Play Ball

Blake__pencil on archival paper__for Blake's Mom
It is spring break here in Round Rock, Texas, and the kids are off school, but the games play on! We have had a series this week, so lots of different guys are getting to play, and the other night was Blake's game to pitch...a tough outing for Blake as he was hit in the face while at bat, which really rattled him on the mound later...My son was called on in the last inning and he shut down the side, but our bats could not make up the difference in the bottom of the inning, so we lost......but our team bounced back the next night. So far, it has been a great baseball season for the Round Rock Dragons!
By the way, for you ball fans...there are MANY former Dragon players in the pros! Some might play for YOUR favorite team! Probably the best ones live right here in my neighborhood...(or their parents still do!) I will name names if anyone is interested!

Joe Sketch

Joe___pencil sketch on paper___rough fora painting, soon
Pretty soon, I will do a painting of our left-handed pitcher, Joe. My son has played on a team with Joe since Little League, and they are good friends. The painting I will do is for Joe's mom, who bid the highest on an original work of art which I donated for a baseball fundraiser. The highest bid will get a special work of art of their ballplayer, which I will paint especially for them! Joe's mom won, so I took my sketchbook to the game today to practice on Joe. Lucky for me, he pitched well and stayed in the game the whole time!
We are the Round Rock High School Dragon Varsity...with a LONG and successful tradition of baseball in Texas! Many of our former players are in the pros right now!
My son, Samuel, a "righty" will pitch tomorrow....prayers, please!

Conference

Conference___8x10 oil on linen panel____Christmas commission for K
I LOVED doing this one, because it is getting close to baseball season again....already!
I also like the scene, so typical of baseball !
I have not posted a lot lately, because I am working on many details of many projects! Some are art oriented, some are family!....ALL GOOD!
If you are an artist and want to come to a workshop next year, I have a few different ones to choose from that would make a GREAT CHRISTMAS gift to self! Think Texas Hill Country, in early springtime and late spring!
I have a very exciting painting excursion coming up next month. It's another leg of my project
PASSING AMERICA: THE GREAT PLAINS. This leg will take me through the northern-most tier of our American Great Plains in the deep winter-time under the full moon! Can you imagine?...I will be talking about it a lot....get ready!!

MERRY CHRISTmas!

Round Rock Color Notes

"Round Rock Reinlie" 8 x 6

I posted a sketch of this ball player a few weeks ago, but now I am taking the paint to the ball games. He is the first baseman and clean-up hitter for the nationally ranked Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders. I am working on a bigger painting of my favorite player on that team, which I will post another time.

I like the light on the ball fiels. there is a lot of contrast and a certain atmosphere that only paint can capture!

I have a link below to a GREAT youtube video about a blind painter. The clip was produced by the Texas Country Reporter, who is interviewing me this week for a spot on their May 18 show.They are interested in my Last Year on the Farm story. Bob Phillips is a great reporter and I know he will tell it with their special flair! I will keep you posted about the actual date it airs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8P84bfFpVWE

Charles

"Charles"...from my sketchbook

I am in Nebraska. Before I left there was a BIG GAME and I spent some time sketching the boys...Meet Charles!

Tomorrow I will have a new painting from Nebraska! In the morning I'm going painting with 2 of Nebraska's finest painters, Marilyn Bower and Mark Moseman. Mark is one of the founders of the Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art, along with Anna Nolen Covault....I am staying with Anna and Allen and feel so welcome here! Pie for dinner tonight...priceless!

HUNDREDS of patrons have come to this small town to see the FIRST EVER exhibit at this brand new museum: Last Year on the Farm, the Four Seasons...I think I have met EVERYONE in David City. They all have a connection to farming and greatly appreciate my paintings. My kind of people!

Tall One"

"Tall One"

I sketched my oy Samuel at the game the other night. (In my pretty new sketchbook)...

Right now I am in David City Nebraska. Tommorrow is the Aritst's Reception at the Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art. I will give a little talk about the "Last Year on the Farm".

I brought a bunch of books with me on my 6:30 am flight....after NOT going to bed last night....B U T...my luggage never made it!! I have been here since noon without a toothbrush!!! But I am too tired to think.!

I'd rather stay up all night PAINTING 24 paintings in 24 hours than to stay up getting ready for a travel trip...So I will! Next week or the week after I will have ONE LAST DAY on the farm.I have a special day planned on Aril 9 - 10,

Parker at the Plate

"Arun Catching, and Parker at the Plate"...from my NEW Sketchbook!

One of the other Round Rock Dragon moms noticed I was running out of pages in my sketchbook, so she showed up at the last game with a BRAND NEW sketchbook just for me! Not only that, she had added her own artwork to the hard bound cover, gluing REAL DiAMONDS and embelleshments to the cover!...well, they might as well be real diamonds!

The Catcher here is my good friend Priti's boy, Arun. Just two of a team-full of great young men!

So, WELCOME to the blog-mail, Kathi! Here's your boy Parker!...The Dragons won two tough games this week!

I am off to Nebraska EARLY Saturday...will miss my other son's series. UMHB won their first game tonight, though. GO CRU! Sweep 'em up!

Please come meet me at the Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art. The Artist's reception for "Last Year on the Farm: Seasons of 24" is THIS Sunday, March 30, from 4 - 7. David City, NE...

See you there!

Round Rock at Bat

"Round Rock at Bat"....sketch from life....

Let me explain...I sketched this last week at the Mary Hardin Baylor game vs. Sul Ross State.

The batter is Steven "Round Rock" Reinlie, my son's roommate and the clean-up hitter. He had 2 or 3 homeruns in this series! He got his nick-name for his home town high school.

Mary Hardin Baylor is in the American Southwest Conferene and is currently ranked #20 in the nation at Div 3. Go CRU!!

Now, My other son is in high school and currently plays for Round Rock High!

"Last Year on the Farm: Four Seasons" opened today at the BRAND NEW Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art in David City, NE. My work is their PREMIER exhibit...and maybe hastened the opening of this FINE small museum. http://www.bonecreek.org is a one page overview of the museum...soon to be a fine web site....it's just SO NEW! Please go by and see the exhibit from now until May 2. I WILL BE THERE at an Artist's Reception on Sunday, March 30 from 4-7 pm. Come meet me!

Contact me if you want a book, or more info. vvaughan8@yahoo.com

Third Green Fields

"Third Green Fields"....6x8....$150

I painted three little ones of the infield...all during the 1st game of a double header on Saturday. Here is third base. I posted first and second on the previous 2 days. They ALMOST line up if you place them side by side, but I did not mean to create a "triptich" (correct my spelling, please).

These give me a foundation for composition next time I paint at a ball game! I will certainly put players into the scenes next time, but these I like "as is"....you can almost smell the grass!

HERE'S A NEW WAY TO ORDER THE BOOK: Last Year on the Farm.
If you want to use a credit card, here's the way to do it, securely, and you also have the option to order a HARDBOUND book , really nice!!!
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/196927
Project Status: Last Year on the Farm ...NOTE the date correction for the Bone Creek Art Museum opening of "Last Yer on the Farm"...March 19!-Please click here to read a GREAT REVIEW by Kent Wolgamott in the Lincoln JournalStar: http://journalstar.com/articles/2008/02/03/living/gz/performances/doc47a0e837b407c595235319.txt-THE BOOK is HERE! EMAIL ME to order, or check the BLOG ON JAN. 9 to use the paypal button. Or just mail a check for $34 (includes shipping) to: V....Vaughan, 2606 Starling Dr., Round Rock, TX 78681-Most of the exhibit will be held over at the Great Plains Museum until THE END of March. It's going WELL and the museum has told me it is a "Stunning Success".- The seasons of 24 will open at the BRAND NEW Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art on March 19. I'll be there for the opening reception. David City, NE, on Sunday, March 30.

Green Fields at Second

"Green Fields at Second"....6 x 8...oil...$150

Yesterday was First, today is Second...guess what tomorrow will be! The fields and mowed patterns remind me a little of farm land. To show the abstract space and distance on the field is my goal.

Right after I posted last night at about midnight, I got a call from my college ballplayer son, Tanner, who is just crazy about these paintings!

I promised him I'd do the pitcher's mound...his favorite place. :)

HERE'S A NEW WAY TO ORDER THE BOOK: Last Year on the Farm.

If you want to use a credit card, here's the way to do it, securely, and you also have the option to order a HARDBOUND book , really nice!!!

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/196927

Project Status: Last Year on the Farm ...NOTE the date correction for the Bone Creek Art Museum opening of "Last Yer on the Farm"...March 19!-Please click here to read a GREAT REVIEW by Kent Wolgamott in the Lincoln JournalStar: http://journalstar.com/articles/2008/02/03/living/gz/performances/doc47a0e837b407c595235319.txt-THE BOOK is HERE! EMAIL ME to order, or check the BLOG ON JAN. 9 to use the paypal button. Or just mail a check for $34 (includes shipping) to: V....Vaughan, 2606 Starling Dr., Round Rock, TX 78681
-Most of the exhibit will be held over at the Great Plains Museum until THE END of March. It's going WELL and the museum has told me it is a "Stunning Success".
- The seasons of 24 will open at the BRAND NEW Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art on March 19. I'll be there for the opening reception. David City, NE, on Sunday, March 30.

Green Fields at First

"Green Fields at First"....6 x 8 oil....$150

Guess where I was all weekend. Out in the fields! Not farm fields, this time...but happy to have brought my paints to the ball field in Abilene, TX as Mary Hardin-Baylor whupped up on Hardin Simmons. A couple of Baptist Universities battling it out. My team came out on top (UMHB), and my son pitched a couple of fine innings in a Saturday win.

The mower patterns have always enthralled me...I did three little paintings Saturday. This is #1, and it has some really nice brush work. E-mail me if you want to see it bigger.

Now, about the Farm....

Next batch of books are on the way! If you want one, e-mail me right away:)vvaughan8@yahoo.com

Project Status: Last Year on the Farm ...NOTE the date correction for the Bone Creek Art Museum opening of "Last Yer on the Farm"...March 19!-Please click here to read a GREAT REVIEW by Kent Wolgamott in the Lincoln JournalStar: http://journalstar.com/articles/2008/02/03/living/gz/performances/doc47a0e837b407c595235319.txt-THE BOOK is HERE! EMAIL ME to order, or check the BLOG ON JAN. 9 to use the paypal button. Or just mail a check for $34 (includes shipping) to: V....Vaughan, 2606 Starling Dr., Round Rock, TX 78681

-Most of the exhibit will be held over at the Great Plains Museum until THE END of March. It's going WELL and the museum has told me it is a "Stunning Success".

- The seasons of 24 will open at the BRAND NEW Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art on March 19. I'll be there for the opening reception. David City, NE, on Sunday, March 30.

Practice DownTIme

"Baseball Practice DownTime"___ pen___ v....vaughan

To those of you who have had ball players from the age of 13 - 16 this will look familiar. I love watching them grow and play...these wre my BEST days :)

Pre-Game Toss

"Pre-Game S."

...Another ball game...a different son....I really enjoy the BEAUTY of baseball...especially when the young guys play. This son is a TALL 14 year old and his "length" makes for interesting sketches.... Running the bases ....well, he gets there in about two steps...

Pre-Game Stretch

"Pregame T."

This is how I spend my spring....BASEBALL GAMES....I have 2 sons that play ball.....This one (in college) was warming up to pitch yesterday but this was all the action he got! Ah, the life of a releiver! He will be ready to go, today though....a double header starting at noon!

Please remember to look down to yesterdays post. A great painting will be auctioned for a greater cause...more later!