3 of 24 Paintings in 24 Hours_"Round Ones"

3 of 24 Paintings in 24 Hours... One Last Day on the Farm_"Round Ones"...sales info soon!

From May until November last year, we had record rains, and yet there was no hay cut or baled, 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 some place. 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 Paintings in 24 Hours

"Two Last Day on the Farm_'Brilliance'_1 of 24_6x8 oil on linen panel.....for sale SOON.

The cardinals sang and the mockingbirds mocked them while I painted this one. And a certain buyllfrog kept me company all day, bellowing from the tank below. I was really thrilled when the sun streamed through for a few minutes...

The first painting (see yesterday's BLOG)seemed stressful (probably because of the TV cameras!), but by the time I got into this one, it felt like the other 365 paintings I did "Last Year on the Farm"...

Wait till you see the rest! especially the moonlight ones!

These will all be sold a special way!...details to come!...and don't forget the BOOK! Ask me about it!

One of 24 Paintings - 24 Hours__Click to Bid

"One Last Day on the Farm_'Greeting'_1 of 24_6x8 oil on linen panel.....for sale SOON.
Twenty-four paintings in 24 hours! One Last Day on the Farm..I said yesterday how fun it was. I need to mention how bittersweet, too. ...Here is the first one I painted...a little bit tight (you will see as I post the others how they get pretty loose!)...it is the sunrise I loved so much to paint on the farm. This time I was near my usual location on my deck, but below and in the field, instead...The mockingbird serenaded me just as before! There were silver-leafed nightshades underfoot, and the pecan trees have budded, now. As I got into this painting, I could feel my spirit soar, and I couldn't wait to paint the next one and the next one and ....more to come tomorrow! The News 8 crew captured the start of this one, and a few others...I had about 3 finished before they left. I will get the link worked out soon ;)

24 of 24...Remnants

"One Last Day on the Farm_24 of 24_Remnants".......6x8 oil on linen panel.....for sale SOON.

Twenty-four paintings in 24 hours! One Last Day on the Farm...it was beautiful and FUN!.

This is #24, the last one of the bunch. (Actually, I painted a 25th one, but I'll tell you about that one later).

The whole process was symbolic for me, this time...I decided to paint from locations I had not painted from before! My usual painting place was the studio deck at our old house, but this time, I perched myself across the pasture and tank where I could see the house.

My friends and assistants, Teri and Linda came and spent the whole time with me, keeping me company and providing comic relief! (more on that later, too!) Linda gets a special mention, because Monday was her BIRTHDAY!

This painting is particularly symbolic. Three weeks ago a grass fire raged through the very center of the farm, scorching about 40 acres and vaporizing all the bales of hay that were there. This painting shows remnants of this fire, though the pasture is nearly healed with new growth, now, (More symbolism).

The remnant of the herd is this little bunch of white cows, where our black ones once grazed....

More about all this, tomorrow!

Brown House

"Brown House"____6 x 8 oil on linen______V....Vaughan

I spent the night with my neice Tracie and my GREAT neice and nephew, Chelsea and Payden, at their lake house in Brownwood, TX. The UMHB Cru baseball team has a weekend series in Brownwood , so we went and saw my son, Tanner, pitch and enjoyed a time on the beautiful lake!

Why do I call this "Brown House"?

Because this house belongs to Tracie and Shawn BROWN...

I will TRY to post tomorrow, but at sunrise I will return to the Farm to paint 24 paintings in 24 hours for "One Last Day on the FARM". I WILL LET EVERYONE KNOW HOW THE PAINTINGS WILL BE AVAILABLE, and when, and I am sure to have a lot of thoughts to share. I hope you will let me know what you think. ...if you live in the Austin area, News 8 is doing a sunrise interview and a little story that will run tomorrow (evening?). Let me know if you see it...I don't get the channel!

Rest of the Fickle Windmill

"Fickle Windmill" 8 x 6 Study for T&D______$100

I posted part of this the other day, and when looking through the files just now, I couldn't find the WHOLE painting, because as a thumbnail it looked like a photo! When I painted this I hated it, because the greens were too...GREEN! But letting a few days go by, and seeing how accurate the colors are compared to the real photos, I change my mind a little bit!

It reminded me of a painting I did at the farm about a year ago. I ended up calling it "Green That Hurts", because the greens this time of year are so electric, that it hurts to look at them!..

Sunday begins my "One Last Day on the Farm"...I will be camped out there with my friends L and T to keep me awake, and a few reporter-types coming to see how I can do 24 paintings in 24 hours!...BUT!...between now and then, I have three ballgames to cheer at!...PLEASE WATCH for the 24 in 24, and if you are in the Austin area, watch News 8 on Sunday! ;)

The Rest of 10 Minutes...

"The Rest of 10 Minutes on the Farm" see April 14 post...6 x 8 oil on linen, in preparation for "One Last Day on the Farm".... $175 still wet!

Two days ago I posted this one (April 14 Post on my Blog) after I had only put in about 10 minutes to "block it in".

To get ready for my "One Last Day on the Farm" I have been painting little studies of the farm this week. I finished this one today.

The Texas Country Reporter (a GREAT TV travel-type show about all things Texas") was with me with cameras rolling when I painted this one. They spent two days with me, hearing all about our "Last Year on the Farm" and the 365 paintings I did....The interview will be on TV all over Texas on the weekend of May 10-11. In Austin it's on KEYE 42 at 7:30 AM on Sunday, May 11.

http://www.texascountryreporter.com/show_time.htm

Click here to find your TV station and time....and in a few months it will be all over the USA on the RFD-TV...I'll let y'all know when.

April Sparkle_ A New Limited Edition Giclee

"April Sparkle" A New Limited Edition Giclee on canvas, 8x10 $75

My friend and assistant, Teri has a birthday on the day I painted this one, "Last Year on the Farm 4-16-2007". The painting sold right away, but Teri really liked it, so I have produced a VERY SMALL edition of just 5 giclee reproductions on canvas. Teri got #1 for her birthday, and the other four will go to whoever asks for them first. I will use FedEx to get it to you in a hurry, and never print it again!...Toomorrow I will post the finish of yesterday's painting...

10 minutes

"Ten Minutes on the Farm"....to be continued

This is the "essential 'block-in'"...I'll tell about it tomorrow!

Egret Thunder

"Egret Thunder" 15 x 30 oil on linen, CLICK HERE to see frame and hi-res image

Salon International is a yearly national juried art show, and one of the finest exhibits of representational art. My painting, "Egret Thunder" was awarded Honorable Mention at the awards ceremony last night at the Greenhouse Gallery in San Antonio, TX.

This is a big honor, but I can't help remembering a recent art show at the small school where I have taught art for 18 years. The young elementary students had an exhibit and awards were given. Of course everyone got a ribbon. I had to laugh when I overheard one of the students telling another how rude it was that her ribbon said "HORRIBLE"...I went to see what she saw, and found a nice "Honorable Mention" ribbon on her art!

Click below to see the Greenhouse web site and a high resolution image of my painting with the frame and all! THe painting has not sold , yet, but I have gotten a call or two.

http://greenhousegallery.com/cgi-bin/mp/lookup1.pl?titleid=SI200800269

Fickle Windmill

"Fickle Windmill" .............a study for Tom and Debbie's painting

I spent the morning at Debbie and Tom's Ranch, photographing and sketching. Before I finished this sketch, the wind changed direction and the blades spun into a BLUR....so this one is mighty rough...then the afternoon and evening were filled with baseball games where it was SENIOR DAY for the Univerisity of Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders. Our team just couldn't get it going today and we lost a couple of high scoring ball games....

This time next week, I will paint ONE LAST DAY ON THE FARM. So, for the next week, I will be painting from photos of the farm, getting my eye ready to paint 24 in 24 hours...hope you will stay tuned!

Yesterday Once More

"Yesterday" ....6 x 8 oil on linen panel...Sold to Anna and Allen in David City, NE

I posted this yesterday, but it wasn't quite done, and the photo was aweful. I call it "Yesterday", because that's when I painted it, while at the farm with the Texas Country Reporter...They were with me for about 10 hours, and will put it all into a 10- 15 minute segment, I suppose...I will let the BLOG know when it comes on TV in a few weeks :)

THANK YOU to Anna and Allen, who bought this little painting after seeing the BAD photo! Compare the finish with my post from yesterday!

Yesterday

"Yesterday"

Platte River - Crane Sounds- 2

"Platte River Crane Sounds 2"

About a week ago I posted the beginning of this painting. Here it is all done : The Platte River, where, by now, I suppose the cranes have all left to go north.

Interestingly, as I went out to paint our old farm a few days ago, the first thing we saw while standing in the pasture , high overhead was a large group of sandhill cranes. They were circling and making their familiar sounds, calling to a smaller group which joined them in the air. My heart soared up there with them as I anticipate my next 24 hour adventure there, next week.

The word seems to be spreading and more people are calling to ask about my "One Last Day on the Farm"...I hope you will follow the next week's blog posts as I share just how I will do 24 paintings in 24 hours....

To read a good review about "Last Year on the Farm" click the link below

http://journalstar.com/articles/2008/02/03/living/gz/performances/doc47a0e837b407c595235319.txt

Last Day on the Farm

"The Last Day on the Farm"...6 x 8...Available in May

I spent the day with the Texas Country Reporter and "crew" at the farm. See photo of their famous SUV in our old pasture? See the burn from the fire a couple weeks ago...already almost greened up!

We had beautiful weather for me to begin my "One Last Day" on the Farm....I am regarding this day as the "kickoff" day for my last 24 paintings in 24 hours at the farm, though I will actually paint the 24 on April 20-21. I painted this one, today, deciding that my next and LAST 24 will NOT be my usual views. This is symbolic of a NEW VIEW of a farm, no longer MINE..get ready for 24 totally new paintings!

The Texas Country Reporter is a great TV show on CBS here in Texas and all over the country on the cable network, RFD.

My segment will air on May 17 or 18, I think, but I will announce the date on the blog. After it airs, I will have a link on my web site...I think they did a gret job...more than anything, it was fun to be on the farm again, on this, MY BIRTHDAY!

It was a great birthday! UMHB won a double header against Trinity University, and the RRHS Dragon JV White team won their big game, too! So I got three baseball victories for my birthday!

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

Springy Farm

"Springy Farm" 6 x 8 $150 still wet

For the past couple days I have gone BACK to the farm. That "film crew" I mentioned is Bob Phillips and the guys from that great weekly TV program, Texas Country Reporter. They are doing a little story about my "Last Year on the Farm" and will document my "One Last Day", as I paint 24 paintings in 24 hours next week...wow....The one above is what I painted while waiting for the guys to catch up with me there last night...It's a quickie, and a study of the white cows grazing where our black cows once were. Spring is just now turning the place green...even the black pasture where the fire was last week is already greening up!!! I hope to show some of the leftover black in a few of my 24 paintings next week. For now, this one is available to the first one who wants it....more to come!!!

Distant Gathering

"Distant Gathering"___6x8___not available YET

I made good time on the way home from NE! I slept late (well, 7 am is late for me) and got all the way to Belton by lunch time, so took my son to lunch. Only an hour from home I decided to stop by Debbie and Tom's ranch to look around for ideas for a painting they want me to do! Gee, I had my paints all loaded on the pallette, since I just painted on the Platte river 2 days ago, so I did this little study of distant clouds and cows gathering!

Tomorrow, I will be sketching at THE FARM! A film crew is coming to look it over with me and make plans for the next installation of 24 in 24. Since my usual view went up in flames last week, I will be looking at the farm from a different angle this time...how symbolic!

Waiting for Green

"Waiting for Green"_____6x8 oil on fine linen_____taking to AZ unless someone wants it for $200

I painted this recently and my long drive today showed similar scenes: Spring is near! The trees have little green buds as far north as Southern Kansas! The cranes are on their way north, and the redbuds are splashing all over Oklahoma!

This longhorn had a warm sunbath, but the grass is not green yet....but SOON!

BIG NEWS!!!! The farm where I did all my painting had a big fire! Just when I plan to paint it next week "One Last Day on the Farm" 24 paintings in 24 hours....A film crew is supposed to come out for the marathon, but I will tell you more about that when it's a "sure thing".

I saw the blackened pasture and thin it will make for some interesting paintings!

Mark your calendar for a painting day in Rockport, TX! I'll give a plein air workshop on April 26. We will tackle drawing problems on canvas. Here is a hint...a pencil is a line maker, but a brush makes SHAPES!!! Contact me for info or to sign up. Click here vvaughan8@yahoo.com

Platte River - Crane Sounds

"Platte River to the Sound of the Cranes" 6x8 oil on Linen

It was that damp kind of cold today...to the bones! But I could not resist getting out of the car to paint this one...I had to stop when my hands got clumsy and I knocked over my little container of walnut oil...but I gathered info that will help me paint a big one from the drab photos I took :)

Most of the 1GB of pics on the camera were of the 400,000 sandhill cranes coming in to roost on the river....wow...this spectacle near Grand Island, NE is known as one of the 10 biggest wildlife spectacles in the world! My artist friend Marilyn Bower and I were lucky that is was yukky weather, because people backed out of the tour and we got to take their place in the "blind"...a couple of hours at sundown, watching these magnificent birds gather for the night. In a couple of days they will rise from te water for the last time this year, to fly north...some of them all the way beyond Alaska into siberia, for a total flight distance of 5,000. Today, I am a crane expert...tomorrow is my u-Haul trip back to Texas :)