Almost Missed Her

SOLD to an Alabama Collector
8 X 8 Oil on flat canvas $115
Includes shipping and insurance in U.S.

I have spent many hours of my life searching for animals; dogs that have run off following their noses, first time momma cows overdue to calve, cats that didn't show up for dinner and horses not following their predictable regular routines. I would include my kids in this list, but technically, they may resent being called animals! I HAVE searched for them, however, and so far always found them.
I cannot imagine managing the animals on thousands of acres of land. We crossed huge ranches this past summer on our trip up the Rockies, and the logistics of keeping track of the animals in such expanses boggled my mind. Especially before the invention of motorized vehicles (and flying machines).
This cowboy almost missed finding the mare he was searching for. If the sun hadn't just illuminated her, her would have rode on by...a comment on life, huh?
Jeremiah 46:17
There they will exclaim, 'Pharaoh king of Egypt is only a loud noise; he has missed his opportunity.'

Definition of Success

30 X 40 Oil on 1 1/2 inch gallery wrapped canvas, ready-to-hang
Contact Artist for Availability

While finishing up this panting I have been listening to a wonderful radio station - KAAM. They are playing all Christmas music today; I guess to get all the shoppers in the mood. I refuse to go shopping on this day, though. I don't like huge crowds, anyway, but standing in line and walking 2 miles through a parking lot and worrying about thieves is simply more than I care to endure this time of year - or any time, for that matter. But I digress.
While listening to this station, I heard a quote that made me think of this bison climbing a hill. "Success is whatever gets YOU closer to what YOU believe is important." Whether it be a better golf swing; lighter, fluffier biscuits; to the top of the hill; or getting closer to being the person God wants us to be, all are successes based upon our own initiatives and desires. And all should be measured personally and not by our peers. Just as my happiness should not be dependent on the actions of others, neither should my success - a comforting thought, I think.
Back to the painting. With rich colors and a great deal more texture than I usually do, this painting fairly glows and really lights up my studio. The deep sides are painted, so no frame is necessary, and it should be dry in time to get it somewhere by Christmas. I'll even wrap it up pretty if you want it shipped direct.
And if you want a better look at it, I will have it listed on my website which allows you to really zoom in close. Click on "largest paintings".
Our Thanksgiving at Merideth's was perfect. My daughter was unneccessarily worried about her ability to serve 14 people - the biggest crowd she has had in her home so far. She asked for my help, but she didn't need it. The turkey was perfect, the house looked beautiful and we were all happily stuffed in time to watch the Cowboys win! We all have so much to be thankful for! Now my son, Ben, gets to "do" Christmas!
Matthew 25:21
"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!"

His Word is All You Need

8 X 10 Oil on flat canvas - matted - $115
Includes shipping and insurance in U.S. only

Between church and FPU I painted. After FPU I painted. For some reason I really needed to get most of this cowboy completed. This was one of our cowboy models at the Shootout last week. I still need to add a few more details, but here he is. When I complete it and have better light, I'll post it above this one and you see if you can find the differences.
Portraits are not really my thing, but one of my favorite teachers, James Spurlock, is a pastel portrait painter and he is amazing. He teaches a drawing system for getting faces correct that works every time. He teaches and paints in Granbury, Texas, if you are interested. He has helped set me on the road to using colors correctly. I still stray a lot, but at least I know when I do, now!
Off the subject of painting, there's a fun game going around between bloggers, and I have been "tagged". This is how the game works:
1. Put a link in your posting to the person who tagged you.
2. List 7 unusual things about yourself.
3. Tag 7 other bloggers at the end of your post and comment on their blogs to let them know.
K Joann Russell is a Seattle artist and a follower of my blog and she did this to me!
OK - here's my seven:

1. I first painted with oils at the age of 5 with my grandmother who was an artist.
2. I used to supplement my income by artificially inseminating cattle.
3. I can identify dozens of “wild” edible foods – including 2 mushrooms – and I have eaten them all.
4. I have been married 35 years and I still like him – most of the time!
5. I am fascinated with bones and skeletons and other things biological – and I have passed this interest on to my daughter who is a science teacher.
6. I really like snakes and other reptiles.
7. I swam with a wild manatee last June in Florida. Actually, it swam with ME

1 Corinthians 9:25
Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

Weiner Dog

7 X 7 Oil on flat canvas - free drawing
you pay shipping and insurance only

I don't usually "do" dogs other than my own Georgia. I never could paint Kibble very well, either, although I tried several times while she was alive. But this little Dachshund was too cute to ignore. He was at the Shootout, following an artist friend of mine everywhere he went. I asked if it was his dog, and James said "no", but he was following him because his (James') watchface would occasionally reflect a bright spot of light on the ground and the dog would chase it! That dog continued to follow James and sit at his feet, expectantly waiting for the spot of light to appear so he could pounce.
GIVE AWAY: Frequently I wipe off paintings if I'm just playing, but this little dog is too cute. So I thought I'd give it away to one of my faithful readers - a raffle, you'd call it.
If you want it, e-mail me at debbiegraysonlincoln@yahoo.com and I will put all the names in a basket and let a friend draw one out. You'll have to pay for shipping and insurance.
Psalm 33:4
For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.
("FAITH" is mentioned in Psalms alone over 40 times!)

Itchy Spring Foal

SOLD to a collector in Ohio
8 X 6 Oil on masonite $115
includes shipping and insurance in U.S. Overseas extra.

I have started several larger paintings this week and I'm waiting on the undercoats to dry a bit. I used to use acrylic paint to undercoat my paintings (years ago), but I had issues with "stickability". You are SUPPOSED to be able to paint oil on acrylic, but not the reverse. I have learned not to trust it either way.
At the end of my undercoating work, I always have extra paint left over and my little paintings are the result of me using up what's on my palette. This particular image is Dandy, of course, when she was about 2 months old and just beginning to lose her baby coat. It must have been pretty itchy, because I witnessed her contorting herself like this many times. Or maybe she was going after a fly. You may be beginning to recognize her from the goofy blaze on her face that I think looks like a can opener. And her long stockings.
SPECIAL NOTE to MERIDETH: Happy birthday to my adorable, talented, creative, smart and beautiful daughter. Thanks to you, I spent Thanksgiving 1983 in the hospital!!!!! It's been a wonderful 25 years watching you become better than I ever hoped to be. You make my heart proud. I love you.
Matthew 12:33
"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.

Catch Me If You Can

SOLD to a Texas Collector
9 X 12 Oil on Canvas Board $115
Includes shipping and insurance U.S. only

I am working on a large painting and when I reach a stopping point I like to paint these smaller daily paintings to use up the paint I have left over on my palette. Sometimes they work- sometimes they don't.
I have a wealth of inspiration from the farms surrounding me. Within a very few miles, I can find Quarter Horses, Arabs, Paso Finos, Mules and Morgans. And those are just the people I know!
This Arab belongs to the Moores, my neighbors to the north. I never run out of inspiration from those beauties! When they move, it is with a grace and elegance that is indescribable. Not that my own Quarter Horses aren't graceful - they are. But they are certainly more conservative in their movement which makes them immensely more attractive to me in my later years!
This fellow was hanging around the farrier as he trimmed the feet of another horse in the pasture under a tree (yes, another photo op). When "shooed" away, he'd stick his tail in the air and boing, boing, boing to 100 feet away and then slowly creep back until his head was hanging over the farrier's back. "Can I help?" The only good movement photos I got were during his forced retreat!
Psalm 74:21
Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace; may the poor and needy praise your name

Not His First Rodeo

16 X 20 Oil on stretched canvas
with painted sides ready to hang or frame $150
Includes shipping and insurance in U.S. Only

At the photo shoot last week one cowboy's horse suddenly decided that she didn't want to cooperate and gave all us photographers quite a show. According to his owner, she has never bucked like this, but a couple cowboys knowingly shook their heads and commented "Never trust a piebald, moon eyed horse." Now I painted this horse red (artistic license) but she is actually a true piebald paint - black with blue eyes - and stunning in appearance and probably the best looking animal at the shoot.
The cowboy never got back on his horse for the rest of the day - she was too skittish and refused to settle down. But I got a good dozen photos, and even though it wasn't a "planned" set, I paid the cowboy for his "modeling". I was especially relieved that he wasn't hurt and rode the buck for more than the required 8 seconds before dismounting!
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 man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

Dandy Update

NDP
Dandy is growing like a weed and has a winter coat that looks and feels like sheared beaver - velvety soft and glistening. Her mane and tail are also getting luxuriously long. I feed her separate from the big horses and she has learned to come quickly when I call her - nothing like food to get affection from a horse!
I have worked her on a lunge line a couple more times - walk, trot, lope - she willing does them all and halts on command. I have not yet loaded her into a trailer, but I don't expect a problem. When she is a little bigger, I will probably introduce her to a light saddle and let her move under it a bit. I will be sure to get that experience recorded!
Friend Trista (Gizmo's "mom") will be out next weekend to trim feet. Unfortunately Giz put a leg somewhere he shouldn't and now has a cast on it. He should be OK, but may have a scar to remember the incident.
I have owned horses for nearly 30 years and I know from experience that you cannot completely keep them safe. Even in a padded cell, they'd find a way to hurt themselves. When PJ was a yearling, we burned a large pile of brush in her pasture. At the time, we had several horses and a couple yearlings. All gave the burning brush pile a wide berth - except PJ. She jumped and frisked and ran around it. Suddenly she ran right at it and misjudged her stopping distance and fell into the fire. She didn't get hurt bad, but now she has a "brand" on her left hip to remind us all of her silliness.
Psalm 27:5
For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock

Running Brave

8 X 6 Oil on gessoed masonite $115
Includes shipping and insurance in US only
shipping outside US extra

I have several large paintings in mind using this running brave image. This model was SO cooperative in loping his horse past me! The third "take" he nearly lost his seat, but gamely continued with the shooting.
I have nothing but admiration for the models at the photo shoot - they were professional and very good natured to put up with all us artists! When I went home at the end of the 2nd day, I already had a number of set-ups in mind for the next year's "Shoot-Out." If there are other artists out there interested in attending, please contact me. I promise you won't be disappointed.
Luke 6:38
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

End of the Day Cowboy

5 X 7 Oil on gessoed masonite $115
Includes shipping and insurance in US
Overseas shipping extra

Here's another one of my favorite models from the "Shoot Out" at Doug Prine's ranch.
This cowboy was a favorite of all of us, in fact. He has a wonderfully photogenic horse, he was agreeable to do anything we asked, and always kept a willing, servant's attitude. I stayed till the end of the day Saturday to catch the afternoon light on him, and it was well worth it.
We began Saturday early with the cowboys working cattle for us, and I got some GREAT cow punching photos. We continued to a local creek where we could photograph Indians and cowboys and 19th century bathing beauties. It ended back at Doug's ranch, and this cowboy worked with us all day. He had to be some worn out, but I suspect he still kept working on into the evening for other photographers who wanted some interior, candlelit and gaslight scenes. I was out of money so I left at sundown (we were required to pay each model $5 in each scene set-up). I had spent $300 on models during the course of 2 days, and that was my budgeted limit. If I go back next year, I will probably wait until later in the day to start and then stay for the interior evening and campfire scenes. I can only do so much at a time! Besides, I'm just learning to paint daylight - evening scenes will have to wait.
Matthew 26:41
"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

Lookout Cowgirl

6 X 8 Oil on gessoed Masonite $115
Includes shipping and insurance in US only
Overseas shipping extra

There were a few cowgirl models at the shootout and this was one. Before we began the cattle working part of the photo shoot, the riders assembled on the dam of a tank (that's a pond for you non-Texans). Great back lighting and silhouette photos. This girl was actually on a palomino horse, but I darkened him for effect. She held her own with the guys, but you could tell the horse hadn't been around cattle much - at least it appeared that way. She was a good subject, though.
Ephesians 4:18
They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.

River Tracker

SOLD to a Texas Collector
6 X 8 Color Study on gessoed masonite $115
Includes shipping and insurance in US.
Overseas shipping extra

Mike and I spent most of Friday and all day Saturday at an staging for artists and photographers. A local artist, Doug Prine, has built an old timey western town near Nemo, Texas, and once a year he invites artists and photographers and assorted models with props and livestock to get together and "stage" photos. Most of the models are in authentically accurate period clothing from the 19th century. In addition to the old town background and models, he has available ponds, a creek with fall colored trees, a stagecoach, old vehicles, cattle and horses.
I took a total of 8.5 GIG of photos. After spending all afternoon yesterday cataloging them, I came up with at least 10 good painting ideas and 10 times as many images like the one above that can be used in various scenes or settings all unique to me and my camera's angles.
This particular model and his horse was one of my favorite. Both were very cooperative and natural in their movements and attitudes. You'll be seeing them in severl more compositions in the future. I like to quickly paint the small parts of a painting first before I construct the larger one in greater detail. The little paintings I will continue to offer here and on the Daily Painters website. The large ones, however, will probably go to galleries. I will try to show them to you first, though.
Psalm 37:38
But all sinners will be destroyed; the future of the wicked will be cut off

Creede Colorado Clouds

8 X 10 Oil on Stretched canvas $115
Includes shipping and insurance

I saw these spectacular clouds on the way to Creede, Colorado this past summer. The Rockies were still getting regular rain so we were treated to impressive cloud formations and lush green forests nearly all summer.
Aren't we all glad this election is finally over? I received a wonderful quote by Corrie Ten Boom in my e-mail this morning: "Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God." I think that will be my mantra for the next several years. I am not afraid of the leaders we have elected - I am more fearful of the people who elected them, expecting THEM to solve all their problems. It seems as if those politicians that promise the most are the ones who get elected. And yet we all know deep down that the only way to happiness is looking through our own soul to the Father.
The politicians and churches continue to change according to the whims of the people, and they preach and promise what they think we want to hear - doing what it takes to get elected or to get us to attend.
Morality doesn't change with the times and neither does integrity and the things we need for a happy life.
I continue to pray for this country and those who think they know how to fix it.
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

HALF PRICE SALE CONTINUES - RULES FOLLOW

Waterhole Buddies

24 X 20 Oil on Canvas $960
Includes shipping and insurance

There is something appealing about horses in water and I hope to get more images like these this weekend. I am attending a photo shoot designed for western artists. There will be horses and cattle and people in period costumes and native Americans and tepees and wagons and.... It's a 3 day event and you can tell I am excited. PLUS the weather is supposed to be cooperative - which is good because this will happen rain or shine, dawn till dusk.
This painting is not actually finished - there are a few more tiny details to add, and I will post the completed painting on my website. If you go there, you can sign up and be notified when I post new paintings. If you are tired of being inundated with messages from this blog, you may prefer the website because I usually post several paintings at a time and only the better ones. You won't get as many e-mails (but you also may miss some of the little paintings, so think before you change!).
Dandy update: Dandy has a big old belly - like babies get when they eat and eat and eat! Her best friend is my friend/trainer Trista's Gizmo, and it looks as if he will spend his winter here (yea!). They eat together and sleep together and play together. Both are getting really thick, fuzzy coats. Dandy has Giz beat in the mane growing department (but she's 6 weeks older, too), but Giz is still a little taller. He knows more, too, thanks to Trista's early training. But yesterday I taught Dandy to lunge on a lead line in about 5 minutes. Stop, turn, come to me, no problem. I even got her to trot and lope a little bit. I can't wait to ride this horse!
For those who are interested, Gizmo is a registered American Sport Horse. He is 1/2 Quarterhorse and 1/2 Oldenburg. He has passed his exam with flying colors and been approved for registry and I suspect he will make a superior eventing horse. These two are so alike in temperament, it's uncanny. When Trista and I selected the studs for our mares, we both considered temperament first and then went for conformation, color, etc. And both sires are famous for easy-going, willing natures whose foals practically train themselves who also sire foals with outstanding eye appeal. If I breed PJ again, I will go back to Banjo, Dandy's sire, for sure.
John 19:30
When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Half Price Sale Continues

"Getting the Buckskin Mare Home"
30 X 40 Oil on Canvas
NFS

This is the large painting I have been working on since JUNE! I donated it to our local school carnival as a raffle item, and I am happy to announce that a teacher won it. I offered the option of a smaller painting to the winner (not everyone has a spot for something this large) but she wanted this big one!
This is one of the few paintings I have completed that is not drawn from my own photographs. The images are from an artist/teacher I admire - Doug Prine. He shared them with me and has invited me to a photo shoot this weekend (Deep in the Art of Texas) at his ranch near Cleburne to acquire more. He has built a western town, much like something out of "Gunsmoke", and every year he invites artists to come with their cameras. He has readied horses and wagons and longhorns and cowboys and native Americans - all in period dress - and all ready for us, the artists, to stage them and photograph them. This opportunity combined with all the photos I acquired on our trip to the Wyoming Rendevous should keep me happy for years!
Don't forget - the half price sale continues through this week only. Rules follow.
Job 36:22
"God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him?

BIG HALF PRICE SALE

8 X 10 Oil on Canvas $100

This is one of my teen horse back riding friends. She saved up her own money to purchase this horse and now she's teaching him to carry a flag so she can ride him in the Grand Entry at local rodeos. Most rodeos have a tradition of beginning every competition with a Grand Entry - all the riders that are participating in that day's events ride in a two long winding lines each led by a rider carrying a flag - a US flag and a Texas flag. The lines weave around the arena and sometimes even cross one another - it can get quite elaborate. The lead rider has to have a competent horse that will allow his rider to carry the huge, flapping, flag and well as tolerate a bunch of riders following directly behind. This horse still isn't sure of what's being asked of him (see his ears?), but he trusts his rider and I believe will be just fine.

Matthew 16:23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."