"Last Year on the Farm" Paintings

I'm so glad they put this on YouTube so we all can watch her paint on her farm. Check it out. This is happening in so many places, farms are lost and houses, all in a row, crammed together, are put up.

And it's great to see her paint! We were so priviledged to have her come to Calvert a couple of times.

Tea Party Day

We Want Our Rights

private photo

Who Are These Ladies?

Tax Day. Tea parties all over the country, protesting what is going on today. There were even two here, one at Veteran's Memorial Park, one at Tanglewood Park, and an event, complete with tea, on campus today.

The ladies in the photo above blazed the way for the rest of us to vote. I would imagine that they would be doing what they could today.

I wasn't able to go because of the knees, etc. But I did watch what I could on tv. There were a couple of signs that were impressive. If I were making signs I probably would simply say "Save Our Country" or "Bring Back Our America". It was great to see Glenn Beck at the Alamo. That would have been something to see.

Some people who do not watch the news much thought it was going to be an actual party with tea and cookies and little party sandwiches. You have to watch a lot of news, read, and think to stay on top of things today.

I'm afraid that those who are in control aren't going to pay a bit of attention and don't care what the people want or what is right.

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Here is a link to a video that you might enjoy.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=141323250523&oid=44282507075

There is going to be a World Wide Paint Out in September, sponsored by the International Plein Aire Painters. I think it is a 3 day event Sept. 11, 12, and 13.

More details later.

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I still have to post my pictures from the Sketch Crawl last Saturday. I had to see about my grandson and his surgery and then do that dreaded income tax stuff, first. Back to painting. And blogging. And all those good things.

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Hope this day wasn't too painful for you!

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This little bit probably won't help a thing.

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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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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Youth Art Month- Spring Sparkle

Spring Sparkle

6" X 8"

oil

This is another of the starts, or homework assignments from the Plein Aire Painting Workshop. I've been watching the bare limbs on the Oak tree and Crepe Myrtle in my yard, fill with tiny leaves and, with the rain, burst into full leaves. This was one afternoon, when the sun put sparkles onto the leaves and the grass. There was a spot of maroon with a sparkle on top of the Crepe Myrtle leaves. Now the bush is full and I can only see the top of the Oak tree, with some yard behind and beside it. The rain did wonders for growing things.

There is a concern, though, about low temperatures harming things like gardens and flowers that people have already planted.

I think of that "Easter Snap"-cold weather for Easter, so it is not all that unusual to have cold weather in spring.

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It looks like another beautiful day in the neighborhood, as Mr. Rogers used to say. Cold and windy, though. I hope that you are getting out and enjoying the Robertson County Fair, the Brazos County Youth Livestock Show, the Physics and Astronomy Open House at the George Bush Library, the Bryan ISD student art show at Bryan High, the Silver Campus cafeteria, or any of the other activities going on today. Maybe you can just get out and enjoy the Bluebonnets.

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The Brazos Valley Art Teachers will be showing work at the Art Center in College Station this month, starting Monday. Be sure to go out and see art work from this group. For more information, see my sidebar, or go to the Arts Council of Brazos Valley website.

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Time to start thinking about Sketch Crawl Saturday April 11th. You can even order an official t-shirt from the website, http://www.sketchcrawl.com. There are people participating in Dallas, North Texas, Waxahachie, Austin, Georgetown, Houston, Calvert, Bryan, and other places in Texas. Also various places around the United States and the world. I hope that you will join in.

You can see pictures and read more about it in my older posts, and on the group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BrazosValley_Sketchers or Brazos Valley Sketchers on FaceBook. Also there is information on the Brazos Valley Art League and Arts Council website, KAMU, the Eagle, KBTX tv, etc.

Let's plan to draw the Brazos Valley this time!

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Youth Art Month-Spring Bath

Spring Bath

6" x 8"

oil

The above little oil painting was done this week, before the leaves came out and the grass started to grow. In late afternoon, the sun comes from behind the big oak tree, and makes a little sparkle on the grass by the street and into the yard. A very peaceful sight. Water from rain filled the bird bath, but I haven't noticed any birds coming to drink. Squirrels have been scampering across the lawn, though.

This is part of my homework assignment from the Plein Aire Painting Workshop in Calvert with V....Vaughan. Only 12 more to go!

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The weather man said that there is a typical Blue Norther, as he pointed to the blue on the map indicating cold, snow, ice in the panhandle. But, he is young and I wonder if he has ever seen one! I think he is referring to the fact that it is going to get cold, fast, or that his weather map shows blue for cold. But, with a real Blue Norther, the sky gets dark blue in the north, while the sky is still a clear cerulean blue, and it is hot and still, ahead of the norther. The sun is shining, the wind is starting to blow from the north and it's getting colder.

I think that it has been 15 or more years since we have had a blue norther. I'm thinking that the last one I remember seeing was about in 1988, but I'm not sure about that.

When we started Brazos Writers, probably about 1986 or '87, one of the topics we selected to write about was "The First Blue Norther". I could not think of a story idea for anything! But I had a picture stuck in my mind to do, and I'm still thinking of it! I decided that I needed to see one before I could paint it, and there hasn't been another Blue Norther since! I have some sketches, some ideas, but I keep hoping that we will have a real Blue Norther again.

I know. I just need to do it, as I remember, instead of trying to think of it ahead of time.

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Lots of things going on this weekend. *************

Go over to Bryan High School to see art work by Bryan ISD students in the Silver Campus Cafeteria.

In Hearne, go to the Robertson County Fair to enjoy the fair activities. Included is an art show by residents of Robertson County. There is also a carnival, food, and lots of activities.

In Bryan, at the Expo Center, there is the Brazos County Youth Livestock Show, with acitivities and showing of animals.

At the George Bush Library, there is the big Physics Department Open House for the public, with speakers and many things to experience. Along with that, the Astronomy Department will also participate.

Tonight, both departments are having things at the Bush Library, along with a speaker.

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College Station ISD art students will have a show of their work on May 2. More details later.

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Of course, the 22nd World Wide Sketch Crawl is just around the corner, Saturday April 11, 2009. If you are in the area, join us in Calvert or Bryan, or in your own community. See the website at http://www.sketchcrawl.com. I have registered under Bryan/College Station/Brazos Valley Area. Please go there and add your name if you would like to join us.

You can also put your e-mail in the box at the top of my page to join Brazos Valley Sketchers.

There are groups in Georgetown, Austin, Houston, Dallas, Waxahachie, North Texas, along with many cities around the U.S. and countries around the world who will be participating.

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Did you see on Channel 13 from Houston that they have added a wheelchair ramp at the Sea Wall so that handicapped people can enjoy the beach? Sounds like a good idea. It's across from the Convention Center.

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Also, from Channel 13, they reported that Galveston still needs a lot of help. The Jesse Tree was featured in one broadcast, showing that they are still working out of a damaged building, but trying to help people who have lost everything. They help with money for things like gas bills, food, clothing, and whatever they can. They told of how dramatically donations have dropped, now that there is little about Ike and Galveston on the national news. Channel 13 has a report on almost daily, about the recovery from Ike.

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Remember The Alamo

Alamo Ghosts

photo by Joan

Did you see any movies about the Alamo yesterday, or hear any stories on tv, read something in the newspaper, yesterday? I didn't. One person sent me something from YouTube about it by e-mail.

It was 173 years ago that the battle of the Alamo ended. And soon the cry "Remember The Alamo" came about as Texans and others battled for freedom. April 6, 1836 is another day that should be remembered, along with dates like December 7, 1941. But, as time passes, there is less said to honor the people who gave their lives and to help us remember our history.

The photos above were taken at the Alamo a few years ago by my daughter. She and a friend and their children were visiting San Antonio. They heard about a ghost tour that started at the Alamo, and they joined the tour.

The top photo shows tourists, on the right, waiting for the tour to start.

But, when we got the pictures developed, there were other figures on the left. A group that was not there, or at least visible to my daughter and the group.

The photo has faded some, but, when we first got it, you could clearly see several men dressed in the uniforms of the Mexican soldiers, facing toward the center of the picture. They were so clear, that I thought that they must be reenactors, standing near the wall. I thought that there was a man with light brown pants and a white shirt facing them. I don't see that anymore, and, instead, there is a red image on the scan of the photo. I used Quick Fix on this one to try to bring it out a little more, but that just darkened parts of it. You can see slight images of some figures on the left, where the Mexican soldiers seemed to be.

The bottom picture is the same photo, scanned and cropped to eliminate all but the "ghostly" figures. I didn't use the Quick Fix on it.

I wish I had had a scanner and computer when we first had the pictures developed so that we could see the images better now.

I never did get to go in the Alamo, but I drove by it frequently back in the 1960s. I thought it was sad to have built all those buildings around it.

I did, however, stop by Monument Hill at LaGrange a few times, and that was impressive, too.

We certainly should remember the Alamo and all the events and people that went into making our great state-and country.

Remember The Alamo

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I hope that you got to go to First Friday in downtown Bryan last evening, and to the great band concerts at A&M this week, and today. I would have loved to have gone! There was a convention of bands and band directors at A&M this week, with one big concert on Kyle Field this afternoon to culminate activities. The U.S. Navy band and others were included with concerts during the week. What a great experience! Maybe I can go next year.

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If you are going to be in the Austin area Saturday April 11, 2009, be sure to go by Book People's booskstore on 6th & Lamar (603 N. Lamar) to a book signing with Kathi Appelt and Cynthia Leitich Smith. The event is from 1-3 p.m. Bring your friends and family! There will be brief readings, interesting commentary, and signing by both authors.

The event celebrates the success of Kathi's book, a Newberry Award Winner, "The Underneath", and the release of Cynthia's new book, "Eternal".

Please RSVP by 3/22 to help them plan for the event.

cynthia@cynthialeitichsmith.com

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Congratulations to all the winners in the Brazos Valley Art League Show! Included in that group is Jack Holloway from Hearne and Mary Waldson from Gause. I'm especially excited to see that Mary earned both 1st and 2nd place in Non-Professional Oils and Acrylics. Mary was a participant in the first Plein Aire Painting Workshop with V.... Vaughan in Calvert.

If you are in the area, be sure to go by to see the show at the Art Center in College Station.

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If you are in this area, and like to draw or paint, be sure to click on the Join link at the top of my sidebar to join the group I started, Brazos Valley_Sketchers. If you are on Facebook, there is another group there, Brazos Valley Sketchers that you might want to join. I know that we have a lot of people who love art in this area. Lots of teachers and students, professors, professional artists, hobbyists, etc. in this area who would enjoy things like Sketch Crawl, plein aire painting, etc.

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If you haven't joined my group, or added your name to my Followers list, or subscribed to my blog, or even signed my Guest Book at the bottom of my page, it is really easy to do. Please let others know who might be interested.

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Have a great weekend!

Remember the Alamo!

I wonder what people in Texas were thinking and feeling this day in 1836.

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Happy Texas Independence Day

It' s Texas Independence Day!

I haven't heard a thing about it, but, over the weekend, they did show one of the newer movies about the Alamo with James Arness, over and over, on tv.

I thought I would just share a couple of photographs of some good old Texas land in honor of the day.

The top photo shows Sunnyside Road, one of the locations where we have been painting, just north of Calvert. The land to the left at one time was land that belonged to my great-grandfather. Everytime we passed by here, my grandmother would tell of the picnics they used to have by a tank or pond just beyond the trees. One time, someone in the party stood up and knocked one of the boys into the tank. The boy couldn't swim and almost drowned. Someone pulled the boy out just in time. I can't remember if that boy was my father or his brother.

My great-grandfather was one of the first business owners in Calvert and, later, built a home in town. Before that, they had a home on this land.

The bottom photo is of the pasture land on this same curve in the road. You can see the leading edge of a cold front coming in from the north. Not quite the blue norther I've been looking for, for years! But, again, it does show some of the land north of our Texas town.

You can click on the photographs to enlarge them.

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If you are interested in the plein aire painting and workshops, things like Sketch Crawl, in the Brazos Valley, you might join the Yahoo group that I started, Brazos Valley_ Sketchers. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BrazosValley_Sketchers . I also started one on Facebook.

We're talking about another V.Vaughan workshop in Calvert in October. And, of course, Sketch Crawl is coming up April 11.

Maybe someone would like to get together and paint when the Bluebonnets start blooming.

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You can see more pictures from the workshop on Flickr and the Brazos Valley_Sketchers group. More to come on my blog later.

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Sketching Day in Calvert

More Pictures From Sketching in Calvert

Here are some more pictures from our most recent sketching trip in Calvert, Texas. You can see more at the posts below this one. Sorry that I haven't posted sooner, but my computer was hanging, I got into looking for genealogy things, and now, it looks like we have thunderstorms coming and I may have to unplug the computer.

1. Our morning starts with a kolache at Zamykal Kolache Shop on Main Street. Jody, the owner, is a delight to visit with. In the first picture, she is serving a customer while we were sittingat a table, eating. I had my usual strawberry kolache and a Sprite to drink. Barbara had coffee with her kolache.

I accidentally made a movie when I was trying to see if I had the flash on or off on the camera. I may try to post that later, just to try to figure out how to add video to my blog. It is very short, since I thought I was just taking a snapshot!

2. Deciding where to go to sketch always takes a while. You could find something interesting to do almost everywhere you look! We do consider where we can find shade and a nice place to sit. This time, we decided to work inside the park. Plenty of shade, and a breeze inside the bandstand and pavillions, with benches to sit on. And lots of memories there, too. This picture shows the open car door and the view of the park from where Barbara stopped the car on Pin Oak street .

3. This is the latest sign outside the park, giving the name of the park and the date. Virginia Field Park, 1868. Land was deeded to the park in that year. The park was named for Virginia Field for all of her dedication and service to the community and the park. There is a historical marker. Several of the large homes in town, including the Barton and Gibson homes, and Hammond House, once had this same type of fence around them-pipes painted white, set into concrete posts. The fences around the homes, however, had about 4 rows of pipe and were, of course, taller. I believe that I asked older people why the fence in the park was so much lower and, if I remember correctly, I was told that it was just decorative, and also a barrier to keep people on horses from riding through the flower beds and the Crepe Myrtle trees that surrounded the park. At one time, there were large concrete objects with a ring in them, on each side of the entrance, for tying up horses before people entered the park. The same hitching posts could be found at several homes, as well. Those at the park were sold and two large white rocks were left on each side of the drive to mark the park entrance. The rocks also made a good place to sit and wait for a ride after activities in the park. The same kind of rocks were at the entrance to the sidewalk in front of the high school.

4. The west entrance to the park and the bandstand. At one time, there were entrances on all 4 sides, but those were closed up years ago. There was also a drive or road all around the park, beside the flower beds. About where the baseball field was, there was sand on a curve. Some people, like my dad, when he was young, liked to drive their cars around the park, hit that sandy spot, and almost turn over. I think that some people actually did turn over. Sometimes, they just got stuck in the sand, which wasn't too much fun. When I was learning to drive, I got "Toot's" 1950 Nash hung on those big rocks that marked the entrance. She wanted to teach me to drive. "Honey" didn't want me to drive his nice new car, but "Toot" took me out anyway while he was at his store. We did fine in the streets, but I never did like tight places, and just swerved too wide trying to get out of the park, and went right up on top of the rock on my left. We walked home, she called "Honey" to come get the car off the rock, and I hid at my house for a while until I was sure that he would no longer be mad. (The car wasn't hurt.) I thought I would never drive again! But, Daddy made me drive the tractor out in the country. Eventually, I did get back to cars. I never did like close places, though. Give me at least two parking spaces on each side of me when I parked, and I just crawled when I had to cross a bridge. They used to be narrow!

5.Walking up to the bandstand. Barbara is always prepared to paint, or for any occasion. She does plein aire painting often so she has all the necessary equipment like chairs, which she is carrying in this picture. We had views of the bandstand from the east side, growing up, and from the west side after we were older.

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Martha Marshall has a new website. I've changed the link to her site under Artist's Blogs in my sidebar. You can just click on her name and it will take you there.

Myrna Waknov has an interesting video on her site today. Click on the video to see a reporter/writer from NPR Radio talking about producing work, etc.

Gretel Parker is another illustrator/writer who I'm going to add to my links in my sidebar. She has an interesting poem about cleaning the moon on her website, along with some lovely illustrations.

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If you are a vendor, or if you have things that would be appropriate for Victorian times to show, you might be interested in the street fair that they are going to have with the Victorian Festival and Tea this year, Oct. 4. They are looking for vendors. Click on the link at the top of my page for more information, or contact Jody at Zamykal Kolache Shop in Calvert. They have a discount rate for first time participants. One thing they mentioned to me was anything like quilts, aprons, or anything that people make and would be approprite for the Victorian theme.

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Bryan Sketches

18th World Wide

Sketch Crawl

Saturday March 29

Bryan, Texas

I used a #314 Draughting pencil to do this.

My sister, working in downtown Bryan on Saturday. She elected to use oils and do some plein aire painting of a street scene. She does lots of outdoor work, so she was prepared to work!

I'll add what she did when she sends me a photo. Her painting, of course, was not dry enough to scan and none of us thought about taking photos until we were back home.

I seem to still be having trouble posting images on this blog. It let me add one, then keeps telling me that I am probably not connected to the internet. I may have to add each of them in a separate post, the way it's going.

Just a Thought:

Doesn't it seem like February and March have just flown by? It seems like the first of February was just a few days past when it was the end of the month. Now, it feels the same way for March. I'm still thinking of things that I intended to do for the month, and now it's almost gone.

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If you are in this area, be sure to go over to see "Extracurricular" at the P.David Romei Art Center in College Station. This show is of work submitted by Brazos Valley Art Teachers. Among that group, there are some outstanding artists. There is a reception for them at the Art Center April 3 at 5:30 p.m.