Gruene Extreme

Green Extreme, from Passing America___6x8 oil on linen panel___$450 framed

It won't be long and Texas will look like this again! We have had a little rain and the winter rye is making the pastures green, already!...Next will come leaves on the trees! ...( and then a freeze, probably...oh well).

I am posting this one from my exhibit, "Passing America". One hundred works from Passing America are on display in Gruene, Texas from now through April, and I am hoping everyone will go see this nice collection...the project took me across the country, painting for 3 years!

Gruene (pronounced "GREEN") is between Austin and San Antonio.

If you can come on VALENTINE'S DAY, I will be there to say "hello". How about bringing a special person and celebrating...maybe have dinner and enjoy music at the famous

Gristmill Restaurant ...Below is your invitation! I'd love to know if you are coming!

On Exhibit Through April, 2012

Flames of Life

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!

Pecan Holdouts

Pecan Holdouts___6x8 oil study on linen panel___$150 soaking wet!
I say this every year...My favorite time of year is spring. Early, before the pecans bud out. They are the LAST of the trees to get any leaves, so while everything else is bright green, the pecans are still bare and branchy…. It’s That time of year right now! My friend Kathy called yesterday and said "you gotta come see our bluebonnets"! So, I drove over to see her place between a couple of small creeks, and found a wonderful pecan bottom just the way I like it!
Tomorrow I will be out again with my buddy Pat...she is just about the funnest person to paint with that I know...We really get into it...one time we looked up and were surrounded by a herd of cattle...another time we didn't see the hail. But then lightning struck nearby (we didn't see that coming either). But it saved us from being pummeled by the hail....hmmm HAPPY SPRINGTIME, Y'all! vvaughan8@yahoo.com

A New Farm Painting_Grazing Together at the Bottom

Grazing Together at the Bottom___24 x 30 for Museum of Western Art Roundup Show, April 9-11, 2010

Here is one I will deliver to Kerrville, Texas and the museum of Western Art's Roundup show next month. It is derived from paintings I did at our farm. If you are not familiar with this story, please look at my web site, and the 365 small paintings I call "Last Year on the Farm". They are special, because they tell a special story... This Saturday is the opening of the LAST EXHIBIT of available "Last Year..." paintings. The exhibit runs through April 18, and is in the most beautiful part of Texas, suring the most beautiful time of the year...Because of the rains Central Texas expects a BANNER YEAR for bluebonnets. We are all excited to anticipate the best wildflower year in a long time. Take a road trip to Marble Falls and take in this last chance to see my beloved farm on canvas...this one last time!! I only have about 130 paintings left, and I have selected 100 for this exhibit. e-mail me for more info vvaughan8@yahoo.com

Here is a link to the invitation ...

http://vvaughan.blogspot.com/2010/03/invitationvvaughan-exhibit.html

Daybreak in Calvert_farm, cow, fenceline, shadows, green

Daybreak in Calvert_6x8 oil study on linen_____$150
Whenever I teach a plein air workshop I always schedule a sunrise demo...this painting gets everyone out of bed, and loosens me up for the day! The Backroads around Calvert, TX are full of small farms and familiar looking scenes...I love it! The sun rose behind us. Since the sky was crisp and clear, I knew the light would hit FAST and chose to look WEST for sunrise. The long shadows drew slowly toward us, till the foreground finally got lit up. My painting shows the foreground still in shadow, with sunlight hitting just the tops of the trees and the cow. While I painted, the class sat in lawn chairs and enjoyed the break of day! ...a new experience for a couple of them, I think!
As I prepare for my upcoming exhibit "Passing America..." I will be staying home more, working in my studio, and taking care of my partner/galleries. I have a few shows I will keep doing, but I am trying hard to NOT look for new opportunities....It turns out that my October is fairly full, so if you want to get out to see me, this month is your chance!
Sat. Oct 24 - Texas Country Reporter Show, Waxahachie, TX (by Dallas) 9am - 5 pm
Sun. Oct 25 - Bovine Art Show, Gruene, TX at Cactus Jack's
Sat. Oct 31 - Workshop, near Austin, TX...I think it's full, but call me if you are nearby and want to come vvaughan8@yahoo.com
Feb 5 - 7, 2010 Workshop at Fredericksburg Artists School. 3 days of sunrises, moonrises and plein air!

COnejos Greens

"Conejos Greens".....6 x 8 oil on linen....$150

Back from the mountains...sad sigh

Springy Farm

"Springy Farm" 6 x 8 $150 still wet

For the past couple days I have gone BACK to the farm. That "film crew" I mentioned is Bob Phillips and the guys from that great weekly TV program, Texas Country Reporter. They are doing a little story about my "Last Year on the Farm" and will document my "One Last Day", as I paint 24 paintings in 24 hours next week...wow....The one above is what I painted while waiting for the guys to catch up with me there last night...It's a quickie, and a study of the white cows grazing where our black cows once were. Spring is just now turning the place green...even the black pasture where the fire was last week is already greening up!!! I hope to show some of the leftover black in a few of my 24 paintings next week. For now, this one is available to the first one who wants it....more to come!!!

Chill

"Chill"...6x8 oil on linen panel.....$175

The sun is warm, and spring grasses are in, but there is still a bit of chill in our shade!

And the pecans have not budded, yet.

I mentioned yesterday that the Last Year on the Farm exhibit is getting some more press!

THREE national magazines have a mention in their April issues.

Wildlife Art Magazine has a 1/2 page blurb, Texas Monthly tells of the upcoming exhibit in Rockport, TX, and Southwest Art Magazine does, too....

I have a workshop day coming up next month. All day (and maybe into the night for hearty souls!) in Rockport, Texas on Saturday, April 26. Click here to see other workshops this year.
The Last Year on the Farm exhibit is getting some more press!

Click here to see how to order Last Year on the Farm : A Story of Change. It's a book with LOTS of pictures of the art! Available in soft cover OR HARDBOUND!
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/196927

Third Green Fields

"Third Green Fields"....6x8....$150

I painted three little ones of the infield...all during the 1st game of a double header on Saturday. Here is third base. I posted first and second on the previous 2 days. They ALMOST line up if you place them side by side, but I did not mean to create a "triptich" (correct my spelling, please).

These give me a foundation for composition next time I paint at a ball game! I will certainly put players into the scenes next time, but these I like "as is"....you can almost smell the grass!

HERE'S A NEW WAY TO ORDER THE BOOK: Last Year on the Farm.
If you want to use a credit card, here's the way to do it, securely, and you also have the option to order a HARDBOUND book , really nice!!!
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/196927
Project Status: Last Year on the Farm ...NOTE the date correction for the Bone Creek Art Museum opening of "Last Yer on the Farm"...March 19!-Please click here to read a GREAT REVIEW by Kent Wolgamott in the Lincoln JournalStar: http://journalstar.com/articles/2008/02/03/living/gz/performances/doc47a0e837b407c595235319.txt-THE BOOK is HERE! EMAIL ME to order, or check the BLOG ON JAN. 9 to use the paypal button. Or just mail a check for $34 (includes shipping) to: V....Vaughan, 2606 Starling Dr., Round Rock, TX 78681-Most of the exhibit will be held over at the Great Plains Museum until THE END of March. It's going WELL and the museum has told me it is a "Stunning Success".- The seasons of 24 will open at the BRAND NEW Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art on March 19. I'll be there for the opening reception. David City, NE, on Sunday, March 30.

Green Fields at Second

"Green Fields at Second"....6 x 8...oil...$150

Yesterday was First, today is Second...guess what tomorrow will be! The fields and mowed patterns remind me a little of farm land. To show the abstract space and distance on the field is my goal.

Right after I posted last night at about midnight, I got a call from my college ballplayer son, Tanner, who is just crazy about these paintings!

I promised him I'd do the pitcher's mound...his favorite place. :)

HERE'S A NEW WAY TO ORDER THE BOOK: Last Year on the Farm.

If you want to use a credit card, here's the way to do it, securely, and you also have the option to order a HARDBOUND book , really nice!!!

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/196927

Project Status: Last Year on the Farm ...NOTE the date correction for the Bone Creek Art Museum opening of "Last Yer on the Farm"...March 19!-Please click here to read a GREAT REVIEW by Kent Wolgamott in the Lincoln JournalStar: http://journalstar.com/articles/2008/02/03/living/gz/performances/doc47a0e837b407c595235319.txt-THE BOOK is HERE! EMAIL ME to order, or check the BLOG ON JAN. 9 to use the paypal button. Or just mail a check for $34 (includes shipping) to: V....Vaughan, 2606 Starling Dr., Round Rock, TX 78681
-Most of the exhibit will be held over at the Great Plains Museum until THE END of March. It's going WELL and the museum has told me it is a "Stunning Success".
- The seasons of 24 will open at the BRAND NEW Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art on March 19. I'll be there for the opening reception. David City, NE, on Sunday, March 30.

Green Fields at First

"Green Fields at First"....6 x 8 oil....$150

Guess where I was all weekend. Out in the fields! Not farm fields, this time...but happy to have brought my paints to the ball field in Abilene, TX as Mary Hardin-Baylor whupped up on Hardin Simmons. A couple of Baptist Universities battling it out. My team came out on top (UMHB), and my son pitched a couple of fine innings in a Saturday win.

The mower patterns have always enthralled me...I did three little paintings Saturday. This is #1, and it has some really nice brush work. E-mail me if you want to see it bigger.

Now, about the Farm....

Next batch of books are on the way! If you want one, e-mail me right away:)vvaughan8@yahoo.com

Project Status: Last Year on the Farm ...NOTE the date correction for the Bone Creek Art Museum opening of "Last Yer on the Farm"...March 19!-Please click here to read a GREAT REVIEW by Kent Wolgamott in the Lincoln JournalStar: http://journalstar.com/articles/2008/02/03/living/gz/performances/doc47a0e837b407c595235319.txt-THE BOOK is HERE! EMAIL ME to order, or check the BLOG ON JAN. 9 to use the paypal button. Or just mail a check for $34 (includes shipping) to: V....Vaughan, 2606 Starling Dr., Round Rock, TX 78681

-Most of the exhibit will be held over at the Great Plains Museum until THE END of March. It's going WELL and the museum has told me it is a "Stunning Success".

- The seasons of 24 will open at the BRAND NEW Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art on March 19. I'll be there for the opening reception. David City, NE, on Sunday, March 30.