Now or Never

Bevo's Mama - Longhorn Cow painting by Debbie Grayson Lincoln

2012-01-25T14:00:00.001-06:00

6 X 8 oil on gessoed masonite $125

Includes shipping and insurance

It has FINALLY rained enough here in the heart of Texas to fill stock tanks and raise lake levels! All night the metal roof reverberated the sound of rain drops, and this morning the rain gauge showed over 4 1/2 inches - enough to soak in AND fill our pond. We may now be delayed in getting the potatoes planted, but that is a small sacrifice for the moisture. THANK YOU, GOD!
Last week was a good one, too. After her little visit with the bull next door, Aunt Abbey proved to be due to calve in August. The BAD news is that we cannot take our regular trip to Colorado then, but we will adapt.
I have not had much time to paint lately, but this longhorn cow beckoned to me. I do these little paintings as "warm-ups" - before I start in on the large commissioned pieces. It's still raining outside so this afternoon will be another good one for "me time"!
Genesis 26:12
Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the LORD blessed him.
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Another Hill to Climb - Longhorn cow oil painting by Debbie Grayson Lincoln

2012-01-13T17:13:00.000-06:00

6 X 8 Oil on Gessoed Masonite $115

Includes shipping and insurance in US

We have finally had a bit of rain here in the Heart of Texas and no really cold weather yet. Aunt Abbey the milk cow is enjoying the little patch of oat grass, as is her adopted son the Other Brother Darryl. THIS cow is still looking for grass, though...maybe over that hill yonder?
Spring planning has begun - ordering chicks and seeds are at the top of my list right now. I curl up on the sofa in the evening and pour over the catalogs and make my lists.
All the hens have been very healthy through the winter (and safe from the coyotes and bobcats), but I still like to "replenish" every spring with both mail order chicks and chicks that I will allow one hen to hatch. I just LOVE the sound of a hen clucking to her chicks when she has found a special morsel for them - they are the personification of the perfect mother, putting their babies first in every way.
Luke 13:34
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Team Roping - cowboys team roping oil painting by Debbie Grayson Lincoln

2012-01-02T17:10:00.001-06:00

12.5 X 5 Palette Knife Oil on panel

$100 includes shipping and insurance in US

I tried something new - all palette knife work - using an image from a local photographer, Allison Ballinger, of Stephenville (with permission, of course). You can find her work at Cross B Photography, and you won't be disappointed!
I have not posted much this past month - been busy getting the new CFAI website up. For those of you who do not know, I am a minor partner with 4 other artists who are much smarter than I, and we (they) have been working night and day re-designing a website called Contemporary Fine Artists International. I have been a partner/member of this group (as well as Artists of Texas) for 3 years and we have decided to take the site to the next level where artists can not only showcase their work, but also market it. I already belong to DailyPainter.com, and that website serves me very well. But it limits who is allowed to sell there - PLUS it costs $40 a month. CFAI only costs $10 a month. For $5 a month more, artists can direct sell their work and CFAI retains a 15% commission from those sales. My partners are EXPERTS at getting the search engines to find us - a very important part of internet commerce. Check it out - and watch us grow! Not all of the 300+ artists are listed yet, but we are getting there...
Genesis 27:40
You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck.
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Heavenly Buddies - horse oil painting by Debbie Grayson Lincoln

2011-12-16T15:28:00.000-06:00

8 X 12 Oil on canvas board

SOLD Commission

My little buddy, horse trainer, farrier friend Trista has a sister who is equally fond of horses. These two mares are both enjoying greener pastures, having crossed the rainbow bridge (the bay one being the most recent traveler). Trista thought that a painting of the two would be a nice Christmas present for her sister. She managed to sneak some photos out of her sister's house and this is the one I worked from, eliminating all but the two mares and switching their positions in relation to one another. It was a challenge, but one that I enjoyed.
I know what it is like to lose a favored horse. We are told that they can live to be 30, but most horses are lucky to make it to 20. That is a longer life than most dogs enjoy, but still it seems to pass so quickly.
PJ will be 16 this coming Spring - she is 2 months older than our house. Like many livestock owners, we built the corral before we finished the house, and baby PJ and her dam moved onto our farm before we did. I always expected that we would "grow old together", but it's not something I look forward to. PJ's dam died 3 years ago (she was 22), and I miss her still. Miss Jack was definitely the best horse I ever owned. Her grandbaby, Dandy may just take over that distinction, though. Us horse owners always remain optimistic that there is always one more even better horse down the road!

Job 14:7-9

⁷ “At least there is hope for a tree:
   If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
   and its new shoots will not fail.
⁸ Its roots may grow old in the ground
   and its stump die in the soil,
⁹ yet at the scent of water it will bud
   and put forth shoots like a plant.

If you are interested in a commission like this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Madonna and Child - mare and foal oil painting by Debbie Grayson Lincoln

2011-12-03T09:34:00.000-06:00

16 X 20 Oil on canvas SOLD Commission

Contact Artist for YOURS!

Mother horses are a lot like mothers everywhere...I had the hardest time getting a photo of this foal - his momma tried to stay between me and her baby. Every time the baby tried to approach me, she got between us and headed him off. Of course it was for his own good, but he didn't see it that way - his curiosity was trying to get the better of him!

I finally had to settle for a single picture of each of them which I then combined into this one image for a client. As I painted it, I found a number of analogies to think about. The baby is like momma in many ways, but still different. While running, they moved as one, but occasionally their gaits conflicted. At this point in time, they are looking in the same direction...but we know that will most likely change as he grows. Hopefully, when that happens, Momma will be glad!

2 Samuel 18:26
Then the watchman saw another runner, and he called down to the gatekeeper, “Look, another man running alone!” The king said, “He must be bringing good news, too.”

If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE.

Patience - bay cowboy saddle horse painting

2011-11-07T17:10:00.002-06:00

5 X 7 Oil on Canvas $115

Includes shipping to US

I have a miserable sinus infection, so I am truly surprised that I felt like painting this today! Perhaps I thought if I ACTED better, I would FEEL better...hmmm- sounds like a sermon might be in there somewhere.....
Anyway, I do know that if I have patience, I will eventually get over this miserable congestion...meantime I will pretend I feel better and maybe the body will follow suit.....
On a better note: it did rain here today - only about 1/4 inch, but it was lovely and warm and refreshing and life giving. AND the spinach is up and so is the lettuce. With a little luck we will have greens through the dark winter...life giving greens.
1 Timothy 1:16
But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.

If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

When Momma's Not Happy....

2011-10-25T20:52:00.004-05:00

11 X 14 Oil on stretched canvas

WIP Check With Artist

I'm still working on this one, but put it up anyway. I'm not happy with the guy in the back or the background, but since the paint is still wet, I'm just gonna leave it for a few days and re-visit it.

I am very happy with the title...in fact, at this moment, it's the best part of this piece!

I'll be closing out the show at the Tarleton Fine Arts Center this Saturday, after receiving a number of very nice reviews and selling 4 of the larger pieces. I was also contacted by the director of the Cross Timbers Fine Arts Center to see if I would show there sometime in the future. Of course I said yes, but it'll will have to be at least 10 months down the road. I really need some fresh work - most of my best new pieces are sold - and THAT's a happy problem!

Ecclesiastes 3:12
I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.

Not Everyone Gets to Ride

2011-10-22T14:15:00.003-05:00

6 X 6 oil on Canvas Panel $115

Includes shipping and insurance in US

When working calves, there are a number of jobs, and the "best" one is probably that of the roper. MOST of the remaining jobs are on foot. Cowboys are usually generous in sharing the chores and switching out a roping job with a "gate" job or a branding job. I have also seen them share a good horse with one another and even let a new guy get his chance to rope and stay above the dust.
But at any given time, some of them HAVE to be on foot to make the job go smoothly, and I have rarely seen any complain about it, knowing that their turn to ride will come in good time...
Galatians 6:9
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Boss Lady

2011-10-20T11:27:00.001-05:00

6 X 6 Oil on fine weave canvas panel $115

Includes shipping in US

This woman showed up on the job site about the 4th day and momentarily stood with her hands on her hips surveying the yard. I never really could tell if she approved of our work, and unfortunately I did not get a chance to talk to her before she walked away.
It's difficult to tell the age of Haitian people - they all have beautiful complexions - even the aged. The women are very strong, too, with most giving birth at home. This lady was small, but I have a feeling she was no one to be reckoned with!
Ecclesiastes 7:1
[ Wisdom ] A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth.
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

PJ Walking Good

2011-10-19T08:16:00.000-05:00

5 X 7 Oil on Canvas board $115

Includes Shipping and Insurance in US

OK - I admit it - I was having withdrawal pains from the horse images...So here is PJ walking pretty good after recovering from laminatis. PJ is 16 years old and has never missed a meal - in fact she has helped herself to other's meals, as well. As a result she has a tendency to develop laminitis when she overeats on high carbohydrate grasses and/or grains. Especially if it hasn't been in her diet all along.
We had a wonderful 4 inch rain about 12 weeks ago (the ONLY rain all summer), and the grass blossomed - and so did PJ's belly...and she pigged out. I was remiss in not locking her up (or at least muzzling her!), and she developed laminitis in her front feet.
Yesterday afternoon, I caught her actually running with the others - a good indication that recovery has taken place. PJ doesn't run unless she feels really good (or there is a meal in front of her!)
Numbers 17:8
The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaron’s staff, which represented the tribe of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds.
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Pride and Prejudice

2011-10-17T20:06:00.001-05:00

6X6 Oil on Canvas Panel $115

Includes shipping and insurance in US

While in Haiti, one of the team members recorded a short video of each of us stating what the trip has meant to us. It took a lot of effort for me to say what was in my heart, and I'm afraid I choked up halfway through it. The basics of my statement is as follows:
I grew up in the south during a time where people of color were considered inferior. In my heart I thought this was wrong, and when I grew up, I KNEW it to be wrong. But I never did anything about it. I still laughed at racial jokes (where WAS my heart????!) This trip has given me a chance to make up for that. I am still a long, long way from atonement.
The women of Haiti are the strongest, most perfect people I have ever seen. Their life is far from easy, yet they live it with a determination and poise that is enviable. And we ALL fell in love with their children...I will paint them next.
For you horse and cowboy lovers - I have a slew of images planned - I just gotta get these Haiti images outta my head first.... :-)...please be patient.
Psalm 119:104
I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Rich Man

2011-10-16T06:43:00.001-05:00

5X7 oil on canvas panel $125

Includes shipping and insurance in US

The sun rises in Haiti at 5:30 am and sets at 5:30 pm. Being close to the Equator makes the days and nights about equal year round. And there was no sleeping past day break - the neighborhood roosters made sure of that - and if you could sleep through them, there was no way to sleep through the traffic noises. Instead of using their blinkers, Haitian drivers use their horns for notification of lane changes, passing, stopping, warning, etc...all night long....
I got in the habit of sitting out on the front stoop of the school every morning, waiting for breakfast and watching the world wake up. This is the "cow guy" and I came to realize he was a rich man. There is a common grazing pasture beside and in back of the school where we stayed and this man would lead several head of cattle back there and stake them out to graze daily. Owners of livestock have an economic advantage over those that don't, and this man owned several head of cattle. When I told him that I only owned one cow and he must be richer than I, he laughed and seemed to grow an inch taller.
2 Samuel 12:2
The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Different Worlds

2011-10-15T17:50:00.001-05:00

6 X 6 Oil on canvas panel $125

Includes shipping and insurance

I am back from a mission trip to Haiti and to say it was life changing would be an understatement.
The good news is that the people show a remarkable ability to rebound, survive and maintain optimism. The bad news is that there is still a LONG way to go. Such a rich and abundant country - rich in beautiful, hard working, SMART people and an ability to produce food. They are not afraid of hard work, and we saw joy and optimism everywhere. But there are still collapsed buildings, a shortage of electricity, massive piles of trash and difficulties in getting from point A to point B. Despite the problems (or perhaps because of them) I am planning to go back...if only to view the completed church that we were privileged to help construct. I have left some heart strings back there...
Ecclesiastes 3:11
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Other Brother

2011-10-01T13:18:00.000-05:00

Image area about 4 1/2 X 4 1/2

Ink on Index - FREE with any other purchase

This little baby is getting big and strong. He no longer gets pushed away by Big Brother Darryl and just about outruns him, too.
I am spending today with my granddaughter! Aren't babies fun? Addie is so good - happy to be just about anywhere. We took her to Sam's and she just watched and smiled at everyone. It would be so easy to let myself become overwhelmed with the awesome responsibility of caring for her - as I was when my first child was born. I just couldn't imagine life without him then, as I cannot imagine life without Addie now. Thank you, Lord, for this remarkable blessing...she inspires a want in ME to be better for HER.
Revelation 22:6

The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.”

If you are interested in this drawing, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

There's a Storm Comin'

2011-09-29T20:08:00.001-05:00

5 X 7 Oil on Canvas Board $115

Includes Shipping and Insurance in U.S.

I KNOW there's a storm coming and it's still largely undefined - just a darkness on the horizon. It's almost palpable and everyone's talking about it.
I know every generation feels scared and worried about the particulars of their decades on earth. My grandparents were born in the 1880's and 90's. They endured the horror of World War I. Thirty-five MILLION people died in that one! My parents were Depression children, and they endured even MORE horrifying wars and the dark cloud of polio and other childhood diseases. Both of their families lost a child to a disease that is curable today. I cannot imagine the sadness of watching a child perish.
Today's generations feel as if we are all standing on the edge of a precipice with wolves nipping at our heels. People we elected, who we THOUGHT were trustworthy and intelligent enough to look after our interests are all proving to be the exact opposite, and we're beginning to feel that we are beyond the point of salvation.
EVERY generation has felt this way, and yet we still go to work, make plans for the future, decide to have more children and make our art. I have faith that everything that is happening today is all for the ultimate good and that this generation, like those before us, will survive the storm. It WOUILD be wise to get out your slicker, though, and perhaps plan for shelter....
Isaiah 25:4
You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Gated Community

2011-09-26T20:57:00.002-05:00

5 X 7 Oil on canvas panel $115

SOLD to a Florida Collector

I know that gated communities, home owner's associations and the like have their place in this world. I just hope I never have to live in one....although, the thought of someone else making decisions for me, mowing my grass, caring for the trivialities of home ownership and just leaving me alone to paint at times sounds enticing.....
If you've lived in the country as long as I have, you've probably seen every kind of gate there is - and I HATE this kind...the floppy wire ones; made of barbed wire and cedar posts. Often they are made without benefit of an "H frame" so they aren't very sturdy - and I almost ALWAYS scratch myself on the barbed wire unhooking them and then again when I re-close 'em.
I took this photo at Tommy Houston's calf working LAST spring. The gate was more conventional, but the cowboy unhooking it was still having difficulties with it, so I gave him a gate that justified the effort. His chaps were a little too new, also, and the grass was green...a dead giveaway that the photo wasn't taken THIS year in Texas! I may just turn this one into a larger painting...
John 8:16
But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me.

Aunt Abbey and the Other Brother Darryl

2011-09-23T07:38:00.001-05:00

5 X 7 Ink on Index $25

Includes shipping in US

We moved Abbey and the calves to the "big" pasture yesterday...the barn provides better shelter and is wide open so I can quickly locate them. After checking out the perimeter, visiting with Ron's cows next door and warily watching the horses, they settled in to grazing. I even caught Aunt Abbey letting the other brother nurse without kicking at him. I think the "get acquainted" time is past and we are settling into acceptance. Now I need to get the milking parlor built!
1 Timothy 1:15
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.
If you are interested in this drawing, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

The Business End

2011-09-21T20:31:00.001-05:00

6X6 Oil on Canvas Panel $125

Includes shipping and insurance in U.S.

Could not wait to render the drawing of yesterday into a painting today. Abbey is a great model and endless source of imagery.
Today was a milking day. I don't do it every day - just when I NEED the milk. She manufactures about 2 gallons a day and I take about 2 quarts every other day for just drinking. If I'm expecting company or want to make cheese or butter, I'll milk her every day several days in a row.
The procedure is as follows: At dusk, which is about 7:30 p.m. right now, when I go out to close the chicken house down, I call up Abbey and the calves (she KNOWS her name!) All three go into the pen for feed and I entice Abbey back out with cubes and pen the calves up by themselves. She sleeps outside the pen. In the morning, I milk her first before the calves get to her, and I only take milk from 2 quarters, leaving the other 2 for the babies. This way, I can leave her for several days and not worry about getting her milked and since she is nursing 2 calves, her production stays high.
Jerseys are known for being good producers on just pasture - not needing a bunch of extra feed, and so far that is proving to be true. Her body fitness is looking good despite the lean pickings on drought stricken native grasses supplemented with just a little coastal hay and minimum grain. Yep, Aunt Abbey is making do with what she has, and in fact, is thriving!
Jeremiah 17:8
They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Working End of a Cow

2011-09-20T20:56:00.003-05:00

6 X 6 Ink Pen on Index $25

Shipping included in U.S.

We lost one of the calves today...Well, we really didn't lose him...Abbey just left him across the creek where she likes to graze in the morning. She came back with Darryl Number One, but left Darryl Number Two. I figured that might happen with the little calf - at his age, about all they want to do is eat about 4 times a day and sleep the rest. They really don't follow Momma around yet. So Mike and I had to go looking for him.
"Across the Creek" is really mostly native pecan trees, native grass that has survived the drought and briar patches - great for snakes, bunnies and coon hideouts. Mike has mowed a path through the worst of it with the DR, but it is still a challenge to find a calf that is dark in color and content to wait for a Momma that isn't looking for him. Fortunately he was hungry and up and bawling.
Since I had a pocket of cubes, Abbey followed us across the creek, slobbering on my back the whole way, looking for her "cookies". As soon as Darryl Number Two saw her, he trotted to her side, and I turned around and managed to stay in front of both of them all the way home.
The calves are BOTH locked up tonight...I expect it will be another couple weeks before I can quit searching for the little 'un.
Galatians 3:22
But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
If you are interested in this drawing, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Abbey's New Calf

2011-09-19T21:13:00.000-05:00

5 X 7 Sharpie pen on index $25

Includes shipping in U.S.

Abbey, the black Jersey cow, joined our family last week and she came with her own little 3 month old bull calf by her side. She produces more milk that he and we can drink, so last Monday I went to the local cattle sale and brought home a little day old dairy calf.
Erath county has a number of commercial dairies. Cows have to deliver calves yearly to produce milk and very few dairymen keep the bull calves. The cows can't raise them because they are producing milk for US to drink. So they are sold at the local sale barns. Most are bottle raised to eventually end up in the grocery store or at McDonalds.
I am not found of raising pure-bred Holstein calves. Holsteins are bred to produce milk - not meat. And the survival instincts of the breed seem to be gone - if they get sick, they give up. So I looked for a crossbred calf - one that was part Angus (exactly like Abbey's calf) and that's what I found. In fact, the two calves could be brothers (meet Darryl and my OTHER brother Darryl). It's taken a week for Abbey to accept the fact that there are now TWO boys to raise, and she has no choice. The little one has figured out that the safest way to nurse is from the rear while Big Brother is going at it, and he has become relentless in his pursuit of dinner. Momma has no choice but to stand still. And since cows can't kick backwards like a horse can, he's safe, and all's right with the world.....
Isaiah 55:1
[ Invitation to the Thirsty ] “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
If you are interested in this drawing, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Hang on Cowboy

2011-09-18T00:01:00.002-05:00

5 X 7 Pen on Index $25

Includes shipping in U.S.

Living in Texas gives me the opportunity to acquire rodeo cowboy images fairly regularly. I like the "man taming beast" symbolism that bronc riding implies. The cowboy chose to ride the wild horse, but he did not just jump on without proper preparation. Cowboys are some of the best athletes I know and most take very good care of their tack - a broken cinch at this moment could spell disaster. Balance is a key - as is maintaining a low center of gravity on the horse. All of this comes together in a perfect 8 second ride - and hopefully no one gets hurt.
Jeremiah 11:10
They have returned to the sins of their ancestors, who refused to listen to my words. They have followed other gods to serve them. Both Israel and Judah have broken the covenant I made with their ancestors.
If you are interested in this drawing, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Loss of Leadership - riderless horse oil painting

2011-09-16T20:57:00.003-05:00

8X8 Oil on panel $125

Includes shipping and insurance in U.S.
SOLD to a collector in Queensland, Australia

One rein is broken; the other is trailing behind. I can't HELP but make an analogy to our current state of affairs. A horse loaded down with tack - but trailing reins, one broken - is in real trouble. He's hampered by the weight that he cannot remove himself, and since he's been cared for most of his life, finding food might become a problem, too. That rein he's dragging is a hazard, as well. Seems insignificant, but it could cause real problems. He COULD take care of himself without the shackles (taxes?).... See the analogy?
OK - off the soapbox. This is only a horse who lost his rider and now needs help finding his way home. But what about the rider???
Revelation 19:11
[ The Heavenly Warrior Defeats the Beast ] I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Abbey 4

2011-09-10T06:04:00.000-05:00

5 X 7 Sharpie on Index paper $25

Includes Shipping

Aunt Abbey and I continue developing our relationship. Now that the weather has finally turned a bit cooler, she no longer needs the sprinkler turned on every afternoon. The flies are becoming an issue, though, especially during milking. She swishes her tail continually and I have become quite adept at dodging it. Fewer flies give her fewer excuses to nail me with it and we are working on that solution - hard to solve, though, without using dangerous chemicals, which kinda defeats the purpose of this whole endeavor...
I thought I would start having fun with a special of the week, and here it is: Buy any painting and get any unsold drawing of your choice FREE (including this one). This offer is good for one week (through next Friday). While supplies last...you know the drill!
Ecclesiastes 10:1
As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Life's Not Fair

2011-09-06T09:46:00.000-05:00

6 x 8 oil on panel $100

Includes Shipping and Insurance in US

Life ISN'T fair - and when we were born, that promise was NOT made to us - that life would be fair.
Pretty people get better jobs and handsome ex-racehorses get to graze in the yard. Instead of being jealous of the racehorse, perhaps the donkey's time would be better spent looking for good grazing on HIS side of the fence...making the best of his own situation.
God doesn't promise us everything we want - he DOES promise us everything we NEED, if we only ask for it and thank him when we get it. So many of us don't know we already have it, though...
Numbers 23:19
God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Adopt a Racehorse

2011-09-04T00:01:00.002-05:00

5 X 7 Oil on panel $85

Includes shipping and insurance

I have a "racehorse reject" that I care for (Easy) and I found another one down the road - owned by a neighbor.
On my way back from Granbury the other day, I passed her house and noticed a handsome sorrel gelding grazing lose in her front yard. I quickly turned around and pulled into the driveway. Before I could turn the car off, though, she came out the front door with a big smile on her face.
Yes, she knew the horse was lose in her yard....he belonged to her. But as long as his best buddy, a little burro, was safely penned nearby, he wouldn't leave the yard. Instead he grazed contently on the irrigated grass while the donkey hung his head over the fence watching plaintively. (I just thought of a new painting....!) Unlike my Easy, who never won a race, this fellow actually made money for his former owner, but a bad knee, common in older race horses, ended his racing career and potentially his life. But my big hearted neighbor (who also has a pound puppy) is giving him a safe place to comfortably live out his life.
With the drought still having its grip on all of Texas and much of Louisiana and Oklahoma, horses are being hauled to Mexico and Canada for slaughter. I have already shared my opinion of this atrocity and why it is happening. I hope those who were instrumental in closing the US based horse slaughter houses are putting their money where their big mouths are and are adopting the thousands of starving and unwanted horses.
Genesis 42:19
If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households.
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Simply a Roper

2011-09-03T08:07:00.003-05:00

6 X 8 Oil on Panel $115

Includes shipping and Insurance

It's amazing what the eye sees and how it interprets paint. This little piece is composed of a minimum of brush strokes, and I opened just 5 tubes of paint. Yet your eye still thinks it sees all the detail.
I KNOW simple is better, yet I continue to complicate my life with more possessions and "labor saving" devices. I'm trying not to, though....I have come to really enjoy the simplest of tasks.
I have found that sweeping the tile floor in the living room is so much more enjoyable than loud vacuuming. Hand whisking egg whites is still noisy, but not as bad as the electric mixer. And leaning into the cow while I milk her has GOT to be more satisfying than hooking her up to a milking machine and flipping a switch.
Proverbs 31:17
She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Aunt Abbey the Black Jersey Cow - continuous line drawing

2011-09-02T07:23:00.001-05:00

6 X 6 marker on index $25

Includes shipping in US

Aunt Abbey and I have reached an agreement. I feed her and she lets me milk her. Like horses, food is a great motivator. In addition, I keep the flies off of her, turn a sprinkler on in the afternoon near the tree she likes to relax under (it's so hot that she pants like a dog) and scratch her ears when I'm done milking.
It took three days to save up a couple gallons of milk (we have drunk some and I also have skimmed the cream off). Last night I inoculated it with yogurt and left it out at room temperature to start the cheese making process. Today I add rennet and heat it up to make it curdle. I have not decided if I am going to try to make a hard cheese (this requires a press) or a soft cheese (easier for a novice cheese maker). The critical part of the process is the heating temperature and timing. Just a variance of a few degrees changes the consistency and type of cheese made.
Did you know that the pasteurization of milk destroys the calcium content and many vitamins? I think that must be why the commercial milk label says "calcium and vitamin fortified" - all that has to be added BACK to milk after it's pasteurized. And even more additional calcium must be added if you use pasteurized milk to make cheese - there's not enough available to make the curds. Hmmmmm This makes me believe that drinking raw milk will help prevent osteoporosis...a real threat in post-menopausal women.
If you are really, really curious about Raw Milk and why so many people are turning to it - CLICK HERE. My kids were fed raw milk when they were little and I am really enjoying returning to it - for a variety of reasons.
Ezekiel 34:3
You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock.
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Cheese Making a Success - so far

2011-09-02T07:00:00.001-05:00

Thus far, the cheese making has been a success. I decided to make my first effort a soft cheese, similar to Feta - but without brining. I will add some herbs to it when it has cured a day.

Yesterday I started with Abbey's generous donation of 2 gallons of milk, cream removed. After warming the milk to room temperature, I added 1/2 cup of Greek yoghurt and left it to sit overnight. This morning I warmed the mixture carefully to 86 degrees over a pan of hot water and added 1/2 a rennet tablet dissolved in a tablespoon of water. I left it to sit on the counter.

After a couple hours, it had curdled and I cut the curds with a knife and left it to sit another hour.

Over a pan of hot water, I gradually raised the temperature to 96 degrees, taking a hour to do it. Stirring occasionally, the curds firmed up.

I strained off the whey in a collander and dumped the whole pile into a cheese cloth, tied it up and hung it by the sink to drain further.

Tomorrow I will add salt and garlic to half of it and leave the rest plain.

The left over whey is not going to waste...I am now carefully raising its temperature to nearly boiling and the resulting tiny curds that form now is Ricotta Cheese. Very flavorful.

Abbey the Black Jersey Cow

2011-08-29T16:04:00.001-05:00

6 X 6 Marker on Index

Given away to a regular viewer who answered a question.
Watch for more giveaways in the future!

It has been an eventful past two weeks.
My precious Aunt Anne passed away last Saturday, and Mike and I journeyed to Baton Rouge, my birthplace, for her funeral on Thursday. In actuality, it was a joyous passing for her - she lost her husband three years ago and was ready to join him. As usual, I was delighted to visit with so many of my Cajun Cousins and their children (and grandchildren). Cousin Betsy wants a reunion - and so do I. Texas is actually quite nice in January (and so is Louisiana)...Think about it, cousins!
Another event: we have purchased a milk cow - a black Jersey named Abbey. We used to have a milking Shorthorn 30 years ago, and like Abbey, Red Cow was a combination family milk cow/nurse cow. I would get baby calves from local dairies and she would raise them in addition to her own calf. Abbey has been doing the same. She had been nursing 2 calves and came to us with only her own calf, so she has a LOT of extra milk now. We don't yet have a milking stanchion nor is she halter broke, but I can put a bucket of feed before her and she lets me milk her while she's eating. In about 7 minutes I can get a couple quarts from her - more than Mike and I drink in a day, but I plan to make cheese this week...stay tuned. (I promise NOT to turn this blog into a soliloquy on self-sufficiency, but I think most of you out there already know where I stand regarding the need to prepare in advance for emergencies.)
Leviticus 20:24
But I said to you, “You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the LORD your God, who has set you apart from the nations.

First Day Out

2011-08-18T00:01:00.003-05:00

8 X 8 Oil on Canvas Panel $125

Includes shipping and insurance

I can only do so many landscapes and birds and other animals...then it's back to the horses. I intend to cover this one with an acrylic polymer which makes the colors POP. There is no way to show what it really looks like on the computer, but it I plan to put it in an upcoming show where it can be viewed properly. (If it doesn't sell first!)

Don't forget my 100% happiness-money-back-including-shipping guarantee!

Genesis 1:20

And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.”

If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Thirty Mile Campground Road to the Headwaters

2011-08-17T00:01:00.003-05:00

8 X 10 Oil on stretched canvas $135

Includes shipping and insurance

This is a view on the way up Canyon Road to the headwaters of the Rio Grande River. It is on the edge of the Wemenuche Wilderness in South Eastern Colorado. Nearly a half million acres and over 13,000 foot peaks fill this area, and a number of hikers have discovered that not only are there tremendous views and fabulous weather but also great fishing and quiet remoteness. We stayed at Thirty Mile Campground August 6 - 14. The temperature was in the high thirties in the morning and 70's during the day - DEEEEE-lightful!
Matthew 16:2
He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Checking For Scraps - sea gull oil painting

2011-08-16T00:01:00.003-05:00

6 X 8 Oil on canvas panel $125.00

Includes shipping and insurance

Inland gulls - we were 1000 miles from any ocean at Eleven Mile Campground in Colorado. Yet the lake has a flock of gulls that live there all year (even when the lake freezes over) and they reproduce there, too! They are like gulls everywhere - opportunists - waiting for fishermen to clean their catch. The gulls move in and quickly "bus" the shoreline and make it neat. I love watching them watching ME! They KNEW when I was through fishing and appeared from nowhere, swirling overhead waiting for their meal. I can't help but wonder how they survive the harsh winters there....?
Proverbs 15:1
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Nice Ass - mule and horse painting

2011-08-15T21:17:00.004-05:00

6 X 8 Oil on Canvas Panel $125

Includes shipping and insurance

I spotted this mule and horse pair on the side of the road near Creede, Colorado and shouted "Pull over, Mike!" I HAD to take their picture! Later that afternoon, during the afternoon rain up in Thirty Mile Campground, I painted them. I am learning to KISS - "Keep It Simple, Stupid".
Psalm 19:7
The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Sportmobile at Bear Lake Campground, Cuchara, Colorado

2011-08-07T00:01:00.003-05:00

6 X 8 oil on canvas panel

Contact me by e-mail for availability

Some of the fun in camping is meeting other campers and getting to view their camping setups.

The folks that own this camper love the wilderness and find it easiest to get to the most remote places with this pretty neat four wheel drive Ford converted into a totally contained camper – they call it a Sportmobile. It is complete with a sleeping loft and kitchen. Every nook and cranny is used for storage – with no space wasted. The owners spent 16 years in Saudi Arabia back in the 70’s and 80’s and took their children camping there – so they are no strangers to camping in “remote” places! I still prefer our big ole RV – especially during the frequent cold rain showers we have experienced – but I could see enjoying their compact and efficient camper, too. They can go places we can only dream about!

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, remember I am on the road and cannot get it to you for a while – PLUS it will need to dry before I can ship it anyway – but your patience will be rewarded! THANKS!

Isaiah 1:7
Your country is desolate, your cities burned with fire; your fields are being stripped by foreigners right before you, laid waste as when overthrown by strangers.

I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

WInd Beneath My Wings 2

2011-08-06T00:01:00.005-05:00

8X6 Oil on Canvas Panel $125

Includes shipping and insurance in US

I was born in Baton Rouge and still have very deep roots in Louisiana, despite my Texas accent and my love of things cowboy related. The state bird of Louisiana is the Brown Pelican – this one is NOT that bird. We see this white variety all through the Rocky Mountain States and clear down to Texas. Their clumsy take-offs are in stark contrast to their gliding ability once they are aloft. With a strong head wind or rising on thermal air currents, they barely need to flap their wings to stay aloft. This one was working to achieve altitude and had not yet raised his landing gear!
Ecclesiastes 4:6
Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.

Ruth 2:12
May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

High Trail Trotter

2011-08-05T00:01:00.007-05:00

6 X 8 Oil on canvas panel $125

Includes shipping and insurance in US

Running away from a problem only makes facing it later worse. Children will lie about a small thing – putting off the inevitable. Ignoring fiscal responsibility and continuing to live beyond our means only puts off the inevitable and is a childish way to live. Children also want instant gratification and, like children, we have all learned to say “I deserve it and I want it NOW”. Eventually the time will come to pay the Piper….

Leviticus 26:21
“‘If you remain hostile toward me and refuse to listen to me, I will multiply your afflictions seven times over, as your sins deserve.
I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Run From the Politicians!

2011-08-03T00:01:00.003-05:00

6X7 Oil on Canvas Panel $120

Includes shipping and insurnce

They don’t have a clue as to how to save this country. Spitting on a wildfire will not put it out and making more legislation won’t save the economy.

The GOOD news is that Colorado Sweet corn is the best ever!

AND whatever happens to this country, to this WORLD, I will survive – either here or with my heavenly father. It’s all in His hands anyway – always has been.

Proverbs 25:25
Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land.

Hiding in the Aspens - Eleven Mile Campground, Lake George, Colorado landscape oil painting

2011-08-02T00:01:00.002-05:00

6 X 8 Oil on canvas panel $125

Includes shipping and insurance in US

A cool spot to hide within the rocks and aspens…found this little spot on one of my cool morning hikes around Eleven Mile Campground. Georgia goes with us and protects us from the chipmunks and magpies. There’s also a sizeable flock of seagulls that live year round here – inland seagulls…shows how adaptable nature can be. We could learn a lesson from the gulls. Adapt, make do, eat what’s handy and always be ready for change.

Genesis 4:4
And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering

Caught in a Maelstrom

2011-08-01T00:01:00.008-05:00

5X7 Oil on canvas panel $115

Includes shipping and insurance in US

We may be on the edge of civilization here at Eleven Mile, but we ARE following what’s going on in Washington. Our leaders are being pulled in all directions deciding how to save this country from financial disaster. There are no easy solutions – it took us 100 years to get here and we cannot climb out of this hole with one piece of legislation. I do feel that the “Great Ponzi Scheme” is about to end – and go down in flames. You cannot max out your credit cards, borrow from all your neighbors and friends, and keep spending like a madman and expect to survive. Our resources NOT limitless.

Mike quoted me some interesting statistics the other day – Many United States residents who are defined as living in poverty, still have 2 cars, a 3 bedroom, 2 bath place to live, a wide screen TV and a cellphone. ( And I might add, are overweight). Only in America.

Deuteronomy 4:27
The LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the LORD will drive you.
I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

They Must Be Married - Eleven Mile Campground Pelicans oil painting

2011-07-31T00:01:00.007-05:00

5X7 Oil on canvas panel $115

Includes Shipping and Insurance

At the end of a fishing morning on Eleven Mile Reservoir, one of our fellow fishers cleaned her fish before she left, and the local pelicans and gulls took close notice. They hung around waiting for a chance to come near shore and clean up the guts and heads – opportunists abound everywhere.

Pelicans fascinate me – such HUGE birds with enormous wingspans. It takes a lot of energy for them to gain altitude, but once aloft, their wings maintain lift and they seem to fly effortlessly. Clumsy on shore yet so graceful in air. Like many of us – in our element we thrive, but put us in high heels and diamonds – OUCHEE! I am SO happy in my camper or in the garden…or the studio.

Exodus 19:4
‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.
I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

The Sentinel - Eleven Mile Campground near Lake George, landscape oil painting

2011-07-30T15:12:00.001-05:00

The Sentinel

8 X 10 Oil on stretched canvas $150

Includes shipping and insurance in US

It is still over 100 degrees back home, but here at Eleven Mile Campground at about 8700 feet, it’s been in the 40’s when we wake at dawn, and it only climbs to 80 during the day (The locals are complaining this is a HOT summer!) We have very limited phone service and NO internet. To connect with the rest of the world, we have to travel eleven miles to the closest town – Lake George – and use their tiny library’s wi-fi.

The fishing around the lake shore has not been good this year. This is our 4^th trip here and our most disappointing. We DID hire Larry-the-Guide again, though, to take us trolling on the lake in the deep water, and as usual we caught our limit. This year Mike out-fished me by nearly three to one AND caught the biggest fish. After we filled the live well with our legal 8 fish, we played “catch and release’ for another 2 hours – hoping to add some salmon to the freezer. Mike caught several more trout (including 2 small Cutthroats) but no salmon.

A million salmon are released into the lake yearly, but they are a tricky fish to catch. Larry thinks they are succumbing to a gill parasite and not surviving, but no one knows. There’s Northern Pike in the lake, too. We caught one last year and it was delicious, but we didn’t luck into any this year. All the fish we kept are what’s known as “Cut-Bow” – a cross between the Rainbow and Cutthroat trout. The flesh is a rich pink, salmon color and very good to eat. I ate a whole one for lunch and I may do the same for several days…and yes, Mimi and Grandma, I have saved you each a fish in the freezer!

One of the good things about this trip is the down time – with no outside interruptions, I have actually had time to paint – both the local scenery and my horses. Texas may be fried when we return (THANK YOU FAMILY AND NEIGHBORS for taking care of things!!!!), at least this moment I can be in my “happy place”!

This painting is a view from one of the campsites here – there aren’t many trees close to the lake, but those that are here are tough survivors and all have interesting feature.

Psalm 3:5
I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.

Arabian Moves 3 - Kiss My A--, PETA

2011-07-09T14:32:00.001-05:00

5 X 6 Oil on Masonite Panel $75

Includes shipping and insurance

OK - time to get on my soapbox.
First remember that I LOVE HORSES. And BECAUSE I love horses, I reluctantly support the the humane slaughter of horses as a necessity for their survival and well being. I know this sounds like an oxymoron, but follow me on this...
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has successfully shut down the US businesses that processed horses for overseas consumption. As a result, hundreds of thousands of horses are facing slow, painful starvation.
We are in the middle of a terrible drougth in Texas. I have friends who have owned horses all their lives who can longer afford to feed them (and in some cases cannot even FIND feed at ANY cost). Neither can they afford to "humanely" put them down and have them disposed of. It's a choice between feeding their families or feeding the horses.
I always said if I had an old, beloved horse I would do the humane thing and haul them to the "killer" myself to put them down. We no longer have that option. Fortunately I know where to place a bullet, and we have a large enough piece of land to simply leave the body for the coyotes (yes, I would LOVE to bury my horses, but do you know what a backhoe rents for?) Besides, feeding coyotes and buzzards is the natural way.
My main point is: thanks to PETA, horses are not facing a quick death at the processor, but instead a long, drawn out, painful starvation death. My friend who has raised high dollar, spectacular horses all her life cannot give them away. Yes, she can take them to the sale barn and for $130 each they'll be loaded into cattle trucks and hauled 1200 miles into Mexico without food or water in this heat. Now THAT sounds humane...
PETA would have been serving animals better if they had concentrated on the quality of the trucking companies and the humane execution of the horses instead of eliminating the procedure all together.
I love horses - always have, but they are still animals. ALL animals deserve to be treated humanely and respectfully, both in life and death. But now, thanks to PETA, who THINK they have the welfare of horses in mind, we are going to see more and more horses first starve and then ultimately destroyed anyway.
Hey, PETA person - will YOU care for the unwanted, the wild and untameable, the permanently injured and suffering and the starving for those who no longer can?
Genesis 1:26
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Arabian Moves 2 - Magnum Psyche foal out of Khadraj mare oil painting

2011-07-08T14:56:00.002-05:00

6 X 8 Oil on Masonite panel $125

Available at benefit auction through
Lord's Acre in Bluff Dale, Texas
Sunday October 23

I went to help my friend Tessa pour medicine down the throat of her palomino filly foal a couple days ago and toted my camera along to get pictures of her latest hot stud colt. This has got to be the most stunning Arabian colt I have ever seen...with a blazing personality and a "presence" rarely seen in 3 1/2 month old babies. He already knows he is destined for greatness.
I know nothing about Arabian pedigrees, so I had to get Tessa to spell the names in this fellow's pedigree - and a Google search turned up plenty of images...no WONDER this boy is exceptional, and my painting no where near does him justice. I will HAVE to go back for more images...if she doesn't sell him first! He's already nearly as tall as his dam and she is weaning him this weekend. THAT's when I'll probably get some good images...
Psalm 145:3
Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.
I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Blondes are Beautiful - charolais calves oil painting

2011-07-05T18:43:00.000-05:00

28 X 32 1 1/2" Gallery Wrap

Contact Artist for Availability

Our friends, the Hodges, raise Charolais/cross cattle - going against the standard of Black Angus in this part of Texas. Not a black hide in the bunch - but a nicer bunch of calves you'll never see - especially in this severe drought. One reason they look so good is their mamas - mostly BrahmanXHerford cows who sacrifice their own health to wean a fat calf. And in the heat of the day, they'll still be up and grazing - unlike all the black angus cows hiding in the shade.
We are still burning up in Texas - no fireworks yesterday except over local lakes and at the Ballpark (where the Rangers smashed the Orioles). Hope you all had a safe and heart warming Independence Day!
Jeremiah 30:17
But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the LORD, ‘because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.’
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

What Cows Do Best

2011-07-03T13:57:00.002-05:00

6 X 8 Ink on index $25

Includes shipping and insurance

There's not much grass left in the pasture for this kind of activity. No rain means no grass...and no flowers for the bees. I am feeding them a quart of 50% sugar water a day - and they'd take more. The bees are NOT in a good mood, either. When I removed the empty sugar water jar last night at sundown, they came after me and I got stung on the hand. Now half my right hand is swollen and itchy - not good. Guess I'd better start walking more cautiously around them!
The chickens are cutting back on their laying, too - but good old Moe, the naked-neck chicken, is uglier than ever and still laying the biggest eggs every day. Today's Sunday school lesson for my teenagers was about God not seeing the same way people see. People look at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart.
Same with Moe - she would end up last place in a chicken beauty pageant - heck, they may not even let her in!!!! But she is the best layer AND the best at getting after the grasshoppers. AND she survived the great coyote massacre of 2010. As far as I am concerned, she is perfect.
1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Cow in the front yard - line pen and ink drawing

2011-06-30T21:58:00.001-05:00

6 1/4 X 8 ink on index $25

Includes shipping in US

I need to keep drawing because it really does improve my confidence. I completed this in about 3 minutes. Yep, at $25 for 3 minutes, that's $500 an hour - can't beat those rates! Of course, we aren't taking into consideration the practice it took to get here, the hours it took stalking this cow, the cost of the camera, the computer imaging to store it, the advertising, the education, the years of extra study, studio expenses, the maturity to know the difference between a good cow and a mediocre cow, etc. So I guess in reality it took a lifetime to draw this cow. 59 years is over a half million hours. So $25 in 3 minutes is actually about 1/1000 a cent per hour. Pretty good value when you consider it THAT way, huh?
When an observer asks me "How long did it take you to complete that?", I answer "59 years". After March 28 the answer with change to "60 years". I LOVE the puzzled look I get until their lightbulb comes on!
1 Timothy 4:8
For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Displacement

2011-06-26T00:01:00.002-05:00

5 X 7 Ink on Index $25

Includes shipping US

Sticking with drawing for a while - good for the mind and hand coordination. The more I draw, the better I see. Rather like "The more I pray, the better I communicate with God".
1 John 3:22
"...and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him."
I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Fishing for the Big One

2011-06-25T10:26:00.001-05:00

6 X 6 Ink on Index $25

Includes shipping in US

In going through my cowboy photos, I found one I would like to paint. Sketches first...then the canvas.

I have really enjoyed the square format, too, and as soon as the garden is finished, I hope to resume painting.

Acts 9:31

Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.

Wind Beneath My Wings

2011-06-24T15:33:00.003-05:00

8 X 8 Oil on Masonite Panel $125

SOLD

There was a small flock of brown pelicans hanging around the beach at Matagorda Bay last weekend. They flew over me several times and I managed to get a few quick images. Do pelicans mate for life? I don't know - many water birds do - I know geese and most cranes stay together year after year.
I have mated for life (and hopefully so has my husband!! LOL) We'll celebrate 38 years this July - not bad for a couple old birds!
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Who's Watching the Baby?

2011-06-23T11:02:00.002-05:00

8 X 6 Oil on Masonite panel $125

Includes shipping and insurance

A quick trip to the Matagorda Bay area last weekend afforded me the opportunity to acquire some "beachy" images. While Mike and I were soaking up a few rays, I got permission from the folks around me to take their pictures for possible future use in a painting.

This is a classic example of combining two images to make one. This young man watching his daughter and WAS NOT actually oogling the lovely young lady strolling by - she was on the beach on a separate occasion and was walking her dog. But the image of the young fellow with his face turned so dramatically just demanded something worth looking at! Voila! Who IS watching the babe...er baby?
Genesis 30:31
“What shall I give you?” he asked. “Don’t give me anything,” Jacob replied. “But if you will do this one thing for me, I will go on tending your flocks and watching over them:
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a
wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

One Man Heifer - continuous line drawing - sort of

2011-06-09T17:38:00.000-05:00

Blue ink on index card stock - $25 - includes shipping

image area 6 X 8 - would fit an 8 X 10 frame with 1" mat

I went to Dr. Bill's yearly calf working this morning and got some more great cowboy images. This is one of many. Most of the calves were 4 months old and pretty stout critters. This heifer was one of the smaller ones. 80% of the rest took 2 or more men to wrestle to the ground.

My favorite cowboy, young Coy Clower was on a new mount today. I first met this young man 6 or more years ago when he was mounted on a little palomino pony. His feet were nearly dragging the ground on that pony at the last calf working I saw him at. I knew his daddy, Barry wouldn't put him on just any old horse either, but I had a feeling that if the right animal came along, I'd see Coy roping on something new. You can be sure that Coy and his paint will find their way into a painting or two. The whole Clower family makes their living working cattle - including Coy's big sister Courtney and her husband. Not only do I admire them for their work ethic, but I also am humbled by their faith in God. They are living proof that when you are doing what you love, doing it honestly, and thanking God for the ability to do it, all things are possible.
James 2:6
But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court?
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Stand Your Ground

2011-06-08T07:27:00.000-05:00

11X12 Oil on Board

Check with Artist for Availability

The cowboy on his horse leaps from the starting chute, chasing a darting calf, throws his rope, leaves the running horse as the rope (hopefully) settles over the neck of the calf, runs down its length, throws the calf, ties three of its legs and throws his hands in the air. Often in less than 10 seconds (if he's gonna win). So much has to happen perfectly for any of this to have a successful conclusion, the least of which is being on a horse who knows when to stop and stand his ground, keeping the rope taunt for the cowboy. If he stops too soon or too late, the calf is lost and the cowboy's entry fee is gone.
I cannot help but conclude that morality in life can be likened to a roping horse who knows where to stand his ground. Variance in either direction can lead to dire conclusions. Practice makes perfect. And some ARE more skilled than others (next time you attend a roping, watch how often a favorite horse gets used by more than one roper).
But when you KNOW what the rules are and have discovered that sweet spot where the consequences of your actions have positive results, the rest of the competition falls into place and a winning time is made!
I have been asked to show my work at the Tarleton State University Fine Arts Center Gallery in October. My daughter graduated from TSU and I worked there several years back in the 80's. It is a high honor to be able to humbly present my paintings before the University visitors, students and staff, and I am leaning toward a theme of "cowboy art" (which obviously won't be too hard to assemble!)
This painting was done with a very limited palette (yellow, red, black and white) that some call a "Zorn Palette" after the Swedish artist, Anders Zorn. Limiting the palette to just a few colors allows for color harmony and is next to impossible to screw up! I don't usually use black ever, but here it works for me...
I will have to custom frame this piece, too - it started off as a 12X12, but I left too much space over the cowboy's head and so removed an inch. I think I may epoxy it and free-float it over a piece of mesquite...decisions decisions...

Psalm 9:8.
He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity.

Polo Action

2011-06-06T17:54:00.000-05:00

We have a new neighbor moving into the area. And by "neighbor", I mean someone within 10 miles of us. Vinnie currently lives in Dallas and owns a polo sport supply company, which he operates mostly online, so he can live anywhere - and he has chosen Morgan Mill. I am happy, because I have found a new source of horse action images! Most of my neighbors have horses that either work for a living or compete in cowboy related events. Polo competition is something new to me. But, hey, it gets the horse to move and it sure looks like fun. And the people who are participating are extremely good athletes. If you doubt this, try perching on the top of a wiggling, dogging, ducking, stopping, turning, accelerating 1200 pound animal for a couple hours and see if you can even move for two weeks after. That 's IF you don't fall off with the first move.
I found these images on a website for Prestonwood Polo Club and could not find a way to get permission to use them, so just enjoy here. Hopefully I'll get to an event and take my own photos soon. Another horsey adventure. Don't worry, Mom - I am NOT thinking of taking up Polo!
Judges 11:17
Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Give us permission to go through your country,’ but the king of Edom would not listen. They sent also to the king of Moab, and he refused. So Israel stayed at Kadesh.
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

A Road Well Traveled

2011-06-05T17:42:00.000-05:00

8X10 Oil on Canvas Panel

Check with artist for availability

What advice do you give a young person graduating from High School today?
A number of platitudes immediately come to mind: "Stay true to yourself", "Dance as if no one is watching", "Always wear clean underwear"....
I think some good advice would be to choose a road where there is already a path made. This may initially sound pretty boring and perhaps even way too conventional (especially coming from this hippie-wanna-be). And when I graduated from High School in 1970, the LAST thing I wanted was a conventional way of life "plodding" in the footsteps of those who went before me, but life has brought me a bit of wisdom, and a change of heart.
Why re-invent the wheel, when it's already perfect? The road I am speaking of is the the road leading to Christ. It's not a boring road. The one you choose to walk may not even be paved - and it may cross some fairly spectacular countryside. But it is a well mapped road that has ruts in it made by millions before you. And I know where it leads. In addition, the journey is anything BUT boring.
And that is what I was thinking as I painted this. A neighbor's child has graduated this spring - Valedictorian of her class - an extraordinary accomplishment. I enjoy giving my small paintings as graduation gifts, with an explanation of my thoughts as it was painted, and I kept lovely Lindsey in my thoughts and prayers as I painted this.
Genesis 24:40
“He replied, ‘The LORD, before whom I have walked faithfully, will send his angel with you and make your journey a success".
If you are interested in a painting like this one, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Bail Off

2011-05-31T16:44:00.000-05:00

18 X 24 on Gallery Wrap 1 1/2 " canvas WIP

This is NOT a finished painting, but I thought I'd show it to you before I change or add to it. My recent workshop with Carol Nelson influenced this a bit - I have paid closer attention to composition and color harmony than normal. Usually I just leap in without much thought and keep pushing paint around until I like it.
I really like this image, too, and want to progressively "abstract it" in future paintings. I think I can exaggerate the diagonals more and add more action and interest.
Luke 6:23
Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven.
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!
nodp

Run Wild, Stay Free - running arabian horse

2011-05-29T16:50:00.001-05:00

6 X 8 Oil on gessoed board $115

Includes shipping and insurance in US

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY, everyone. Please take a moment to stop and and give thanks in your heart for the men and women who have sacrificed everything so that we can be free. And in my opinion the greatest freedom we have is the one to speak freely. Lord knows the stuff I talk about here is mild compared to what I hear on talk radio nowadays - from BOTH sides. And that is what makes this country great - and is also what amazes OTHER nations. Many cannot fathom what it is like to be able to voice your opinion on any subject and not risk reprisal. When our freedom to speak freely is lost, we are lost.
I have just returned from a workshop conducted by Carol Nelson - a fellow Daily Painter. Carol is one of those gifted artists that paints both realistic impressionisms AND abstracts - and does both very well. I am am very fond of abstracts but find myself almost incapable of producing one I like. A good abstract displays all the basics of good art - composition and harmony - just without an identifiable subject. I learned a lot last week, and hope to incorporate some of it in my future paintings. I also learned some interesting display/finishing techniques using epoxy. Stay tuned for more on this - I think you will like these hard to frame 6 x8's done this new way - at least new to me!
Acts 26:26
The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner.
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

He Ain't Heavy, I'm a Mule

2011-05-19T18:56:00.002-05:00

5X7 Oil on Canvas Panel $110

Includes shipping and insurance in US

Friends and family close to me know that I am planning a trip to Haiti this October to help a teeny bit with the monumental clean-up tasks. I am struggling with this decision, believe me. It's expensive to go there and part of me says "just send money - they can use it better than my meager body." Some folks have even suggested that we need to keep our money closer to home and take care of "our own" first. Whew. Heavy thoughts.
Today I was painting this mule, thinking about the trip, talking to God, as I often do while painting - and listening to to XM radio 60's music, which I don't normally listen to. It gets my feet moving, making it hard to paint!
Suddenly, I found myself singing along with the Hollies to the song "He Ain't Heavy, He's My brother". God speaks to us in many ways, and it may be strange to admit that rock and roll from the 60's is his method of choice to speak to ME, but I believe it. Plans continue for the Haiti trip.
Oh, and this painting is actually lighter than this image - I will post a better one when it dries. And the color wheel was "Analogous complements": yellow, violet, red-violet, and red. Next one I'll go in the other direction, same description: yellow, violet, blue violet, blue - should impart a cold feeling, so I may have to play in the snow with it!

"The road is long with many a winding turn that lead us to who knows where, who knows where,
But I'm strong, strong enough to carry him
He ain't heavy, he's my brother.

So on we go. His welfare is my concern. No burden is he to bear, we'll get there.

For I know he would not encumber me
He ain't heavy, he's my brother."

Matthew 11:29-30 (New International Version)

²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Easy and Georgia - no. 5 in experiments with the color wheel

2011-05-18T14:00:00.003-05:00

5 X 7 oil on canvas panel $110

SOLD to a Florida Collector

Another quick study using only 4 Double Split Complements: blue and orange and violet and yellow. I didn't use much yellow, though and did mix a bit. I think on the next painting I will use the same colors and very limited mixing. There's enough darks and lights without re-combining - I may end up with a purple horse, but hey, it's MY horse painting and and I can do what I want to!
My buddy/business partner, Laurie, just came out of teaching a fabulous workshop, and part of what she taught was the need to step out of your comfort zone. I believe that to be true in both art and other parts of your life. I have an opportunity to travel to Haiti in October and help with the ongoing monumental cleaning tasks. This is not something I normally participate in - I am usually happy to give money for such efforts, but actually going in person and using my OWN muscles!!!??? In un-airconditioned, no-electronics, third world Haiti??? Whew - my family thinks I'm nuts...I cannot ignore that little voice in my head that says "you CAN make a difference, however small." And this will definitely be a step out of my comfort zone.
Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Easy Run - 4th in color experimenting series

2011-05-17T14:00:00.003-05:00

5 X 7 Oil on canvas panel $110

Includes shipping and handing in US

A different combination here: an analogous split complement which consists of red-orange, yellow-orange, blue-violet and blue green. RO and BG are compliments of each other as are YO and BV. Those (plus white) are the only paints I put on my palette, and this result looks rather "remington-ish" doesn't it? It's probably that greenish sky.
Another split complement arrangement would be yellow, orange, violet and blue - 2 primaries and 2 secondaries. The obvious color missing is red - and a challenge for me, because I LOVE red.
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Easy Move - 3rd in color experimenting series

2011-05-16T14:22:00.001-05:00

6 X 6 Oil on canvas panel $110

Includes shipping and insurance

I rather like this split complement combination: green, red-orange and red-violet. The red-violet and green make a nice dark, and red-violet and white works well for the shadow on the stockings.
Still keeping it simple.
I haven't yet heard from Jennifer regarding Easy. I hope she gets to ride him after school today, because this is about as perfect a day that Texas can offer - in fact I have to admit that it felt like Colorado this morning when I stepped out to feed the chickens. Fifty degrees, light breeze, low humidity and warming up to low 70's. Just what we find in Creede in August. If it would STAY this way, we would never feel the need for a vacation! But, alas, we know August's seering heat is right around the corner. Thank God for Colorado!
Psalm 19:7
The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Easy Run - 2nd in series of color wheel experiments

2011-05-15T19:45:00.002-05:00

5 X 7 Oil on linen panel $100

Includes Shipping and Insurance in US

Again I have limited my palette to 3 colors - this time Orange, Blue-Violet and Blue-Green - another split complement. I am not as fond of this one as the first, though, but I stuck to it.
We received an inch of rain middle of last week and the garden has really taken off. Tomatoes are setting and the green beans are full of blossoms and tiny beans - WHICH the chickens have also discovered. So they are temporarily in confinement. I get cussed out by them every time I pass their coop door without opening it. I think we are going to have to fence the garden to protect the veggies - at least until there are grasshoppers to get their attention away from the veggies. Meantime I am learning new chicken cuss words daily.
Proverbs 30:8
Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.

If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Easy Walk

2011-05-14T15:03:00.002-05:00

6X8 Oil on Gessoed panel $115

SOLD to a Florida Collector

I have a need to get back to basics - and one problem I have always had is achieving color harmony. I have a color wheel, which helps, so I dug it up and used it on this painting. My plan is to paint one simple small painting of Easy every day for a week using a different palette from the color wheel.
This palette is a "split complement" using blue-green, orange and red. A complement of blue-green is red-orange. The "split" occurs when you use the two colors on either side of the red-orange. I may just rotate one color and do the next image as a split complement, too. This could turn out interesting.
I am painting Easy because he is on my mind. Today he went to a potential new home - down in China Springs near Waco. I have always thought he would excel as a 4-H English project and that's exactly what 13 year old Jennifer wants to do with him. They are going to take up to a month to decide if they are a good fit. She is beginning rider and has an instructor to work with them. I do not want Easy to go anywhere where he is not appreciated and cared for and Jennifer and her family seem like the perfect caretakers. And if it doesn't work out, well, I'll still have my favorite model!
Ecclesiastes 7:8
The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.

If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Walk Away - longhorn cow painting

2011-05-03T19:04:00.001-05:00

5 X 7 Oil on stretched canvas $115 unframed

$145 framed in "free style" Native Texas Pecan frame

by Hill Country Furniture

Price includes shipping and insurance in U.S.

It has finally rained and a huge sigh of relief can be heard throughout my neighborhood. We received an inch and a half yesterday which has allowed the "burn ban" to be lifted. The Possum Kingdon Lake fire was finally extinguished last week and this blessed rain should insure freedom from worrying about more fires for a while. We burned several tree trimming piles today. It was tricky getting the wood to burn. Once the blaze got going good, Mike pulled up a lawn chair and pretended he was in Colorado. It smelled like it, but somehow the lack of mountains on the horizon kinda made the vision hard for me!
Ron's cows have all had their babies and all 8 are bulls! I'm not sure what the odds are for that to happen, but it's gotta be pretty high. This is my favorite of the longhorns to paint. She usually has a calf that looks just like her, but not this year - most of the babies are solid black and boring! Which is just as good, because none of them will be here much past weaning, I suspect.
Isaiah 54:10
Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Egg Producer's Conspiracy

2011-04-23T16:02:00.004-05:00

(Mom, CLICK on the arrow in the lower left hand side of the above image to view video.)
I have always suspected that the tradition of hunting for Easter Eggs was something lobbied for by the egg producers in America. (Like Hallmark lobbying for Mother's Day, Father's Day and all the other assorted "holidays" requiring the sending of a sappy card). It would make sense for them to lobby for a tradition that requires the use of something that is in great over-abundance right now - EGGS! A family can eat only so many eggs- I am learning that right now. All nine hens (except for the setting one) are in full production which means I am getting about 3 to 4 dozen eggs a week. No way Mike and I can eat them all. I know - let's color them, hide them and then hunt for them. Most will get broken (or lost) and/or get eaten by the assorted varmints that frequent the yard. Georgia still gets her egg one-a-day. I have learned to freeze them as well (in case of egg shortage - another coyote massacre). But I also have powdered eggs in the pantry (what WAS I thinkin'????)
What is that diet where you eat only protein and no carbs? Atkins, that's it. I guess it's time to go on Atkins - but I cannot CONCEIVE of giving up bread. OK maybe it's time to start an "Egg Recipe Blog".
I await your thoughts....
I pray ya''ll have a blessed Easter and remember the reason we celebrate. Sunday is not the end - it is the glorious beginning - the EGG! The beginning of a new life
2 John 1:6
And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.
nodp
click here to send me an email. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Well, I'll be a Spotted Donkey's ......

2011-04-22T16:36:00.000-05:00

This is not yet a painting, but I couldn't resist posting this photo I took today. My neighbor's spotted donkey had a foal recently and this little filly is the result - isn't she adorable!? Look for her in a future painting...
On this Good Friday, I am reminded of the events of last weekend - Palm Sunday - when our Lord rode through a welcoming throng of people, humbly on an ass - not as a warrior king, but as a gentle man offering something far more valuable than release from the tyranny of Rome. Instead he offered eternal life and peace and joy by his side. And all he asked in return was to believe in him - and have faith that the advice he offered for every aspect of our day-to-day lives was worth following.
Try it - you just may like it.
nodp
Matthew 21:5
“Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

click here to send me an email

Not Dancing Yet 2

2011-04-21T09:44:00.001-05:00

FRAMED Oil on canvas 12 X 24
Check with artist for availability

The sun is setting and the fight continues. Neither party is willing to give up - both are guilty of placing their own personal needs and entitlements before those who put them where they are.

The sun is setting and soon there will be no more light to illuminate our way. And still they fight.
The sun is setting. I hope you have stocked up on candles - the night may be long and starless.
I made the mistake of varnishing this painting before I photographed it, so it's nearly impossible to get a good image without glare. I have included an angled shot with flash to help show the colors.
This wood frame is a custom "floater" and really looks great on it.
Job 30:26
Yet when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, then came darkness.

If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

larger version of "Experienced Rider Only"

2011-04-19T18:32:00.002-05:00

16 X 20 Oil on Stretched Canvas $465

Includes shipping and insurance in US

I just had to paint this again in a larger size - this time using mostly a palette knife and lots of paint.
Texas is in the throes of wildfires - some not too far from me. I just stepped outside to photo this painting, and the odor of smoke is heavy in the air - the wind is still high and coming from the direction of the worst fires. Dallas is getting rain right now, but it is as if there is a giant umbrella over this part of Central Texas. And the irony of all this is that since we had such a nice, wet summer last year, all that lush vegetation is now a tinder box of fuel in these winds. Please pray for Texas - and the rest of the world suffering from climate catastrophes. We are all surely being tested.
Psalm 66:10
For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver.

If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Experienced Rider Only

2011-04-12T15:12:00.004-05:00

9 X 12 Oil on Stretched Canvas $125

SOLD to a collector in Oklahoma

He lost his stirrups on the first hop, but didn't pull leather until buck number 5 or 6 and even then didn't hold on tight. Instead he waved one arm in the air, held on to his rope (but he did lose is calf0 and spurred that gelding until he quit bucking. And yes, he made his 8 and then some!
A round of applause was given by the spectators, and the cowboy went back to work as if nothing had happened. The horse didn't act up for the rest of the day, as far as I could tell.
I asked him later if the horse was a regular bucker, and he replied, "Well, Mam, I just bought him yesterday, and they told me he did buck some". I have a feeling that this cowboy has done some time riding broncs in competitions and it won't be long before "Bucky" finds out that he has finally met his match!
Proverbs 28:19
Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.
I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Sportaloosa Fun Time

2011-04-11T10:22:00.000-05:00

8 X 10 Oil on Canvas panel $110

Includes Shipping and Insurance in U.S.

To quote the Sportaloosa Website: The Sportaloosa is a unique modern spotted sport horse bred to be user friendly and competitive in the Olympic disciplines of jumping, dressage and eventing as well as cattle classes, reining, rodeo and endurance.
I found this image by accident on Facebook and received permission of his owner (who lives in New South Wales) to paint him.
I have always been intrigued by the Appaloosa coloring and have even owned two in my distant past. In fact, the first GOOD horse I owned was an ap mare named Cocoa. I purchased her (unknowingly) bred and her colt became our first foal and the first horse I actually trained. Both my kids rode him and he eventually became a member of a dude ranch string of horses. THAT was 30 years ago...I imagine Nipper is probably waiting for me in Heaven by now....
Job 25:2
“Dominion and awe belong to God; he establishes order in the heights of heaven.

If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Got Your Back

2011-03-31T17:04:00.001-05:00

20 X 40 Oil on Stretched Canvas

Contact Artist for Availability

Every year a local rancher friend holds a "calf working" where he hires cowboys for the whole day to rope, brand, castrate and vaccinate his calves. They have to start early to get the whole herd done and he generously feeds the cowboys breakfast and lunch. The event evolved into an opportunity for grandkids to participate in the event (the kids get to practice roping, brand and give shots!) and some local neighbors and fellow rancher friends are invited, too. I was first invited several years ago to take photographs (you bet!). This April will be my 4th year and I am looking forward to it.
I really enjoy visiting with the cowboys - who are the last of their kind. Not too many guys can actually make a living at their trade. Like farming, the weather often dictates whether you can work or not, and most often bad weather DOESN'T interrupt plans - the show must go on, because other ranchers already have their dates scheduled and cannot be put off.
So April 9 is this year's "Calf Working" - rain or shine. I have frozen and sweated in April in Texas...and I'll be prepared for whatever Mother Nature throws at us. Never a dull moment in that month!
Deuteronomy 32:2
Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.

If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

What are YOU Lookin' At???

2011-03-29T15:52:00.002-05:00

6X6 Oil on Linen Panel $100

SOLD

I haven't been blogging lately - too busy working in the yard and the vegetable garden. This year I have committed myself to being intensive using compost (we have a HUGE pile) and totally organic methods. I rarely use insecticides anyway - choosing to plant enough for us AND the bugs. But I do know there are better methods - and space is becoming a premium as the growing trees around the garden's perimeter are now using a huge share of the sunshine. In addition, we had such a poor tomato crop last year - partly due to the early heat - that I am really working hard to get a good crop off and running early this year. It hasn't been easy either. We have already had uncommonly warm dry weather followed by cool dampness, and even frost. Gardening in Texas is becoming more and more a challenge.
And to add to the problems, I discovered a mite infestation in the hen house. I am letting another hen set some eggs and when I went to check her nest box last evening, I found the underside of the lid crawling with tiny red bugs. I have sprayed with an orange oil mixture and will dust the entire coop with diatomaceous earth tomorrow. Poor chickens - no wonder they run for their dust baths every them I turn them loose!
Jeremiah 17:11
Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay are those who gain riches by unjust means. When their lives are half gone, their riches will desert them, and in the end they will prove to be fools.
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Water of Life 2

2011-03-04T17:42:00.002-06:00

8 X 10 Oil on Canvas $115

This Painting is SOLD

When you live on a farm or ranch, so much of your happiness depends upon the weather. It seems as if I have spent half my married, ranching life praying for rain, and this spring is no different. We have a chance of moisture tonight and I won't mind if we get wet when we go to town to see a play at the Univeristy. The fruit trees are covered in blossoms, and the bluebonnets are on the edge of exploding with growth and blooms. We had a good rain last August which brought them up - and if I dig deep into the pasture, I reach damp earth, but the upper 6 inches are dry.

Yesterday all 9 hens worked hard and laid an egg - cause for rejoicing!

Luke 15:10
In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY.To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE.
To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE.
To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Water of Life

2011-03-02T11:25:00.000-06:00

8X6 Oil on Belgian Linen Panel $115

Includes Shipping and Insurance U.S.

I take my little camera with me when I ride, and I always check out Ron's catfish pond next door, hoping his cows are drinking or wading. Often, if the light is right, I can get an interesting image.
Yesterday was no exception and I saw this cow wading out into the water for a drink. I guess the water near the edge is too muddy so they prefer to wade out a bit. It's not spring, and the wildflowers aren't in bloom yet...except in my imagination or my paintings!
Ezekiel 34:18
Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet?
If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email.
I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY.
To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE.
To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE.
To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Bluebonnet Roller 2

2011-02-23T07:36:00.011-06:00

8 X 10 Oil on canvas
SOLD
My precious friend, Barbara, requested a "repeat performance" with this painting - slightly larger (and slightly different image). Barbara is part of what I call my "Florida Fan Club". A high percentage of my paintings have gone in that direction...there are a BUNCH of transplanted Texans in the Sunshine State!
I thought you might also enjoy the process by which I painted this little painting. I recommend new AOT bloggers to share their techniques, and I thought I should follow my own advice today.
I start by doing an under painting using Windsor and Newton Liquin Original to both help the paint dry quickly and to provide a slick base.
Then I used a white pencil to draw in the basics. Not much detail is needed here, as all I really want is placement of the main image.
Next I placed the extreme darks and lights. If I hadn't toned the canvas in advance, I would not place the lights until the very end, but I do that now just to be sure I won't "lose" them.
Now I add the mid tones and color - hopefully in a pleasing pattern that will keep your eye interested. Try not to muddy the colors here by adding too much white. Try to keep to using color that is close to straight from the tube.
Keep adding color and shapes - more intense color close up - grayed down and less intense with less detail in the background.
Finish up with the little details close up- highlight the flowers, add grasses, highlights on the horse's body...leave the background less detailed and less intense in value.
Voila!
Psalm 19:14
May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

If you are interested in a painting like this one click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters g o HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Chicken Gourmet 3 - colorful coyote oil painting by Debbie Grayson Lincoln

2011-02-21T10:34:00.004-06:00

5X7 Oil on masonite panel $85
Includes shipping and insurance

I tried really really hard to paint this in more "normal" tones, but something about the coyote just demands extra color! They really are pretty neat looking dogs, you know - until I catch one with a chicken in its mouth....
Psalm 25:10
All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.

Chicken Gourmet 2 - Coyote abstract oil painting

2011-02-18T16:30:00.006-06:00

6 X 8 Oil on Linen board $105
Includes shipping and insurance US

Georgia, the Cowdog-Wanna-BE, woke me at 4:00 am this morning whining to go outside. This is very unusual for her, so I got up, thinking she must be sick to her stomach. As soon as I opened the sunroom door, she shot like a bolt around the West side of the house, without a sound. I followed her in the bright moonlight and could see nothing as she circled the house and then took off for the chicken pen - all without uttering a peep, nose to the ground.
We live with coyotes, coons and bobcats, but there has also been periodic sightings of cougars in the area. Georgia barks at other dogs, possums and coons (and bears - but that's another story), and I am familiar with those warning barks. I do not know how she "talks" to extra-large cats. After we came back inside, I briefly thought that the next time I go traipsing around outside in the wee dark hours of early morn, perhaps I should take my gun...although I'd MUCH rather shoot the wild animals around here with my camera. If they'd just leave the chickens alone!
I am going to paint this coyote twice - first in this colorful manner and tomorrow I hope to show you a more realistic version.
Proverbs 22:13
The sluggard says, “There’s a lion outside! I’ll be killed in the public square!”

If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email.I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Sandman - horse portrait

2011-02-16T17:52:00.003-06:00

6 X 6 oil on linen
Check with Artist for Availability

Ever since I was a little girl and first saw Roy Rogers on his gorgeous palomino, Trigger, I wanted a golden horse with a flaxen mane.
I even bred my favorite mare, Miss Jack, THREE TIMES to a fabulous Palomino named Mr Photostac Mac. Those breedings resulted in first a sorrel filly and then 2 black fillies. All gorgeous, but not my palomino. I kept the sorrel (PJ, Dandy's dam), sold the other two and gave up ever getting my "Trigger".
My friend, Jan, owns THIS pretty boy, Sandman. Sandman's life started off rough, but it appears as if it will end really happy. With Jan's patience and great instruction from Trista and Clinton Anderson, Sandman is turning into a really good horse that happens to be truly nice on the eyes, too.
Every good dog deserves a home and so does every good horse...
Proverbs 15:31
Whoever heeds life-giving correction will be at home among the wise.

If you are interested in a painting like this one, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY. To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Get Ready For the Storm

2011-02-09T17:08:00.002-06:00

12 X 6 Oil on Belgium Linen panel $125.00

Includes Shipping and Insurance in US

If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email.
I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY.
I keep seeing images of storm clouds on the horizon - sometimes I wake early in the morning dreaming of them. And their colors are so intense, I cannot get back to sleep. So I reluctantly get up and quietly join the cold air in the studio and begin another day.
I have had this image of the cowboy for quite some time and just today felt compelled to put him on a ledge with the brilliant, forbidding sky. Fortunately he is prepared with the slicker tied to his saddle - maybe he'll survive the storm unfazed.

"For God does speak-now one way or another-though no one perceives it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon people as they slumber in their beds, he may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings,"

To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE.
To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE.
To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Cold Weather Survival

2011-02-05T17:33:00.007-06:00

The chickens haven't been out of their pen for 4 days and today (number 5) was reason for celebration. The thermometer rose above 32 degrees.
Hens CAN cuss, and these have gotten quite good at it. For 4 days we have cared for them - made sure their water was liquid, kept the heat lamp on in the coop, carried them extra table scraps and kept them as comfortable as Mother Nature would allow under extreme conditions. But we have NOT let them roam free, as is their custom every afternoon, and they have NOT been happy birds.
But I must say this in their behalf - they have continued to lay. I am sure there is a social statement to be found in this analogy. I am profoundly proud of their stamina in the face of adversity.
Today their suffering and continuing hard labor was rewarded and they were finally allowed to roam in the garden again - the wet, muddy, formerly ice-covered garden. They were frustrated in their attempts at dust-bathing and their feet quickly became mud-caked, but you could tell they were extremely happy at their re-discovered freedom.
The bees had been a worry - I didn't know what to expect under the conditions of such sustained cold. But since these bees were a captured wild swarm, I figured they could probably withstand whatever Mother Nature hurled at them. We were right. Today they were basking in the warmth on their front porch - the old shipping blanket we threw over the hive probably helped keep them warm.
Since we don't blanket horses unless the conditions are really extreme, they grow extra fur on their own. Today they were enjoying the sun, like the rest of us. You can see here that PJ isn't lacking for padding.
I have friends that were without water and/or heat for nearly the entire week and I prayed for them daily, knowing that they were suffering inconveniences rather than life threatening conditions. There are others in this world much worse off, though, who have no light at the end of the tunnel to sustain them - like many souls in Haiti. More on this later....

James 2:16
If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?
nodp

Checking His Chaps

2011-02-02T19:40:00.005-06:00

6 X 6 Oil on Belgian Linen $115 Includes Shipping and Insurance

If you are interested in this painting, click here to send me an email.
I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY.
Another cold day in the South - Chickens huddling outside their coop, locked up in the pen, not understanding WHY I won't let them loose into the sub-freezing garden. Ancestors of our domesticated chickens are from Southeast Asia and Indonesia, so they are not accustomed to really cold weather or perhaps it's just not in their brains to comprehend such cold. I have a heat lamp on inside the coop, yet they prefer to huddle outside. Go figure....
I did get to paint a little today in between doing bookwork, baking bread on top of the wood stove and helping to arrange the next advertisement in Western Art Collector.
I am in incredibly talented company with these artists....
Psalm 37:25
I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.
To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Quit Bucking If You've Won the Fight

2011-02-01T14:35:00.008-06:00

16 X 20 Oil on Canvas $250 plus shipping and insurance
One-Of-A-Kind Texas Mesquite Frame Available

I can also arrange LAYAWAY.

It's been a frosty, frozen day here in Hill Country Texas. Only 2 cars have passed down our road all day, and one has been the mailman. I can see the chickens occasionally poke their beaks outside the coop and then hurriedly return inside. The horses galloped past my studio window a few moments ago. I suspect they became bored sheltering in the barn. Their burst of energy didn't last long, though. After about 10 minutes of kicking and bucking, they returned to again huddle in the barn and avoid the sub-zero wind chill. I feel sorry for any animals, domesticated or wild who are without shelter. This cold is brutal.
I am continuing to play with the palette knife and I'm liking the looseness it forces upon me. Can't get too detailed when no tiny brushes are used. More paint ends up on the canvas, too, which makes an intensely colorful image. In addition I LOVE this frame. It fits this painting perfectly.
To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE. To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE. To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!
Isaiah 58:7
Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

They're Not Dancing Yet - palette knife oil painting

2011-01-25T14:16:00.005-06:00

24 X 30 Oil on Canvas Contact Artist for Availability

The State of the Union Address is tonight and I have heard that some senators are going to "sit with the enemy" - Democrats and Republicans side by side. How nice. I wonder how many will be gritting their teeth! I have not seen them dancing together yet!!!!
I rode little Dandy yesterday - all by myself (yes, Mom, and no bones were broken!) I followed Trista's orders and did not let her get pushy and come into my space. I lunged her and flexed her and got up properly without twisting the saddle and she stood quietly.
Whew.
That was almost enough. But we also walked and trotted in the round pen. And turned and stopped and backed up and side passed. My "horse legs" are returning.
This painting is a bit different for me. It's painted with a palette knife over another image that was a semi-abstract that I just could not finish. It was also two horses fighting, so I have kept with the theme, but changed the composition and color - a LOT. These rich warm browns and earth tones really look cool in my studio, too, so I will be happy to live with it in here for a while.
If you are interested in this little painting, click here to send me an email. I accept checks and Paypal. I can also arrange LAYAWAY.
To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE.
To view larger paintings, go to my Website HERE.
To view a wealth of OTHER Texas Artists, enjoy THIS site!

Psalm 149:3
Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with timbrel and harp.

Indian Camp 4

2011-01-20T16:25:00.007-06:00

10 X 20 Oil on Belgian Linen

Contact Artist for Availability

I am still struggling with this landscape. This layout is twice as wide as it is long and I am going to do another that uses the proportions of the "Golden Mean" - a ratio called "phi" (1.6180339887499). If you are a mathematician, you'll appreciate how this ratio appears in nature. If you are not, just trust me that it is an eye pleasing proportion. The Greeks used it in constructing the Parthenon.
See if you can tell the difference in this sketch using the Golden Mean proportions both for the shape of the rectangle as well as where the focal point (the campfire) occurs.
Yesterday I rode little Miss Dandy for the first time - it was her 10th time to carry a person, and she was wonderful...a little choppy and wiggly, but very willing and cooperative (unlike her Momma who has always been a whiner and complainer!) Once she learns to balance herself and I learn to maintain her impulsion, we will get along just fine. Now she is home again and the "family" is reunited! Now they can all just get through the winter and we'll begin training again in the Spring.
If you want to see me actually trotting on Dandy, go here. It was so GOOD to be riding again...Hard to believe it has been 4 years already since I first thought about breeding PJ to that wonderful Paint stud, Banjo.
Romans 14:18
because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.

The Last One?

2011-01-19T10:33:00.010-06:00

12 X 16 Oil on Belgian Linen

This is the final painting in a series of three. I have never painted a rainbow before, but I love the symbolism in the image. After the flood during Noah's time, God placed a rainbow in the sky as a symbol of his covenant to us that he would never again destroy the world (we can do that very well ourselves, thank you).
The great bison herds in North America weren't nearly wiped out due to divine anger. Mankind did it. Fortunately we came to our senses before it was too late and now there are several large wild herds in Wyoming, Montana and the Dakotas, as well as many animals being raised commercially (I know of three small herds in Texas).
So often we seem to be in the brink of destruction and at the last moment we come to our senses - both individually as well as globally. Do we need to be down to our last bison before we realize the price we have paid? The Lord's prayer concludes "...world without end. Amen." I understand that this means "the kingdom of God is without end". However, this physical world holds no promise for us, therefore I am setting my sights on higher ground...
Do you see all this in the painting?
On a lighter note (and to aggravate my mother and Mikey), I plan to ride Miss Dandy this afternoon for the first time. No prayers needed - I will take it easy! Check my Facebook page for photos later!
If you are interested in this painting, it is for sale click here to send me an email
To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE.
Matthew 24:13-14 (NIV)¹³ but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Object of His Affection

2011-01-18T00:01:00.002-06:00

6 X 6 Oil on Belgian Linen $100

Includes Shipping and Insurance in US

Is there a "strutter" in your family? We have several in our yard and the speckled rooster is a master at it. At the moment we employ 2 roosters and I suspect at least one of the 4 chicks will be one as well. Hard to tell at this point. One individual does seem to posses all the qualities, even though at 3 months of age, they all appear the same, sex-wise.
What "qualities" are good for a rooster, you might ask...and I will answer with a list:
Wariness, alertness, brassiness, tenderness (with the chicks), stubbornness, bravery, foolhardiness, cleverness and diplomacy. I will let you, dear reader, come to your own conclusion about comparing those traits to your significant other.... LOL...and why each of those qualities are valuable
This particular rooster lives in Morgan Mill and has gathered all the hens that have survived the coyotes and wayward pickup trucks and kids with sling shots. I suspect they have him to thank for helping keep them safe for this long....

Psalm 140:4
Keep me safe, LORD, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from the violent, who devise ways to trip my feet.

Winds of Change

2011-01-17T06:08:00.005-06:00

6 X 6 oil on Belgian Linen $115
Includes shipping and insurance in US

Our good friend, John, is having open heart surgery this morning. After experiencing tightening in his chest for several weeks, he had an angiogram performed, and the surgeons discovered a couple major coronary arteries 80% blocked. They are in locations that are difficult to stint, so he opted for bypass surgery instead.
John is in his 60's and had never been hospitalized, so this is new to him. Active all his life, he has taught scuba diving and flies his own plane. He knows that this surgery is going to cause some changes in his life...and he is taking it remarkably well. So far.
We all have to face changes from time to time. Changes in health, changes in relationships, changes in jobs, changes in our families. How we face them and adapt to them say much about our personality...and the relationship we have with God.
Luke 18:27
Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE.

Windrunner 4

2011-01-15T06:56:00.002-06:00

6 X 6 Oil on Linen $115
Includes shipping and insurance in US

Texas has been in the deep freeze for the past couple days and I have enjoyed the excuse to stay inside by my little wood stove in the studio, dreaming of nicer days when I can ride my horse again. It's almost like being in a cocoon - evolutionary things seems to happen in the winter. I usually try some new techniques, palettes and subjects, although I always love painting the horses....
To view my latest paintings on Daily Painters go HERE.
Job 34:22
There is no deep shadow, no utter darkness, where evildoers can hide.