Cowboy Cool

12x8, oil on panel
I'm in a new phase lately - I love the window shoppers. This is one of two that I worked on today and both are from images of a hip new urban development in Austin. 2nd Street has some really neat shops and restaurants and is laid back - well - very Austin. This young woman is looking into a store called "Cowboy Cool." I loved the rows of stylish cowboy boots including a longhorn, of course, and hot pink boots which I wish I was brave enough to wear. My daughter has a pair.... she loves pink shoes.

This one is for Artworks Gallery in Austin, framed in black, and available before the end of the week if anyone is interested. I am not sure I can do justice to this subject for a small auction painting, however. Thanks for looking.

A Day at the MFAH

6x6, oil on panel - $100 email me
Another scene from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. I am excited to learn they have a French Masterpieces (from the Met) exhibit coming in February. We do not have many opportunities in Austin to see impressionism and representational masterworks. So when a good tour comes along, I will drive to see it.

Drawn In

8x6, oil on panel - $100 - email me
I posted this as one of my first blog entries and because E-bay is having a sale today on listings, I decided to repost it and go ahead and try the auction. The man is viewing a painting in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. I love how carefully he is studying it.

Bored With Tea

9x12, oil on panel
I did this painting a couple of weeks ago and thought I'd share it - it is not for sale yet. I will probably be doing something similar larger, and/or offer this to my gallery.

This is my daughter (the blonde with the unruly hair) and her darling friend, Sarah, at a mother/daughter tea recently. The girls got restless and amused themselves by watching traffic and people outside. This was such a beautiful setting. And it makes me sappy, especially as we get close to the holidays. Anna has had a lot of health issues in her short life and her initial hospitalization and diagnosis came the week of Thanksgiving 2 years ago. So this time of year I get pretty overwhelmed and emotional when people start talking of what they are most thankful for.
Before I start getting all weepy here, I will wrap up - I wish you all health and happiness and beauty in your lives. Happy Thanksgiving.

Making an Impression

7x5, oil on clayboard - $100 email me
This woman is another fun figure from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. I love how close she is to the painting, studying it in earnest, but with her hands safely clamped behind her back like we've all been schooled since childhood. And like I must remind my three year old regularly. "Mustn't touch!" But, oh! how I've longed to when viewing some of those lush paintings myself.

Halcyon Morning

7x5, oil on clayboard - sold
This young lady was waiting for customers at a local coffee house. I liked the play of light on the bottles and the yellow walls surrounding her darker features.

Mama's New Shoes

6x6 - sold

Crossed Wires

6x6 - $100 email me
I've always been drawn to rather industrial scenes and have wanted to try something like this for awhile. So I did. Some of this was done with palette knife and some brush. And I enjoyed it so much I did another larger. I plan to continue to explore this theme. Let me know what you think.

Green Chaise

7x5, oil on hardboard SOLD
My daughter and I went with another mom and her preschooler to a Mother/Daughter Tea sponsored by the Austin Junior Forum in the historic Caswell house in downtown Austin this past weekend. Everyone, especially our girls, looked so pretty in their nice Christmasy dresses, this begins the season I suppose, already. We had our tea in the Bride's room, and pinks and greens in this bright corner were a perfect painting awaiting.

Bus Stop

6x6, oil on panel - $100 email me
This is a small study of a man sitting at a bus stop in Austin. The larger painting has more figures and can be seen on my website soon. Sorry for the glare on the image... its hard to get a good photo esp. when there are lots of wet dark areas.

Texas Beach Boy

6x4 - $100 Sold
I have to confess to being in a bit of a slump. I have started numerous things, wiped off and started over and messed with my materials and tried new things as a "solution". I truly hate weeks like this, they can make an artistic type lose all hope. I know it will pass, but what does a 'daily blogger' do? I am going to admit it and beg for mercy! This painting, btw, was done this past spring at the beach in Rockport. And I am proud of it. Showing it off will boost my spirits! There is always tomorrow...

Prancing Toy Horse

6x6 - $100 email me

Saturday on Second St.

8x6 oil on panel - sold

Anna in the Morning

6x6 - oil on linen panel
Sad to admit it, but I have never painted my daughter. I think I am terrified of "portraits" but like to paint people. Figure THAT out. Anyway - this morning she sat up in the bay window in her Dora jammies looking so rumpled that I couldn't resist taking some photos and then trying my hand at it.

Driskill Lounge

6x6 - SOLD
The Driskill Hotel here in Austin has some of the coziest lounge areas. I love all the dark paneling, southwestern themes and intimate lighting throughout. Painting all those rich colors is a great deal of fun.

Long Shadows

8x6 - $100 email me
I THINK this was Michigan Ave. from our Sept. visit to the city. We had just left a mall late afternoon and started on our way towards the river.

Little Peek-a-Boo

6x6 - $100 SOLD

Toy Drafthorse

5x7 - $100 email me
Must've been in a fall mood today with my color choices. Though its to be in the 90s here again.

Breyer Foal

6x6 - $100 email me

Today's painting is inpsired by my daughter. Her toys are often littering the floor and on more than one occassion, I have looked at them thinking they made a nice composition. Well today I wanted to paint one of her toy horses. Actually, this was mine when I was young. I have a large collection of Breyer horses as well, so this might be the start of a fun series. I enjoyed painting this. The models are masterfully created and its fun to paint the highlights and perfect proportions of the toys. Its a little strange that I do not paint horses - growing up I lived for horses. I was a slave to anyone who let me ride and worked at stables to earn such priveleges starting in 6th grade probably. I eventually owed two also (well, my parents owned them!) at different times. I trained them and showed (hunters) all through high school. But then college took me away. My parents moved again and we decided my lovely little thoroughbred hunter needed more attention and loving. I hope he got it. I still wonder where he is and how he is.

Green Apples

6x6 oil on panel - sold
After several days dedicated to figures, I wanted to paint these little green apples. First, I love the color combination and second I love the freedom a still life can offer after having to be so careful with porportions and such with figures. So, this is loose and colorful and was a lot of fun to create.