Come Together 16x20, Big Valley 20x24

Two new tree paintings from the studio. The first outdoor drawing from life I did was of trees.  More specifically, stumps and bark...then I branched out and started drawing limbs. You might even say my roots go back to those first artistic seeds sown in my little heart. I had an art teacher in 5th or 6th grade that took an interest in me.  Mr. Rice encouraged us to draw and paint from life as much as possible. That was during frequent trips to his apartment swimming pool while riding in a jacked-up orange and black 1970 Dodge Charger. I hated the sound of the Rolling Stones blasting through Jensen Triaxal speakers mounted on the rear dashboard but that teacher was cool and a swimming pool in Minnesota was a big deal back then. Thanks to art teachers and mentors for their unwavering devotion to little budding artists (who in later years, inspired by those same Rolling Stones' licks would take up guitar and harp and paint more trees than you can shake a stick at)

They're Gonna Land 12x8, Three Cows 18x12

The new year comes in with some animals. I'd like to capture on canvas the wildcats eating my chickens but so far they've been elusive...or dead. Three am and I awake with a start, an exclamation and a "whoa, what was that?" A big fat hen being pulled through 2x4 ranch wire makes a horrible sound to wake up to. I put on my boots, grabbed a light and an old shotgun.  You might think that nine pellets of 00 buckshot from a 12 gauge cartridge would permanently solve the problem but the poor sacrificed chicken I hastily and groggily threw on the ground wasn't there when the sun came up.  It seems the midnight marauders hunt in groups and in spite of the thunderblow that echoed under a diamond-encrusted winter sky  did little to dissuade a fanged feline teammate from coming back for more. Such is the common experience of those who raise stock in this neck of the woods.  They say that early rising is good for you and on some level so must be the discharging of small canons that could wake the dead. There is a certain cathartic effect to it that I will recommend...along with viewing animals in art.  Enjoy these latest, they will be available on auction in the days ahead.