House at Mayfield Park

Mayfield Park is located right in the heart of Austin. It once was a weekend retreat for the Mayfield- Gutsch family. The estate was presented by Mary Mayfield Gutsch to the city of Austin in 1971 and has been enjoyed by Austinite families ever since. It has two acres of beautiful towering palms, water lily ponds and brilliant peacocks roam the grounds. Also there are 21 acres of walking trails and wildlife habitat. I can only imagine the wonderful times a family would have had in this setting. What a generous gift to our city.

Window at Laguna Gloria

Laguna Gloria is a restored 1916 Italian style villa that was once the home of the Texas legend, Clara Driscoll. The building overlooks Lake Austin and is a very imposing structure. It now houses an art museum and an art school. I initially intended to paint the whole building. However, while walking around the lovely grounds, I was taken with this arched cut glass window and decided on a more intimate view of the structure. It is a fun place to paint and I plan to return there often.

Wind Blown Cypress

These Monterey Cypress are located on 17 mile drive near Carmel, California. This is such a beautiful place, every view could envoke a painting. I was interested in the way the wind has twisted the trees and made such interesting shapes. Also, I liked the reflected light on the trunks.

For a print or giclee of this piece contact www.NewErahd.com , or if you are interested in the 16" x 20" original contact the artist.

Morning Walk on Carmel Beach

I did this plein air painting last year while I was in Carmel. It is one of my favorite places. I am going to go paint there again next month. I plan to paint there everyday for a month. Sounds like heaven to me. I am awed by the beauty of the coast line and the whole area. It will be interesting to compare the paintings I did last year with the ones this year.

Day Lilies

These flowers are some of my favorites, because they have such a short life and are therefore rare and to be enjoyed immediately. It is fun to see the way new flowers replace the old every few days. It reminds me to appreciate the present, but also to look forward to what is next.

Cypress Creek

This may be the last plein air painting I do in Austin this summer. It is ridiculously hot here. Even in the shade early in the morning it is hard to concentrate because of the heat. I guess I am just a sissy.
I liked the contrast of the complimently colors of the orange in the rocks and tree and the blue in the water. This piece will be in the Plein Air Austin show at the Corridor of Arts downtown in the old Chase Bank building. The address is 700 Lavaca. There are 37 artists in the show and a lot of good work. Plein Air Austin is a group of artists who have regular scheduled paint outs together several times a month.

A Friendlier GPS

This is from a photograph I took on a recent visit to San Fransico. We were staying at the Omni downtown. When we walked out in the morning the doorman was giving directions to a passerby. I just liked the the way he was being so helpful and the interchange that was taking place.
I posted this earlier with the typo GPA , but my daughter was quick to point it out to me. It probably would have gone unnoticed forever by me.

Free Rider

I was sketching at Food Head, which is a little outdoor cafe close to the UT campus when this girl rode up on her bicycle. We were all charmed by the maltese she had in her basket. I was able to shoot some photos of her as she rode off. It just shows, it pays to have a camera with you at all times.

Afternoon in Hyde Park

This is an older area of Austin that has some wonderful historic homes. I thought this house located right across from the park had a very welcoming feeling to it.

Ranch at Sunset
11" x 14"

This was done at our ranch near Evant, Texas.
This is one of the larger plein air pieces I have done. It was a challenge because everthing was changing so quickly. I knew this about sunsets, so I was set up and ready to go before sunset. I went ahead and painted in the ground plane and so when the clouds got that orange glow that was all I had left to put in.

Gifts of Spring

This is my very first posting on my blog. I hope you enjoy it.
I enjoyed the contrast of the bright flower against the dull vase and bird's nest. I used a strong light to get more contrast and shadows.