Marietta Presentation

Marietta Presentation__6x8 oil on linen panel___$350 while wet
This little church is in the distance off the northwest side of our workshop hilltop location in Nebraska. When you can see for distant MILES and miles, WHITE things catch sunlight...and the eye of an artist! My sky was crystal clear the morning I did this warm-up painting...my first from the hilltop. As our week has progressed, I have seen cloud shadows moving over this scene, and can't wait to get home and paint a larger one with my reference photos.
Passing America: The Great Plains click to see 154 works from the show

Lit Up Cloud Tops

Lit Up Cloud Tops__6x8 oil on linen panel__$350 while wet!
There was rain predicted for each day of my workshop here in Nebraska, but somehow we managed to avoid it! These little cloud tops were in the east as the sun set at our backs on the Moravec Hilltop. I forgot the point I was making to the students when I grabbed this small canvas and put in the color of the cloud tops....maybe it was something about the complementary colors in daylight...
I am in NE for the opening of my long project, "Passing America: The Great Plains" at the University of Nebraska's Great Plains Art Museum...it has been well received, so far, and will be up through mid December! Click link to see all 154 works

#93 - Morning Puff

Morning Puff___8x10 oil on linen__$590 framed for Passing America: The Great Plains

Along the Texas Plains Trail one morning, I did this "drive-by" painting south of Lubbock, near Slaton, TX. These humid clouds and all the moisture and "lift" became tornados later in the day. (May 17, 2010)

This canvas is one of 150 works completed for a solo show at the Great Plains Art Museum at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Please join me at the opening reception on Friday, October 7, 5 - 7 pm. I will give a brief talk about the works and my journey through the Plains. The Exhibit runs from Oct 7 - Dec 11, 2011...please let me know if you go, and what you think!

ALSO...PLEASE see what you can do to help a Bastrop, TX fire victim...My good friend, Linda....(below)

Flames of Life

A SPECIAL REPRODUCTION to benefit a Texas fire victim___various sizes

To see the sad story, and photos click here...PLEASE pass this along to ANYONE who might help!

For order/size info, click here http://www.reallybigcanvas.com/content/flames-life

High Plain Span

High Plain Farm Span___6x8 oil on linen panel for Passing America: The Great Plains
I painted this one last spring...back when it was green...These days my nearby "plainscape" is various shades of brown and gold.
In a few hours I will venture north to Kansas...painting the sunrise and HEAT along the way, I hope!...I have a few more quick trips to gather some last minute drive-bys, before the opening reception of my solo exhibit, Passing America: The Great Plains

Moonset Morning Over Kansas

Moonset Morning Over Kansas ___8x6 oil on linen panel___for Passing America...exhibit reception in Oct.

I just now returned from Kansas...we took our son to college. This is my last one, and it feels a little bit strange. For the first time in over 27 years, I do not have a child at home, nor am I waiting for one to "check in" with me tonight!....I do not like how this feels at ALL...
We left the boy with his football coaches last night and went back to the hotel. I was up all night, taking my son's dog outside every few hours (she had a stomach issue....probably missing her boy)...so I saw the full moon at all stages of its trek across the sky!
On the way home this morning the full moon was going down as the morning was rising behind us...It's one of my FAVORITE things to paint! I will be teaching THIS in early November! Check your moon calendar and you will see that the full moon is on the 9-11. PLEASE JOIN ME in Fredericksburg, TX, and we will focus on this and Nocturne painting! It is a BLAST to paint the extreme ends of the day. e-mail Bill for info bush@fbgartschool.com

View to the Bottom

View to the Bottom___16 x 20 oil on linen for Passing America: The Great Plains
At the farm, we called the area where the water drained to, "the bottom"... It was always greener there, of course and the light seemed brighter and warmer in that direction, so I painted it often.
I used a photo and lots of great memories to paint this work. At 16 x 20, it is a larger one than most of the paintings for my upcoming solo show in Nebraska...as you read this, we are on our way to Kansas, to move my son into the dorms for college....GO GET'EM, SAM!!!

Snowpaths

Snowpaths___8x10 oil on linen panel___for Passing America: The Great Plains, exhibit opens in October
The record-breaking heat in Texas has me remembering the good cold days many months ago!. This little drive-by was in the Texas High Plains on a bright, clear winter day.
My "location" work on this one was a quick oil sketch as we drove by. I finished it farther down the road, and only recently made a "painting" out of it...all from memory, letting the first IMPRESSION on canvas speak to me to complete it....
Guess what, y'all....I will be teaching a LOT real soon!...get ready!

My Schedule-----------------
August___Painting the Plains...I will be ALL OVER The place, finishing my project which opens on Oct. 7...
October 7___Passing America: The Great Plains. Lincoln, NE...Reception and Gallery Talk in the evening
Oct. 8-13___Nebraska Workshops...painting farms en plein air
Oct. 18-Nov. 17___Remembering the Farm, Solo show at Inspiration Gallery at Riverbend Church, Austin
October 27___Remembering the Farm Reception and Gallery Talk 5-8 pm. Riverbend, Austin
Nov. 9-11___Fall Workshop at Fredericksburg Artists' School
June 11-13, 2012___Spring Workshop at Fredericksburg Artists School
Summer 2012 Workshop...early August, 2012! TBA!

BIG Gathering_ Crossing Kansas

BIG Gathering _ Crossing Kansas _24x30 oil on linen__for Passing America: The Great Plains
I am probably not finished with this one, yet...it is a large one for my plains exhibit in the fall. A few weeks ago, I posted the study for this one. It was called "Gathering for Kansas"...click link to see it and compare. The study was a "drive-by" painting, created on the move as we went past the little farm where these cows were crossing.

Gathering for Kansas

Gathering for Kansas___6x8 oil on linen panel__for my October exhibit, Passing America: The Great Plains I have returned from my latest Plains jaunt, and ended up with 18 small "drive-by" studies, several thousand photos, and lots of sketches and notes. This little scene caught my eye in Kansas on the way back. It was a small gathering of cattle crossing the gathered waters of snow melt, under a little gathering of clouds, which were the only clouds we saw on the way home. We got home just in time for a special day for my son. On Friday, April 8, he signed his letter of intent to play football at Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina, KS. (Now you know why I asked if anyone knows anybody in Salina or Wichita, KS!) After many college visits, and lots of consideration, Sam chose this wonderful small University and is eager to become part of that community. His high school makes a big deal when kids get scholarships, so Sam enjoyed a nice morning with his friends, and we got to dote on him for a few minutes before school. It also happened to be my birthday!!! A great day which ended with the boy pitching in a victorious baseball game, and lots of time with family and friends.... Purple CUPCAKES!!! (I am a better painter than "froster")

Friend, Priti helped design the tables complete with Kansas sunflowers and Round Rock Donuts.

The boy (coyote shirt), and some of the greatest "other boys" in Round Rock.

Vaughans 1 through 7...

...I don't talk much about my personal life...sorry to break tradition....back to art and such tomorrow!

Field Day-Nebraska4

Field Day-Nebraska___6x8 oil on linen panel__for the October Exhibit Passing America:The Great Plains

As I painted this one while passing buy, it seemed as if this might be the first day the farmers took the tractors out to work! There were three in this field, going different directions and kicking up dirt....Spring is arrived!

Oklahoma Springtime

Oklahoma Springtime-study___8x10 oil on linen panel__for Passing America: the Great Plains I am on the road in the plains again this week...This study was a quickie at sunset in northern Oklahoma, yesterday. I am focused on the change of seasons, this trip. Central Texas is FULLY bloomed (except the pecan trees, but I expect them to "pop" at ANY moment)...as I write this, I am in Kearney, NE, and we have spent the day watching springtime recede back into the colors of winter...EXCEPT, even here there are great pastures of winter grasses all decked out in green. Watching the weather channel, I see snow on the way, though. I am looking forward to the trip home, which will be a moving snapshot of the season shanging from winter to spring....all the 10 "drive-by" paintings I have done so far are just my "studies" for the trip home!...RIGHT NOW, I am leaving the hotel with my driver-buddy, Barbara, to go out to the Rowe Sanctuary and see the cranes on the Platte River.

River Road__Great Plains, Nebraska, farmland

(#5) The River Road, Between Bellwood and US 81__6x8 oil for Passing America...exhibit in 2011
If I misspelled "Bellwood" Allen will let me know (like yesterday's mis-direction), but I promise to NOT send another mail. I will just correct the blog tomorrow!
This long ribbon of road stretched before us, and what I liked was seeing the road get narrower in the distance (it's that "one point perspective" I teach in my workshops!)...and I like the summer, hazy atmosphere over the farmland...a fun thing to paint!
GOOD NEWS!!! Yesterday, my Last Year on the Farm story as presented by Texas Country Reporter and now on YouTube, was selected by NATIONAL RADIO HOST Kim Komando (aka "Your Digital Goddess") as her "pick of the day". I do not know how she found it, but I LOVE her show, so am so honored. Kim is on the radio for 3 hours on Saturdays, and has the best web site EVER for ALL THINGS DIGITAL and electronic. I have learned almost all I know about computers from her show...Here is the link to her mention of me:
http://www.tvkim.com/watch/358/kims-picks-a-painting-a-day

Corn, Soybeans, Corn_farmland, farms, landscape

(#4) Corn, Soybeans, Corn__6x8 oil in lunen panel__for Passing America...exhibit in 2011

Butler County, NE is miles and miles of corn and soybean farms...corn, soybeans, corn, and soybeans make a BEAUTIFUL patchwork on the hills. I always thought that Nebraska farmland must be really flat. But, Allen took me to the eastern part of his county, which he calls "The Alps". The hills are not THAT tall, but glaciers in the past have made this whole section VERY hilly. Because this is the height of summer and the corn is tall, I could not see very far past the first row, but coming down off the hills there were many beautiful views of the Platte River Valley.

To see some neat detail, click on the blog image.

Warm Summer Morning

Warm Summer Morning__18x18 oil on linen panel__$ 1620...unless you were in the art workshop!

Our second day started before sunrise. The quickly changing light of sunrise can scare a plein air painter, and it's only because things change so fast! I give a lot of instruction on capturing impressions quickly...it is a big theme of my workshop, and I have lots of tips to help. This is the western view from the art school! If you stay in one of the log cabins there, here is what you wake up to...big Texas landscapes and skies!

As I think about it, now, this was one of my more successful workshops, as far as the student's improvement goes! I know this because no one complained! Everyone turned out at least a COUPLE of great starts...I hope they are feeling as great about the workshop as I am! ...This painting above was not quite done after the morning "start", so I hope to hear from a few from the group...what do y'all think? I hope y'all are working from your "starts" this week, like I am!

I heard from Bill Bush today. He runs the Fredericksburg Artists School, and we talked about next year's date. Here is the date for 2011: June 13 - 15...I will have details as soon as we are POSITIVELY sure, but mark your calendars and join us! Sign up early, because I will keep the class small...

Cowgirl Gold

Cowgirl Gold___16x20 oil on linen___for Cowgirl Up! ...Wickenburg, AZ, March 26-28, 2010
I had a nice visit with the Austin Palette Club this morning, and began this painting as a demo for the group. Since I had painted a plein air study several months ago, it all felt very "familiar" and I think the demo came out well....note to artists: when doing a demo, be sure that you are comfortable and familiar with the "subject", and be sure that the group is NICE...makes the demo easier ...The Austin Palette Club is a VERY NICE and HAPPY group of artists! We had a great time together, but it went so FAST!!!
The title of this is really "Nestled in Gold", but as I typed it in, I saw that I had already used that for another painting. OOPS! Cowgirl Up! asked for our titles months ago, and I turned in "Nestled..." without thinking. This is the painting that they are using for the show catalog, and it is a painting from the plein air study I did last fall while visiting CO with a couple of friends.

Nestled in Gold__moonrise, mesa, night lights, New Mexico, Colorado

"Nestled in Gold" 11 x 14 oil on linen___available at Act I Gallery, Taos, NM
This is MY FAVORITE painting from last week in the mountains. Our place is so closed in to a canyon, that it takes the moon a couple of hours to rise above the mountain tops. So, since I knew there's be a full moon, I dragged my buddies out for a little drive. As soon as we rounded a bend away from the low mesas at the mouth of our canyon, THIS SCENE presented itself... We quickly found a place to pull off and I got my gear out in a hurry. I hate wrangling a lot of equipment, and never even took out my easel for this one. I just held the canvas in my hand and threw my palette on the ground and hunkered behind a tire to block the wind...I got all the major colors and shapes down in a hurry and painted till I couldn't tell white from yellow (that's how I know it's too dark to paint :) If you can come to a workshop, I will show you how!
(click the image to see it bigger)
OCTOBER SCHEDULE_________________________
Oct. 17 Workshop in Calvert, TX. A mini half-day Plein Air Workshop. Sunrise demo, followed by workshop until noon. Primarily in oils, but all media and skill levels are welcome. Officially starts at 8 a.m. and ends with lunch. $45 Contact Cecelia at grannyc_54@yahoo.com for information and a supply list. http://www.facebook.com/reqs.php#/profile.php?id=1380900702
Oct. 24 Texas Country Reporter show, Waxahachie, TX Courthouse. ALL DAYSunday
Oct. 25 First Annual Bovine Art Show, Cactus Jack's in Gruene, TX
Oct. 31 All Day Workshop with Austin's PACT. Limit 20 students email me for details vvaughan8@yahoo.com