Sunset Hour By Charlotte's

"Sunset Hour by Charlottes'"___6x8 oil on fine linen panel____$150

The moon was just coming up as the sun set behind me. I painted this from the Fulton Inn second floor walkway, while cool breezes moved the palms. (in the Rockpot, TX area)

***Next Rockport workshop day, June 21...please join us! We'll paint the famous oak trees, after a morning at Cove Harbor...contact me if you can come: vvaughan8@yahoo.com

***I just returned from a great trip to the Phippen Museum Western Art Show in AZ. My oil painting, Egret Thunder won third place in the oil category...my friend Denise's Pastel won first place in pastels!

***Hello to new friends in Amarillo! The workshop day at Palo Duro was a blast! Literally! We were "sand blasted" by a dust storm at the end of the day, Thursday, but went back for great paintings on Friday...I'llpost some of the painting demos soon...

***TOMORROW starts the Last 24 auctions :)

Cove Yellows

"Cove Yellows" ___6 x 8 oil on linen ___Click to bid
I do not often sell these daily paintings with auctions, but for the next few weeks, there will be an auction a day of my "Last 24 hours" on the farm. Each auction will last 7-10 days....And so today is a PRACTICE auction....let's see if I can do all the ebay details to make it easy...just click on the link and make a bid! Or click here http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140237506021 If you see anything weird, please tell me!!!!
This painting above was my morning demo at the last workshop day in Rockport, TX. I teach there almost every month. We have ONE LONG DAY of plein air painting, and take on different challenges. But one thing stays the same: we ALWAYS greet the sun at Cove Harbor. It's a little bit south of town and ALWAYS gorgeous at sunrise. The next workshop day is June 21. It will likely be a hot saturday, and the plan is to do the famous rockport oak trees, but we have the Art Center to escape to, if the heat is too mean.

***Tomorrow will start the auction for the 24 paintings of my "Last DAY on the Farm"...this group of paintings is NOT traveling with my 365 paintings of "Last Year on the Farm", so I am selling them NOW, and keeping the project separate from "Last Year..."
Here is the link to the first farm auction...a preview just for my friends! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140237500720

State 1_ Jake_UNFINISHED

*Last 24 paintings in 24 Hours from the farm will be auctioned, starting Sunday, June 1. Each painting will be offered for one week, to the highest bidder. The Corpus Christi Caller Times ran a story about the "...Farm" exhibit. Please read this nice, short article!
http://www.caller.com/news/2008/may/29/transformations-on-the-farm/
















"Jake - state 1, unfinished commission", 16 x 20....sold
After alal the recent farm paintings it is fun to start some new daily paintings ...I hope you like them!...This one is "Jake", after working on it for about a day, there is a lot to do, but Jake's family likes him so far!

24

"24 of 24 Paintings in 24 Hours - One Last day on the Farm"....auction on #1 of 24 starts June 1...please scroll back on the BLOG to see all 24 and plan which one(s) you'd like to bid on. I expect a few to go for a really good price. If you all bid high, I'll get to buy another farm!!! haha

I finished this "Last Day" about a month ago, and if you have been following, I already posted this one, commenting about the fire that caused the burn in the background...the black is all gone, now, the new grass is in, and life goes on at the farm.

Many have asked what is happening at the land NOW, with us gone...Well, the developers who bought the farm from our family have put their big project on hold. They have leased the property to another farmer who is grazing these cows there, and keeping the hay cut and baled. No telling when development will come, but it will be inevitable. That will be an awful day for me, but it's in the future, and maybe I will have another piece of land to get attached to by then!

THANK YOU for walking through this with me! As I have mentioned, the LAST 24 paintings will be auctioned starting June 1. Watch here for a link each day to each painting. It should be fun. The winner will have the art shipped to them immediately...as for the 365 paintings that started all this, they are still on display at the Rockport Center for the Arts until June 14. An IMPRESSIVE display! I will keep you posted on the latest as the show travels...Many of those paintings are STILL AVAILABLE...see them all, and the field notes at

http://www.v-vaughan.com

23

"23 of 24 in 24 Hours_ LAst Day on the Farm".......Auction begins June 1

It was time for the clouds to break...new light on the farm...the school busses passed by on their morning runs, just like before...I was getting sad....

I am in Sedona today...on the way to Amarillo tomorrow! Will teach a group of painters at Palo Duro!

See y'all there!

22

"22 of 24 in 24 Hours_Last Day on the Farm"----Auction starts June 1

Please scroll back on the BLOG to see the previous 21....This was the beginning of the warm sun as the morning clouds lifted. I loved our FULL VIEWS of the skies on the farm...you could tell what the weather would do, ahead of time. Here a little rain shower skips by to the west. The clouds broke up and the day was HOT!

Speaking of HOT, it is NOT hot in Prescott. Of course I packed for warm weather and it never got above 62 all weekend. My WONDERFUL friend Sheila loaned me half her wardrobe and she and Hermon made us feel like family!!!...Hello to so many new friends I have made in Arizona. They say Texas is friendly, But Arizona might have us beat! ...The Phippen show was a good one for me this year....I cannot wait to go back...but now it's on to Sedona to paint all day tomorrow, then we go down the road to Amarillo for some painting in the Palo Duro with a great group of painters...then HOME!!!!!!! YAY!....I love America, and seeing all I can...Thank God for the USA and happy Memorial Day

21

"21 of 24 in 24 Hours-Last Day on the Farm"__Auction Starts June 1

Welcome to the new friends I have looking in today!!!...I painted one last day on the farm, recently on April 20-21. Please look back on blog posts from the past couple of weeks as I have shared the paintings one at a time, giving a preview before I auction them off....starting June 1.This painting was about the time when the sky was lifting and the sun began to shine....My very last day to paint the farm was coming into its last hours and I started to get a little bit sad about it. The cows resumed their routine from the far pasture....OH, DID YOU KNOW that if you click on this picture, you cans see a bigger image???
Tomorrow is the last day of the Phippen Museum Western Art Show. I have had an amazing time here...THANKYOU to all my new friends and people I have had the great joy of sharing many laughs with!!!!! The quick-draw auctions today were a BLAST...The weather finally cleared up,...I got to meet and talks with some of the finest western artists in the country! It is Artist Heaven out here!

20 of 24 in 24 Hours

"20 of 24 Paintings in 24 Hours - Last Day on the Farm" Auction starts June 1 on the last 24

No sun, yet as I got into the later hours of 24 paintings in 24 hours...The light was flat, but I enjoyed the challenge of "seeing" something interesting, even though it was a drab morning.....see the previous BLOG entries for the other 19 I have posted so far...I will start to let these go on June 1.

***NEWS - Right now and for the next week I will be in Arizona. Tonight , at the Phippen Museum Western Art Show, I was awarded 3rd place for oil painting...Chris Morel from Taos who is a good friend and sat at my table won third...I tried to trade ribbons with him, but he liked his blue better than my yellow. My friend Denise won the pastel award and many other friends were honored, too! I'm in booth 76, if you are in the area!

19 of 24 in 24 hours

"19 of 24_Last Day on the Farm"....Auction starts June 1

After a few hours sleep in Britta and Glen Herzog's barn, I left Lin~da and Teri sleeping while I got up to try to catch the sunrise at the farm...one last time....It was April 21, Lin~da's BIRTHDAY! Only a loyal friend would sleep on a barn floor and keep her pal company for 24 hours straight! She and Teri are life-long BEST friends, and I am the lucky one who gets to be the third wheel!...I enjoyed the solitude that morning...too overcast for sunrise color, so I "zoomed in" on some distant trees...workshop note: if the light is bad and the contrasts are weak, zoom in on something that has interesting shape or forms...these are a couple of the trees I often painted in the distance below the pens, but I peinted them from a different angle, at all times of the day and all seasons.

I am in Prescott, AZ this weekend for the Phippen Museum Western art show....Please come see me in booth 76, by the gazebo!

****Last Year on the Farm news!...The exhibit is getting many visitors in Rockport! It will be there until June 14.

***Click here to read the American Artist Interview about the "Last Year..."

***Austin Monthly Magazine has a whole spread featuring all 24 of these LAST 24 in 24 hours in the June issue, on sale now. Please tell me if you see it! It wasn't on news stands when I left town, but it is now!

18 of 24 Paintings in 24 Hours

Last of the Moon!

When I painted 24 paintings in 24 hours for my Last Day on the Farm, this ws the last of the moon...it disappeared for the night after this...the clouds closed in. See the blog and scroll down to see the first 18...stay tuned for the last 6 of the 24!

Bid on this and the other 23 starting June 1! See all 24 in the June issue of Austin Monthly Magazine, which should be out now, though I am in Prescott, Arizona for the Phippen Museum Western Art Show!

Oh...one more thing!!! My "story" is featured on the American Artist Magazine web site this week!

http://www.myamericanartist.com/pleinair.html Please take a look and tell me what you think...they tell the story from a different perspective!

17 of 24 in 24 Hours

"17 of 24" Last Day on the Farm_____Click above to bid!

This one, the one before it and the one to come after it, were all started within 15 minutes of each other. I painted them FAST and furiously, because I could tell the sky was closing up for good over the moon for the night. I worked the area around the moon, then it changed, so I started the next one, then IT changed...in about 25 minutes the moon was covered and I took a few minutes to finish three paintings at once!...Still buzzing with adrenaline, and maybe a little bit of shrimp chile relleno, I persuaded my buddies, Lin~da and Teri to PAINT with me...so I gave them a "Chicken Clinic"!!! You have to take a workshop from me to learn what a "Chicken Clinic" is...I will tell you this...It is a way I PROVE that ANYONE can be an oil painter!

***TRY IT in Amarillo! My friend, Denise Mahlke and I will teach a one day workshop ful of demos in Amarillo, at the Palo Duro Canyon NEXT WEEK (Friday, May 30)...E-mail me if you wnat to sign up, it's only $50 for two great "show-offs" demo-ing the SAME COMPOSITION in oils and pastels at the same time...should be fun !!!

***Between now and then, I will be at the Phippen Museum Western Art Show in Prescott, AZ...please come by and see my latest paintings!!! Sat, Sun and Mon (Memorial Day)at the Courthouse in Prescott, AZ. BOOTH 76

16 of 24 in 24 Hours

"16 of 24" Last Day on the Farm____auction starts JUNE 1

This was the most amazing ring around the moon! The whole sky seemed alive, that night. By the time I painted this one, I was really tired, and had been at it for about 15 hours. I was tired, but my second wind kicked in when the moon gave me a GREAT show, before disappearing behind the clouds...

I PROFOUNDLY APOLOGIZE to those of you waiting to bid on this last 24 farm paintings! I have decided to start the auction on June 1. Between now and then I will post them all, one by one, as a "preview"...then I will start again at #1 and repost them with the auction link, which will last a week. ALSO, you can see them all together in the June issue of Austin Monthly Magazine. It will be on the news stands any day now!!!

American Artist Magazine interviewed me this week, and will feature "Last Year on the Farm" in a little story on their web site THURSDAY. I will have a direct link there tomorrow.

Today I drive to Arizona for the Phippen Museum Western Art Show. Hard to believe it has already been a YEAR!

Now....about this moon painting!...

15 out of 24 in 24 Hours

"15 of 24 Paintings in 24 Hours" My Last dy on the Farm____Bid on this one Monday

The moon is much higher compared to yesterday's painting, because we went and ate dinner at the great Ramos Restaurant, in Manor. If you live near Austin , Try Ramos' shrimp chile relleno!

My husband and my friend Lin~da like the fish tacos...my son likes the chonchanga, whatever that is....back to the moon....note the heavy sky in this painting....I like the difference between this "Last Day 24 " paintings of the moon, compared to the "Winter Day 24" paintings of the moon. The entire color of the sky is different, even though the moon and time of night is the same!

***TODAY is the Artist Reception at the Rockport Center for the arts. I will be there from 4 - 7 pm, and give a talk at 4:30 and be there to answer questions, sign books and visit . But the STAR of the day is the 365 paintings of "Last Year on the farm". Please try to see the exhibit, which will be there until June 14.

14 of 24 paintings in 24 Hours

'14 of 24 in 24" from my "Last Day on the Farm"______Auction on the 24 starts Monday!

Same Location as yesterday's post....same story as yesterday's post! But compare the paintings and see how different the "light" is after just a few minutes! I painted 6 moon paintings in this series, and each one is UNBELIEVEABLY unique!!! You'll see!

Monday I will start putting ebay links on the posts for the last 24 paintings, so that I can sell them! It will be an auction for each painting, with a new one added every day. You will have a week or so to bid on these, if you want one. I am expecting some to sell for CHEAP (because people will miss them) so keep your eyes peeled!

I am headed to Rockport today to paint with some friends and get a sneak preview of the "Last Year on the Farm " exhibit hanging at the Rockport Center for the Arts! Will I see you there, Saturday? If not PLEASE try to go while the show is up, now thru June 14. ...It's still not too late to plan to follow me around for a morning "en plein air" in Rockport. I will do demos and tach a little workshop...and I'll bring the Kolaches, Barbara!

13 of 24 in 24 hours : The Last Day

"13 of 24 in 24 hours : The Last Day"_____for sale on MONDAY..check BLOG for auction link

As I prepared to post this last night, some AWFUL weather happened, and I had to take the computer downstairs! ..

But this starts the moonlight paintings from my "Last Day on the Farm". After completing the one before (see yesterday's post), we waited and waited and waited...the moonrise was to be at 8 or so, I forgot the exact time. I painted the foreground, which was at the edge of the tank, where the cows drink. The sky was heavy and thick and once I got as far as I could, the moon still was not showing, so I figured the clouds were too thick!...so we went to drop stuff off at the Herzog's barn (where we had made camp for the night) and as soon as we pulled up THERE IT WAS! This big red moon on the rise! Because we were starving, and Ramos Restaurant in Manor was calling our name, I made mental notes and painted the moon (and reflection) after dinner!

***ROCKPORT, TX this weekend! I will be there to do a demo or two Saturday morning. Come watch! Or come paint with me and a few others at a little mini workshop! From 4-7 there's a nice Artist's Reception at the Art Center, and a "Gallery Talk" at 4:30...hope to see you there! e-mail me for info

12 of 24 in 24 Hours

"Last Day on the Farm_12 of 24 in 24 Hours"_____Auction starts Monday, May 19

After painting all day, FINALLY some "color" and contrast came, just before sunset. There were a couple ducks flying by before settling on the tank for the night... Soon, the moon would be up...The next SIX PAINTINGS will feature the AMAZING MOON we had that night...my Last Day on the Farm.

My friends keeping me company became a little loopy about now, and drove around the pasture like George Washington crossing the Potomac....you have seen the illustrations, right? Standing tall in the canoe...Hand shading the eyes...now imagine that in a pickup truck....

After I finished this one, we went to the BEST MEXICAN Restaurant in Manor...RAMOS'.

I will start auctioning these last 24 on MONDAY, May 19...Watch for details!

****Please make your way to Rockport, if you can! Come Saturday, May 17 to say hello to me, or any time between May 14 and June 14...the art is there, all 365 Farm Paintings...The Texas Country Reporter told the story better than I EVER could! I hope to have a link to their great story, soon...Bob's questions were good ones, very pertinent, and really drew the emotion out of the story...and me. Much of the time he had a tear in his own eye, so I tried to not look at him ;)

The Shady Shed

"The Shady Shed"________8x10__________$300 if you ask first!

This is a mama by the woodshed...we have all been there!

Happy Mother's Day to EVERYONE who is or has one!...I just got back from delivering the farm art to Rockport, for the opening of "Last Year on the Farm"...

This painting above was a demo at the workshop in Marble Falls, TX last week. The real lesson here was using a LIMITED PALETTE of only four paint colors. I worked from one of my photos of our beloved farm.

It was nearly done at the demo, but you who were there can now see the "carved out cows" as I brought the background in around them to show better forms.

Did anyone catch my spot on the Texas Country Reporter? I must say, they did a beautiful story...I did cry a little...will talk more about it tomorrow.

***PLEASE come to the reception in Rockport, TX, next Saturday, May 17, from 4 - 7. I will give a little talk at 4:30. Come early in the day to watch the demos and follow us around as we paint, or TAKE THE WORKSHOP and paint with me! I hold nothing back at workshops, and tell you ALL MY SECRETS!...well except ONE! ;)

The show will be there from May 14 - June 14.

11 of 24 paintings in 24 Hours

"Last Grazing Before Sunset".......6x8 oil on linen ...on sale May 15

As I neared the halfway point of painting 24 paintings in 24 hours for my Last Day on the Farm, I saw the cows hurry back into the near pasture, and graze all they could before it began to get dark. (Wait till you see the moonlight paintings from this series!).

**THIS WEEKEND! The Texas Country Reporter features a story about my Last Day on the Farm. Here is a list of stations all over Texas and Louisiana. http://www.texascountryreporter.com/show_time.htm I hope you get to watch it!

My son will see it Saturday, but I have to wait till Sunday...Happy Mother's Day!

Corral Melt

"Corral Melt" 6 x 8 oil on linen panel still wet $190

Here is another one from my Marble Falls Workshop. This was a demo, and, just looking at it brings to mind all the little "lessons" learned! Pre-mixing the colors, editing the "too -busy" photo, adding info from another photo...aa lot was learned in the painting of this little scene!

I like the outcome so much that I will use this one as a study for a big painting to take to an upcoming show!

**Be sure to watch The Texas Country Reporter this weekend! I will be featured painting the "Last Day on the Farm"...click here to find the station and time in your area!

http://www.texascountryreporter.com/show_time.htm

Seven Strokes in Marble Falls

"Seven Strokes in Marble Falls"....8 x 6...$150 juicy wet!

I taught a workshop this week in Marble Falls, TX. We had a very fun group of serious artists, who wanted to end the week with a "Seven Stroke" painting! Each one came out UNIQUE! We created whole new species of egret...things!

There were a lot of laughs as we broke the rules ...my painting here was seven strokes plus 10.

So, WELCOME to the BLOG, my new friends!

Please keep in touch and tell me if you want me to stop sending the blog mail.

**Watch me on Texas Country Reporter this weekend. CLICK HERE for show times.

10 of 24 in 24 Hours-Last of the Sandhills

"10 of 24 in 24 Hours - Last Day on the Farm"....sale starts May 15

The sun started braking through at the end of the day and some visitors came by! Doug and Mary Milligan (who practically adopted me in High School!) stopped by to hang out for an hour or so, which was a really nice break for me! I painted 5 or 6 while listening to a ballgame on the radio just before they came!

While standing by the trucks talking, I saw this great group of sandhill cranes approaching. They flew nearly overhead. These MUST have been the VERY last group of the year to head north! ...about a month later than the early groups of cranes...procrastinators, for sure! It was fun to see the excitement of my friends there, watching this string of graceful wildlife...a familiar sight on my farm...much more meaningful when shared with friends!!!

DON'T FORGET!!! THIS WEEKEND is the airing of my interview with the Texas Country Reporter. In Austin it will be at 7:30 am on KEYE-42. Click here for a station in your area.

http://www.texascountryreporter.com/show_time.htm

I will be in Rockport, delivering the 365 Farm Paintings. As I type this, my son, Tanner and his pal Adrian are driving a mini-van from Enterprise back from the Bone Creek Museum in NE.

Yes, a couple of cool college guys in a mini van...I knew it would keep the girls away and keep their mind on the job :)

Please e-mail me if you need info on the Rockport Exhibit, Austin Monthly Magazine's story, my upcoming workshops or other news!

Nine out of 24 in 24 hours

"Last day on the Farm - 9 of 24"

This is the deck where I painted from for all those years, particularly the Last Year on the Farm. I loved our old farm house, made of logs (except this North wall), and I had a great studio upstairs, which I really miss.

Nine down...17 to go! Stay tuned!

***NEWS! I invite EVERYONE to join me on Saturday, May 17 in Rockport Texas. At 4 pm there will be an Artists Reception at the Art Center followed by a gallery talk (4:30) featuring the ENTIRE exhibit of my "Last Year on the Farm". The show runs from May 14 - June 14 . The Rockport Center for the Arts is a BEAUTIFUL venue, right on the waterfront, surrounded by beach on one side and docked shrimp boats on the other. It is flooded with natural light and the small paintings will be beautiful there! I will have plenty of BOOKS on hand or click here to read about it http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/196927ON THE AIR! Click to know where to see the upcoming Texas Country Reporter interview. On May 10 or May 11 (Mother's Day!) my interview with Bob Phillips will be on the air in Texas. Soon after that it will be all over the country on the RFD-TV network. For the Texas station in your area click here, and PLEASE watch on May 10 / 11...25 TV stations in Texas and Shreveport, LA air this great program.

Leonard

"Leonard"__________-11x14 oil on Linen__________Not for SALE

Leonard and Ella Fae and their family lived alongside ours on the farm. Leonard came to work for Pa LONG ago and stayed with him building the Gault Dairy Farm for 57 years, or so!

Saturday, Leonard died...a real shock to our family.

He was a tall, dignified man, with the largest, strongest hands I EVER saw. A TRUE Farmer...I loved that his birthday was the same day as my oldest son, Tanner.

I painted this one today, from a photo I took out the back window one day, while watching Leonard and Pa get some equipment out of the barns...He was sitting here, with his yellow gloves on, taking a breather before going to pick up more hay, I think....

Leonard was a godly man, and we are pretty sure he and Pa are discussing creation with the Lord right about now....

8 of 24 Last Day on the Farm

8 of 24"Last Day on the farm" : Uphill Surrounded.....I may keep this one !

This might be my favorite one from the 24 paintings I did in 24 hours of my Last Day on the Farm. While I painted from the hood of my pick-up truck, the whole herd moved by, then uphill to surround Teri's truck where she and Linda sat. They were lounging in the bed with all the ice chests and goodies and the cows startled them! I enjoy fielding their questions, long into the night, about cows and cow behavior....I think two new farmer girls were born that day!!!

...Just received some sad, sad news related to the farm....I'll share tomorrow :(

Seven of 24 paintings in 24 hours

"Graze-By" #7 of 24 in 24_____for sale on May 15

This looks like a solo cow, but she grazed nearby with 50 pals as I painted for 24 hours 2 weeks ago. I will post all 24 paintings from now on till they are done!

This was my fasest painting of the cows. I actually scribbled this one out in about 20 minutes and planned to go back to "finish" it after dark. When I went back, though, I LIKED IT "as is"...a lesson to ALL YOU PAINTERS out there....S T O P!! before over working a good thing....

Read earlier posts this week for other new news! But...

Here is the LATEST!

AUSTIN MONTHLY MAGAZINE is doing a little story (mostly PICTURES!) of this LAST 24 hours on the farm. It will feature all 24 paintings...The June issue comes out in mid-May.