12 of 24 in 24 Hours

"Last Day on the Farm_12 of 24 in 24 Hours"_____Auction starts Monday, May 19

After painting all day, FINALLY some "color" and contrast came, just before sunset. There were a couple ducks flying by before settling on the tank for the night... Soon, the moon would be up...The next SIX PAINTINGS will feature the AMAZING MOON we had that night...my Last Day on the Farm.

My friends keeping me company became a little loopy about now, and drove around the pasture like George Washington crossing the Potomac....you have seen the illustrations, right? Standing tall in the canoe...Hand shading the eyes...now imagine that in a pickup truck....

After I finished this one, we went to the BEST MEXICAN Restaurant in Manor...RAMOS'.

I will start auctioning these last 24 on MONDAY, May 19...Watch for details!

****Please make your way to Rockport, if you can! Come Saturday, May 17 to say hello to me, or any time between May 14 and June 14...the art is there, all 365 Farm Paintings...The Texas Country Reporter told the story better than I EVER could! I hope to have a link to their great story, soon...Bob's questions were good ones, very pertinent, and really drew the emotion out of the story...and me. Much of the time he had a tear in his own eye, so I tried to not look at him ;)

The Shady Shed

"The Shady Shed"________8x10__________$300 if you ask first!

This is a mama by the woodshed...we have all been there!

Happy Mother's Day to EVERYONE who is or has one!...I just got back from delivering the farm art to Rockport, for the opening of "Last Year on the Farm"...

This painting above was a demo at the workshop in Marble Falls, TX last week. The real lesson here was using a LIMITED PALETTE of only four paint colors. I worked from one of my photos of our beloved farm.

It was nearly done at the demo, but you who were there can now see the "carved out cows" as I brought the background in around them to show better forms.

Did anyone catch my spot on the Texas Country Reporter? I must say, they did a beautiful story...I did cry a little...will talk more about it tomorrow.

***PLEASE come to the reception in Rockport, TX, next Saturday, May 17, from 4 - 7. I will give a little talk at 4:30. Come early in the day to watch the demos and follow us around as we paint, or TAKE THE WORKSHOP and paint with me! I hold nothing back at workshops, and tell you ALL MY SECRETS!...well except ONE! ;)

The show will be there from May 14 - June 14.

11 of 24 paintings in 24 Hours

"Last Grazing Before Sunset".......6x8 oil on linen ...on sale May 15

As I neared the halfway point of painting 24 paintings in 24 hours for my Last Day on the Farm, I saw the cows hurry back into the near pasture, and graze all they could before it began to get dark. (Wait till you see the moonlight paintings from this series!).

**THIS WEEKEND! The Texas Country Reporter features a story about my Last Day on the Farm. Here is a list of stations all over Texas and Louisiana. http://www.texascountryreporter.com/show_time.htm I hope you get to watch it!

My son will see it Saturday, but I have to wait till Sunday...Happy Mother's Day!

Corral Melt

"Corral Melt" 6 x 8 oil on linen panel still wet $190

Here is another one from my Marble Falls Workshop. This was a demo, and, just looking at it brings to mind all the little "lessons" learned! Pre-mixing the colors, editing the "too -busy" photo, adding info from another photo...aa lot was learned in the painting of this little scene!

I like the outcome so much that I will use this one as a study for a big painting to take to an upcoming show!

**Be sure to watch The Texas Country Reporter this weekend! I will be featured painting the "Last Day on the Farm"...click here to find the station and time in your area!

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

Seven Strokes in Marble Falls

"Seven Strokes in Marble Falls"....8 x 6...$150 juicy wet!

I taught a workshop this week in Marble Falls, TX. We had a very fun group of serious artists, who wanted to end the week with a "Seven Stroke" painting! Each one came out UNIQUE! We created whole new species of egret...things!

There were a lot of laughs as we broke the rules ...my painting here was seven strokes plus 10.

So, WELCOME to the BLOG, my new friends!

Please keep in touch and tell me if you want me to stop sending the blog mail.

**Watch me on Texas Country Reporter this weekend. CLICK HERE for show times.

10 of 24 in 24 Hours-Last of the Sandhills

"10 of 24 in 24 Hours - Last Day on the Farm"....sale starts May 15

The sun started braking through at the end of the day and some visitors came by! Doug and Mary Milligan (who practically adopted me in High School!) stopped by to hang out for an hour or so, which was a really nice break for me! I painted 5 or 6 while listening to a ballgame on the radio just before they came!

While standing by the trucks talking, I saw this great group of sandhill cranes approaching. They flew nearly overhead. These MUST have been the VERY last group of the year to head north! ...about a month later than the early groups of cranes...procrastinators, for sure! It was fun to see the excitement of my friends there, watching this string of graceful wildlife...a familiar sight on my farm...much more meaningful when shared with friends!!!

DON'T FORGET!!! THIS WEEKEND is the airing of my interview with the Texas Country Reporter. In Austin it will be at 7:30 am on KEYE-42. Click here for a station in your area.

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

I will be in Rockport, delivering the 365 Farm Paintings. As I type this, my son, Tanner and his pal Adrian are driving a mini-van from Enterprise back from the Bone Creek Museum in NE.

Yes, a couple of cool college guys in a mini van...I knew it would keep the girls away and keep their mind on the job :)

Please e-mail me if you need info on the Rockport Exhibit, Austin Monthly Magazine's story, my upcoming workshops or other news!

Nine out of 24 in 24 hours

"Last day on the Farm - 9 of 24"

This is the deck where I painted from for all those years, particularly the Last Year on the Farm. I loved our old farm house, made of logs (except this North wall), and I had a great studio upstairs, which I really miss.

Nine down...17 to go! Stay tuned!

***NEWS! I invite EVERYONE to join me on Saturday, May 17 in Rockport Texas. At 4 pm there will be an Artists Reception at the Art Center followed by a gallery talk (4:30) featuring the ENTIRE exhibit of my "Last Year on the Farm". The show runs from May 14 - June 14 . The Rockport Center for the Arts is a BEAUTIFUL venue, right on the waterfront, surrounded by beach on one side and docked shrimp boats on the other. It is flooded with natural light and the small paintings will be beautiful there! I will have plenty of BOOKS on hand or click here to read about it http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/196927ON THE AIR! Click to know where to see the upcoming Texas Country Reporter interview. On May 10 or May 11 (Mother's Day!) my interview with Bob Phillips will be on the air in Texas. Soon after that it will be all over the country on the RFD-TV network. For the Texas station in your area click here, and PLEASE watch on May 10 / 11...25 TV stations in Texas and Shreveport, LA air this great program.

Leonard

"Leonard"__________-11x14 oil on Linen__________Not for SALE

Leonard and Ella Fae and their family lived alongside ours on the farm. Leonard came to work for Pa LONG ago and stayed with him building the Gault Dairy Farm for 57 years, or so!

Saturday, Leonard died...a real shock to our family.

He was a tall, dignified man, with the largest, strongest hands I EVER saw. A TRUE Farmer...I loved that his birthday was the same day as my oldest son, Tanner.

I painted this one today, from a photo I took out the back window one day, while watching Leonard and Pa get some equipment out of the barns...He was sitting here, with his yellow gloves on, taking a breather before going to pick up more hay, I think....

Leonard was a godly man, and we are pretty sure he and Pa are discussing creation with the Lord right about now....

8 of 24 Last Day on the Farm

8 of 24"Last Day on the farm" : Uphill Surrounded.....I may keep this one !

This might be my favorite one from the 24 paintings I did in 24 hours of my Last Day on the Farm. While I painted from the hood of my pick-up truck, the whole herd moved by, then uphill to surround Teri's truck where she and Linda sat. They were lounging in the bed with all the ice chests and goodies and the cows startled them! I enjoy fielding their questions, long into the night, about cows and cow behavior....I think two new farmer girls were born that day!!!

...Just received some sad, sad news related to the farm....I'll share tomorrow :(

Seven of 24 paintings in 24 hours

"Graze-By" #7 of 24 in 24_____for sale on May 15

This looks like a solo cow, but she grazed nearby with 50 pals as I painted for 24 hours 2 weeks ago. I will post all 24 paintings from now on till they are done!

This was my fasest painting of the cows. I actually scribbled this one out in about 20 minutes and planned to go back to "finish" it after dark. When I went back, though, I LIKED IT "as is"...a lesson to ALL YOU PAINTERS out there....S T O P!! before over working a good thing....

Read earlier posts this week for other new news! But...

Here is the LATEST!

AUSTIN MONTHLY MAGAZINE is doing a little story (mostly PICTURES!) of this LAST 24 hours on the farm. It will feature all 24 paintings...The June issue comes out in mid-May.

6 of 24 Paintings in 24 Hours

6 of 24 Paintings in 24 Hours "Grazing Solo".....details of the sale of the 24 "Last Day..." paintings is coming soon!

This one black cow was easy to spot among the 50 white ones that roam the pastures at the old farm. She was the most noticeable of the bunch! After watching the farm "die" last year, it was so nice to paint one last day among all the LIFE again!

This is #6...18 to go!

***NEWS! I invite EVERYONE to join me on Saturday, May 17 in Rockport Texas. At 4 pm there will be an Artists Reception at the Art Center followed by a gallery talk (4:30) featuring the ENTIRE exhibit of my "Last Year on the Farm". The Rockport Center for the Arts is a BEAUTIFUL venue, right on the waterfront, surrounded by beach on one side and docked shrimp boats on the other. It is flooded with natural light and the small paintings will be beautiful there! I will have plenty of BOOKS on hand or click here to read about it http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/196927
ON THE AIR! Click to know where to see the upcoming Texas Country Reporter interview. On May 10 or May 11 (Mother's Day!) my interview with Bob Phillips will be on the air in Texas. Soon after that it will be all over the country on the RFD-TV network. For the Texas station in your area click here, and PLEASE watch on May 10 / 11...
25 TV stations in Texas and Shreveport, LA air this great program.

5 of 24 Paintings in 24 Hours_ "What Fence?"

5 of 24 in 24 Hours. "What Fence?" One Last Day on the Farm_ sales info coming LATER in the WEEK!

On the overcast day I painted 24 in 24, the cows moved from pasture to pasture...T H R O U G H this fence. That's the explanation for this sub-title. The sun stayed away, causing me to focus on the "near things"....cows....what a day it was! more to come!

***NEWS! I invite EVERYONE to join me on Saturday, May 17 in Rockport Texas. At 4 pm there will be an Artists Reception at the Art Center followed by a gallery talk (4:30) featuring the ENTIRE exhibit of my "Last Year on the Farm". The Rockport Center for the Arts is a BEAUTIFUL venue, right on the waterfront, surrounded by beach on one side and docked shrimp boats on the other. It is flooded with natural light and the small paintings will be beautiful there! I will have plenty of BOOKS on hand or click here to read about it http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/196927

ON THE AIR! Click to know where to see the upcoming Texas Country Reporter interview. On May 10 or May 11 (Mother's Day!) my interview with Bob Phillips will be on the air in Texas. Soon after that it will be all over the country on the RFD-TV network. For the Texas station in your area click here, and PLEASE watch on May 10 / 11...

25 TV stations in Texas and Shreveport, LA air this great program.

4 of 24 in 24 Hours - Start and Finish

4 of 24 Paintings in 24 Hours

"Follower"___Oil on Linen___Sales info coming soon!

(I missed my BLOG appointment yesterday...Stuck in some bad weather between MS and TX, and watching some college baseball games. UMHB lost a couple tough ones, and my son ended his college carreer on the mound in the POURING rain :( CONGRATULATIONS TANNER! You are my hero!)

I began this painting immediately after #3, #2, and #1, all of which I painted while the film crew from Austin's News 8 was with me for a brief interview. The photo above is where I left off and said goodbye to Heidi and her cameraman! I tild her I would show her the finish, so she gets a copy of this today, too!

I call it "Follower", because the current bunch of about 50 cows likes to move a lot, and they ALL follow whoever decides to lead at the moment. ...These 24 paintings in 24 hours feature the cows and the moon! There was very little sun until the last part of the second day...having bright sunlight makes the paintings easier...COLOR is easier to see in the full spectrum of sunlight...so the first few paintings which you have seen this week, were difficult chalenges...

I HAVE LOTS OF NEWS! More tomorrow, but read this below...

**AUCTION ANNOUNCEMENT...remember the alligator I posted on Feb 21? (click here and scroll down)

the Harry Hampton folks will be auctioning off the alligator painting on May 10th.
If anyone wants to submit a bid, they can mail a sealed bid to:
Harry Hampton Fund, PO Box 2274, Spartanburg, SC 29304.
Bids need to be in by May 1st. You may include several prices they are willing to pay (lowest to highest) and an address to mail item to.

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

"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!