Louisiana Cattle

5 X 7 Oil on Masonite $115
Includes Shipping and Insurance

I had a request from a collector to paint something similar to another painting I had already completed - only in Louisiana, with water. This led to a lovely "conversation" getting to know her and her connection to Louisiana - my home state. She asserted that she liked one of my paintings with cows in a pasture, only she would like to see the tree with moss (like Louisiana) and some water close by. She also wants me to use the "faces" of cattle that are owned by her family.
So I am playing with colors and composition now - morning light here (more pink) and the next one may be afternoon (more orange). The main consideration is composition and light color. The rest I can wing.
If you see 3 momma cows and their calves, your eyes are working correctly. But don't get too close - this is IMPRESSIONISM!
Psalm 18:28
You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.

Ma and Pa Cattle - Joined at the Hip

8 X 10 Oil on Canvas Board $125
Includes Shipping and Insurance

These two are a part of my neighbor's herd. John has a nice bunch of Angus cows that he bought as heifers last summer. They should be delivering his first set of calves this spring, and I sure hope he doesn't spend as much time helping heifers as I used to do when we raised Simmentals.
Many a night was spent in the barn waiting for a cow to calve and often having to help pull out a big baby. We had a couple C-Section deliveries, too, so I don't miss those days at all! Mike was working in town back them and since I had a home based business, I was the obvious one to lose sleep watching cows. All but one of John's cows are Angus, though, so I'm betting they'll be just fine. Angus cattle are known to be able to deliver and care for their babies quite well by themselves, thank you.
Acts 9:36
In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas ), who was always doing good and helping the poor.

Patriotic Cattle

8 X 10 Oil on Canvas Board $125
Includes shipping and insurance

Ron's cattle are quite colorful (red, white and blue!), and when these three lined up, it made a painting in my head. I probably should have saved it for the next Fourth of July, but I couldn't resist sharing it with you now.
Ron is home from the hospital now - the quadruple by-pass was successful, although he gave us quite a scare with complications following it. The niceness of one's neighbors can make all the difference in the world in how you feel about your own home, and we do have the nicest. And even though our closest is 4 football fields away, they are all important to us.
Romans 13:9 The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

Safety in Momma's Shadow 2

9 X 12 Oil on Stretched canvas with Painted Sides $145
Includes shipping and Insurance
SOLD to a Texas Collector

We have leased our front pasture to our neighbor, Ron, and yesterday he turned his cows onto it. I am SO GLAD to have bovines around us again - I have missed ours. Not only are they just plain good for the soul to watch, they are endlessly entertaining (except when the dogs roll in their poop) and a great source of images to paint. These are a colorful lot, too, so I expect that you'll be seeing them both as primary subjects and as background.
Ron raises horned roping cows - they look like Longhorns, but are a little smaller, and they are used for ropers to both practice with and for competition. These guys are pretty tame, though, and I doubt they've seen too many ropes yet! They'll keep the coyotes at bay, though. Georgia tried to go out and play with them, and one little heifer and her momma chased her down to the barn, around it and out of the pasture - with the rest of the herd of 3 cows, their babies and the bull following close on their heels. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time!The studio is practically finished and I love it. To reward themselves my electrician-neighbor-wonderful-friend, John has flown Mike and Carl-the-builder and friend Phil to Port Aransas to his condo. They are going to fish and relax and enjoy the Texas coast for a few days (and possibly indulge in a few adult beverages and viewing a couple well proportioned bikinis). They all deserve it, because now I feel like a queen in her castle. The ONLY drawback is this excruciating HOT summer!!!! We still have a wedding we are looking forward to in Florida next week, and I suspect when we get back that we'll head north early in the RV.
Revelation 19:7
Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.

Bay City Ranch

SOLD

My Son-in-law's parents are ranchers/custom farmers down near Bay City, Texas, and I painted this little painting for them before our kids got married last May. They've had quite a flood of rain this past year - not much farming has been done, I'm afraid. And that's hard for Mark - he does not like sitting idle at all.

This is pretty illustrative work, and I used to think I would enjoy doing the art for a children's book. Maybe some day - meantime I keep looking for little scenes to paint and put our dog, Georgia, into. Maybe I should write the book myself and use Georgia as the main character.

Ecclesiastes 10:18 If a man is lazy, the rafters sag; if his hands are idle, the house leaks.