Palo Duro Mid Day

"Palo Duro Mid-Day"_____6 x 8 oil on linen panel_____$150

Ah the red rock canyons of the west! Beautiful, but sometimes hard to paint! I think it's easier when the light is low and there are high contrasting shadows and a REAL DIFFERENCE in value and color....that's why I painted this at the MOST DIFFICULT (for me) time of day...Mid Day light is cool, flat and distinctive...and the distance is hard to convey. I think this one came out well, or I wouldn't be showing it! hahaha What do you think, Rick???

Tomorrow I will post one that I have painted while here in Colorado....if anything comes out OK! I am painting all day today and tomorrow...

Buffalo Single

"Buffalo Single"____6x8 oil on fine linen panel_____$ 150

On June 26 I posted a pair of buffalo....this single one was painted from the same group, but I liked how he seemed in command of his little patch of grass. Buffalo are very different, anatomically, from my usual cattle, and I struggled with that a little bit.

Rockport Oak

"Rockport Oak"....6x8 oil on fine linen panel......$175
Rockport, TX is well known for these great wind-bent oak trees that grow in clumps all over the place. They are a "signature" of this part of the Texas Coast. We "took on" the oak trees at my last workshop day...here is my effort!
***I am in the cool mountains of Southern Colorado as I post this, today...My Fater-in-law's poppy garden is "popping out, so I think I will go "take them on" with paint today! Please watch for new Colorado paintings next week!

Palo Duro Overlook

"Palo Duro Overlook"____6x8 oil on fine linen_____$150

A few weeks ago I painted this as a demo for a little workshop I taught through the Amarillo Art School. Palo Duro is Texas' version of the Grand Canyon...we'll call it a "GOOD Canyon"!

A great place t o visit and paint. If you go, make sure to stay for the Texas musical drama...it's great!

Buffalo Pair

"Buffalo Pair"....palette droppings on fine linen panel, 6x8.....$150

On the way back from Rockport a few days ago thiis pair was under some trees grazing as if everything in the world was fine. They didn't know that I drove up on them just after escaping what I am sure was a tornado. I drove into an aweful storm, snapping pictures along the way until on top of a long hill I was hit with huge winds blowing tree parts straight at me...and hail...I looked around for a hiding place but there were no low spots so I just pulled over on top of the hill while the wind did a complete 180 and hit me with the tree parts from behind...

When a huge hay truck drove by , I jumped into the lane after it (feeling safe?) and we drove over the hill where these buffalo were, and a couple of highway partolmen who were there to prevent others from going up the hill....I stayed with these buffalo till some of their calm rubbed off on me :)

Bells for Chanelle

"Chanelle's Bells"......8x6 oil on fine linen panel...sold

A few weeks ago painted this with and for my niece, Chanelle. After she watched this one, I led her and Shawn in a Chicken Clinic, one of my fun art lessons. Their chickens came out better than mine!

This little church is on my way to Rockport, in the little town of Cuero, I think....maybe Gonzales??? I will paint it again...it's a beautiful place!

***Today we drove to the mountains of Southern Colorado...will visit with family and spend some time here "en plein air"...I did a couple of "drive-by's" from the car. Maybe I will post them this week!

Rockport Day___Click to bid

"Rockport Day Off" ___8x6 oil on linen panel___Click to bid
This was a nice relaxing painting, despite the fact that I locked my keys in the truck as I got out to paint. Somehow, I knew I had no place else to go, so I relaxed and enjoyed the process, while waiting for Scotty's lock and key to come to my rescue! It was a beautiful day in Rockport, TX.

THANK YOU for walking through my Farm Story with me these past few months! The ebay auctions of my Last Day on the Farm are expiring one by one for the next few days. The 365 paintings of my Last Year are now in Alabama this month. See them all and read the field notes on my web site,
http://www.v-vaughan.com Many of those paintings are STILL AVAILABLE...

http://www.vvaughan.blogspot.com

24 of 24 Last Day on the Farm_Click to bid

"24 of 24 Paintings in 24 Hours_ Last Day on the Farm___Burn Remnant".......6x8 oil on linen panel__Click to see auction or bid

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I finished this "Last Day" on April 21, 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 is 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! The auctions of this Last Day are expiring one by one as the 365 paintings of my Last Year travel to Alabama this month. See them all and read the field notes on my web site, http://www.v-vaughan.com

Many of those 365 paintings are STILL AVAILABLE...
Next week I will start showing the latest coastal stuff I have painted in Rockport, TX.
http://www.vvaughan.blogspot.com
New paintings, new places are ready to be posted, starting Wednesday so stay tuned!

23 of 24 Bus Pass _ Click to bid

23 of 24 in 24 Hours_ Last Day on the Farm___Bus Pass".......6x8 oil on linen panel...Click to see auction or to bid

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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 as I finished up my last day on the farm...
***Next week I will start showing the latest coastal stuff I have painted in Rockport, TX.
http://www.vvaughan.blogspot.com
***Only 1 paintings left for my Last Day on the Farm....New paintings, new places are ready to be posted, starting Wednesday so stay tuned!

***The 365 paintings "Last YEAR onthe Farm" are now in Gadsden, Alabama! (About 50 miles NE of Birmingham. The opening reception for the exhibit is July 19. The show will be there from July 1 until August 15. PLEASE Go see it if you can! This might be the last venue where all the paintings will hang together.

22 of 24 Last Day on the Farm_Click to Bid

"21 of 24 in 24 Hours_Last Day on the Farm_Rain Skips By"----Click here to bid
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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!
ONLY 2 FARM PAINTINGS LEFT TO POST!
Next week I will turn the corner on new adventures....ROCKPORT, Texas will be the first new scenes...I have some new paintings from there....then the mountains of colorado....and some still lifes (lives?) in between! Stay tuned!

21 in 24 Last Day on the Farm_ Click to bid

"21 of 24 Last Day on the Farm__Routine Resumed"__6x8 oil on Fine linen panel__Click to bid
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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??? OK, Malachy, this one is yours if you want it!
***Hello from Rockport, TX, where I am as I post this. A beautiful day on the Texas coast. Join me at Cove Harbor tomorrow for the sunrise! I'll teach all day, starting there and moving on to take on the great Rockport Oak Trees. See you there, Barbara!

20 of 24 - Last Day on the Farm_Click to bid

"20 of 24 Paintings in 24 Hours - Last Day on the Farm_Layers of Fields" 6 x 8 oil on fine linen panel_Click to see auction or to bidhttp://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140242852037

No sun, yet, as I got into the later hours of 24 paintings in 24 hours...It was early morning,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. Only 4 paintings left for my Last Day on the Farm....New paintings are ready to be posted, so stay tuned!

***Saturday is a workshop day in Rockport. Really that means, COME AND PAINT ALL DAY WITH ME! We start at sunrise, break for great food, learn a lot, and enjoy the Texas coast! It's not too late to join us, but call me quick :) 512.917.0814

***for you folks who like to plan ahead, There might be one spot left for the Austin one day workshop on July 12, 2008.

***to REALLY PLAN AHEAD, I will teach a 3 - 4 day REAL workshop at a great place in Central Texas duruing BLUEBONNET SEASON. April 13-16 is the probable date. This is my first notice. Come take on the PERFECT Texas landscape! vvaughan8@yahoo.com for details

19 of 24 Last Day on the Farm_click to bid

"19 of 24" Last Day on the Farm__Solitude"___6x 8 oil painting on fine linen panel __Click to see auction or bid

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19I 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.

18 of 24 Lst Day on the Farm_Click to bid

"18 of 24 Paintings in 24 Hours_Last of the Moon!"__6 x 8 oil on fine linen panel___Click to see auction or bid

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140242382548
When I painted 24 paintings in 24 hours for my Last Day on the Farm, this was 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!
Only 6 paintings left for my Last Day on the Farm....New paintings are ready to be posted, so stay tuned!

***Rockport workshop day is THIS SATURDAY, June 21. Join me if you can!

17 of 24 LAst Day on the Farm_click to bid

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"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.

***Rockport workshop day is THIS SATURDAY, June 21. Join me if you can!
***”Last Year on the Farm” is DONE in Rockport. THANK YOU to all my friends there and patrons who visited! What a great show it was!
***Gadsden, Alabama will exhibit the “Last Year….” Paintings from July 1 – Aug 15. I hope my friends in the East will go see it…Reception details to come!

16 of 24 Last Day on the Farm_click to bid

"16 of 24" Last Day on the Farm_____Click to see auction or bid.

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This was the most amazing ring around the moon! The whole sky seemed alive, ...click the auction link to read more...

Only 8 paintings left for my Last Day on the Farm....New paintings are ready to be posted, so stay tuned!

15 of 24_ Last Day on the Farm_ Click to bid

15 of 24 Paintings in 24 Hours" My Last Day on the Farm_6x8 oil on linen panel click link to bid or see the auction

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The sky was so thick with humidity that night. I was sure the moon would be gone at any moment, so I painted fast! The sky changed so fast that at one point I had 3-4 paintings going at once! These I will keep if no one wants them!
More moon paintings to come!

***I'll be teaching my method of "capturing the Impression" in a couple of "one day workshops" this month and July.

June 21 in Rockport, Texas...starting at sunrise at Cove Harbor (by Off the Hook Restaurant)...This has become my "thing" for teaching in Rockport. It's where we always begin the day. I am finding a similarity between Cove Harbor and my farm: FAMILIARITY brings growth as a pwinter. Come paint with us here a couple of times, adn you wil experience it!...fascinating

July 12 in Austin- at the Hill Country Bible Church on RM 620. Only room for a few more in this class so call quick if you are interested. Brought to you by the HCBC PACT !

email me asap for details on either of these workshops. I love teaching and give away all my secrets! ;)vvaughan8@yahoo.com

14 of 24_ LAst Day on the Farm_click to bid

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14 of 24 in 24 hours : The Last Day"_____6 x 8 oil on fine linen click above link to bid or LOOK AT auction

The second of the moonlight paintings from my "Last Day on the Farm". The moon paintings are some of the best in the bunch...The auctions are expiring one by one. Now is your chance to get a V....Vaughan painting at the lowest price ;)10 Day Auction.

***See yesterday's blog for news of upcoming Rockport workshop day...

***AND there is a one day workshop in NORTH AUSTIN on July 12. It is FULL but we can take 2 more, because they just got a bigger room! Be an IMPRESSIONIST for a day!!! contact me for details vvaughan8@yahoo.com

13 of 24_Last Day on the Farm_Click to bid

13 of 24 in 24 hours : The Last Day"_____6 x 8 oil on fine linen__Click here to bid
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This starts the moonlight paintings from my "Last Day on the Farm". The upcomig paintiongs are some of the best in the bunch...The auctions are expiring one by one. Now is your chance to get a V....Vaughan painting at the lowest price ;) If they don't sell, I get to keep them , frame them and sell at shows or galleries...or just keep them :)



*** Sign up for the first Rockport workshop of the summer...it might be the last one, too! until August, due to a busy travel schedule. June 21, one full day, full of demos, discussions and lots of painting and fun! vvaughan8@yahoo.com for info

*** June 25 begins ALL NEW PAINTINGS!!! The beach, the road trips, the mountains, dead fish!....stay tuned

12 of 24 _Last Day on the Farm_Click to Bid

"Last Day on the Farm_12 of 24 in 24 Hours"____"Day is Done" 6 x 8 oil on fine linen panel___click to bid

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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.

***NEWS FLASH! If you haven't been to Rockport to see the Last Year on the Farm (all 365 paintings) now is your last chance! The last day of the show is June 14. All the big ones have sold! Now I just have to sell about 300 more little ones :)
***Speaking of Rockport...JOIN ME for a workshop day on Saturday, June 21. Sunrise at 6:32 am at Cove Harbor, followed by a morning of painting the famous Rockport Oaks! If it's hot, we'll have a cool day at the Art Center. Come and meet Barbara! She hasn't missed a workshop, yet. I made her class president ;)

11 of 24 - Last Day on the Farm_click to bid

"11 of 24 in 24 Hours - Last Day on the Farm"...."Last Grazing Before Sunset".......6x8 oil on linen ...click to bid

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140240454423
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. They went back and forth from pasture to pasture all day! (Just two more days till the moonlight paintings).

***NEWS FLASH! If you haven't been to Rockport to see the Last Year on the Farm (all 365 paintings) now is your last chance! The last day of the show is June 14. All the big ones have sold! Now I just have to sell about 300 more little ones :)
***Speaking of Rockport...JOIN ME for a workshop day on Saturday, June 21. Sunrise at 6:32 am at Cove Harbor, followed by a morning of painting the famous Rockport Oaks! If it's hot, we'll have a cool day at the Art Center. Come and meet Barbara! She hasn't missed a workshop, yet. I made her class president ;)

10 of 24 _ Last Day on the Farm - Click to bid

"10 of 24 in 24 Hours - Last Day on the Farm"....Click here to bid

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"10 of 24 in 24 Hours - Last Day on the Farm"....Click here to bid
The sun started breaking through at the end of the day and some visitors came by! First some old friends, then the last of the Sand hill cranes heading north.

***NEWS FLASH! If you haven't been to Rockport to see the Last Year on the Farm (all 365 paintings) now is your last chance! The last day of the show is June 14. All the big ones have sold! Now I just have to sell about 300 more little ones :)

***Speaking of Rockport...JOIN ME for a workshop day on Saturday, June 21. Sunrise at 6:32 am at Cove Harbor, followed by a morning of painting the famous Rockport Oaks! If it's hot, we'll have a cool day at the Art Center. Come and meet Barbara! She hasn't missed a workshop, yet. I made her class president ;)

9 of 24 - Last Day on the Farm - Click to bid

"Last day on the Farm - My Studio Deck - 9 of 24" - click here to bid
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.

If you click this image, you should see a large view. Or see it by clicking the link.
Nine down...17 to go! Stay tuned!

Oh, if you missed #8, it's my fault! See yesterday's BLOG for info, and there are only a couple of days for the auction...that's OK, because it's my favorite painting and I want to keep it if I can!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140239614617

7 of 24 - Last Day on the Farm - Click here to bid

"Graze-By" #7 of 24 in 24_____6 x 8 oil on fine linen panel _Click to bid

Click the "bid link" to read the field notes, and to see another image...a DETAIL of part of the painting.

Click this image also to see a detail version...

...and now for a preview of tomorrow's #8 auction. Because somehow #2 was duplicated, I revised it to the #8 painting, which was coming up tomorrow . (revising it saved me from having to pay twice)...it's a bad thing for anyone watching the auctions, because the #8 auction will only last about three days....BUT it's good for me, because the #8 painting is my favorite, and maybe no one will buy it, and I can KEEP IT!...I will post it tomorrow, but here is the preview link and the auction is ON!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=140239235827&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=004

Only a few more days of auctions, and then I will start posting new works from Arizona and the COAST!...I wonder when I will paint farms again....

6 of 24 - Last Day on the Farm_Click Here to Bid

6 of 24 Paintings in 24 Hours "Grazing Solo".....Click to bid

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This one black cow was easy to spot among the 50 white ones that roam the pastures at the old farm. She was the most noticeable of the bunch! After watching the farm "die" last year, it was so nice to paint one last day among all the LIFE again!
This is #6...18 to go!

5 of 24 - Last Day on the Farm_Click here to bid

"One Last Day on the Farm_'What Fence?'_5 of 24"_6x8 oil on fine linen panel. Click to bid:

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Twenty-four paintings in 24 hours! One Last Day on the Farm..
Here is the fifth one I painted, just a couple weeks ago...
...
On the overcast day that I painted 24 in 24, the cows moved from pasture to pasture...T H R O U G H this fence. I see them do it all the time, and wonder how they keep from getting cut up....I think it's the "leather outfit" :)That's the explanation for this sub-title...they don't seem to be bothered by barb wire.

I love your comments! ...by the way...if you get my daily e-mail, did I send you the #3 auction link???? My "outbox" says "no" and there is NO WAY I will re-send it, (I am afraid to annoy my friends more than I already do!)so please go to the blog, or click the link if you missed it...

4 of 24 - Last Day on the Farm_click to bid

"4 of 24 - Last Day on the Farm".....6 x 8 oil on fine linen panel....Auction starts today

Click here to bid:

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I told about this painting when I previewed it in April...click here to see the earlier blog post (4 of 24) and another picture of how I started the painting. If you click on the painting above, you can see a large, detailed version.

Right now and for the next couple of weeks, I am letting these "Last Day..." paintings go...one by one...in an auction...I expect there to be some "good deals", and I will be shipping the art to the winners as soon as the auction is over! Whereas, the 365 paintings of our "Last YEAR on the Farm" will be shipped in January, I want these little ones to go to their homes immediately....These are my dandelion seeds, being blown to the wind...little pieces of my farm scattered to new places...

3 of 24_Last Day...click to bid

"3 0f 24_Last Day on the Farm"__Round Ones__oil on fine linen panel___click to bid
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Click image to see large version and detail.

From May until November last year, we had record rains, and yet there were no farmers to cut or bale the hay, because our farming had come to an end. The other families had left the farm, but my family stayed on as we searched for a new home someplace. I painted every day, and saw the farm "going away slowly"...the cows left in January...the egrets disappeared from the landscape, the hay grew and grew, and weeds began to choke the place. The hand of the farmer was gone, and the countenance of the place really suffered. By August, you could hear the constant drone of bugs in the brush, well watered and sheltered by the tall grasses. At least they symbolized "life"...and then, one day, some new cows appeared! Another farmer had leased the place for his herd! With the cows came the cutting of new hay...these are the bales that bring life back to this old empty farm!

2 of 24_ One Last day on the Farm_click to bid

"2 of 24_One Last Day on the Farm_Brilliance"__6x8 oil on fine linen_ click to bid:

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Here is #2 of 24. The auctions will last 7 - 10 days, and the winner will have the painting as soon as possible! No waiting for "Last Day" paintings...

Click image to see large version and detail.

The 365 "Last Year..." paintings are in Rockport till June 14.

I will teach a one day workshop there on June 21. This time we will paint the famous oak trees there...after our usual sunrise at Cove Harbor.

1 of 24 _ Last Day on the Farm_ Click to Bid

"1 of 24_Last Day on the Farm"__oil on fine linen panel__to bid click:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=140237500720&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=004

Here it is...for the next couple of weeks I will let these little parts of my farm go....

please e-mail if you have questions: vvaughan8@yahoo.com

Click image to see details...