Limestone - Original Pastel Landscape Study

Limestone
7" x 5" (17.8cm x 12.7cm)
Pastel on Velour
$50 plus $10 shipping and handling in the US
E-mail me for International shipping rates or other inquiries.

Gosh is seems like ages ago, but it was only weekend before last, that my girlfriend and I went to the YO Ranch in the hill country of Texas for a private tour. It is an exotic game ranch and I was able to get all kinds of pictures of exotic animals but didn't feel quite up to tackling one just yet. I did, however, want to paint something and decided on this limestone outcropping of rock. The colors were beautiful. I just did a quick sketch to "get back in the swing of things." I was trying to keep it loose - I think I need to do more landscapes.

Psalm 40:2

He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.

In Memory of Richard W. Johnson, Jr (1948 - 2009)

Rich W. Johnson, Jr.

July 11, 1948 - July 21, 2009

My beloved boss and friend Rich passed away on Tuesday, July 21st. He was Vice President of the Medical Economics Division at Texas Medical Association for the last 12 years. I've worked for him over 5 years. He was the nicest man, a gentle giant, truly dedicated to his job and one of the best bosses I've ever had.

The news was devastating to all of us at TMA and especially to our division after we lost Mike last month. Rich was well respected across the country, I've talked to physicians, US Senators, others he has worked with, his friends and coworkers and they all say the same thing, besides being so shocked that he is gone, but what a great guy he was and the exceptional job that he did. A nice tribute for sure.

Rich loved Buddy Holly. So much so he visited the plane crash sight of Buddy Holly several times on the anniversary of Buddy Holly's death and went to the museum every chance he got. One Christmas I drew him a picture of Buddy Holly - he was thrilled.

He also commissioned me to draw a picture of his lab, Austin, and a pastel of his mother-in-law's dog, Nell. I have one other commission that I did for him but can't find it right now - it was a wedding picture of his mother and father.

His memorial is going to be on Sunday at TMA - a fitting place since he spent a lot of time there - we will be celebrating his life - telling stories, looking at pictures of his life and of course listening to Buddy Holly. He leaves behind his wonder wife, Julie, daughter Emily and son Charlie and all of us who cared for him very much.

Philippians 4:5
Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.

Look what a piece of art help me get!

I'm the proud owner of a "new to me" Volvo CX-90 and a piece of my art helped me get the price lower without me even trying - a real blessing! I was talking with seller about the car and he was trying to work with me as much as he could on the price. At the end of the conversation he handed me his business card and I reached in my purse and handed him my art business card.

He was immediately interested when he saw the drawing on my business card which happened to be my pencil drawing of a mare and her baby, "Tender Moments." He told me he has a sister who shows and trains horses. They were going to visit her that weekend for her birthday and he hadn't figured out what to get her yet and he thought that drawing would be perfect. I had the drawing already framed and matted so it was ready to go. I told him the price - he deducted it from the price of the car making it a win, win situation! By the way, I sent extra brochures and business cards with him to give to his sister so she can give to others. When he got back from his visit he said the drawing was a big hit and my business cards are circulating in the show horse world in two states. Too cool!

Here is "Tender Moments" - the original is sold ;-) but prints are still available.

Tender Moments
9" x 12" (22.9cm x 30.5cm)
Giclee Print on Fine Art Paper
$35 plus $10 shipping and handling in the US
E-mail me for International shipping rates or other inquiries.

2 Corinthians 5:6 - 8
6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord --

7 for we walk by faith, not by sight --
8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.

Wishing for Rain - Original Pastel

Wishing for Rain
5" x 7" (12.7cm x 17.8cm)
Pastels on Velour
$75 plus $10 shipping and handling in the US
E-mail me for International shipping rates or other inquiries.

I'm wishing for rain. It is HOT here in Central Texas. We are in an "extreme drought." I think I heard we have had over 23 days over 100 and many of those days have broken records with the highs.

My grass is crunchy when I walk on it and my plants are dying. The lakes which supply our drinking water are over 20 feet below where they should be - that is counting the deficit from last year.

I'm so ready for rain and cooler weather and it isn't even August which is usually our hottest month. The good news is El Nino is back so maybe by fall we will get some rain - I only hope it isn't a gully washer - several days of a nice steady rain would be great. So while I was thinking of the heat and lack of rain I thought I'd paint a some clouds that look like they could bring rain.


Matthew 6:10
Your kingdom come, Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.

Happy 4th of July!

4th of July
2 1/2" x 3 1/2" (6.4cm x 8.9cm)
Pastel on Velour
$40 plus $10 shipping and handling in the US
E-mail me for International shipping rates or other inquiries.

Happy 4th of July!

We are so fortunate to live in a country such as ours even though I fear it is changing for the worse it still is a great country. I thank God that we are still free and for our troops who fight to keep us free. I hope you will take a moment on this special day for our nation and count your blessings and then give thanks to God - our founding fathers did.

Judges 5:3
Hear, O kings; give ear, O rulers! I--to the LORD, I will sing, I will sing praise to the LORD, the God of Israel.

A Monk Parakeet in My Backyard

For weeks now I have been hearing this strange, very loud, sounding bird around my house - one I hadn't heard before at all. I'd look and walk around the area where the noise was coming from in hopes of at least seeing something fly away but never caught a glimpse of it until the other day.

I saw a flash of bright lime green and blue at the feeder. I still wasn't sure what I was seeing so got my camera out and took a couple of pictures - it was a rather large looking parakeet. I thought it might have been someones pet that had escaped but when I was telling my mom about it she told me there was a flock of parakeets in and around the Austin area.

I quickly Googled "Parakeets in Austin" and sure enough there was the same bird - a Monk Parakeet. They are sometimes called "Quaker Parrots" and found out that they were first found here as early as the 1970s. They have been breeding and creating offspring ever since. That is pretty cool considering they are originally Argentina and Brazil.

I understand they are a long-lived bird so maybe this one likes the neighborhood and will stick around. I wouldn't mind that at all.

I wasn't able to get a great picture of it since I stood inside the house and took the pictures through my French door but it looks like he enjoys the company of some of my doves that visit everyday.

Genesis 1:30
And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food"; and it was so.