To Sea

To Sea                       16x12 oil for SEWE

Do you follow me on Instagram? @vvaughan8

If you do, then you saw this already....I wish Instagram did not make EVERYTHING square!

I posted the "start" of mr. seagull the other day...went home and finished the background but hated it, so I "knifed it off" and slashed in...THIS....

I kinda like!

*****

A story today: I got a call from "Rex". A fine older gentleman who I befriended at my mom's nursing home. It has been MANY MONTHS since I went back. I have WANTED to go see old friends there, but was fearing the sadness, so kept avoiding it. Then REX called. He wanted me to come see some new artwork in his room....It was a GREAT excuse to FINALLY go back. So I bought a big bag of birdseed and drove over!

We had a very nice visit, and Rex had collected a coffee can full of Padre Island beach sand that he had saved for me all this time! He wanted me to put it at the bird feeders for the birds! That made this a PERFECT DAY to post this new Birdseed Project Painting!!! 
Also, Rex wants to sell some of his prized western art collection. Has anyone heard of Don Bowlin and David A. Carver?

Starting to Whoop

Starting to Whoop___one in the works for SEWE

I am in "wildlife mode" for the next month, as I prepare new works for the 

Southeastern Wildlife Exposition (SEWE). Charleston, SC hosts this great event each year. Come see me there on Valentine's Weekend next month! 

Whooping cranes are a thrill to see in the wild out there. But, I have gotten some of my best reference here in Texas. Namely, ROCKPORT, where I am headed for a weekend workshop NEXT Saturday, Jan. 17

Sorry for the late notice, but JOIN ME for a plein air day on the Texas Coast!

vvaughan8@yahoo.com

54-Ouzel...aka American Dipper

Ouzel__8x10 oil

#54 in the Birdseed Project

 

Slowly, my birdseed project is "catching on". Please read the link if you forget what it is all about. As school starts up, please remember this would make a great service project for students, youth groups, fraternities or ANYONE! If you start a project in your area, I am happy to provide materials for your use!

 

Really this bird is an American Dipper. A fun companion on the rivers and streams of Colorado...they are not shy, but walk alongside and dip their whole body under water looking for food!  I am sure it does NOT eat seeds, but bugs and worms!...I had fun photographing this little guy on the Conejos River and Rough Creek.

"OOzle" is how we pronounce it, and I had a heck of a time finding it in my bird guides (Sibley's and Peterson's were no help for my bad spelling!)...So once again I sing the praises of the world's greatest bird identifying place.  The Cornell  Lab of Ornithology's web site "All About Birds".Even if you don't think you are interested in birds, go look at it!...really cool!

 



53 - Flamingo

Flamingo ___12 x 9 watercolor pencil

#53 in The Birdseed Project

 

Click the blog image, to see some detail on this, and how the watercolor pencils work...I enjoy the drawing aspect...just LOVE scribbling...then finishing it off with the unpredictability of WATER!...add to that, the component of doing this "live" for my mom, while she sits by...watching quietly....

It brought back many memories... painting with mom watching. Almost ALL of my art memories as a child include mom there.

I was the youngest of seven kids, so there was never a "secluded" place to be doing my art. I often sat at the kitchen counter, with family coming and going...ALWAYS taking a chance that something would spill on my masterpiece...sometimes it was mom's coffee!

Mom chose this flamingo from a stack of my photos that I brought to the nursing home...it reminds her of her long legged daughter, and reminds ME of MY longER legged daughter!So, we sat on the hot patio, while other residents smoked nearby. Mom prefers to sit alone with me in the gazebo, but the sun was beating down at an angle, and the roof of the gazebo provided no shade, so we sat on the smoking patio.

Mom was especially quiet and several times I stopped to ask if she was OK?...bored?...hot?...she assured me that she was LOVING to watch....just like mom...

52 - Rufous Hummmmmm

Rufous Hum__8x6 oil on canvas panel__$250 framed, shipped

#52 in the Birdseed Project

Yesterday's Bear lives in the same Colorado canyon as this little hummingbird.

Our family place on the Conejos River is a secluded place with beauty and LIFE everywhere!

This time of year, the wildlife are just beginning to pack on the calories, getting themselves ready to hibernate or migrate! This Rufous Hummingbird laid claim to one of the feeders and attempted to have it to himself. He burned more energy than he ate!

I have this one and a dozen other works on sale at the Annual Fire House Fund Raiser this weekend (July 27-28)...I hope you can go see it and support the fire prevention efforts all over the Rockies.

NEXT YEAR I will teach and lead a few painters all over this area, capturing some of the diverse beauty of Southern Colorado. I have prepared a little pdf flyer with LOTS of location pictures. Let me know if you are interested!

vvaughan8@yahoo.com

51 - Dancer

 

"Dancer"

"Dancer"___8x6 oil on linen panel___$190

#51 in the Birdseed Project

My newest little bird painting is a bird that spends wintertime in Texas. Rockport, TX is home to the great flocks of Sandhill cranes that travel America's central flyway.

Rockport is also where I am for the weekend Art Festival. This is truly a terrific event. A gathering of some of the most CREATIVE art things you'll ever see! I am humble to bring "boring" paintings amidst such FUN and well crafted works. Artists here create things you'll never see anywhere else.

Please come say hello if you are nearby!

#50 - Spoonbill Balance

Spoonbill Balance__6x6 oil on canvas panel__$150

#50 in the Birdseed Project

I painted this from a photo I took at the zoo not long ago. Did the little painting at Joel's Coffee House (and CHOCOLATE!) last Saturday, where artist Robin Cheers and I are conducting Saturday Sketch and Chocolate sessions this month!

THIS SATURDAY IS OUR LAST SESSION! 9 am till noon

It is very informal...we both demo a little bit, and bring lots of supplies to share...Your job is to come PLAY with our stuff and learn a little bit about sketching and ENJOY some free coffee...you will WANT some chocolate!

If you think you can come, let us know! Cost is $20



#48 Rooster Highlight

Rooster Highlight___6x6 oil on canvas panel

#48 in the Birdseed Project

 

This little rooster painting was actually painted at the nursing home while mom looked on from under the dryer! Each Wednesday she gets her hair done...the HIGHLIGHT of her whole week! When she was in the hospital a few months ago, I am petty sure it was my pep talks about going back to the salon that helped her get through!...I like sitting with her and visiting with Tina as mom gets "washed, rolled, dried and styled"...since she can't hear me while under the dryer, I painted and she watched...between dozing off sessions :)

Robin Cheers and I are sharing sketching, coffee and chocolate again Saturday, June 15th at

Joel's Coffee House. 9-noon. We supply the materials, and coffee!...you come and enjoy!

email if you are coming! $20



44 - Caracara

Caracara__10 x 8 oil on linen panel__$550

#44 in the Birdseed Project

Caracaras started showing up on our farm just a couple of years before we left. I never remembered seeing them as a kid, and I heard that they were rather "new" to central Texas. We also call them Mexican Eagles, because they come up from Mexico... BIG BIRDS that sit on fence posts and stand around in fields. They are very handsome and not too shy, so I have gotten some pretty decent photos.

 

43- Hawk Greens

 Hawk Greens__8x6 oil on panel__$350

#43 in the Birdseed Project

 

Yesterday's post was this same red-tailed hawk. Click to read the story and to see a BETTER IMAGE than what you saw yesterday.

Hawks are my younger son's favorite birds, and to watch them in the fields hunting is a thrill! Below is a recent video (sped up!) of me painting a hawk!

Take a look!

 

 

41- Snowy Robin

Snowy Robin__tiny oil on canvas 3.5 x 3.5__$150 includes a little easel

#41 in my Birdseed Project

 

This is a tiny warm-up painting I did in the snow over the weekend in Nebraska. There were Robins EVERYWHERE there, ALL fluffed up in the cold. My friend, Allen said that he saw one that looked confused as if to say "where is SPRING?"

That might be a better title for this little canvas...winter seems to be hanging on tight in the Great Plains!

Please consider this painting, or a little donation to the Birdseed Project!

Your purchase will provide seed for bird feeders at a nursing home, and light to a lonely place.

NOW, you can even send a few tax deductible dollars, without having to buy art!

Contact Friends of the Forgotten and mention BIRDSEED!

39 Arizona Roadrunner

 Roadrunner__ in Arizona__10x10 watercolor pencil__$250 unframed

#39 in my Birdseed Project

 

YESTERDAY'S POST was put up hastily, because I needed to post before midnight and it was 11:58!

So I didn't identify the bird: a beautiful golden orange and black bird that I saw in Arizona. THE FIRST ONE to respond to my call for "help" was the greatest bird artist I know,
 Adele Earnshaw. www.adeleearnshaw.blogspot.com She is an active blogger and frequently paints birds...GO SEE!!!!...Adele is a real pal and lives in New Zealand, after many years in Arizona. New Zealand is her homeland and she achieved her dream to move there for good! (well, for HER OWN GOOD....I say it's BAD for the rest of us!!) In March 2015 I will teach a workshop in New Zealand, and Adele will be our host....CAN'T WAIT!

Tomorrow I will share my heart about a few recent struggles I have had, and why I have been a spotty blogger....so many of you care and ask....I just want to get my thoughts together before "sharing"  :)

#38 in the Birdseed Project - Hooded Oriole

 

NAME THIS BIRD__ in Arizona__6 x 86 oil__$250 unframed

#38 in my Birdseed Project

 

This one from Arizona is the Hooded Oriole. I saw him on a hike near Tucson with artist frind, Lydia Dillon-Sutton...She does the BEST BATIK art!

Here is the video of my Quick Draw at the recent Cowgirl Up event in Wickenburg, Arizona's Desert Caballeros Museum. 

Turn up your speakers!

Cowgirl Quick Draw Video

Cowgirl Hawk___16 x 12 oil on panel__SOLD

 

WATCH THIS ONE BEING PAINTED!
 

 

Here is my Quick Draw Painting at Cowgirl Up! 2013

I derived it from photos and a painting I did a few weeks ago (which now belongs to M.D.!)

ENJOY the time lapse video created by Mike's Road Trip. I told him that all my friends would watch this and LIKE HIM on facebook....PLEASE do that!!!

This painting is not available, and it is not part of my Birdseed Project. But the video is a blast!!! Watch it twice and turn up the music!

 

http://www.mikesroadtrip.com/cowgirl-up-quick-draw/

 

https://www.facebook.com/MikesRoadTrip

36- Saguaro Hawk

 

Saguaro Hawk

12 x 9 oil___$550

#36 in the Birdseed Project

 

Hi Friends...I appreciate the notes of concern about my "absence"...again...First I will talk about today's ART! It's fun when I remember to take a picture of "step 1"...see below! You artists can look at these two pictures and almost "see" how I paint! I always look at step 1 and ask myself, "why did I go past that point?"...meaning, I usually like my "start" better than my "finish"  :)  Would love to hear from my artist friends about what you think, or if you have a question about how I got from "step 1" to "step 10" ...notice I did not bore you with pics of the middle steps :)

 

I came home from South Carolina to find a VERY SICK mom. She spent 2 weeks in hospital with pneumonia, and some other serious issues. At 89, her prognosis was not good...but, as "Mama Pedro", this was just a little blip in her routine! Of course, I was holding my breath...only exhaling to PRAY, but she seems on the road to recovery and is back at her nursing home!...I am back to feeding her birds, and asking y'all to pass the word about my birdseed project!  In fact PLEASE CLICK the link to read the latest news!!!

 God Bless Mom...and you ALL, too!

 

Saguaro Hawk---State 1

the "start"

ACE Liftoff

ACE Liftoff- Tricolor Heron__SOLD at the SEWE Quick Draw

Today was the Quick Draw event at the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition. A few artists created works in one hour, and then these were auctioned off in a live auction....My little Tricolor Heron fetched $700...

I painted it from a photo I took out here last year at the ACE Basin Wildlife Refuge. ACE stands for Ashapoo, Cumbahee, and Edisto Rivrs that merge south of Charleston, making a terrific area for birds, alligators and all kinds of wildlife. After this year's show, I will again spend a few days there, HOPING to capture some more birds with my camera...new subjects for my Birdseed Project. I'm very excited to have better camera gear this year.

32-Soft in White

Soft in White___10x10 watercolor, framed__$350
#32 in the Birdseed Project
Here is another part of my Birdseed Project. It constitutes about 1 pound of the 241 pounds of art I shipped to Charleston, SC for the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition!
Hope to see you there!!!

31 - LOL

LOL__6x6 oil on canvas panel for SEWE
#31 in the Birdseed Project
Another little laughing gull painting that I shipped to the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition. The show opens Thursday night in Charleston, SC...These three gulls are laughing out loud...LOL...kind of silly, but it is a small little canvas I wanted to have some fun with...see you at SEWE!

30- A Good Laugh

A Good Laugh

#30 in the Birdseed Project

 It feels great to have shipped all my artwork off to Charleston for next weekend's Southeastern Wildlife Exposition.

WHEW!

I extremely do not like framing, packing, cataloging, and shipping artwork...I only like DOING artwork. But, yesterday I had to ship 241 pounds of paintings...not fun.

I titled the one above A Good Laugh, because I NEED a good laugh, and this breed of seagull is called a "laughing gull"...PLEASE tell all your friends near Charleston to COME MEET ME at the art show! If they (or you!) buy a little bird work from me, I will apply over 10% to the Birdseed Project

...and I will tell how to make a tax deductible donation!

Have a great laugh this weekend! See you at SEWE!



29- Mom's Heron

Mom's Heron

#29 in the Birdseed Project

Here is one that is NOT available...

A few days ago, I visited my mom at the nursing home and it was a GORGEOUS day, so we sat out by the bird feeders in the gazebo...her favorite place. I brought along my new favorite toys, watercolor pencils, and a photo of a heron I took in South Carolina last year...Well I was actually showing off for mom, and scribbled this out in my lap UPSIDE DOWN, so she could see it happen...she was so entertained that she couldn't stop "gushing" about it, so I let her keep it on her wall...I actually think I overworked it, but it was so fun watching her enjoy the cheap entertainment...brought back a lot of memories! I used to draw at the kitchen table a lot, and she enjoyed watching me way back then...Have you ever wondered where the phrase came from:

"As exciting as watching paint dry!" ??