring" and all 24 that I did that day...actually there are 25! I remember getting on a roll and losing count that day!

If you click, please scroll down beneath all the months (Jan, Feb, Mar...) to a section below called 24 in 24... I think MOST people have missed these groupings of 24 works, because not many have sold, compared to the others. So my exhibit in Austin has many of these, and some are my favorite paintings!...

THIS THURSDAY, October 27, from 5 - 8 pm at Riverbend Church
(click for directions)...I will have a few books to sign and lots of good art to see.

The art will be on display in the Inspirations Gallery at the church through November 17. Please go see, and bring a friend!

Missing the Farm

2011-10-25T19:59:00.002-05:00

A Late Spring painting from Last Year on the Farm__6x8 oil__6x8 framed/delivered

Lately, I have spoken often of my current exhibit, "Passing America....", which is an extension of a theme I started 5 years ago. The them is the passing of America's small farms and our agrarian way of life. Our family had to leave our farm, and I did a painting each day of our last year there. See all 365 paintings HERE...or BETTER YET, please come to an abbreviated exhibit of 100 of the works on display in Austin, TX. I call it "Missing the Farm"

The opening reception is THIS THURSDAY, October 27, from 5 - 8 pm at Riverbend Church

(click for directions)...I will have a few books to sign and lots of good art to see.

The art will be on display in the Inspirations Gallery at the church through November 17. Please go see, and bring a friend!

Sketch of CJK

2011-10-22T09:19:00.002-05:00

Sketch of CJK, student __________NFS
Continuing with figure drawing demos for the students I teach....we will do Chicken Clinic's with oils soon!
I have had a "distracted" week, and am getting ready to go to Kansas again tomorrow....
Whwe!...I mean, WHEW!
Lost my operating system last week and learned that I am very dependant on my Outlook calendar! I need to know how to sync it with .....what?....an iphone or something???? at least my laptop.
This week I missed appointments, and art deadlines, broke my cell phone and lost phone numbers (grrrr) and ALMOST missed a family friend's wedding, (son bailed me out with the gift and details!), and have fallen way behind ....but worst of all, we learned that

my sister's husband is very sick, and we have a big battle ahead....SOON.

To those who do, PLEASE PRAY, if you will....

Sketch of A.R.

2011-10-20T21:32:00.000-05:00

Sketch of A.R.__my student
Well, I am back from Nebraska...for a few days now! Texas has cooled off since I left a couple weeks ago!
The sketch above is a class demo for the art students at Hyde Park Baptist School. I teach a couple of morning classes there, now. We did figure drawing in Sept, and now we are painting...more on that, later.
I left Nebraska with MANY new friends and good memories! Had fun on the backroads looking for painting locations with great artists... and looking for Combines...eating ribeye at Big Fella's in Linwood....twice!!...hitting a deer on the way back...God, please heal her....Becoming a fan of artist Dale Nicholls ....Chit chatting for hours with Anna and Amanda...and Allen about reviving small towns: I say food tours like wine tours, and in David City, NE, we can include art, architecture,....and build a couple of B&B accommodations ....
***SIGN UP for my November 9-11 workshop in Fredericksburg, TX...full moon!
***COME MEET ME at a reception and showing of about 100 paintings from Last Year on the Farm. THURSDAY, Oct. 27, 5-7 Riverbend Church Gallery, Austin, TX ...

Moonrise Laughter

2011-10-16T21:39:00.000-05:00

Moonrise Laughter__6x8 oil on linen panel___SOLD wet!

Have you seen the harvest moon? A few days ago we were all together having a little picnic before I did one last demo of the moonrise, and the workshop folks broke into singing "Shine on Harvest Moon". Here is that last demo of a wonderful Nebraska Workshop.
The title is from my own favorite song of the Plains: "Calling Out Your Name", by Rich Mullins...the lyric is this:

"The moon moved past Nebraska and spilled laughter on them cold Dakota Hills..."

These aren't the Dakota Hills, but there was a lot of spilled laughter as I demonstrated and the group chatted and enjoyed one another for the last time....what a group! They came from all over the place with many fun stories to tell....Precious friendships, now, and I cannot wait to meet up again....I hope y'all are painting!!!!
have you seen the Passing America paintings?

Chilly Morning at Allen's Old Place

2011-10-14T18:08:00.001-05:00

Chilly Morning at Allen's Old Place__8x10 oil on linen__$450 with wet paint
With miles and miles of Nebraska cornfields and soybeans ready to come out of the fields, my workshop found the PERFECT HILLTOP to paint from. A hilltop place (formerly belonging to one of my hosts, Allen, but now being restored by his good friends, the Moravec's) has given us 360 degrees of landscapes to paint! You will see a number of my hilltop demos in the next few days! Whereas the sun rose QUICKLY from reds to yellows in yesterday's post, this sunrise "stalled" when low, foggy damp clouds rode in on the western breezes. Artists like when there is a LITTLE more time to grasp the glance outside.
Passing America: The Great Plains click to see 154 works from the show

Mark at the Round Barn

2011-10-13T22:17:00.000-05:00

Mark at the Round Barn___8x10 oil on linen panel__$450
Dale Nicholls is the great regional painter from this area, who made it big in the art world.
Now deceased, this was his family's home, and this type of barn is rare and unique...It is a treasure in Butler County, NE, and we had to have special permission to bring the workshop here for me to paint this study.
My aim was to NOT get tight and paint every board on the barn, and when I do another version, I will emphasize the scale more with some more people or equipment...see the little man by the door on the left? He is too BIG for this scale...the barn is HUGE!!!
I have a few more things to post from my workshop, but for the past few days, I have been working in some of the high schools here, speaking and demonstrating and introducing them to my Chicken Clinic...Great kids here, and a LOT of fun!
See my entire exhibit Passing America: The Great Plains
Next workshop: Fredericksburg, TX, Nov 9-11...FULL MOON FUN! vvaughan8@yahoo.com

Marietta Presentation

2011-10-12T17:10:00.000-05:00

Marietta Presentation__6x8 oil on linen panel___$350 while wet
This little church is in the distance off the northwest side of our workshop hilltop location in Nebraska. When you can see for distant MILES and miles, WHITE things catch sunlight...and the eye of an artist! My sky was crystal clear the morning I did this warm-up painting...my first from the hilltop. As our week has progressed, I have seen cloud shadows moving over this scene, and can't wait to get home and paint a larger one with my reference photos.
Passing America: The Great Plains click to see 154 works from the show

Lit Up Cloud Tops

2011-10-11T17:23:00.003-05:00

Lit Up Cloud Tops__6x8 oil on linen panel__$350 while wet!
There was rain predicted for each day of my workshop here in Nebraska, but somehow we managed to avoid it! These little cloud tops were in the east as the sun set at our backs on the Moravec Hilltop. I forgot the point I was making to the students when I grabbed this small canvas and put in the color of the cloud tops....maybe it was something about the complementary colors in daylight...
I am in NE for the opening of my long project, "Passing America: The Great Plains" at the University of Nebraska's Great Plains Art Museum...it has been well received, so far, and will be up through mid December! Click link to see all 154 works

Gourmet Grass Fed

2011-10-10T21:24:00.005-05:00

Gourmet Grass-Fed___6x8 study for the Bohaty's (sounds like "BO-hotty")
We painted at the Bohaty farm today....This is a study of their British White Cattle which they raise for their Gourmet Beef business. I will be ordering some of this delicious beef, grass fed, organic and raised with tender loving care by Walter, and Nancy Bohaty!
The Bohaty family are some of the most gracious people you could ever meet, and I have feasted with them several times now...including an impromptu picnic today on their lawn with all my workshop artists!!
The study above was to demonstrate how DARK shadows are on white things, and how much color is in white cows...I didn't mean to create a compsition, so it's not great, but the lessons are there...
Here is the beef website... http://www.gourmetgrassfedbeef.com/

AND...here is a WONDERFULLY NICE article in the Lincoln Star Journal newspaper, written by their art critic, Kent Wolgamott...it is well written, and the image is clickable! http://journalstar.com/entertainment/arts-and-culture/visual/article_a0655375-4498-5346-a901-a6ca136ae0dc.html Please tell me what you think! And drop him a note if you like it!

Hilltop Sunrise

2011-10-09T21:22:00.003-05:00

Hilltop Sunrise___8x10 oil in linen panel___$550 unframed
Yes, there are hilltops in Nebraska! I am teaching a workshop here in Butler County where there is a region called the "Bohemian Alps", because the hills are ....um...."noteable"! They rise and give GREAT vista's of the farmland. It is harvest time right now. Corn, soybeans and corn.
The painting above was my sunrise demo...the weather has been great!!! Tomorrow,...Sunrise and MOONRISE from this hilltop...stay tuned
*** if you are in the Lincoln, NE area from now to December, go see my solo show at the Great Plains Art Museum... Passing America: The Great Plains

I have one more workshop this year! COME paint with me in Texas!
Nov. is a PERFECT time to paint in fabulous Fredericksburg... http://www.fbgartschool.com/2011_classes.htm scroll down this page to V....Vaughan

Click to see SPECIAL piece of artwork to benefit a Texas fire victim. A fun way to help if you can!

Daily Nebraskan Story

2011-10-08T21:20:00.000-05:00

Workshop Demo__after "Where Morning Gathers"___12x16__$950 unless you are in the workshop

So! Last night was the opening of "Passing America: The Great Plains"...lots of people came, on a busy night in Lincoln, NE. Bill Cosby performed across the street, and the Husker Homecoming festivities were in full force. As I type this, the Huskers are on TV, momentum on their side as they are catching up to BEAT Ohio State! (football fan, here).

I am staying in NE an extra week, to teach a series of workshops.

Today, I taught a full group of mostly professional artists. I demonstrated my technique of painting fast, by simplifying the scene into 5-7 shapes of color, and pre-mixing the colors. Below is my palette, with colors pre-mixed, in ORDER as they will be placed on the canvas. ...The demo is a derivative of my LARGEST painting at the Great Plains Art Museum..

Tomorrow we will meet at sunrise and paint till sunset! Get ready, y'all!!!

Please read the nice article below...

Danielle Rue is a young writer for the Daily Nebraskan, (University paper) and she did a VERY good job of interviewing me! Thank you, Danielle! The story is great, and makes me want to meet me! hahaha

http://www.dailynebraskan.com/a-e/texas-artist-v-vaughan-presents-exhibition-representing-the-loss-of-farms-on-the-plains-1.2645680#.ToyTzevgJDU

#72 - In the Sandhills

2011-10-05T21:36:00.005-05:00

In the Sandhills of NE__6x8 oil on linen___ for Passing America...__$490 framed
I painted this on one of my journeys doing drive-by paintings for my Passing America...exhibit which opens FRIDAY NIGHT in Lincoln. I remember painting it during a span of time when I was churning out the works...painting and putting them away...When I got home, I did not appreciate this one! Didn't really like it, till JUST NOW!
I write this from a hotel in Ogallala, NE, at the edge of these same sandhills! I am here to shoot pictures and do a few studies of a ranch that I get to paint in the upcoming months. It is not REALLY on the way to Lincoln, where I need to be tomorrow, but it was close enough that I HAD to come, to see it in THIS season.
Having just returned from the sandhills, I see the beauty here, and this little painting above is not terrible! You might have to be from Nebraska to know what I mean )
COME SEE THE EXHIBIT if you can, or see them on my website. I now have ALL 154 paintings for this exhibit on my web site. Go take a look! You can see the size, price and availability of each painting.

there is still time to sign up for one of these two workshops below!
http://bonecreek.org/pdf/Vaughan%20workshop.pdf ...FULL

http://www.fbgartschool.com/2011_classes.htm scroll down this page to V....Vaughan

Click to see SPECIAL piece of artwork to benefit a Texas fire victim. A fun way to help if you can!

#96 - Plain Mesa

2011-10-03T16:12:00.000-05:00

Plain Mesa__8x10 oil on linen panel__for Passing America: The Great Plains__$590 framed
See a special feature about my upcoming solo show at the University of Nebraska's Great Plains Art Museum in this month's issue of Peaks&Plains Magazine. I will give a little talk about the practice of "drive-by" impressionism, and some thoughts about the passing of America, during the opening reception in Lincoln. Come if you can on October 7, next Friday night.
The painting here was done near Santa Ana, TX, at the edge of the plains, where a few mesas break up the plain, and in this case, some skipping shadows moved over the plainscape. I love the suummer sky!
I now have ALL 154 paintings for this exhibit on my web site. Go take a look!, and come back as I am adding more details every day...but the good part is the pictures, and they are all there!

Sign up for one of these two workshops!
http://bonecreek.org/pdf/Vaughan%20workshop.pdf

http://www.fbgartschool.com/2011_classes.htm scroll down this page to V....Vaughan

Click to see SPECIAL piece of artwork to benefit a Texas fire victim. A fun way to help if you can!

#114 - Stanley Cold

2011-10-02T00:27:00.000-05:00

Stanley Cold__6x8 oil__#114 of 154 works for Passing America: The Great Plains
Passing America: The Great Plains opens Friday, Oct. 7 in Lincoln. If you can come, LET ME KNOW! I will teach a workshop right after the opening, on Sat. through Mon.
For this exhibit, I created over 150 works, MOSTLY on the move as "drive-by" paintings. This one was painted on a train. The Amtrak leg between St. Paul, MN and Montana. I took this trip during the deepest part of winter in order to paint snow and not endanger my usual drivers! It was one of the best trips EVER! This one was painted near Stanley, ND on a bitter cold winter day. Under all that snow was a lonely, isolated little farm....resting.

I am slowly putting all 150+ paintings up on a web page. Click this link to see my first draft. the works are all here, but there is a LOT of editing to do. Browse around and let me know if something catches your eye...
http://virginiavaughan.com/gallery/

#80 Lightning Path

2011-09-29T16:57:00.001-05:00

Lightning Path____8x10 oil on linen_for Passing America: The Great Plains__$590 framed

I painted this after painting #79 (yesterday's post)...we drove right into the storm and I continued to paint it...studying the CONSTANT flashes of lightning so that I could try to nail the color. It was a FIERCE storm on the plains...the kind that gets your adrenaline rushing. Zoom in on this one and you will see some NERVOUS brush work!

Sign up for one of my two upcoming workshops!
http://bonecreek.org/pdf/Vaughan%20workshop.pdf

http://www.fbgartschool.com/2011_classes.htm scroll down page to V....Vaughan

Click to see SPECIAL piece of artwork to benefit a Texas fire victim. A fun way to help if you can!

#79- Approaching the Storm-2

2011-09-28T22:14:00.001-05:00

Approaching the Storm__6x8 oil on linen__for Passing America: The Great Plains __$590

I posted the immediate drive-by version of this canvas right after I did it. Compare the "before and after", and also note the differences in the quality of the photos...You artists out there know how hard it is to get good color on a photo of your paintings...the real painting is somewhere between the images...
Here is what I wrote about the storm we approached...read it in preparation for tomorrow's blog post with the LIGHTNING painting I did right after this one ...
http://vvaughan.blogspot.com/2010/05/approaching-storm.html
"...here is another one from last week's trip thru the Texas Plains Trail....This was the only bad weather we had ...a huge storm before Coleman and Winters, TX. The sky was black and lightning was all around us. Do those brush strokes seem nervous? I painted this one and another one as we went through the storm. The strokes are even MORE nervous on the next painting...tomorrow!

Your chance to paint with me at one of these workshops!
http://bonecreek.org/pdf/Vaughan%20workshop.pdf
http://www.fbgartschool.com/2011_classes.htm scroll down this page to V....Vaughan

#91 - Thunderhead Glow

2011-09-27T16:05:00.001-05:00

Thunderhead Glow___6x8 oil on linen _for Passing America: The Great Plains_$490 framed and shipped
This one was my last drive-by of the day last spring when my friend Barbara C. drove me on the entire circuit of the Texas Plains Trail...I have some interesting posts to put up about that trip...they were LONELY roads in wide open farming places, but so few people in the towns, including Crosbyton, TX, where I painted this one. I hate to say it, but we got a creepy feeling at the hotel there, and moved on down to Lubbock for the night. It was not the town itself ...towns can't be creepy, people are, and there was a strange character checking into the hotel ahead of us, so we "moseyed"...even though we were REALLY tired and it was almost dark...PLEASE stay tuned for some news about my upcoming show. I have a lot of things to "unveil" and many of you have been following along all these years...I REALLY enjoy your input...THANK YOU!

See a special feature about my upcoming solo show at the University of Nebraska's Great Plains Art Museum in this month's issue of Peaks&Plains Magazine.

Sign up for one of these two workshops!
http://bonecreek.org/pdf/Vaughan%20workshop.pdf

http://www.fbgartschool.com/2011_classes.htm scroll down this page to V....Vaughan

Click to see SPECIAL piece of artwork to benefit a Texas fire victim. A fun way to help if you can!

#90 - Windy Hilltop

2011-09-23T15:57:00.001-05:00

Cow Hilltop__8x10 oil on linen panel__for Passing America: The Great Plains__$590 framed

Some of you have noticed the #89 before the painting title (or #90, for this post!). I have numbered each painting that is in the upcoming exhibit as a way to track and catalog the pieces. VERY SOON, I will have all the works TOGETHER in a special place on my web site, and you will be able to view thumbnails and a LARGE image, and to see which works are available. I will give my blog/email/Google group/and facebook friends the first look at the exhibit "all together". There is still a lot of writing to do, but each painting has a story of travel and observation of the lost farms across the Plains. I hope you will stay along for the finish of my journey.
Below is some info about upcoming workshops, and help for a Texas fire victim ...

See a special feature about my upcoming solo show at the University of Nebraska's Great Plains Art Museum in this month's issue of Peaks&Plains Magazine.

Sign up for one of these two workshops!
http://bonecreek.org/pdf/Vaughan%20workshop.pdf

http://www.fbgartschool.com/2011_classes.htm scroll down this page to V....Vaughan

Click to see SPECIAL piece of artwork to benefit a Texas fire victim. A fun way to help if you can!

#89 - Canyon's Canyon

2011-09-22T16:01:00.001-05:00

Canyon's Canyon__8x10 oil on linen panel_for Passing America: The Great Plains__$590 framed
This is a "drive-by" painting for my upcoming solo show in Nebraska. This one was painted along the road east of Canyon, TX and along the rim of the great Palo Duro Canyon...

Below is a link to a great magazine feature about my plains project...

And below that are other important links I hope you will look at!

See a special feature about my upcoming solo show at the University of Nebraska's Great Plains Art Museum in this month's issue of Peaks&Plains Magazine.

Sign up for one of these two workshops!
http://bonecreek.org/pdf/Vaughan%20workshop.pdf

http://www.fbgartschool.com/2011_classes.htm scroll down this page to V....Vaughan

Click to see SPECIAL piece of artwork to benefit a Texas fire victim. A fun way to help if you can!

#88- Panhandle Span

2011-09-21T15:49:00.004-05:00

Panhandle Span___8x10 Oil on linen panel __for Passing America: The Great Plains_$590 framed
Location: Texas Panhandle, along the Texas Plains Trail on the span of plains, under the span of sky.

See a special feature about my upcoming solo show at the University of Nebraska's Great Plains Art Museum in this month's issue of Peaks&Plains Magazine.

ALSO...PLEASE see what you can do to help a Bastrop, TX fire victim...My good friend, Linda....(below)

Flames of Life

A SPECIAL REPRODUCTION to benefit a Texas fire victim___various sizes

To see the sad story, and photos click here...PLEASE pass this along to ANYONE who might help!

For order/size info, click here http://www.reallybigcanvas.com/content/flames-life

#84 - Between Earth and Hereford

2011-09-20T21:50:00.006-05:00

Between Earth and Hereford___6x8 oil on linen panel__$490 for Passing America...
This drive-by painting was done in May, 2010. My friend Barbara drove me over the entire circuit of the Texas Plains Trail. It was a thrilling few days, because each day the clouds would build behind us, and tornado warnings would pop up in the places we had just left.

This was a morning location near Dimmitt, TX. Between a couple of small towns named, yes, EARTH, TX and Hereford, TX...I like the double meaning of the title, and will probably add some Hereford cattle in there, just to make people wonder :) A rain shower had just passed and the light was hitting the elevators and hay fields ahead of us.

ALSO...PLEASE see what you can do to help a Bastrop, TX fire victim...My good friend, Linda....(below)

Flames of Life

A SPECIAL REPRODUCTION to benefit a Texas fire victim___various sizes

To see the sad story, and photos click here...PLEASE pass this along to ANYONE who might help!

For order/size info, click here http://www.reallybigcanvas.com/content/flames-life

#93 - Morning Puff

2011-09-19T19:22:00.006-05:00

Morning Puff___8x10 oil on linen__$590 framed for Passing America: The Great Plains

Along the Texas Plains Trail one morning, I did this "drive-by" painting south of Lubbock, near Slaton, TX. These humid clouds and all the moisture and "lift" became tornados later in the day. (May 17, 2010)

This canvas is one of 150 works completed for a solo show at the Great Plains Art Museum at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Please join me at the opening reception on Friday, October 7, 5 - 7 pm. I will give a brief talk about the works and my journey through the Plains. The Exhibit runs from Oct 7 - Dec 11, 2011...please let me know if you go, and what you think!

ALSO...PLEASE see what you can do to help a Bastrop, TX fire victim...My good friend, Linda....(below)

Flames of Life

A SPECIAL REPRODUCTION to benefit a Texas fire victim___various sizes

To see the sad story, and photos click here...PLEASE pass this along to ANYONE who might help!

For order/size info, click here http://www.reallybigcanvas.com/content/flames-life

Flames of Life

2011-09-12T21:14:00.009-05:00

Flames of Life__A SPECIAL GICLEE REPRODUCTION for the benefit of a Texas fire victim___whatever size you want!

A number of my friends were affected by the recent Texas fires (ONGOING, by the way!...but not being mentioned by the news media...)

My dear friend, Linda has a business, Angel Mountain Events, that is on top of a little hill surrounded by pine trees. A beautiful place she has nurtured for years, making memories for people celebrating life's big events. She hung some of my paintings there, including a large painting of poppies...the center feature of her great room. Last week Angel Mountain burned to the ground...a TOTAL loss. (see photos below).

Linda is devastated, and as her friend, this has touched me deeply. When I am sad, I often paint, and this seems to help me process loss and move forward...even if it is just co-miserating with a friend....SO I PAINTED THE POPPIES ABOVE, and am offering PRINTS for sale, with the proceeds TOTALLY dedicated to helping with this tragedy.

The printer is Canvas Press, and Really Big Canvas, a company in Round Rock, Texas. They do BEAUTIFUL work, and have set up a way that you can order a print EASY!...They have discounted their price A LOT, just for this cause!...Together we are giving every penny of the profit to Angel Mountain...PLEASE pass along this link, to anyone looking for a great piece of art, a spot of color, or a blessing!
http://www.reallybigcanvas.com/content/flames-life
Printed on premium artist canvas or archival paper, you have many choices of size and ALL the prices are WAY BETTER than I could offer! PLEASE help, however you can!...The photos below are "before/after" shots of Angel Mountain...note that the only thing standing was that wall with the crosses...Life finds a way!...please pass this along!

Angel Mountain____before

...and after the fire in Bastrop Texas

The Angel Mountain Pavilion, and butterfly gardens___before

...and after the Bastrop fire....

...by the way, the original poppy painting is for the NEW Angel Mountain!

Spring Lace

2011-09-08T16:36:00.002-05:00

Spring Lace___8x10 oil on linen for Passing America: The Great Plains $590 framed and delivered

I painted this drive-by painting, somewhere in Oklahoma or Kansas, last spring... THe day was bright, and with sunshine reflecting off of EVERYTHING, there were few contrasts, except for tree trunks and buzzards!

My area of Texas is still reeling a little bit from the huge fires nearby. Several of my good friends have suffered BIG losses. I am amazed at the outpouring of fundraisers and ACTION being taken by people from all over the place...ESPECIALLY here in Texas! There are folks already out there ON SITE doing clean-up and HELPING, and not waiting for the government to sweep in here with solutions that usually cause problems on top of problems...there is something really encouraging and admirable about watching COMMUNITY roll up their sleeves...the fires rage on, with MUCH FUEL available, as everything is so parched from lack of rain...We wish we could take some of that rain from the Northeast, which is suffering, too, in their own way....

Looking West

2011-09-07T17:39:00.002-05:00

Looking West___6x8 oil on linen panel for Passing America: The Great Plains

I LOVE road trips. All my life of travel has mostly been by car, and nearly ALWAYS west, through the Great Plains. I have lived ALL my years on the Plains (except that one year I was born, they tell me, but I don't believe them, since I don't remember :)
The biggest thrill along the way, is when the LONG OPEN plains, finally end at the foot of the Rockies. We always keep a "lookout" so we can be first to say "there's the mountains!"...(bad grammar, but we are Texans! We do it on purpose just to annoy people! :)
This is another painting from a winter batch that I delivered along with the rest. My solo exhibit at the Great Plains Art Museum in Lincoln, NE is called Passing America: The Great Plains and runs from Oct. 7, through Dec. 11, 2011. Come meet me at the opening reception on Oct. 7! I will tell a few tales of my journey and purpose for this exhibit.

Winter Rest

2011-09-06T12:01:00.001-05:00

Winter Rest__6x8 oil on linen__for Passing America: The Great Plains _$490 framed
On a plains "drive-by" last winter, I painted this as we drove on a ridge in Oklahoma. As you read this, I am probably in the same area of the country, driving home from delivering about 130 other paintings for the exhibit in Nebraska's Great Plains Art Museum.
I really enjoyed my trip this weekend. First, my daughter drove from Texas to Nebraska with me. She got to meet my museum friends in Lincoln and David City, and we enjoyed the usual mother-daughter chit chat for hundreds of miles along the way! A few people commented, recently that they never knew I have a daughter, because I seldom have mentioned her. SHAME ON ME! But, I figured it's because she has been out on her own since I started blogging, and I have not been "responsible" for her athletics, activities and schooling for a few years, now!...Her name is Davie, and I had to fly her home so she could get back to work in Austin...

Great Plains Great Day

2011-09-05T00:39:00.000-05:00

Great Plains Great Day__6x8 oil on linen panel__for Passing America: The Great Plains
The little sketch above was the last one I painted during my winter jaunt by Amtrak from Minnesota to Montana. The plains were covered with deep snow at that time, and this sketch was in Great Falls Montana....just before I flew home.
I am posting this from a hotel room in Salina, KS, having delivered all the paintings for my solo exhibit to the Great Plains Art Museum at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. The show opens Oct 7 (come meet me at the reception!). It will run through Dec 11. That gives you THREE months to go see it, and I hope you will...Art of the West magazine did a short feature on it (see the Sept. issue, pg 18 )...and I will be posting the complete collection, all my field notes and many photos on my other blog this month. Stay tuned, and I will tell you when to go look there.

New Farm

2011-09-04T00:41:00.000-05:00

New Farm__8x10 ol on linen panel for Passing America: THe Great Plains__$590 Framed
I write this from Kansas, with a truck-load of paintings in the hotel parking lot! Tomorrow I will unload all the works I have created for Passing America: The Great Plains. It's my story about the passing away of America's small farms and agrarian way of life.
The painting shown here is a scene I see a lot these days out on the Great Farms. The "new farm" shown is a so-called "wind farm". I focus on the landscape, but the windmills are back there on the mesa...this scene is on the Texas plains.

Channing Rain

2011-09-03T17:35:00.000-05:00

Channing Rain___6x8 oil on linen panel__for Passing America: The Great Plains
Yesterday's post was painted in the same vicinity as this one....Both were painted on a trip I took along the entire Texas Plains Trail, one spring. This trip ws about 800 miles over 3 days and each day we would learn that tornados visited the place we visited the day before....it seemed as if the twisters were following us! AH, SPRINGTIME on the Great Plains!!! I remember painting this one with lots of "agitated" brushstrokes. I find that if I feel anxious, my brushwork looks that way...tornados make me anxious :)
***PLEASE follow my blog closely for the next month if you can....I have a LOT to say about upcoming events, and will be giving a lot of info about my "almost completed" plains project. I try hard to NOT say too much at a time...hate to be tedious! But I am a teacher at heart. Everything in life is a "lesson" and I like to share it...I think the lessons I have been given in the course of this 3 year project are very meaningful, and the meaning to ME might differ from the meaning to the viewer....that is the great beauty of communicating with ART!...stay tuned!

Dumas Shade

2011-09-02T22:00:00.001-05:00

Dumas Shade___6x8 oil on linen panel for Passing America: The Great Plains
I am sitting at my friends' kitchen table, blogging from their computer in David City, NE....A LONG day started in Salina, KS, after a short visit with my son (and I dragged my daughter along for this ride), we headed up to Lincoln, NE to deliver 130 paintings to The Great Plains Art Museum...My show will open there on October 7, and runs through Dec. 11...
The small work above is one painted on the plains of the Texas panhandle, where shade is a big comodity this long hot summer.
I will be in Nebraska and Kansas for a few more days, telling the story of my drive-by painting effort and visiting with friends. Like the Bohaty's who we visited with tonight. They fed us a wonderful feast of their grass-fed beef from their own herd of British White cattle. We had a wonderful meal and talked about farming and such....

Left in Kansas

2011-09-01T01:11:00.002-05:00

Left in Kansas__8x6 oil on linen panel__for Passing America: The Great Plains
When we drove home from Kansas last Sunday, we left our son there again....couldn't persuade him to quit school and come home to mom....That's a good thing!!! We also left this beautiful END of the moon phase for August. I noticed at sunset last night, the sliver crescent of September's new moon.
This is one of the last ones I will paint for my upcoming exhibit at the University f Nebraska's Great Plains Art Museum. The exhibit opens on October 7, 2011 and runs through December 11. But in a few hours I will pack the truck to drive the works to Nebraska. They need it a month early, in order to check it all in and get the exhibit literature ready...it is an exciting process. Tonight I have had enough of that kind of excitement, though...It is past 1 am and my good friend, Priti just left my studio after spending MUCH time typing in all my titles and information. WHAT A FRIEND!!! Hey Priti...I just counted, and there are 150 paintings, TOTAL....WOAH!!
I will cull out about 20, so the show will have about 130 or so...The strange part will be in the car on the way through the Plains tomorrow, I won't NEED to do any drive-by painting!

After Brownwood

2011-08-30T16:02:00.000-05:00

After Brownwood___6x8 oil on linen for Passing America: The Great Plains

Here is a "drive-by" painted for my project. This area of Texas is TECHNICALLY in the Great Plains, along the western edge...I painted it back when the grass was green. These days we are all suffering here, and breaking records for the number of days we have had temperatures over 100...my area is on day 75, I think. We hit 112 the other day, an ALL TIME record.

In a few days I will take 100 paintings to The University of Nebraska's Great Plains Art Museum...I will have more info about it, and will be updating my project blog in time for the October 7 opening! Please come if you can!

The Vast

2011-08-29T16:04:00.000-05:00

The Vast__8x10 oil on linen panel for Passing America: The Great Plains

Believe it or not, we left yesterday for Kansas, and are already back to Texas (at 2 pm!) it was a whirlwind trip! We started at Round Rock Donuts, picking up a few dozen of those warm world's best donuts ...a special order from my son. I am proud to say EVERY ONE OF THEM made it to Kansas...not proud to say that I do not think I trained my son very well in the art of SHARING :)
The Kansas Wesleyan Coyote football team had their first inter-squad scrimmage game. There were about 120 men on the sideline, including SIX quarterbacks...my young freshman played about half of the second half, and did really well in a "hurry-up" , "no-huddle" offense, running plays that he had never seen before 10 days ago...The highlight of his night was a 60 yard TD pass (only about 40 of it in the air, the rest of it was from the legs of the receiver)

On Thursday, I will leave for Nebraska, to deliver the works for the exhibit, which opens on October 7.

High Plain Span

2011-08-26T16:01:00.001-05:00

High Plain Farm Span___6x8 oil on linen panel for Passing America: The Great Plains
I painted this one last spring...back when it was green...These days my nearby "plainscape" is various shades of brown and gold.
In a few hours I will venture north to Kansas...painting the sunrise and HEAT along the way, I hope!...I have a few more quick trips to gather some last minute drive-bys, before the opening reception of my solo exhibit, Passing America: The Great Plains

Kansas Ridge

2011-08-25T19:47:00.003-05:00

Kansas Ridge__6x8 oil on linen panel__for Passing America: The Great Plains__$490 framed/shipped
Another winter painting from my upcoming solo show.
Passing America: The Great Plains consists of about 100 paintings in oil, created mostly while ON THE MOVE through the plains. Small farms are passing away, and my works tell the story of these passing American impressions.
The exhibit opens with an artist reception (that's me!) at the Great Plains Art Museum at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln on October 7. You can see the works there from Oct. 7 through December 11. Please tell your friends! Especially the "Corn Husker" types...October 7 is the beginning of Homecoming weekend for the U of N! Please let me know if you are coming, so I can look for you!

Plain Cold

2011-08-24T16:04:00.001-05:00

Plain Cold___6x8 oil on linen panel for Passing America: The Great Plains
It will be a few months before the plains look like this again....Of course I painted this on a winter drive headed west across the Great Plains. I LOVE ANY drive in this direction, because there is a DEFINITE BOUNDARY of the plain, as it STOPS at the front range of the Rocky Mountains. Often the line is severe an you can see the mountains coming from MANY miles away, like this scene in southern Colorado....My Central Texas is looking forward to another week of record breaking heat: 107 and 108 are predicted for the next few days...can you imagine?...just a few years ago, when I painted my Last Year on the Farm, I waited all summer to paint the farm on a day over 1oo degrees, but we went the whole year never getting to 100! I was disappointed!

McPherson in Kansas

2011-08-23T16:02:00.003-05:00

McPherson in Kansas____6x8 oil on linen panel___for Passing America: The Great Plains
I had planned to post this one today, anyway, and a nice coincidence happened!...A collector FROM MCPHERSON, Kansas contacted me to purchase a couple of my recent Kansas paintings. It is not every day that I hear from someone in McPherson, but now I have a new friend there! Not only that, but the college in McPherson is a rival of Kansas Wesleyan University, where my son is playing football!...We are headed up there Saturday for the first scrimmage of the year, and since I heard it is supposed to be 101 (HOT degrees) during the game, I thought I would post a painting that I did when the weather was cooler there!
I am pretty sure that my Texas boy brought the heat with him to Kansas...I sure hope they don't hold this against him!
OK, OK, I know a few of you artists were looking for something about Kevin McPherson, the great artist...I do not mind if that is what made you read this far...he is a hero of mine, too!!!

New Mexican Plain

2011-08-22T15:47:00.001-05:00

New Mexican Plain____6x8 oil on linen__-for Passing America: The Great Plains
This one was painted on the way out of the mountains, heading east and into the Great Plains. The farms there are mainly places that grow feed for the herds of cattle...Ranches, really...I enjoy the discussion about the difference between a "farm" and a "ranch" ...weigh in , if you want to ad your two cents!

Colors of Drought

2011-08-21T15:27:00.003-05:00

Colors of Drought___6x8 oil on linen panel for Passing AMerica: The Great Plains
Driving through this southern end of the plains where I ive in Texas, is fairly depressing...somewhere in northern Oklahoma, the green appears a little bit, and it is nice and green in Kansas, but our Texas Plains are suffering from the aweful heat and drought...ONE GOOD THING, that only an artist would appreciate, is that there is more "color" with drought...when things are "normal", there is a lot of green this time of year. THe frought gives us many browns, purples, gold and warm colors to complement the blue skies...

Sandia Plain

2011-08-17T16:23:00.003-05:00

Sandia Plain___6x8 oil on linen for Passing America: The Great Plains
In my Great Plains studies, I've been amused by the various (and MANY) versions of the boundaries of what we call "The Great Plains". Every "expert" map shows a different line on the eastern boundary, but almost all agree that the Great Plains' western boundary ends where the Rocky Mountains begin.
My favorite drive through the plains might be on I25 where there is a HARD LINE between mountains and plains! ...THe painting here is along that route. Driving along Sandia Peak near Albuquerque, the plains are clearly in view from some of the ridges, as you look of to the east....and when you are out on the plain, one of the most thrilling things is to peel your eyes, hoping for the first glance of the mountains in the distance....

Moonset Elevators in Kansas

2011-08-16T20:38:00.004-05:00

Moonset Elevators in Kansas__8x6 oil ___for Passing America:The Great Plains
I just now compared this one with the painting I posted yesterday...Both are "drive-by" paintings, prepared for my upcoming exhibit. Both were painted along the same stretch of highway, about 30 minutes apart. The time difference is evident by the color in the sky! As the sun got higher (at my back), the full moon dissolved into the clear sky...The morning moonset is one of my favorite subjects, and is a focus of my upcoming workshop ...I hope you will come paint with me in November...get some sleep first! We will paint the "extremes" of the daylight :) Email Bill for info: bill@fbgartschool.com

Moonset Morning Over Kansas

2011-08-15T18:36:00.003-05:00

Moonset Morning Over Kansas ___8x6 oil on linen panel___for Passing America...exhibit reception in Oct.

I just now returned from Kansas...we took our son to college. This is my last one, and it feels a little bit strange. For the first time in over 27 years, I do not have a child at home, nor am I waiting for one to "check in" with me tonight!....I do not like how this feels at ALL...
We left the boy with his football coaches last night and went back to the hotel. I was up all night, taking my son's dog outside every few hours (she had a stomach issue....probably missing her boy)...so I saw the full moon at all stages of its trek across the sky!
On the way home this morning the full moon was going down as the morning was rising behind us...It's one of my FAVORITE things to paint! I will be teaching THIS in early November! Check your moon calendar and you will see that the full moon is on the 9-11. PLEASE JOIN ME in Fredericksburg, TX, and we will focus on this and Nocturne painting! It is a BLAST to paint the extreme ends of the day. e-mail Bill for info bush@fbgartschool.com

View to the Bottom

2011-08-13T19:20:00.001-05:00

View to the Bottom___16 x 20 oil on linen for Passing America: The Great Plains
At the farm, we called the area where the water drained to, "the bottom"... It was always greener there, of course and the light seemed brighter and warmer in that direction, so I painted it often.
I used a photo and lots of great memories to paint this work. At 16 x 20, it is a larger one than most of the paintings for my upcoming solo show in Nebraska...as you read this, we are on our way to Kansas, to move my son into the dorms for college....GO GET'EM, SAM!!!

Plains Moon

2011-08-12T22:41:00.002-05:00

Plains Full Moon___6x8 oil on linen___for Passing America: The Great Plains
Today I "cleaned up" this little drive-by painting from a couple years ago. Click here to compare the old version with this one. http://vvaughan.blogspot.com/2010/01/blue-moondrive-by.html
When I noticed tonight's moon, I noted how the colors of the landscape from in winter painting are very similar to the summer version I saw tonight. Our draught is so bad, the landscape has the dry color of winter...
Tonight is the last night for my youngest son to sleep at home...tomorrow we take him away to college...I feel a little sad, but am so proud of him and excited FOR him...I remember how wonderful it was to be out on my own for the first time! God Bless You, Samuel!!!

Snowpaths

2011-08-10T22:03:00.006-05:00

Snowpaths___8x10 oil on linen panel___for Passing America: The Great Plains, exhibit opens in October
The record-breaking heat in Texas has me remembering the good cold days many months ago!. This little drive-by was in the Texas High Plains on a bright, clear winter day.
My "location" work on this one was a quick oil sketch as we drove by. I finished it farther down the road, and only recently made a "painting" out of it...all from memory, letting the first IMPRESSION on canvas speak to me to complete it....
Guess what, y'all....I will be teaching a LOT real soon!...get ready!

My Schedule-----------------
August___Painting the Plains...I will be ALL OVER The place, finishing my project which opens on Oct. 7...
October 7___Passing America: The Great Plains. Lincoln, NE...Reception and Gallery Talk in the evening
Oct. 8-13___Nebraska Workshops...painting farms en plein air
Oct. 18-Nov. 17___Remembering the Farm, Solo show at Inspiration Gallery at Riverbend Church, Austin
October 27___Remembering the Farm Reception and Gallery Talk 5-8 pm. Riverbend, Austin
Nov. 9-11___Fall Workshop at Fredericksburg Artists' School
June 11-13, 2012___Spring Workshop at Fredericksburg Artists School
Summer 2012 Workshop...early August, 2012! TBA!

Plain Flurries

2011-08-09T22:32:00.003-05:00

Plain Flurries__6x8 oil on linen panel for Passing America: The Great Plains
As I wrap up the details for my upcoming exhibit, I cleaned up this little "drive-by" painting, today...I painted it last year as we came out of the northern New Mexico mountains and had our first view of the plains. Just then, the clouds opened up and let down some light flurries of snow...
By the way, all the plains paintings are for sale, but I will not be able to deliver them until after the event is over (late December)...That gives you time to pay off a lay-away purchase if you want to take your time paying it off....a number of collectors are doing JUST THAT, right now...just e-mail me if you see one you like ! vvaughan8@yahoo.com
My workshop and show/event schedule is below....
My Schedule-----------------
August___Painting the Plains...I will be ALL OVER The place, finishing my project which opens on Oct. 7...
October 7___Passing America: The Great Plains. Lincoln, NE...Reception and Gallery Talk in the evening
Oct. 8-13___Nebraska Workshops...painting farms en plein air
Oct. 18-Nov. 17___Remembering the Farm, Solo show at Inspiration Gallery at Riverbend Church, Austin
October 27___Remembering the Farm Reception and Gallery Talk 5-8 pm. Riverbend, Austin
Nov. 9-11___Fall Workshop at Fredericksburg Artists' School
June 11-13, 2012___Spring Workshop at Fredericksburg Artists School
Summer 2012 Workshop...early August, 2012! TBA!

2011-08-08T21:35:00.004-05:00

Edge of the Plain__8x10 oil on linen panel___Passing America: The Great Plains___$550 framed
I am pretty sure I posted this one, too...early on in my project about "Passing America...."
But over the weekend, I began to "finish" the works for the exhibit...I did some adjusting of contrasts to make this a better painting, and not just a "study"....One thing I left "as is": the bead of paint on the flat horizon line...it magnifies the effect there in northern New Mexico where the plains SUDDENLY span away from the foothills. Most people would say this is boring scenery, butI think it is a big thrill to see the great plain distance for as far as the eye can see....

My Schedule-----------------
August___Painting the Plains...I will be ALL OVER The place, finishing my project which opens on Oct. 7...
October 7___Passing America: The Great Plains. Lincoln, NE...Reception and Gallery Talk in the evening
Oct. 8-13___Nebraska Workshops...painting farms en plein air
Oct. 18-Nov. 17___Remembering the Farm, Solo show at Inspiration Gallery at Riverbend Church, Austin
October 27___Remembering the Farm Reception and Gallery Talk 5-8 pm. Riverbend, Austin
Nov. 9-11___Fall Workshop at Fredericksburg Artists' School
June 11-13, 2012___Spring Workshop at Fredericksburg Artists School
Summer 2012 Workshop...early August, 2012! TBA!

Plains to There

2011-08-07T21:47:00.004-05:00

Plains to There___6x8 oil on linen panel___for Passing America: the Great Plains
For the next few weeks, I am gathering together all of my "drive-by" paintings of farms across the plains. Here is one I painted RIGHT at the beginning of my project. I seem to have a number of paintings created along the edge of the plains (where the edge is OBVIOUS: next to the Rocky Mountains). I am intrigued by the CONTRAST: one side is flat as far as the eye can see, and the sky almost matches the land...featureless, while directly opposite are the mountains with great towering clouds and the upslope which catches light and shadows....this one is at the southern edge, near Santa Fe. The summer sky builds like this every day, watering the mountains, and leaving the farms mostly dry...But the water is there! Available to the farmers for irrigation.
So I am rounding up the small works, to varnish them, tweak the rough ones, clean up the edges and put them in frames. The rest of my frame shipment comes in this week.

My Schedule...
August___Painting the Plains...I will be ALL OVER The place, finishing my project which opens on Oct. 7...
October 7___Passing America: The Great Plains. Lincoln, NE...Reception and Gallery Talk in the evening
Oct. 8-13___Nebraska Workshops...painting farms en plein air
Oct. 18-Nov. 17___Remembering the Farm, Solo show at Inspiration Gallery at Riverbend Church, Austin
October 27___Remembering the Farm Reception and Gallery Talk 5-8 pm. Riverbend, Austin
Nov. 9-11___Fall Workshop at Fredericksburg Artists' School
June 11-13, 2012___Spring Workshop at Fredericksburg Artists School
Summer 2012 Workshop...early August, 2012! TBA!

Step Ladder Sky

2011-08-06T09:49:00.004-05:00

Step Ladder Sky___8 x 10 oil on linen panel___for Passing America: The Great Plains
I was going to post this one today, anyway...a drive-by painting in the plains of northern New Mexico. But, this is the first time I have given a title like this...the title goes with that step ladder of cirrus cloudy sky, but it also goes with a LANDMARK EVENT in my life.
For 27 years, I have been a FULL-TIME MOTHER (doing a little art on the side)...This week, my youngest (a 6'4"+ football athlete) goes away to college and the "new normal" begins!...
So, the FIRST THING I noticed about this "new normal", is that since all my TALL KIDS are gone, I do not have easy access to the top shelves, anymore....yesterday, I had to go to Lowes and buy a step ladder....

August___Painting the Plains...I will be ALL OVER The place, finishing my project which opens on Oct. 7...
October 7___Passing America: The Great Plains. Lincoln, NE...Reception and Gallery Talk in the evening
Oct. 8-13___Nebraska Workshops...painting farms en plein air
Oct. 18-Nov. 17___Remembering the Farm, Solo show at Inspiration Gallery at Riverbend Church, Austin
October 27___Remembering the Farm Reception and Gallery Talk 5-8 pm. Riverbend, Austin
Nov. 9-11___Fall Workshop at Fredericksburg Artists' School
June 11-13, 2012___Spring Workshop at Fredericksburg Artists School
Summer 2012 Workshop...early August, 2012! TBA!

Breaking the Plain

2011-08-04T20:28:00.003-05:00

Breaking the Plain__8x10 oil on linen panel__for Passing America: The Great Plains

This is a "drive-by" painting, created on the way home from Colorado's cool summer a few days ago. We left before daybreak so that we would be hitting the western edge of the Great Plains at daybreak. PERFECT!
Just east of Santa Fe, the plains open up, and here is where I started my farm observations this time. I like to imagine what is going on at the farms where the little lights are.
My exhibit will be delivered to The University of Nebraska's Great Plains Art Museum next month for the opening of the show on October 7. Y'ALL COME!! Between now nd then, I am finishing up the paintings, and FINALLY posting the studies on the project blog. Click to see the project overview....

August___Painting the Plains...I will be ALL OVER The place, finishing my project which opens on Oct. 7...
October 7___Passing America: The Great Plains. Lincoln, NE...Reception and Gallery Talk in the evening
Oct. 8-13___Nebraska Workshops...painting farms en plein air
Oct. 18-Nov. 17___Remembering the Farm, Solo show at Inspiration Gallery at Riverbend Church, Austin
October 27___Remembering the Farm Reception and Gallery Talk 5-8 pm. Riverbend, Austin
Nov. 9-11___Fall Workshop at Fredericksburg Artists' School
June 11-13, 2012___Spring Workshop at Fredericksburg Artists School
Summer 2012 Workshop...early August, 2012! TBA!

Reflecting in Rockport

2011-07-30T21:05:00.005-05:00

Reflecting in Rockport__12x9 oil on linen____SOLD
Not that I am IN ROCKPORT, or anything...in fact I am at my home computer, now....back from the cool Colorado mountains....reluctantly!
This image was waiting for me in my mailbox...sent to me by the person who bought it a few weeks ago in Rockport. I sold it right off my easel, and never had a chance to photograph it, so I am glad to have this image...even though it is a little bit "rough"....

A Little Paint

2011-07-29T15:21:00.000-05:00

A Little Paint___8x10 oil on linen panel__$250 all wet

Here is the one I started at the corrals a couple days ago, and just now finished on the porch. I mentioned it a few days ago... it matches the other painting really well... http://vvaughan.blogspot.com/2011/07/shady-wait.html

If you click here you can see both horses along with my painting set-up....Tomorrow we head back to Texas...hot times ahead!!!

UPCOMING SCHEDULE-----------------------------------------------------------------
August___Painting the Plains...I will be ALL OVER The place, finishing my project which opens on...
October 7___Passing America: The Great Plains. Lincoln, NE...Reception and Gallery Talk in the evening
Oct. 8-13___Nebraska Workshops...painting farms en plein air
Oct. 18-Nov. 17___Remembering the Farm, Solo show at Inspiration Gallery at Riverbend Church, Austin
October 27___Remembering the Farm Reception and Gallery Talk 5-8 pm. Riverbend, Austin
Nov. 9-11___Fall Workshop at Fredericksburg Artists' School
June 11-13, 2012___Spring Workshop at Fredericksburg Artists School
Late Summer 2012 Workshop in a COOL PLACE...early August! TBA!

Beaver Pond

2011-07-28T16:20:00.001-05:00

Beaver Pond___8x10 oil on linen___$250 wet/unframed

So, I scaled down an embankment to get close to the magnificent beaver dam, and to paint it, but the distance called to me, and I ended up painting it instead...but the pond held back by the dam is here in the foreground...It's a study of a MUCH LOVELIER place, and a good location to go back to!

See my schedule below, and a little hint about next summer's workshop!....
This is the Conejos River and a view down the canyon before a big storm swept in...

August___Painting the Plains...I will be ALL OVER The place, finishing my project which opens on...
October 7___Passing America: The Great Plains. Lincoln, NE...Reception and Gallery Talk in the evening
Oct. 8-13___Nebraska Workshops...painting farms en plein air
Oct. 18-Nov. 17___Remembering the Farm, Solo show at Inspiration Gallery at Riverbend Church, Austin
October 27___Remembering the Farm Reception and Gallery Talk 5-8 pm. Riverbend, Austin
Nov. 9-11___Fall Workshop at Fredericksburg Artists' School
June 11-13, 2012___Spring Workshop at Fredericksburg Artists School
Surprise Summer 2012 Workshop...early August! TBA! Photo above is a HINT.....

Shady Wait

2011-07-27T16:38:00.002-05:00

Shady Wait__8x10 oil on linen___$250 wet

I went down the way to Rainbow Trout Ranch this morning. They always have horses saddled up and ready to go, and plenty of wranglers wrangling them. This beautiful palomino was hitched up on a shady porch and I liked how occasionally he would reach his nose out into the light. Just after I finished this little plein air piece, someone got on and rode away. Below is a picture of the setting where I painted with my model in the background...Tomorrow I will post the study I did of the paint, there. I had to work fast....

Cottonwood at the Fork

2011-07-23T12:22:00.000-05:00

Cottonwood at the Fork__8x10 oil on canvas___$290 if it doesn't sell at the FireHouse

Here's a little plein air study near our cabin in Colorado. I went out with painting buddy, Pat Haberman and we knocked out a couple of studies, yesterday. This is a place I WILL go back to! There are views all around: The river bends a couple of times, an amazing beaver dam, wildflowers on the hillsides, monsoon clouds...There are a few paintings left to do here...

If you look at my schedule below, you will see at the very bottom, I will teach a SURPRISE workshop at about this time next summer. Pretty soon I will give details, but hint, hint, hint...the locations where we will paint look a lot like this! Are you interested???

July 23-24___Art on the Conejos__a NEW SHOW, featuring artists who live in the Conejos Canyon, CO
August___Painting the Plains...I will be ALL OVER The place, finishing my project which opens on...
October 7___Passing America: The Great Plains. Lincoln, NE...Reception and Gallery Talk in the evening
Oct. 8-13___Nebraska Workshops...painting farms en plein air
Oct. 18-Nov. 17___Remembering the Farm, Solo show at Inspiration Gallery at Riverbend Church, Austin
October 27___Remembering the Farm Reception and Gallery Talk 5-8 pm. Riverbend, Austin
Nov. 9-11___Fall Workshop at Fredericksburg Artists' School
June 11-13, 2012___Spring Workshop at Fredericksburg Artists School
Surprise Summer 2012 Workshop...early August! TBA!

Poppy Pods

2011-07-22T16:02:00.000-05:00

Poppy Pods__8x6 oil on linen

Here is the last poppy painting I did for the Colorado Show. This show was put together by Bea and Peggy, a couple of real art fans and neighbors of at our place in Colorado. The show will benefit the new Fire House which our community built to protect the families here. It is a volunteer fire service, complete with an alarm that sounds each Monday. Hopefully, this fire house will be busy with community activities, (like the art show), and not busy with fires.

My upcoming schedule is below.

Shy One

2011-07-21T15:39:00.001-05:00

Shy One__8x6 oil on linen panel

Like yesterday's painting, this one will be available if it doesn't sell at the Colroado Show over the weekend. If you are interested ($190 unframed, includes shipping), please let me know and I will put your name on it :) It is a poppy from my father-in-law's garden, joined by some daisies that he transplanted a few years ago....neighbors come from all over the canyon to take some of HIS daisies, now, because he has so many! Stay tuned for more works from Colorado and the plains we went through to get here! See my upcoming schedule below....

Proud One

2011-07-20T16:22:00.002-05:00

Proud One__8x6 oil on linen___for CO Show

Taking a break from the Texas heat and enjoying a little time in Colorado's San Juan Mountains. Once again my father-in-law has "glory" in his garden: POPPIES!...as usual, my first Colorado painting was a poppy...in fact, I did three little studies, yesterday. These are ones I will hang in the Fire House for the weekend show. (see below). If it doesn't sell, I will have it for YOU, if you are interested. Please email me to be first in line for it (unframed $190, includes shipping). Check out my upcoming schedule, and come see me someplace!

SCHEDULE

2011-07-16T21:19:00.000-05:00

Little Church__6x8 oil demo__sold

This is another version of one I painted a few weeks ago, but I wanted to post SOMETHING today before I head to Colorado for a few weeks of COOL-OFF-TIME! We have already had 32 days of temps over 100 this summer, and we are JUST NOW getting to the HOT part of the season (our record high was in early September a few years ago). Texans are NOT being flippant or joking when we say "please pray for rain and our farmers!"
I will be posting from Colorado, of course. We are driving a special loop through the plains so I can add a few more "drive-bys" to my works for the upcoming exhibit.
Below is my schedule for the near future...and a little bit beyond! See if you can meet me at any of these!

July 16___THANK You, GOD for the bit of rain in Round Rock this morning
July 23-24___Art on the Conejos__a NEW SHOW, featuring artists who live in the Conejos Canyon, CO
August___Painting the Plains...I will be ALL OVER The place, finishing my project which opens on...
October 7___Passing America: The Great Plains. Lincoln, NE...Reception and Gallery Talk in the evening
Oct. 8-13___Nebraska Workshops...painting farms en plein air
Oct. 18-Nov. 17___Remembering the Farm, Solo show at Inspiration Gallery at Riverbend Church, Austin
October 27___Remembering the Farm Reception and Gallery Talk 5-8 pm. Riverbend, Austin
Nov. 9-11___Fall Workshop at Fredericksburg Artists' School
June 11-13, 2012___Spring Workshop at Fredericksburg Artists School
Surprise Summer 2012 Workshop...early August! TBA!

Where Morning Gathers

2011-07-12T21:15:00.006-05:00

Where Morning Gathers_____36 x 48 oil on linen______for Passing America: The Great Plains

This is my largest painting (so far?) for Passing America: The Great Plains
It is a large version of a September sunrise study at our old farm, which was at the southern edge of the plains in central Texas....The bigness of our sky, and this being such a large painting, reminded me of great inspirations along the way on my journeys. Hear the song that has done the most to inspire my project...especially as I travel the plains...the song is not about farming, it is all about the nature of the Great Plains, and its Creator.....Click the link to hear it and to see the lyrics. Many of my paintings have titles from these lyrics .
http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/r/rich_mullins/calling_out_your_name.html

British White

2011-07-11T20:21:00.005-05:00

British White__6x6 oil on panel___$290 framed for Passing America: The Great Plains

I was introduced to this beautiful breed of cattle the last time I traveled through Nebraska on my Passing America journeys. I spent an afternoon on the Bohaty farm, where they raise grass-fed British Whites. This proved to be a VERY IMPORTANT visit, as I saw how a family is adjusting to the current farming climate, and is doing something GOOD and NEW! As I move forward soon to update my project blog I will share MUCH more about this farm!

I Love my blogging/ facebooking/ e-mailing friends, and I really know how to pick them! I only pick SMART ones, who also are clever and BEAUTIFUL! (right, y'all???)
A number of you wrote after yesterday's post and said you were giving me your "two cents' worth"...so I now have TEN CENTS and the proper name for the breed of cattle I posted yesterday...it is a Black Baldy...and you will see that I corrected the title on yesterday's post!

Black Baldy

2011-07-11T19:37:00.004-05:00

Black Baldy___6x6 oil on panel___$290 framed for Passing America: The Great Plains
I posted a Hereford of the same size and price, yesterday but forgot to hit the "publish" button on the blog. So, if you only see the blog (and not the e-mail) click here to see yesterday's Hereford ...This is "cow week" as I have a small little group of different types of cattle that I have seen across the plains...these are small canvases in matching frames for my exhibit, but they are not "drive-by" paintings. ...This painting above is what we call a "white face", which, I think is a type of Hereford but if anyone knows better, please let me know! I suspect they have a little bit of Angus.

Here Hereford

2011-07-10T19:34:00.000-05:00

Here Hereford___6x6 oil on panel___$290 framed for Passing America: The Great Plains
I am not sure why the Angus has taken over the popularity contest for cattle these days...maybe it's a marketing ploy for beef? In my studies for the farm exhibit, I am finding out a lot about our food supply as family farms fade away and the farms become corporations...This does not HAVE to be a bad thing, but somehow it is....
Anyway, When I see Hereford cattle, I think of "Texas"...maybe because that was the breed of choice in the pastures when I was growing up!...as an artist, I really do not care which breed is "best", I just like the VARIETY I have seen all across the plains.
I am seriously HOARDING my paintings these days...to make sure I meet the required numbers of new works for my upcoming exhibit in Nebraska. Pretty soon I will count all the works, and when I have the quantities I need, I will begin selling again :) Anything that is painted for the show will not be delivered till just before Christmas :)

Sharon and Paul

2011-07-06T20:50:00.003-05:00

Sharon and Paul____16x12 oil on linen____Sold
This is a portrait of Sharon and Paul. They own and operate a a couple of "wellness" stores in Round Rock and Cedar Park, selling great herbal products, vitamins and such, and educating people about LOTS of things related to health and wellness. I have been shopping with them for YEARS, mainly for a few vitamins and a yearly "cleanse"....but ALL THIS YEAR, I have been working closely with them on REALLY getting healthy! This "project" has coincided with my exhibit work on Passing America: The Great Plains
I have been learning about the demise of our agrarian culture in America, as I travel and paint "drive-by" paintings of family farms in the Plains. This demise has also corresponded with health issues for Americans, and NO ONE can deny that they are FOOD related....so, I have made myself the ULTIMATE guinea pig, and have spent this whole year (since Jan 1) eating organic, drinking alkaline water, and taking a few supplements...the Tsuis helped me lose about 30 pounds and have directed me to literature and experts which have GREATLY informed me as I work on the farm paintings....I will talk more about this in the coming days, as I wind down my artwork for the Nebraska Exhibit in October! Stay tuned!!! It is fascinating stuff!

Pastured Impatience

2011-07-06T20:41:00.003-05:00

Pastured Impatience__9x12 oil on linen___Passing America: The Great Plains
I had a difficult time photographing this one and figured out it is because my brushwork was causing some random glares....sorry about that.
A favorite farm scene of mine is when the cattle egrets are in the pastures following whatever moving target is there. They are not picky and will follow a tractor just as often as they will follow the cattle. They get their meals when the moving target stirs up bugs...usually grasshoppers. This egret was impatient...probably because the cow was not helping him stir up dinner...

Hawk Above Mocking

2011-07-05T20:21:00.002-05:00

Hawk Above Mocking___9x12 oil on linen___$590 for Passing America: The Great Plains
A few months ago I posted (and sold) the little study for this one. IT is a scene I saw and photographed on our farm a few years ago, and I have seen it played out over and over again at farms all across the plains. The little birds have HUGE tempers when they feel that their territory is being threatened. No matter how big the enemy, these small mocking birds feel no fear when protecting their own!
The Rockport Art Festival was a great show, and my work won an award for best in media: PAINTING...So, now I get to go back next year!

Harbor Life

2011-06-30T21:25:00.003-05:00

Harbor Life__20 x 60 oil on linen___For Rockport Art Festival this weekend (click to enlarge)
I posted "state one" of this large work a few months ago. Click to see the first version, but you will be hard pressed to see any big changes. I just added a few nondescript birds... I have been saving it to show at the Rockport Art Festival, in Rockport Texas this weekend. Of course, I like to show my blog friends my works FIRST, and to give you the chance to purchase it first, too. SO, if you need a BIG BIG piece of art let me know quick, because I will show this one as my "flagship" piece over the weekend....I hope to see you there! It looks a LOT BETTER in "real life!
Speaking of "life", I thought you 'd like to see our little "Johnson" who is now our BIG BOY, since the Good Dane Romeo passed away a few weeks ago....Romeo used to put a ball like this under his tongue!...check out the ear!

Autumn Dreams

2011-06-27T09:07:00.004-05:00

Autumn Dreams___20x16 oil on linen__for Passing America: The Great Plains__$1700 unframed
With Summer here and temperatures in the 100's every day, we can only DREAM of fall! Somehow, though, "dreaming" is a good tool for the artist! ...

I remember being young and BEGGING my parents for a horse! My friends had horses and we lived neat a stable where they were kept. Every day after school and all summer long I would hang out at the stables, brushing the horses, cleaning the stalls (YES, I LOVED doing that!...ANYTHING to be around the horses...I even loved the smells!...you tom-boys know exactly what I mean!).

...my friend Betty Sue would often let me watch her horse Ginger when she was out of town. This was the best of all worlds! I got to spend every moment with Ginger, and I would take her down to a far pasture to ride bareback, to halter her up to a tree and sketch her for hours. Her eyes told me that she loved me better than Betty Sue...(dreaming, remember?). My favorite thing was riding her into the deeper waters of Walnut Creek, and she would swim across with me holding onto her mane...Walnut Creek was cool because it was spring-fed, so this was a great summertime treat!....I never got my own horse as a kid, but DREAMING about them , I think, made me a better artist! I can draw a horse now, from memory, at ANY angle....

BIG Gathering_ Crossing Kansas

2011-06-25T19:53:00.004-05:00

BIG Gathering _ Crossing Kansas _24x30 oil on linen__for Passing America: The Great Plains
I am probably not finished with this one, yet...it is a large one for my plains exhibit in the fall. A few weeks ago, I posted the study for this one. It was called "Gathering for Kansas"...click link to see it and compare. The study was a "drive-by" painting, created on the move as we went past the little farm where these cows were crossing.

High Plains Gathering

2011-06-21T19:30:00.004-05:00

High Plains Gathering-state 2 ___24x24 oil on linen___for Passing America:The Great Plains
A few days ago I taught a one day workshop in Smithville, TX. THe group had worked with me a month earlier, and I gave "homework" for them to "START" a few canvases. TTHis time, I showed how to work up one of their "starts" to a larger canvas. The version below was state one of a large canvas I worked up from the small. This demo took about an hour (not counting my talking time....plenty of that!!!). The idea was to lay down the largest, simplest shapes of color. State two, above is the next step....I see things that I need to refine, before calling it DONE. This one is posted especially for the "gang" in Smithville....would love to know your comments and what you think I will probably do to call it "done" :)

Demo Before Morning

2011-06-19T19:44:00.004-05:00

Demo Before Morning__6x8 oil on linen__$190
While posting this I got to thinking...I am not sure anyone in the workshop even saw it! The day was still darkish when I finished and everyone was already well into their own works. (I love that point in a workshop when the artists are suddenly brave and taking on the problems without "needing" me to get started!) We all got to the location VERY early...about a half hour before sunrise. According to NASA, this is called "twilight". I use their site to determine sun and moon phases ANYwhere I travel. This helps with workshops to schedule sunrise/sunset times...check out the site)...There will be another multi-day workshop in Fredericksburg this year. Sometime in Late Oct-Nov...stay tuned!
...And a word to my Smithville group: I looked at the noun today, and have decided the verb was MUCH BETTER....Y'all know what I mean...and so do my Fredericksburg friends. I will "post and tell" tomorrow!

Sunrise Scape

2011-06-18T21:07:00.004-05:00

Sunrise Scape__6x8 oil on linen panel___$190
Another demo from the Fredericksburg workshop.

We arrived on locations at 6 am for our morning paintouts. This one was at the home of Bill and Nancy Bush and it was downright CHILLY that morning. We all reminded each other that later in the day we would WISH it was so cool....our afternoon temps topped out at over 100!

We painted all week with a limited palette of just FOUR paint colors, and the goal was to see the spectrum in each scene. The sun was just above the horizon when I painted this, so the spectrum was in the sky and not on the land, yet.....

To my class: I DID a few "oil changes" on this one when I got home, and I stayed true to the palette...Can y'all see the refining of shapes?...and the addition of the "pure color" we talked about?...I miss y'all!

Uptown Luckenbach

2011-06-17T19:18:00.004-05:00

Feed Mill -Uptown Luckenbach, TX__8x10 oil on linen___Available soon
Here is a demo from the workshop this week. This feedmill is owned by Monroe Behrens who is, himself a creative artist and craftsman. He calls his place "Uptown Luckenbach". THis was my favorite place all week.....I just loved all the activity and equipment, with goats in the front yard and farm fields behind. We saw the moonrise here and marveled at the full spectrum in the light at sunset....I spent 45 minutes on this study, and plan to push and pull some things before selling it....

Warm Texas Morning

2011-06-17T00:12:00.001-05:00

Warm Texas Morning__6x8 oil on linen___sold
I miss my new friends today!
We had a full class of artists painting together in Fredericksburg, TX for the past three days! I should have blogged this last night, but I have been "recovering"...whew!
This was a plein air workshop, and I am sure there is a special place in heaven for anyone who will brave 100+ degree heat to paint in the great outdoors...It was also a time to focus on the "extreme light" ends of the day, so we worked from dawn to dark. The little one above was a demo yesterday morning, not long after sunrise...the clouds teased us each morning, but there is no such thing as rain!
We painted in some great locations, including a winery, a feed mill, and a pioneer farm.
I kept expecting to hear complaints (like at the feed mill when trucks would whiz by on the dirt, stirring up gritty clouds that wafted onto us! The "lowlight" of my week...I HATED it, but kept quiet for the sake of my painter friends :)
I look forward to teaching in Fredericksburg later in the year. Stay tuned!
THIS Saturday, the 18th, I teach a one-day session in Smithville. It might be full, but if interested, please call me 512.917.0814

THe Way of the Farmer

2011-06-12T20:02:00.001-05:00

The Way of the Farmer____16 x 20 oil on linen for On the Way exhibit in Austin at Hill Country Bible Church AND
for Passing America: The Great Plains in October at the Great Plains Art Museum at the University of Nebraska

This was painted from a photo I took at the farm a few years ago, while Aunt Nancy, the farmer, drove past my studio window. I have ALWAYS planned to paint it, and finally....now! It will be on exhibit at Hill Country for a while, then I will FINISH the painting for my Great Plains solo show....Yes, it is not finished. THIS PART is, but I will add a few IMPORTANT things before I will call it "done"....can you guess?

When I am at the easel, I do not FULLY appreciate what I am doing. You artists understand what I mean...
While DOING it, you are in "one zone" which I call "the VERB - painting"....
LATER the artwork becomes a "NOUN"-(THE painting). Today I looked at the Romeo I posted yesterday, with tears...it LOOKS like him exactly.
I posted this link once before, but here again is my FAVORITE thought on DOGS....it's fun, and MEANINGFUL! When you play it, PLEASE think of your favorite dog :) And Be blessed http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H17edn_RZoY

Some of you will see me at sunrise!!! ...or so! See you at the workshop!!!

Romeo's Last Thunder

2011-06-11T22:17:00.003-05:00

Romeo's Last Thunder_____Pastel pencils on archival paper_____Family Collection
Our beloved "Good Dane", Romeo died on Thursday....He has been in our family since he was a baby, given to my oldest son as a Christmas gift. Of course, when the son went away to college, I claimed Romeo....He truly was a gentle giant who made a great impact on all who net him...I have spent the past few days moping and missing him....terribly.
I got to hold him in my arms when he went "away", but I made sure not to cry till he was gone. He was brave, and gentle and a lot of fun, even just a few days ago!...I sketched this today, from one of his last photos. He was looking out the window, a little bit nervous that there was distant thunder in the area...he never liked thunder....

***My Workshop next week in Fredericksburg is FULL...THANK YOU to all who signed up...For those of you on the waiting list, we will do it again in the fall! More details to come!
***There might be a spot or two in the Saturday workshop in Smithville... vvaughan8@yahoo.com

2011-06-06T11:35:00.002-05:00

While the Sun Shines___12 x 12 oil on Gallery Wrap canvas___for Passing America (and "on the way")

This painting actually "lines up" to make a nice grouping with the painting I posted the other day, called
"On The Way"...if you get my e-mail, I attached them side by side for the group to see...
Both these paintings are inspired by our old farm..that's Nancy driving the tractor...She was the FARMER on our farm for the last 10-15 years we were there...an IMPRESSIVE woman, and my husband's aunt. She trains horses, rides rodeos (was in the NFR in the mid 1980's), and LOVES THE LAND...Nancy doesn't know it, yet, but she will be in a number of these larger works I am preparing for my solo museum show in October (Great Plains Art Museum)....I will pick the best one for her and make a nice canvas print for her house :)
If you have been itching, it might be the summer no see-ums, but I bet it is that you are itching to paint! Come to a workshop! Mine are short, and intense and LOTS of fun...see below

*** SUMMER PAINTING WORKSHOPS...we have room for just a few more!
June 13-15 2011
Fredericksburg Artists School
Plein Air Color – Capturing the Impression Quickly ...or Painting and Sketching, Every Day (…and what to do with all those field studies!) http://www.fbgartschool.com/ for info and to register...hurry, it's almost full!

June 18- A one-day workshop, Smithville, TX... GREAT for beginners or "rusty" artists. Learn how to manage oil paints and the basics of painting quickly and impressionistically.

Oct 8-10
Workshop at Bone Creek, David City, NE ...in conjunction with the opening of my solo show

Passing America: The Great Plains in Lincoln, NE

Life on the Lake

2011-06-03T17:04:00.003-05:00

Life on the Lake__10 x 12 oil on linen panel___sold
I wish this was MY lake, but it's a special place for my cousin, Jeff and his wife, Tricia... Here is what Tricia says about the place!
"This is my aunt and uncles cabin in Emily, Minnesota on Rogers Lake..... we always have a blast when we're there. My aunt and uncle call it "The Sweet Spot" It's a small, quiet, clean lake with a lot of wildlife. One of my favorite things to do is sit on the dock and watch the eagle and her babies that have a nest real near by. Jeff actually rests while we're up there too, which he's not very good at doing at home."

*** SUMMER PAINTING WORKSHOPS...we have room for just a few more!
June 13-15 2011
Fredericksburg Artists School
Plein Air Color – Capturing the Impression Quickly ...or Painting and Sketching, Every Day (…and what to do with all those field studies!) http://www.fbgartschool.com/ for info and to register...hurry, it's almost full!

June 18- A one-day workshop, Smithville, TX... GREAT for beginners or "rusty" artists. Learn how to manage oil paints and the basics of painting quickly and impressionistically.

Oct 8-10
Workshop at Bone Creek, David City, NE ...in conjunction with the opening of my solo show

Passing America: The Great Plains in Lincoln, NE