Winecups at Sunset

Winecups at Sunset

6" x 8"

oil

My e-mail got hung up yesterday, so I tried many different ways to send out my blog. Nothing seems to have worked right. I finally figured out today that, perhaps, one e-mail file I was trying to send was too large and it wouldn't go. I deleted it all, and everything seemed to start to work again.

I apologize if you got my blog more than once, of if you didn't get it at all.

Please be sure to scroll down and read Wednesday's post, if you didn't get yesterday's blog.

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A mail box beside a country road. Winecups blooming in the grass beside the base of the box. Sunset driving long shadows from a house across an open field. A nice time of day. A nice time of year. Spring in Texas.

The little painting above is done with oil paint on stretched canvas.

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Please let me know if you see anything of interest to you.

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The Circus arrived at Reed Arena yesterday! Much excitement!

This isn't the full three ring circus, but is a new concept that Ringling Bros. is using, with just one ring. There are still elephants, big cats, and all kinds of acts and clowns to delight all ages.

It ends Saturday.

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One more day to Sketch Crawl! Saturday April 11, 2009

http://www.sketchcrawl.com/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BrazosValley_Sketchers

Join us!

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If you are in the Brazos Valley area, meet at Mud Creek Pottery on Main Street in Calvert about 8:30 a.m. or the LaSalle Hotel in downtown Bryan, also about 8:30 a.m. Meet in the courtyard or the coffee shop. After 10:00 a.m, in Bryan, register at the Frame Gallery, 216 N. Bryan Ave.

Once we meet, we can see if we have a group, where we want to sketch, and if we want to work alone or with someone else.

Just bring yourself, paper and pencil or pen, or whatever sketching, painting, or journaling materials that you prefer. Also bring any personal items you need like a hat, sunglasses, folding chair or stool, or camera. Of course, you should bring any money that you want to spend.

The Sketch Crawl is FREE, but you might want to buy something to eat, drink, etc.

The weather forecast is calling for possible thunderstorms starting to move in on Saturday. That should not affect us. The stores will be open so we could find a place to work indoors. I'm thinking of several possibilities.

In Calvert, you have all those great show windows to look through at Mud Creek Pottery, if you need to work inside for a while.

Of course, there are always restaurants where it would be nice to spend some time and enjoy something to eat or drink.

It really is a nice day for anyone who likes to sketch, draw, journal, or doodle.

Let me know if you have any questions.

I'm anxious to see what everyone does, as well as to participate myself!

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Have you watched the storks, yet? Look for links to stork webcams in my sidebar under Stork Sites. They are fascinating!

Evening Primroses

Evening Primroses

6" x 8"

oil

I've gotten some comments in the past few days, that are advertisements or spam. The link that one gave doesn't even go to a website. So, I've done something that I really hate having to do myself. I went in and changed my settings so that people have to complete those security letters before they can post a comment.

I hope that doesn't prevent you from making legitimate comments on my blog. Hopefully, this will stop some of those annoying spam things and, maybe, one day, we will be able to have our blogs without that type of thing happening. I noticed that so many people have added this feature. I hate to do those because they are so hard for me to figure out, usually! (I dislike puzzles as much as I dislike math!) But, hopefully, this will help avoid nuisance ads or worse.

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The little 6"x8" oil painting above is a country scene in spring, complete with mailbox and dainty pink evening primroses. They are in bloom here, now. Some people call them buttercups, but buttercups are yellow. They are a really delicate looking flower.

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Only 2 more days until the 22nd World Wide Sketch Crawl starts.

I looked at the Forum on the Sketch Crawl website, http://www.sketchcrawl.com, to see where people will be participating on Saturday. It looks like there are 55 foreign countries, and 47 different locations in the U.S.A. that have registered on the website, so far. There are 8 locations in Texas. That's over 100 places where people will be out sketching, drawing, painting, or journaling their surroundings on Saturday. I think that is exciting, and I can't wait to see what everyone does.

Here in Bryan/College Station, plans are for us to meet about 8:30 a.m. at the LaSalle Hotel in the courtyard, or the coffee shop. After 10 a.m., we can register at the Frame Gallery, just so that we will have some idea of who is participating and where they are working.

In Calvert, meet at Mud Creek Pottery on Main Street, about 8:30 a.m.

People in other communities can form their own groups, or they are welcome to join us in Calvert or Bryan. Or wherever you might be.

After we meet, we can see if we have a group, and if people want to work together or spread out on their own. And we can decide on where we want to work.

We will spend the day recording our surroundings with art. Those who wish to have lunch together might do that.

Participants can work all day, or for a few minutes, if their time is limited.

If there is bad weather, we can always go indoors to work. There are plenty of restaurants and shops with seating, even the library, that would be a nice place to sit and draw. Rain should not keep us from participating on Saturday. The weatherman said there might be thunderstorms on Saturday, but it is supposed to be worse on Sunday.

Easter decorations and traditions would be interesting to look at as subjects, possibly.

Please help to spread the word.

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These are some of the places that have registered for the Sketch Crawl. Maybe you can find one in your own area to join, if you aren't local to Bryan/College Station.

In Texas, North Texas, Austin, Houston, Waxahachie, Georgetown, Port Lavaca, Bryan/College Station, and Calvert. There is also an active group in Dallas, but I don't see them listed this time. They were listed in previous crawls.

In the Unitd States, Oklahoma; Ithaca, NY; Tttumwa, Iowa; Baltimore, MD; Manchester, CA; Corvalis, OR; San Jose, CA; Albuquerque, NM; Portland, OR; Savannah, GA; St. Joseph, MO; Taos, NM; Placer & Nevada counties, Northern, CA; Lansing, MI; Cambrige, Mass.; Rocherster, NY; Griffin, GA; Owosso, MI; Northern Indiana; Bozeman, MT; Atlanta, GA; Honolulu, Hawaii; Phoenix, AR; Albany, NY; LaGrande, OR; Washington, DC; Las Vegas, NV; Mobile, AL.

Also, NYC; Greenville, SC; San Francisco, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Moscow, ID; New York City; New Orleans, LA; Chicago, IL; Salem, OR; Tucson, AR; Seattle, WA; and Phoenix, AR.

In other countries, Ipswich, Australia; Frankfurt or Mainz, Germany; Budapest, Hungary; Singapore; Anwerp or Bruges, Belgium; Seoul, Korea; Oxford, UK; Brussels, Belgium; Vienna, Austria; Firenze, Italy; Hamilton, NZ; Moscow, Russia; Porto, Portugal; Sao Carlos, SP, Brazil; Bogata/Chia, Columbia; Sydney, Australia; Lisbon, Portugal; Italia; Rome, Italy; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Treviso, Italy; Vancouver, BC; Kanagawa, Japan; Barcelona, Spain; London; Beijing, China; and Jakarta, Indonesia.

Also, Tamworth, Australia; Banalore, India; Paris, France; Belfast, Ireland; Osnabruck, Germany; Drogheda, Ireland, Salvadore, Bahia, Brazil; Wellington, NZ; Bologna, Italy; Shanghai, China (Puxi); East UK; Salzburg, Austria; Kuala Lampur, Malaysia; Hyderbad, India; SE Wales, UK; Salsburg, Austria; Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Manilla, Phillipines; Berlin, Germany; Milano, Italy; Israel; Sweden; Blue Mountains, Australia; Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Aukland, NZ; Bremen, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Stockholm, Sweden.

If you are in any of those areas, and want to sketch with a group, you can contact them on the Forum under 22nd World Wide Sketch Crawl.

Remember that Sketch Crawl is FREE and open to anyone who likes to draw, paint, sketch, journal, or even doodle. Just bring yourself, sketchbook or paper, pencil, pen or whatever you like to draw with, personal items like a hat, sunglasses, or folding stool or chair, and any money that you want to spend.

At the end of the day, people can get together, if they want to, to share their work and experiences.

We will post our work and experiences on the Sketch Crawl website, and personal websites and blogs. And this should give us some good material to do more finished work from.

Hope you are looking forward to this event, too.

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Robertson County Bluebonnets

Robertson County Bluebonnets

8" x 10"

oil

Bluebonnet time in Texas is an exciting time, bringing lots of visitors to see the state flower in bloom.

I've had this scene in mind for a while, finally got it painted, and dry enough to scan.

This scene is on a little hill with a drop off, covered in Bluebonnets, on the left. A dirt road leads off the highway to a wooded area behind a wooden gate. On the right, a farmhouse peeks above the raised lawn. In the foreground, there is a rock lined flower bed with cactus growing in the bed.

The blue Texas sky is dotted with whisps of white clouds.

I have a companion piece that isn't finished, to go with this one. Another 8"x10". This one has an old two room school house in it.

Hope you enjoy the Bluebonnets. They will soon be replaced by fields of red Indian Paintbrushes.

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Flu symptoms are a bit better today. The young one went on to school today. He had to go because of the TAKS math test. I hope that, feeling bad, doesn't hurt his score on that test. He came home yesterday and said that he felt so bad, he couldn't think. Hopefully, he is better today. I was so sick at my stomach, sneezing, dizzy, etc., myself until this morning. But I did manage to fix soup and toast, and urge him to eat Jello, take in plenty of liquids, etc.

I was going to make some homemade croutons to float in soup by just toasting some bread with a little butter on it, then cutting them into cubes. But, I ended up just cutting them into strips and letting him use those to dip in his soup. Pretty good! He really likes to have Cheetos or toast with his soup, and what we had was crackers. So, I had to figure out something to go with the soup. He can't have milk, until after Thursday, if the doctor says it is okay. She thought he had a stomach ache from a virus or milk, before the recital last Thursday. I thought it might be anxiety. But, as it turned out, it seems he was getting sick and by Saturday, he seemed to have classic flu symptoms. By late Sunday, I had his stomach ache!

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If you are in the area, go over to Stark Gallery in the MSC at A&M and see the Faculty Art Show. Another group of art teachers have their work on display at the Art Center in College Station.

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And I'm thinking of where the best places are going to be to sketch Saturday, during the 22nd World Wide Sketch Crawl.

Hope that you are going to join me!

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Youth Art Month-Linda Lane Sunset

Linda Lane Sunset

6" x 8"

oil

This is another one of the small oil paintings, part of my homework from the Plein Aire Painting Workshop in Calvert. We get to see some really nice sunsets beyond the oak tree and across the open field across the street.

I did this one last week and, already, the new leaves are covering a lot of my view.

As I painted, I used V....Vaughan's limited palette of primary colors, plus white. Which is what you really need to make all the other colors. And I kept in mind what I watched her do as she painted those early morning sunrises in Calvert.

If you are familiar with Harry Ahysen's work, her colors remind me so much of what he used. In his workshops, we asked him what colors he used to get those magnificent pinks and purples. He laughed and said, "Oh, you mean Pepto Bismol Pink and that new Spanish color, Jello!" See, that stuck with me through all these years. I can't remember what he said about purple, though. I think that was stuck in the sentence somewhere.

Ahysen's paintings just glowed, too. I think it was his use of mediums. He mixed 3 mediums together, Grumbacher Medium #3 (or was it #2!), Copal, and something else that I never can remember until I see it in a catalogue. He also used some Liquin.

So far, I've just been using low odor turpentine, as V.... directed when we were outside painting. And I have been using some of the Max II paints, with Bob Ross Titanium White and Cad Yellow Light. I need to use my Liquin before it dries up, like a lot of other things that I have!

We found that the Max II paints dry out a lot faster, especially outside, making them hard to handle at times. I had to use a lot of turnpentine to make them move on the canvas. Otherwise, it was like trying to paint with sticky chewing gum!

The idea of the Max II paints was to keep the odor down since they clean with water instead of turpentine. But, they can be used with any medium or thinner, just like regular oil paints. So, we end up with some fumes anyway.

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I've learned that the circus will be in town on the day of the Sketch Crawl, Saturday April 11. Ringling Brothers will have a one ring circus show with animals and perfomers at Reed Arena, ending on the 11th. They will be here several days before that.

This might be a possibility of a place to draw, at least for a little while, during the Crawl.

Of course, you have to buy a ticket to get into the circus, but there might be an opportunity to just watch from outside and do some sketching of people and any circus performers who happen by. Just a thought.

Let me know if you want to join us for the Sketch Crawl. And if you have some ideas about getting more people involved and where we might work. We're going to start here in downtown Bryan. A group can also start at Mud Creek Pottery in Calvert.

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One more thing about Sketch Crawl. If you would like an official Sketch Crawl t-shirt, they are available on the Sketch Crawl website. http://www.sketchcrawl.com They are not required, but I thought it was a neat idea. There is time to order one if you want one for the event.

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Go over to the Art Center in College Station to see the Art Show of work by area Art Teachers. Look at my sidebar for more information. You can also attend the reception at the Art Center to honor the teachers. Check the Arts Council of Brazos Valley calendar for more information.

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Plan to go downtown Bryan Friday evening for First Friday. Lots of art, music, food, entertainment, and activities are being planned for all to enjoy. Check out the Downtown Bryan Association website and The Frame Gallery website for more information.

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Thanks for reading and sharing!

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Foxes and The Tree

Foxes and the Tree

30" x 40"

Acrylics on Vellum

The moon was still up in the west while the sun was rising in the east as I drove to work on highway 6. On this particular morning, as I passed by "the tree", there seemed to be a family of foxes romping through the grass. Their brown backs and tails arched almost like waves as they ran across the field. The stump from the tree's "friend" was still visable. The red wooden gate that opened to the pasture was colorful and welcoming against the golden color of the fall grass.

Years ago, there were two trees left on this hill. We used to drive past on our way between Bryan and Hearne, after the new highway was completed. Prior to the new highway, the road passed a little to the east in front of an old fashioned filling station, then curved back to go across a creek bottom and under the railroad bridge. After some bad wrecks, the highway department decided to straighten out some curves in highway 6, which then took us closer to the tree on the hill.

We were surprised when we saw that one tree had been struck by lightning. The stump remained and the burned tree lay across it for years. Eventually, the burned tree disappeared and the stump shrunk into the grass. But that one tree remained.

"The Tree" became a landmark to watch as I drove back and forth to work, home, shopping. "Where are you?" My daughter would ask on the cell phone. "I'm just coming to the tree," I would answer.

The tree looked like it was stretching, or about to run or dance. Sometimes it seemed sad, there, all alone, without a friend. (If you ever watch Bob Ross or William Alexander paint, you will see that they add a tree, then give it a "friend".) Sometimes, it seemed weak and about to die in times of drought. There were times when it appeared to be fearful, when grass and forest fires threatened, especially from the railroad just across the highway, or from passing cars that threw out cigarettes.

I imagine that, once, this land was covered with trees, like the land below the hill before someone wanted more pasture land, or the railroad and highway came through. I wonder who decided which tree to leave and why. I'm sure that they never would have guessed that their decision to leave that tree would bring attention and pleasure to people in our time.

I passed by this tree so much that I made a little rhyme to pass the time and to help me to relax a bit.

"Good Morning, Tree!

Watch after me.

And be my friend.

I surely need a friend today!"

And going home,

"Goodnight, Tree!

I'm going home now.

Keep your roots deep

And your branches strong."

That's all there was time for as I whizzed past. But, it made me laugh, sometimes. I guess it was therapeutic.

We debated about what kind of tree it is. I always thought it was an oak tree. But a bus driver when we were on a field trip, told me that she thought it is a pecan tree. I never was close enough to it to look at the leaves.

Now, the red gate is gone, replaced by a metal one. A huge metal barn of a building by the railroad tracks has been built, spoiling the view across the highway from the tree. I just try to look toward the tree and not at that ugly building when we drive past. Some kind of company built it and bulldozed the land there. The old fillling station could still be seen, from the back, as it was at the fork of the old and new highway. An old house was behind the station, further up the hill. For years, trees and vines pushed the old house over, and sometimes covered it. I couldn't see them the last trip there and hope that they haven't been bulldozed, too. At least, I do have photos, and memories of them.

In the spring, the hill is covered with Bluebonnets, followed by Indian Paintbrushes, then Black Eyed Susans and tiny white and blue flowers that are common, but I don't know the names. Soon after the yellow flowers, the Highway Department and landowners mow before everything is too dry, in case of wildfires. This time of year, the grass is still green, cattle graze on the hill, while the 18 wheelers and other traffic race past on the curve. Sometimes loads in the trucks shift as trucks navigate the hill and the curve, and over the trucks go.

This size painting is a small one, to me. I really prefer to work large. To others, it would appear to be huge at 30" x 40".

I've done this tree several sizes, in different media from memory and from photos.

When you are rushing between Bryan and Hearne, take a little time to notice "The Tree". Smile and say "Hello" or "Goodnight". I'll bet that you will soon pay attention to more trees and landscape, and it will put you in a little better mood.

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Entries for the Brazos Valley Art League Fall Juried Show

are due at the P. David Romei Art Center tomorrow from 10-2.

Judging is Oct. 4 followed by the opening reception

See their website at

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First Friday in Downtown Bryan

Friday Oct. 3

Art, Music, Entertainment, A movie, Fun, Food

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Sign Up For

Plein Aire Painting Workshop in Calvert

with Virginia Vaughan

http://www.v-vaughan.com

http://www.vvaughan.blogspot.com

Saturday Oct. 18

Deposit due Oct. 11

Contact

Cecelia at grannyc_54@yahoo.com

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Plan to Participate in the

20th World Wide Sketch Crawl

Saturday October 25

http://www.sketchcrawl.com

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Enjoy

the Victorian Tea, Gala, and Street Fair

in Calvert

Saturday October 4.

Click on the link in my sidebar for pictures and information.

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Vision-April Moonrise

April Moonrise
image size 8.5" x 11.5"
paper size 9" x 12"
watercolors

It was April. A night when the moon rose, full and bright, above the tree line in our back yard. The trees had filled out with deep green leaves, concealing the next house. Shadows fell across the small storage building in the back yard. The sky had a pink glow as lights from A&M and the city reflected above the trees.

It had been several months since I had been diagnosed with Macular Degeneration in my left eye and told that I had cataracts in both eyes. I had been given one injection in my eye before treatment was suspended due to my lack of insurance and income to pay for it. I had been told there was help, then hopes were dashed when I learned that there really is no help for me. That I will lose my vision.

I won't go totally blind, I've read, but I will lose my center vision. And that is important to most of the things that I do such as writing, reading, drawing, painting-even cooking, or finding my way home. I had already failed the eye exam in order to renew my license, so there is no more driving. Drawing had become a challenge due to difficulty at connecting lines, or seeing some patterns. Reflections on paper can be a problem. The way I work is changing, but that is not such a major thing. It will be a problem if I can't focus on something. Color is a bit difficult, at times, as it is hard to distinguish between some colors, such as black and dark blue, olive green and beige. I thought that was just a normal part of aging, but it is also one of the things that point to AMD. I feel like I can adjust to some of those things. But, I had also burned my hand on the oven, when I couldn't tell how far my hand was from the coils and dropped a bowl of cereal when I couldn't find the edge of the kitchen counter. Hanging up clothes on a rod in the closet took several tries, as well. If I want to see a program on television, I have to move my chair no more than 2 feet away. Usually, I sit on the couch across the room, and just put up with the distortion and abstract shapes and weird colors-and draw. I just glance up, and then I have to ask someone who that is, or what the print says, or what time the clock says on the cable box. I can't help with navigation while in a car because I can't read the signs until we are almost upon them.

I just hoped that it wouldn't get any worse than it already has been. I might be able to cope with that, and just try to enjoy, and make art, from the strange things I was seeing and experiencing.

I had feared that injection in my eye so much. Then I feared not being able to get them and pay for them.

"Come look out the back window!" My youngest grandson called on that April evening, as he often does. We have to look at interesting clouds, unusual colors, a pretty moon, or even an intersting airplane as it lands or takes off from the airport.

We pulled back the curtains and watched the full moon above white, fluffy clouds over our back yard. I closed my eyes and blinked, but the image didn't clear up for me. I had been told that would make things clear, with the cataract problem. It didn't work. There seemed to be three overlapping moons in the sky. The security light in the neighbor's yard looked like a triangle-something from "Star Trek"-as it peeked through a tree. It was quite a sight, but I knew that was not really how things looked. It was hard to know whether to be excited at the unusual sight, or to be upset and frustrated, even depressed, because I couldn't see things realistically. And even more so because this could be treated, but that option is not available to me.

So, I sketched it, with the thought of turning it into a painting. I used a #314 Draughting Pencil on this one-the drawing pencil that handles best for me.

April Moonrise

8.5" x 11" pencil

In the watercolor, I used Winsor Newton watercolors on 140 # watercolor paper.

For those of you who are interested in learning more about Macular Degeneration, or AMD (Age Related Macular Degeneration), I have added some links on my sidebar under the Eye Sites section. I hope that my experiences and my art work will help someone else.

Be sure to visit the Authors and Artists, and Interesting Sites sections, as well. There is also a section on Storks, with links to more information and pictures. The storks are migrating to Africa, now, but, there are webcams that you can enjoy when they return next year. You can look back in some of my posts and find some drawings that I did about storks.

Thank your for reading and sharing. Let me know if you find something of interest to you. I welcome inquiries and comments. I do appreciate your support.