Thunder Academy__8 x 10 oil__V....Vaughan

"Thunder Academy"__oil on canvas panel__$250 to the first who asks for it!
This beautiful thunderstorm rolled in this afternoon so I took the class onto the porch outside our classroom to watch me paint it (at Schreiner University in Kerrville, TX) .
The sun was out in the foreground while the clouds (and lightning!) loomed. The kids watched with their cameras, and T spent a lot of time trying to capture the lightning....ever tried that? It's HARD!!!...Our lesson today, as they continued with their still lifes (lives?)focused on the following:
1. Each color has a value (how light or dark it is)
2. Using just a limited palette of primaries + white will yield UNLIMITED color combinations, and RELATING these colors to one another can create unlimited effects.
3. Physics and painting go hand in hand!

Below is an exercise they did. Each group arranged their 7 colored markers in value order. I took this black and white photo to check their work....it's harder than you think, to tell which is darker: orange or green? The camera is pretty good at showing relative values. Shoot your artwork in black and white to judge your values.

Salsa Demo_start_14 x 11__V....Vaughan

"Salsa Demo_start"___14 x 11 oil on canvas___unfinished
Click the image on the blog to really study this one, a demo for the Western Art Academy students today. I spent about 45 minutes so far, not counting my "yak" time...Lots of teaching points made, here:
1. when you have a very grainy and poorly primed canvas (like this one), it is best to tone it.
2. mixing color on a white palette can cause you to mix higher (lighter) values than you mean to. Pay attention to this, especially later on in your painting, when you have nearly covered the white canvas....it's better to mix darker values of color than lighter ones....easier to adjust.
My palette here is white, but at home I work on a neutral medium gray palette.
3. STUDENT "AHA" MOMENT of the day: "Hey! I can paint and talk at the same time!!"
---it's really nearly impossible to DESIGN or COMPOSE and talk conversationally....anyone know why???

On the Road Again_6 x8 oil_V....Vaughan

"On the Road Again"__6 x 8 oil on linen panel__$100
How I love the Texas skies in the summer time! Even though it is so hot, the skies just remind you that summer is the greatest time! I especially like road trips. My son and I bought some perfect music for our summer travels: Willie Nelson, Marty Robbins, and a new favorite, Dierks Bentley, whose name I certainly misspelled just now...I begin teaching 24 young adults tomorrow at the Western Art Academy. We all met over pizza (of course!) and "Tres Leches" cake this evening. It is a good looking group, hand picked and interviewed for this scholarship course of intensive study. They all kept sying how READY they are for the challenge ahead...

Moonset Out West_4 x 7.5 oil__V....Vaughan

"Moonset Out West"___4 x 7.5 oil on linen panel___ $100 to the first to ask
I prepared my paperwork and files for my 2008 taxes this weekend. You mean April 15 has passed???? oops....Looking over all the receipts for the trips I have taken recently, I got excited about the places out west, so I painted this one from memory. I saw a similar scene one morning as I left the hotel in New Mexico.
If you are the first to want it, it will take me a couple weeks to ship this one. First, it is very juicy and needs to dry. (no real problem with 100+ temps in Texas these days)...but mainly because I leave tomorrow for Kerrville and the Western Art Academy, where I will have a FULL group of 24 high school superstar artists. I have 20 days to impart some oil painting knowledge on them and help them with the all important "oil change" or two. At the end of it all they are awarded with a group exhibit at the beautiful Western Art Museum (where the famed Cowboy Artists of America laid the groundwork). PLEASE stay tuned to my blog for lots of demos and lessons! I am in full "teaching mode" and I like to share! If you can come to Kerrville for the show, it's Saturday, July 28 at 1 pm, I think...

In the Tall Grass_sketch_V....Vaughan

In the Tall Grass__9 x 12 quick sketch___$80 from my sketch book
It was a hot morning and I did not have much time to sketch this one before a 10 am baseball game...I call it an "impatient sketch". Even though it was really hot, this horse moved through the tall grass fairly quickly...click it to see some detail.
I have not mentioned this in a while, but if you want to be the first to see my daily paintings you can sign up on my BLOG to be a "follower"...or e-mail me and I will put you on the list that gets the art in a daily (almost) e-mail, if you prefer that vvaughan8@yahoo.com

Off Season__6 x 8 oil__V....Vaughan

"Off Season"__6 x 8 oil on linen panel___$150 if you are first to want it!
Well, the Longhorns are between seasons. That's what I thought of when I saw these two resting, and thought of my favorite sports team, the Texas Longhorns. My family follows them closely, with lots of personal ties to the University...personally, I really like the color and logo for the team :)
Sunday I leave for 20 days of teaching young artists at the Western Art Academy in Kerrville. It is like an art vacation for me: staying on a college campus, all meals prepared, a nice place to stay, and no obligations after 5 pm. I get a lot of personal art done while there, and look forward to finishing my mules and dogs and other commissions. Mainly, I can't wait to meet a couple dozen young artists, and see if I can help them with their painting!

Rally__6 x 8oil on linen panel___V....Vaughan

"RALLY"___6 x 8 oil on linen____$150 to the biggest longhorn fan!
So it's the bottom of the 6th inning and LSU just scored 5 on the Texas Longhorns in the College World Series. All my baseball playing men in the house up and walked away, but I am counting on our usual rally! I painted this while watching the first 6 innings of a thrilling game, so it's really wet!
....love those longhorns!!! Turn your caps backwards, y'all!

From the Bull Pen_6 x 8 oil_V....Vaughan

From the Bull Pen___6 x 8 oil on linen panel___$150 if you are the first to ask!
I went to my nearby longhorn ranch this morning and caught the few longhorns there just as they were moving in the shade. When they switched pastures, this one was the last to leave....like a pitcher leaving the bull pen, where they warm up, to take the field with his teammates...except this one was a cow, I think :)

The Outfield__9 x 12 by V....Vaughan

"The Outfield"__9 x 12 ebony on archival paper___$175 to the first Longhorn fan to ask

I got up early this morning and went down the road where these "outfield" longhorns live. They were grazing out before the heat set in for the day....tomorrow I will take my paints to sketch them, so I hope they are out...it has been really HOT!!!

As I type this, the Texas Longhorns are battling in the bottom of the 9th against LSU at the College World Series. The third out just happened and we are going into extra innings....I sold my tickets to the finals and am enjoying it here at home! I know Stve and John and their buddies are going to enjoy my seats at tomorrow's game! I have a house full of kids watching the game, so I am holed up in my studio....More LONGHORNS tomorrow!

Shapes of a Horse__6x8 oil on linen

"Shapes of a Horse"___6 x 8 oil on linen___$150 if you want it FIRST!
This little painting happened because I "show" better than I "tell" when I teach art workshops...I brought a similar painting to the workshop with me, and as I explained that it's only "shapes of color" that make up a painting, I showed the group what colors I mixed, then I just laid them on the canvas in the same order as the sample painting and it turned out to be this little painting. To see all the juicy detail, click the image from the BLOG. And while you are there, sign up to "follow me", and you will be the first to know when I post new art :)
I PROMISE that tomorrow will start "Longhorn Week"...watch

Sheep Study

"Sheep Study"___5 x 7 oil on linen____$100 if you ask first
I call this a perfect stydy. It was quick, not "crafted" to be a painting and VERY spontaneous...just what an artist OUGHT to do when they are observing and painting from life....These sheep were in constant motion, milling around this great Oak tree, so I captured them quickly...Teaching as often as I do and for as long as I have, I see it all the time with adults and more experienced artists. They TRY too hard to create a "PAINTING" every time they pick up a brush!! Some times, just grab up the gear, locate your target and lay down the paint with all the "feeling" you can! In simple terms: "Ready...Fire.....Aim!"

LONGHORN! ...almost___4x6__V....Vaughan

"LONGHORN!....almost!"____ 4 x 6 oil on llinen___$100
There is a longhorn ranch near my house and I have been if you ask first!over to draw and paint, standing outside the fence. Been too busy to shoot pictures to post, bust stay tuned for these paintings in the next few days, unless I get distracted! THis little milk cow painting was a sketch from our workshop day at the pioneer farm last weekend in Fredericksburg.
Wednesday and Thursday I drove my son, Sam and his friend, Sam (really) up to Omaha to see the College World Series. Friday we drove from Omaha to Houston for a baseball tournament...Since we see the Texas Longhorns play in Austin all the time, we went to Omaha for Arizona State vs. North Carolina...two of my favorite places' schools fighting it out. There was a lot of excitement, including a game tying GRAND SLAM, and ASU came out on top....till they played the Longhorns last night! Now my longhorns will play LSU in the finals!

Moon Glow_12 x 9 oil__V....Vaughan

"Moon Glow"___12 x 9 oil on linen___$250 if you ask first
By the time I got into this painting at the end of a 14 hour workshop day, the students had gotten a little bit giddy and restless...they were done...and I was getting my second wind. The clouds caused this glow on the full moon over the hills near Fredericksburg, TX . I had painted an earlier one of the moon rising while the sky was light, and jumped right into this one without really being able to see....these night paintings require a special approach, which I teach in the workshop.
Tonight I am in Oklahoma City, on the way to Omaha to watch game 10 of the College World Series: North Carolina vs. AZ State. I guess I will root for AZ State, since I have so many friends in AZ....but I will be the one on the third base line wearing a LONGHORN visor, sitting with a couple of 16 year old men wearing TEXAS burnt orange shirts!

Western Red__8 x 10 oil__V....Vaughan

"Western Red"___8x10 oil on linen panel__just shipped to Act I Gallery in Taos, NM
Gee, I feel like I already posted this recently...I painted it only a few weeks ago, and I usually post paintings right away, but I do not see this one ANYWHERE on my blog....please correct me if you know better!...It's one of those small ones painted when the light was JUST RIGHT (those who were in my Fredericksburg workshop might remember the second sunrise painting from the Bush's house?....I was working on #1 when the light "flared" and I grabbed a second canvas to put down the colors of the flare, and finished both canvases after that)...but this one above was done with the sunSET flash of color....I hope it will sell fast at Act I Gallery in Taos, but if you are travelling the west, stop by and meet Anita, there. She is really friendly and loves to show you around!...Speaking of road trips, I am off in the morning to Omaha, to take some boys to the College World Series!! It will be fun to see the Great Plains!...and maybe some "western red" as the sun sets out there!

Whistle Poppy

"Whistle Poppy"___16 x 20 oil on linen, framed...available at Whistle Pik Galleries, Fredericksburg, TX

I posted this one a week or 2 ago. It is the demo I did at the gallery, but I did not have a good picture of it, so I am re-sending. I think it is my best demo ever. One of my BIGGEST and most dramatic. Click the Whistle Pik link to see it on their web site...I guess I will give a gallery update, here. Since I quit teaching at the end of January, I have acquired a few great galleries who now represent my work. They are listed below, with links. PLEASE go see their sites. Each is unique in their presentation. I have been shipping my bigger works, and BEST stuff to them, so PLEASE go by and pay them a visit as you travel about this summer.

Act I Gallery, Taos, NM

Castle Gallery, Ft. Wayne, IN (my stuff is not on the web site, yet)

Whistle Pik Galleries, Fredericksburg, TX

Windrush Gallery, Sedona, AZ

Good Looking Chicks_8 x 10_v....Vaughan

"Good Looking Chicks"__8 x 10 oil on linen panel__$150 to the first to ask vvaughan8@yahoo.com
Last weekend while teaching in Fredericksburg, I gave an "assignment" at one of the locations. We were at the Living History Farm at the LBJ Ranch National Historic Park. This is a real working homestead where they have real pioneers (I met a pioneer woman on "duty" named "Virginia"...great name!) who tend the gardens, milk the cows, cook on open fires and all that. The whole place was full of chickens as well as a few of each of every kind of farm animal. The assignment was to sketch (with paint) as many animals as possible. I went around checking on the artists and made a few sketches, too....chicks!

Cow Sketch__4 x 9__V....Vaughan

"Cow Sketch"_4 x 9 or so...oil on linen panel__$90 includes shipping ...click image to see detail.
These Jersey cows live at the living History farm at the LBJ National Park in Stonewall, TX...near Fredericksburg, where I taught last week. The folks actually milk the cows every day and make butter and demonstrate other farm operations all the time...ahhhh, it felt good to be on a farm again!
We went there and sketched for a few hours during my workshop. I asked everyone to sketch the animals, and I, too, did a handful of sketches. I think it's a good idea to sketch with a brush instead of a pencil all the time...gets me used to making shapes rather than lines to describe the forms.

Longhorn Dug Out__8 x 10_ V....Vaughan

"Longhorn Dug Out"____8 x 10_____$300 unframed
GO LONGHORNS! The Texas Longhorn baseball team is headed for the College World Series! I have a few extra tickets to games #5, #10 and the FINALS. If you or someone you know wants them, I will give you a good deal ...email me! vvaughan8@yahoo.com
You do nont have to be a Longhorn fan to own this painting :)

Hill Country Flare__12 x 12 oil__V....Vaughan

"Hill Country Flare"___12 x 12 oil on linen___available

A few days ago I posted "Gerry's Sunrise", which I painted right before this one. It was my "warm-up" painting to adjust my eyes to the early morning light at my workshop in Fredericksburg. One thing I demonstrated by the early painting and then this one, is being ready to change course while you are painting fast. Changing course in this case meant grabbing a new canvas as the light "flared". Rather than changing the one I was working on. the new canvas let me change with the light. This bright orange spark of sky lasted only a few minutes. Since I already had color mixed for the other painting, I could use it to paint this quickly, starting with the LIGHT...it's easier for me to SHOW than to "tell"...join me at a workshop one of these days. This location in Fredericksburg is unbelieveably beautiful, and I will teach there Feb. 5 - 7 in 2010....PLEASE join me!

Whistle Pik Poppy Demo

"Whistle Pik Poppy Demo"___16 x 20 oil on linen panel___available at Whistle Pik Galleries
**please let me send you a better image if you are interested! This photo is pretty bad!
Friday night was First Friday Art Walk in Fredericksburg, TX. The galleries all stay open late and there is wine and cheese EVERYWHERE! I am represented at Whistle Pik, now, so it was a great time to do a demo. This one was finished in about an hour, with lots of friends looking on, enjoying the fun. At 16 x 20, it is a bigger one than my usual demo...see all the steps below, compliments of Pamela Taylor who owns the gallery with her husband, Tim... I had fun with the captions :)

What if I run out of red????

The paintings on the far right are all mine, along with the one leaning against the wall...the ones right in front of me are Michael Malm's from Utah...I couldn't take my eyes off of them,and wondered if anyone would notice if I copied one!!!!

She said "That's a beautiful little girl you painted!"... I replied "Those are Michael Malm's paintings, ma'am...can I interest you in a poppy painting?"

All finished, except for...

....four dots

Sunday Morning

"Sunday Morning"___6 x 8 oil on linen____$100 if you ask first!
After a long day, yesterday, our workshop group had a lazy day today, finishing up our three days of painting at the Grape Creek Winery near Fredericksburg, TX. I painted this couple, enjoying a cool rest on the shady porch.
I will share some of the paintings in the upcoming days...we painted in some beautiful locations, in the prettiest part of Texas....but the best part was meeting all these new friends and sharing a LOT of laughs...THANKS Y'ALL...
My next Fredericksburg workshop will be in February! A BEAUTIFUL time of year in central Texas...Mark your calendars for Feb 5 - 7, 2010...

Gerry's Sunrise

"Gerry's Sunrise"___6 x 8 oil on linen panel___sold
We started today at 5:30 am...meeting at the Fredericksburg Artists School. We all caravanned out to Bill and Nancy Bush's house, high on a hill near Fredericksburg, TX. This was the early light, and my first painting of Venus, I think! Many of the artists painted their own version, and a few watched this demo...as soon as the color "flared" (briefly!!!) I switched to a new canvas and captured the brilliance!!! I'll show that one tomorrow!....What a great day we had...I hate to say that I wore out a couple of the artists...it was really hot, and it got windy at the end, but we worked till the moon was way up...a 14 hour day...SORRY Y'ALL!!! I know I may not get any repeat customers from this workshop...if they survive tomorrow :) I LOVE IT OUT HERE!!!!hahaha...we will paint at the winery nearby! Stay tuned!!!

Art School Sunset__4.5 x 11

"Art School Sunset"__4.5 x 11____$150 if you ask first
if I don't stay up too late, I will try to remember to paint this same view in the morning, and compare the light/color. THis is the view out the back door at the Fredericksburg Artists School...not too shabby! The photo is a little blurry because I waited too long to shoot it...sorry. If you want to see a clear picture, PLEASE ASK. I have a full class for the next three days and we plan lots of outings around these parts: Wineries, Lavender Farms, Pioneer outposts, cows/horses, Luckenbach, TX (...anyone remember that song?), and lots of early and late light...including a FULL MOON on Saturday. PLEASE stay tuned!
And if you are in Fredericksburg Friday night, I will paint a BIG demo of one of my famous poppies...Join me for some wine (you can have my share, since I don't drink and paint :) at Whistle Pik Gallery from 6 -8 pm....When was the last time you saw an original oil painting being created? I even brought a frame to snazz it up when I am done !

Brushy Creek

"Brushy Creek"___8 x 6___$100 includes shipping
I painted with JanRobin this morning...on her section of Brushy Creek, near my home in Round Rock...what a beautiful morning!
I will be doing a demo from 6 - 8 at Whistle Pik Galeries during the Art Walk in Fredericksburg, TX on Friday night. After teaching at the Art School that day, we will all head over to the downtown area and enjoy the stroll.

Rearing Horse and Rider_My AZ Sketchbook p 2

AZ Sketchbook Pg 2__"Bucky O'Neill"____pencil on watercolor paper__auction soon
Back to my AZ sketchbook, and the things I WOULD have posted from the road if I could have! Prescott, AZ was a WILD WEST town, and still is in many ways, with street names like Whiskey Row, and Rowdy music coming from the bars as soon as the sun goes down.... the courthouse square there has this great statue which I sketched one day from a couple of angles, thinking I might do a quick draw of "Bucky", but I changed my mind...the crowds were huge, so I fell back on something I was more familiar with...landscape :)
Now, the drawing below is from my childhood portfolio...look how SIMILAR the pose!!!aybe the boy rider is young Bucky?
A note....I am teaching a workshop in Fredericksburg, TX at the Art School, and there is ONE SPOT left...unless you want to sign up with a friend, then I will take TWO more, but that's it! We will have THREE days of intense study from the ground up...an effort to help you be a faster, better, oil painter...We start at 9 am Friday...can you come? vvaughan8@yahoo.com for info
"Boy Rider" by V....(Pedro) Vaughan, age 10

Calf Glance

"Calf Glance"__LITTLE 4 x 4 oil on linen panel___$75 includes shipping
I got back a little bit late tonite (like, just now!), so I am having to post one that I wasn't going to post...a little sketch I did while my friiend Cindy drove across NM and into AZ last week...it's tiny, and I straightened things out a little after photographing it, but the brushwork is fun...click to REALLY see it...and below is another one from my drive-by drawing portfolio as a kid...I LOVED to draw animals, and create cartoon versions of them...I was 10 when I did these doodles :)