Number 10

Number 10___a sketch I am keeping___11 x 14

I have been Talking about football a lot, lately...enjoying my son's senior year as the Round Rock Dragons' varsity quarterback. My friend, Priti, takes the team photos from the sidelines (her son is a receiver). I used one of her photos to do this sketch...I am thinking the photo was way better, but I love sketching! ...My friend/artist Candy from Vermont asked me about this today, so HERE YOU GO, Candy!...I do not think I could do this "en plein air", because it's a little scary watching your son play Texas High School Football...I wonder what the college moms do??? I hide behind my video camera during the game, but I will keep sketching from Priti's photos.

*CONGRATULATIONS to the Dragons for being named ARMY STRONG TEAM OF THE WEEK by Dave Campbell's Texas Football Magazine . This was for their win Friday Night ...in FOUR overtimes!

Quickie 2__cow, sketch, pen

Cow Sketch 2__see yesterday's post for the other one___ pen on paper__5.5 x 8.5___$50

I have a sketchbook of 30 pencil sketches on archival paper that I am selling on ebay. THE WHOLE SKETCHBOOK! Click the link to see all 30 sketches, and follow the links to ebay if you want to follow the sale, which ends on Oct 23. It is MY COLORADO SKETCHBOOK, and I did the work last summer.
The sketch above is a quick pen sketch, like the one I posted yesterday...they are a good "matched set"...if you like cows! These were sketched with a PEN, which might seem intimidating to those who prefer to have "eraser options", but, (as I told my new student, RV, yesterday) I like the adrenaline rush of NOT using an eraser....I prefer to turn the page if things go wrong :)
OH, THANK YOU for all the fun FOOTBALL comments!...I mentioned my son's team's Friday night game, and the FOUR OVERTIMES...well, today, they were honored to be named as the ONLY 5-A team in Texas for the ARMY STRONG TEAM OF THE WEEK...it is a GREAT honor! Below is the link to read about the Round Rock Dragons...
http://www.texasfootball.com/army-strong-teams-of-the-week

Live Quickie_Cow Sketch

Live Quickie__Cow Sketch. pen on paper__5.5 x 8.5___$50

Of course my favorite thing is COLOR...I LOVE to paint...but there is a real thrill to sketching... I have done a lot of it, lately! (Have you seen my sketchbook that is for sale??? the whole thing??)

This cow was a QUICKIE, which I did in a workshop last summer, showing the class a thing or two! I think what I like best about sketching is that there really is no pressure...the materials are not expensive, so you can turn the page if something seems to be "off"... Also, it stirs a little bit of adrenaline when you capture something from life...I LIKE THAT adrenaline rush (...having been a competitive athlete in my college years!)...

Once competitive, ALWAYS competitive! When the kids were little I would involve them in little competitions to pass the time (especially if waiting in lines, at the bank, post office...appointments) We would throw little rocks at tiny targets, or pitch pennies against a wall, and I have been known to throw footballs with them in airports!...not too easy when the ceilings are low!...These days our family likes to bet on little things like "when the puppies will be born"..."how many"?...When my son and new daughter-in-law "will have a baby" (they don't know about this bet, yet, :)...oops... but, we have dates and genders!

Not sure what I will do when football is over! We have 5 games left in the high school season! Last night we played the Mavericks ( they like to run along the sideline with flags that say MAVS)...we won in FOUR overtimes......My daughter wondered what would happen if their flag people got mixed up...by the way, my son, the quarterback is named

Sam Vaughan...

...that's him at the bottom

Yearling

Yearling___11 x 14 sketch from another sketchbook!__$150

No big comments about this tonight! We just rolled in from our son's high school football game...pre-season is over, this one counts !
My goodness what a game! FOUR Overtimes, and we won...crazy game...COOL QUARTERBACK! I will post a video on my facebook tomorrow :)

Be sure to check out my 30 sketches from the sketchbook I am selling! http://www.v-vaughan.com

Colorado Sketchbook__#30

Out of the Canyon__sketch #30 in my Colorado Sketchbook___EBAY sale now, item #140454193056

This sketch is on the edge of the Rockies, where the plains meet mountains. I always like seeing the "layers" of mountains in the distance, and how each layer gets lighter as it gets further away. Artists call it "atmospheric perspective". There are 30 sketches in my summer Colorado sketchbook, and this is the last one! To see them all together, check my web site. There are also pictures of the open sketchbook, and this one, below, which is the inside cover where I make notes and grocery lists...personal stuff that I USUALLY erase! Since someone will buy this whole field journal, I will ask them if they want the personal notes, or if I should erase them!...I even left the price-tag on this 35 page archival sketchbook! I bought the blank book from Artisans Art Store in Santa Fe...

Inside cover of my Colorado Sketchbook

Pine or Spruce or Fir

Pine or Spruce or Fir___Sketch # 29 in my Colorado sketchbook, EBAY sale starts Thursday, Sept. 23

This title is one of my better ones! I really do not know if this tree was a pine or a spruce or a fir. All three of these types of trees are in the forests where our place is in Colorado. I think pine trees have needles, and the spruce there is "blue spruce" and this one was not blue...so, maybe it's a fir!...what attracted me to it was the gnarled trunk and branches...
PLEASE click here to see the web page I put up last night. It shows EVERY SKETCH in my Colorado Sketchbook. I like being able to see them all together in one place. Tomorrow, I will post the last one, #30.
Also on Thursday, (today or tomorrow, depending on when you read this!) September 23 begins my sketchbook sale. I am offering the ENTIRE sketchbook to any collector who wants it. This is not a "Daily Painting" price tag, so beware when you see the price! This sketchbook represents two weeks of work, and study and field notes. I want my closest art friends to have first shot at it, since I know your appreciation! But if no one buys it this month, I will send it to a gallery. Here is the link for the ebay sale. Below shows how each sketch fits on the page...there are a couple similar photos on my web page...please comment!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140454193056

More of That Rain

More of That Rain__#28 from my Colorado Sketchbook___ EBAY Item #140454193056

Thursday, September 23 begins the EBAY SALE of my Colorado Sketchbook. THe sketch above is number 28 of the 30 in the sketchbook. CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL 30 IMAGES TOGETHER ON MY WEBSITE....BUT...please forgive me for not QUITE having that page set up properly....call it a "rough draft"...I needed to get the blog post done NOW, and was not quite through with the website...check back tomorrow to see it finished ! Email me if you want more info vvaughan8@yahoo.com

Into the Canyon

Into the Canyon___27th sketch in Colorado Sketchbook__EBAY item #140454193056

Thursday morning is the beginning of the Ebay sale of my entire Colorado Sketchbook. It will be a fixed price sale, or best offer. The sketch above is #27 of 30 sketches in the sketchbook. It is a favorite view of mine, along Highway 17 going from Antonito south toward our place along the Conejos...it is an area of great transitions as yhou travel just 25 miles or so from an almost desert-like plain, through mesas like this, then up into the aspens and high mountains....

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The photo below is a tribute to me from my son who just got married Saturday...when he was a little boy he would prepare for a big day by laying his special clothes out the night before:

His full uniform would be in order for the next days' soccer game, he'd lay out school clothes sometimes, and once he put new Disneyland clothes out before a trip there...even the Donald Duck hat...

So, late last night, before an early honeymoon flight to the tropics, I got this photo in a text message/email from my newlywed son...

Somewhere in Venice

Somewhere in Venice 1___pencil on archival paper 11x14---tight version___$300

Somewhere in Venice 2___pencil on archival paper, 11x14----loose version____$300

The sketches above are recent ones I did as samples for a client, but they are available. I have TWO VERSIONS, as you see...one is tight and detailed, the other is loose and a little more impressionistic. Email if you want one... vvaughan8@yahoo.com

MY SON GOT MARRIED YESTERDAY! Congratulations to Tanner and Ashton Vaughan! See pictures on my facebook page. see if you can guess which ones of those beautiful bridesmaids and groomsmen are my children! It was a beautiful and blessed day!.....now back to work!...The Colorado Sketchbook "auction" I have mentioned starts THURSDAY...see details below...

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My Colorado Sketchbook.....Original Sketches in a sketchbook by V....Vaughan

THE AUCTION:

I am offering my entire travel journal from a summer trip to Colorado's San Juan Mountains. This is a 34 page hard-bound, linen covered sketchbook with archival acid-free paper and 30 sketches in pencil. Included are my field notes, and a pencil used in the project! Twelve images are shown here, but you can see all 30 sketches and an image of the actual 10" x 7" journal on my web site... http://www.v-vaughan.com This is a special auction, so I will not sell below the reserve price.

The Project: For two weeks in the summer of 2010, I tromped around the San Juan Mountains and San Luis Valley of Southern Colorado, USA. Summer is the most beautiful season here in this area that features high mountains and farming valleys. It is a view of the southwest in an area that is diverse and rich in culture.The sketches feature a variety of subject matter: Landscapes, figures, animals, farming, cowboys, fishing, southwestern sagebrush and more!

My field notes accompany the artwork, which is done in pencil. Most of the sketches and notes were posted on my BLOG in July and August, 2010 http://www.vvaughan.blogspot.com

The Artist:

V....Vaughan is an award-winning artist and was a finalist for Texas State Artist for 2010. http://www.v-vaughan.com

pics

NEW VAUGHAN FAMILY

Congratulations to

Mr and Mrs C. TANNER VAUGHAN

My son, Tanner is getting married tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2010.

He had me paint this sign for him and his bride, Ashton. I painted it last night (He mounted the cool metal "V", and it was all I could do to keep myself from putting FOUR DOTS by it!)...It is a nice, rustic wooden sign with a way to hang it in their house after being displayed at the wedding somehow!

But FIRST, I am off to a bigg high school game in San Antonio, where my younger son, Sam, (the best man in the wedding) will HOPEFULLY be a "good man" at quarterback!!!!

THANK YOU for PRAYERS for these two Vaughan gentlemen!

V....

And Back__Thunderheads, Great Plains, sky

And Back__6x8 oil on panel__study for Passing America Exhibit in 2011

To understand the title, see yesterday's post...we went to Lincoln and back on my last night in Nebraska a few weeks ago. The day ended with a huge cloud full of lightning, just out of ear-shot of the thunder. It was a dynamic sight, and my brush strokes seem to match the energy of that big cloud!...I have a special blog dedicated to the Great Plains project. In a few weeks I will have all these posts from Nebraska on there, and a BUNCH of works from other Plains trips I took last Spring. ...for now, I am gearing up for the auction I have mentioned a few weeks ago...but FIRST, Older Son is getting married on SATURDAY! That's what I will be up to...except BEFORE THAT, on Friday night, Young Son has a big football game in San Antonio...they were victorious last week, so we are hoping for more of THAT!

To Lincoln_clouds, summer,plains

To Lincoln__6x8 oil on panel__study for Passing America Exhibit in 2011
Now might be a good time to look back at my blog and scroll upward from August 1 or so...For the past few weeks I have posted works from summer travels, mainly my Colorado sketchbook and Nebraska "Drive-by" paintings....the one above is another from the Nebraska group....It was late afternoon, after a whole day of tromping around Butler County with my friend/driver, Allen. This one was painted with his wife Anna in the back seat, and on the way to an art show reception at the Great Plains Art Museum in Lincoln, NE. Some work from their permanent collection was there (The Curator's Choice Exhibit), and a painting of mine was on display. As we drove to Lincoln, the sky was building to a crescendo as thunderheads popped up all around...it looked like the day would end as it had begun! Tomorrow I will post the last one from this trip!
AND THEN THE SKETCHBOOK AUCTION BEGINS!!! ...I'll explain tomorrow.

Before Loma__farms, vista, plains

Before Loma, NE__6x8 oil on panel__study for Passing America Exhibit in 2011

So much of Butler County, Nebraska looked like this: great, long views of miles and miles of farmland in the PEAK of the growing season. CORN, SOYBEANS, and that's about it!...This county is drained by the Platte River...the GREAT Platte River, which is not too deep, but VERY VERY wide at times....The river valley is great farmland, which you can see for miles when you are on the ridge above the river valley...I LOVE those long vistas on the plains!...Loma, NE is on top of one of those ridges. In fact, LOMA in Spanish means "hill"...I am not sure if this is a Spanish name on purpose, because the Spanish did not have much influence in settling this part of the Plains....On the way there we saw a covey of birds that I later identified as some kind of grouse. ...it was memorable, so I added birds to this painting ! Loma is a small town, but has the distinction of being the location where Patrick Swayze shot one of his movies. If Allen reads this, I hope he will leave a comment with the title of the movie...

Plains Towers

Towers on the Plain__6x8 oil on panel__study for Passing America Exhibit in 2011

Remember yesterday's post? That storm we drove under? Well, Allen actually stopped the car so I could do a little straightening up on my palette ...if I remember correctly, I think I spilled my oil. (Yep, Carol, I still use the Walnut Oil!) The storm overhead really fizzled fast while others built up across the plain. Allen probably remembers me getting out of the car, and shooting pictures to the north...these far-away grain elevators. They were so tiny on the horizon, that I don't think Allen saw them, but I pointed out that the sun was shining on only THEM in the distance, while we and the rest of the landscape were under the low storm clouds. But it wasn't just the towers on the horizon that got my attention, but the contrast of towering thunderheads building above them! So there are THREE towers in this little painting!...the sun was still low enough that the light on the cloud was orangey and warm....The oil drips happened on this one, too. A couple days ago I explained how that happens.

Under the Thunder_rain, clouds, reflections, road

Under the Thunder___6x8 oil study for "Passing America..." exhibit in 2011

To see yesterday's post, you will notice the building thunderheads. Even though it was early in the morning, the storms were hanging around, and for a while, I thought it would be a day full of rainy paintings. We drove toward the building clouds and this "drive-by" study was painted as we drove into the rain ahead!

All this happened in Nebraska's Butler County a few weeks ago...these days I am preparing to be a mother-in-law, as my older son gets married in a couple weeks...the younger one is inthe thick of his senior year as the Round Rock High School Dragon quarterback...Friday they will play down near San Antonio, and the team they play was on ESPN all weekend...they must be good...but so are the Dragons!....it will be fun!

Early Sunrise Thunderheads__sunrise, rain, storm clouds

Early Sunrise Thunderheads___6x8 oil study for "Passing America..." exhibit in 2011

Another one from my recent plains trip in Nebraska's Butler County...Check recent blog posts for some other works...it was a brilliant morning to paint!

One thing I do when painting fast is that I use walnut oil as a medium to spread the paint quickly and also to clean my brushes on the road. If you look closely you can see some places where the oil dripped and carried the pigment with it. If I had seen this while painting it, I would have smoothed it out...I am GLAD I did not see it! The drips, to me, MAKE the painting!...artists sometimes call these things "happy accidents".

Horizon in Flames__Nebraska, sunrise,

Horizon in Flames__6x8 study for "Passing America..." exhibit in 2011





South of David City, NE the sun came through morning clouds as Allen and I set out for the start of Day 2 of this leg of my trip "Passing America: The Great Plains". Click the link to see what this project is about.

I painted fast and furiously this morning, because there were morning thunderheads on the plains, GREAT sunrise color, and beautiful views left and right!...I was working on the fog study (posted yesterday) when this view distracted me, so I took up a new panel and began this one. While this little painting was nothing more than a few color notes, we turned the car and I saw something BETTER, and moved on to paint it instead...I had the notes I needed to finish this one AFTER I painted the "better" one...I will post the "better" one tomorrow :)

My title, Horizon in Flames is derived from a song lyric which mentions Nebraska and the Plains, and has become my personal THEME song for Passing America: The Great Plains.

Nebraska Color__Flames of Fog

(#2) Flames of Fog__6x8 oil "Passing America..."___for exhibit in 2011
Adter posting over 20 sketches from my Colorado Sketchbook, I am taking a week-long detour to post COLOR, again!
Earlier in the month I took a trip to Nebraska to paint another leg of my upcoming "Drive-By" exhibit. I have posted 5 of the 13 small works I did that trip, but I did not post #2. Here it is, above. To really appreciate it, please scroll down on the blog, back to August 6, when I posted #1. The other 4 are later than that. This one I call "Flames of Fog" because it depicts the thickest fog we saw that day. Near Bone Creek in an area the locals call "The ALps", because it is hilly and beautiful there! I marveled at how the light reflects on the fog much the same as it does on water....

Palomino Corrals

Palomino Corrals___#26 from my Colorado Sketchbook to be auctioned soon
A few days ago I posted some palominos. These are the corrals where they were moving around and trying to escape the summer mosquito swarms of Colorado....I am enjoying the many comments about the excerpts from my sketchbook which I have posted. So many artists seem to enjoy seeing the entire sketchbook. It shows the process of carrying out a theme in a sketchbook...something I really enjoy.
I have been an artist as long as I remember. ALL my early art was drawing and sketch-based works. I was not a painter till I was a young adult. And, only recently have I returned to doing a lot of drawing (I got side-tracked in "camera land" which is so much more convenient!) In the early days I was a very TECHNICAL, accurate renderer, and details were my thing. Thus, I was the s l o w e s t artist in the universe, and an absolute perfectionist. Now, I am one of the fastest sketchers I know. Fast is not necessarily "better", but sketching is like anything else: the more you do it, the more efficiently you CAN do it!
October 21 is my next sketching workshop in Rockport, TX...come if you can!