Sharon and Paul

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!

Midnight Pie_sketch, old people, grandparents

"Midnight Pie"___an old sketch while Grandmother told me the story....
Grandmother Helen was a fearless cook, and often tried new recipes. But Pappy's favorite dish of all was Grandmother's cherry pie. She told me the story about how one time, neither of them could sleep, so they went outside together, in the moonlight, on the front porch at 8 Sunset Trail, Sunset Valley, south Austin, TX...a sleepy little community, established over 60 years ago...a place where the yards were big enough that they had a small stable full of horses in the back. They sat in the metal chairs there with Pappy eating a big piece of cherry pie...she in her robe, he in his birthday suit! I couldn't get this image out of my mind and HAD to sketch it. ...haha!!....I have been looking for the sketch to share with the family, but didn't find it till today...too late for the funeral.

To FULLY understand this, please look back at my blog from a few days ago, where I tell about the passing of a great lady, Helen Vaughan, my grandmother (for the past 33 years).
http://vvaughan.blogspot.com/2009/10/seventy-years-agocows-angus-farm.html

Our family came together for Grandmother Helen's funeral, yesterday in San Antonio. The cemetery there is just full of family, and walking among the headstones was, somehow, comforting. ...In my blog post few days ago There is a photo of Helen and her best friend/cousin, Dorothy, who also passed away last week. What a moment to see Dorothy's fresh grave right there by Helen's. The stories and memories were flying and a few new memories were made...especially for the youngest kids in the family.
I will always have this vision of midnight pie, and probably will not be satisfied till I paint it someday.