Red White and Blue - large cow calves oil painting

24 X 30 Oil on canvas
This Painting will be Auctioned at the
Lake Granbury Art Association Annual Art Auction Sept. 18
Contact me for more information

I have painted this trio of colorful bovines before - I call them the Patriotic Triplets. There's a bit of symbolism in this painting, in case you didn't notice. Two subjects are focused on the distance while one is concentrating on the immediate. You could stretch this to say that this is rather like our current population. Many of us are looking ahead while others continue to focus on the here and now. Is one viewpoint better than the other? Who's to say - I DO know that we can't continue down the same path and expect to see different scenery. I'd rather take a road I haven't traveled before than stay on this deteriorating one that's full of ruts and covered with cheap asphalt.
If you feel the same way, please get out and vote today. And consider doing what I did - vote against ALL incumbents. I'd rather throw a wrench into the machine and stop it than let it keep running amuck.
Ruth 2:10
At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She exclaimed, "Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?"

Journey Home - horse in snow oil painting

4 X 5 Oil on linen panel $65
Includes Shipping and Handing

I'm eager to start the next book cover but the weather has not cooperated. Well, that isn't actually true. I HAVE gotten LOTS of snow images lately (and made my 3rd snowman of the season). But I still need to get my image of the boy-wrapped-in-buffalo-robe-on-a paint-pony. As SOON as the weather looks cooperative and I can get to Nemo to borrow the buffalo hide, we'll get this underway. I have several paint ponies available - including Tuffy. But I don't know how cooperative he'll be ridden bareback - he's just the right image, though. Little and shaggy and hard as a rock and a nicely patterned paint. The model I have in mind is a 13 year old girl who could probably ride anything we put her on. I would like to test Tuffy first, though...not only to see if he'll cooperate bareback, but also to see how he'll handle the smell of a buffalo hide. Might be worth keeping the movie camera handy...
Revelation 19:13
He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $65 USD
Or, send me an email

Bandit Betrayal - cowboys gunfight oil painting

5 X 6 Oil on Masonite Color Study for larger painting
$115 Includes Shipping and Insurance
send me an email

This is an idea for a painting that I envisioned after my last photoshoot at Doug Prine's place in Nemo, Texas. Before I begin any large work (and this one will be 25 X 30) I sketch it out in pencil, then paint a small, quick version in scale to the larger painting. 5 X 6 is exactly 1/5 of a 25 X 30. Often I change the placement a bit and add more contrast if the composition needs it.
The final version will be much more detailed. I want the horse in the foreground to show his eye very round and excited and appearing to be looking at the bandit in the rear. I see a few minor changes, but will probably stick to this color study fairly close. One thing I DO want to change is the shadow in the lower right and make it look more like another horse and rider.

Proverbs 6:9-11 ⁹ How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? ¹⁰ A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest- ¹¹ and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $115 USD
Or, send me an email

The Eventer V - warmblood jumping horse oil painting

30 X 40 Oil on Gallery Canvas with painted sides
SOLD to a Canadian Collector

Well, I think I am about finished with this piece, and I am frustrated with photographing it. The colors are very rich and vibrant and it's nearly impossible to get that across on a computer screen.
Yesterday's record snowfall is half melted and I expect the rest will disappear today since the temperature is supposed to be in the 50's. What a mushy, muddy mess we have left behind. I went walking in the woods yesterday morning before it warmed up and got some lovely photos for the background of the next book cover. Thanks, Mother Nature!
Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Shaggy Winter Coat- small abstract horse painting

6 X 6 oil on canvas panel $100
Includes shipping and insurance

Let's face it, shiny horses are more fun to paint than shaggy ones - at least for me. But all my "models" are really shaggy right now. And with the exception of a few tufts of rye grass, there's no green grass to be seen, either. Winter is in full swing - and the rainy background has returned to Texas. A slight drop in temperature will turn the drizzle to ice and/or snow. I welcome the moisture still, but am missing the sun. THIS IS TEXAS!!!! It's supposed to be sunny! There's just no pleasing us, is there????? At least my garden's winter greens are doing REALLY well - we eat fresh spinach and Swiss chard nearly every day. And this Spring (number 3 since planting) we get to EAT asparagus instead of watch it grow into ferns. SO much to look forward to....
2 Peter 3:12
as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $100 USD
Or, send me an email

Cold Dawn 2 - WIP

7 X 10 oil on canvas panel

$125 includes shipping and handling

Keeping with the warm, tho greenish light, here's another attempt at a cold winter scene. All I need is an very cold, redheaded boy wrapped in a buffalo robe riding this horse, and we're ready for the next book cover....I'm not positive about the warm sky, though. I think the next one I will paint as a monotone using mostly Ultramarine with a hint of blue violet and viridian. That is called an "analogous color palette" - where all colors are close to one another on the color wheel.
Song of Solomon 2:11
See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone.

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $125 USD
Or, send me an email

Can Ya Eat Bluebonnets? longhorn cow bluebonnet oil painting

5 X 7 Oil on Canvas Panel $115
SOLD to a collector in Florida

It's spring and the cows are hungry after a long winter (I'm pretending, all right!?). I've never seen them eat bluebonnets, but they must, because the flowers rarely thrive in pastures with cows in them. So the answer is YES!

For over 10 years we've had bluebonnets growing down our driveway that bisects the pasture. The grassy area on both sides are solid flowers in some areas, and I can see tiny little plantlets emerging all winter - and in the pasture on the other side of the fence, too. But they never blossom there - so either they get trampled or eaten, and I suspect the latter.

I know many flowers are edible for humans - I have personally eaten nasturtiums, violas and pansies. I cannot, however, find bluebonnets (lupines) on a list. Although I have been known to sample wild things and pray for the best, I think I'll pass the bluebonnets....
Mark 1:6
John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.
Media: oil on canvas panel
Size: 7 in X 5 in (17.8 cm X 12.7 cm)
Price: $115 USD

How to Purchase:

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $115 USD
Or, send me an email

Too Many Legs - arabian paint foal running oil painting

8 X 6 Oil on canvas panel $115
SOLD to a collector in Florida

He was a week old when my friend Marie turned him lose in the pasture for the first time, and legs went everywhere. This foal is black and white and is a real looker - Marie raises some pretty spectacular horses. I need to get back and see how he is looking now. He's one I wouldn't mind owning....
Don't forget to send me your horse photos for the "Horse a Day" challenge I will do in February. Looks as if I have already started, but I'm just getting warmed up! send me an email

Mark 14:54
Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire.

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $115 USD
Or, send me an email

Roll in the Grass - horse rolling oil painting illustration

6 X 8 Oil on Canvas Panel $115
SOLD to a Virginia Collector

Caught Dandy rolling in the grass this past summer - she sure enjoyed getting that itchy spot scratched. You cannot watch a horse stick all four legs in the air and not laugh. It's impossible. Once fatty PJ got stuck momentarily upsidedown and I thought I was going to laugh my guts out!
Had another saddling experience with Dandy today, and like I expected, we had a bit more attitude. No real bucking, just aggravating kicks at me as I made her run around the round pen, change direction and speed up and slow down. We both were pretty pooped after 20 minutes, but the results were great. This time I left the halter on and tied the lead rope to the saddle horn - just tight enough to prevent her from lowering her head to eat. THAT made her mad at first, but then she paid attention to me.
I never let my horses graze when they are tacked up - it shows them that I am the one in charge, not them. But don't worry, they get rewarded later - after they have stood patiently tied for 30 minutes.
Consistency is the key to training a horse AND raising children. Both depend on rules that they can rely on, and it's not cruel to enforce them - fairly. I have found that the best way to train horses and children (and even husbands) is to make good behavior easier than bad behavior. This does NOT mean I don't believe in corporal punishment - if a horse bites or kicks me, they get it back from me twice as bad. A lot of people make the mistake of treating a horse like a dog, and I can attest that that never works. Most horses need a leader and respond best to someone who acts and behaves bossier than them. That doesn't mean you have to have an alpha personality to be a good horseman, but it helps....
Proverbs 14:26
He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge.

Or, send me an email

Curiosity - oil painting of foal baby horse

8 X 6 Oil on canvas panel $115
Includes shipping and insurance

Foals are curious, and a small red-winged blackbird offers little threat. At this age, everything is a first time event and a bird can be investigated without Momma's help.

Today was Dandy's first time encounter with a saddle, and the experience went well. I had hung the saddle blanket and saddle on the fence at the round pen and turned her loose in it. She was wary at first, but approached it after a couple snorts. After she sniffed the blanket, I pulled it off the fence and offered to touch her with it. She spooked and I chased her around, waving the blanket. As soon as she looked in my direction, I took off the pressure, let her stop and approached her with the blanket. If she moved away, I kept her moving. On the third approach, she let me rub her with it and finally lay it on her and flip it all over her.
I did the same with the saddle - and it only took two times around the round pen before she was allowing me to flop it up on her back. At no time did I force her to accept the items - she was entirely halterless and was allowed to leave if she wanted to.
Finally I put both the blanket and the saddle on her back and reached under her belly for the cinch. I had been tightening a rope around her girth since she was a day old, so the tightened cinch was nothing new. Plus there was some fresh winter grass in the pen that she was much more interested in.
I flipped a rope at her asking her to move (see movie) and it wasn't until I got her into a slow lope that she finally got a little cinchy and offered a half-hearted buck. I knew that wouldn't be the only tantrum, so I encouraged more movement and did get a couple serious kicks - both at me and at the saddle. I suspect it was more because I wouldn't let her eat, though!
When I finally got a couple smooth lope transitions with no buck going both directions, I allowed her to rest and graze with the saddle on. After 30 minutes, I removed it - lesson over. It has been my experience that the SECOND lesson is the one to get on film - we'll see tomorrow!
And DON'T WORRY, MOM! I won't get on her for a couple more weeks - just kidding. Actually since she is still so small, I probably won't let anyone get on her before next fall - if then. But by that time, she will be ground broke. And if I can borrow a friend's kid, I may put them on her and lead her around.
Genesis 1:25
God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $115 USD
Or, send me an email

Close By - horse foal and mare painting

8 X 6 Oil on canvas panel
Check with artist for availability

Young horses are a lot like human children. They need to know that safety in the form of Momma is close at hand. They'll venture off for a while but always keep Momma in view for security.

Watch a human baby and a horse baby. They both will keep a watch on Mom (or Dad) for safety (and confirmation) as they venture further and further away. They'll test themselves and learn about their environment and all its scary stuff. A wise parent will allow the baby to experience an occasional booger and even boo-boos. It's the best way for lessons to be learned.

An ignorant parent never allows a child to fail or get hurt and thereby learn that they CAN survive and save themselves. Kinda like Uncle Sam, huh? Or Big Brother?

Acts 27:34
Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive.

Media: oil
Size: 8 in X 6 in (20.3 cm X 15.2 cm)

Or, send me an email

Wind Blown - abstract running horse

6 X 8 Oil on Canvas panel $115
SOLD

In between letting layers of the "Big Commission" dry, I am playing with paint on small panels. This is another image inspired by Tuffy, the Napoleon complex buckskin paint. Obviously, this is not his real color, but this IS the way he moves - head high, ears up and a lot of leg action. I never tire watching him.
Yesterday was NOT a good day - I wiped off two painting. Poof - gone. Just couldn't seem to get it together. Should have stuck with painting the pantry shelves - better results and much more satisfying!
Today is better, despite the brutal cold. Temperature is in the teens, so there is no urge to venture outside at all. Little wood stove is glowing, kitty is curled up in the chair and Georgia periodically sticks her nose out and goes, "uh, uh." I have to shove her out to go to the bathroom. She must have a huge bladder!
Don't forget to send me your WELL LIT horse photos for consideration. I am still planning on painting 28 horses in 28 days in February. E-mail them to me at debbiegraysonlincoln@yahoo.com.
Acts 3:19
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.

Or, send me an email

Bevo - Outstanding in His Field - longhorn steer mascot Unitversity of Texas UT

8 X 6 Oil on Canvas Board $115

SOLD to a California sitcom set designer

So many longhorns - so little time. There are near as many longhorns in Texas as there are horses and most of them seem to belong to UT alumni! This one doesn't though. In actuality, he belongs to a friend of mine who has owned him for over 15 years and had him trained to be ridden. When she first had him saddlebroke, I was doing goofy advertising for a business we owned, and she offered to let me ride him for a photo-op.
Never one to back down from a chance to try something new, I said, "Great!" A cutting horse, he wasn't, but docile and willing, he was. A nose ring acted as the main steering mechanism, and even though I felt as if I was falling downhill the whole time, it really was fun!
Durango is a lot bigger now (and so are his horns), but he's still a gentle giant and as well cared for as any loved pet. And in my opinion a LOT better looking than the current UT mascot!
Isaiah 1:19
If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land.

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $115 USD
Or, send me an email

Wind Runner - abstract study of running horse

6 X 8 Oil on Canvas panel $50
Includes shipping and insurance

Fellow Daily Painter, Rick Nilson, has a wonderful style of "loose color" that appears as if he just slaps paint on the canvas and magically commands composition, color and value to be so pleasing to the eye. View his blog HERE.
I asked him about his technique and he convinced me to try it myself.
Let me make myself clear - this is nowhere near as good as Rick's work, and according to Rick I didn't follow instructions completely.
But it was revealing and I am going to do the same image again in different colors and try harder to follow instructions!
Instructions: Wash canvas with a medium value red. Wipe away the lightest areas (use a rag or clean brush dipped in turp). Add ALL darkest areas. Finally add color.
As you can see, I added the color too early, and I was chastised from breaking the formula. I will do better on the next one.
The advantage of painting this way is that by the end of the third step (putting in ALL the darks), you should be able to tell if the composition will work.
I am eager to try this on a landscape - and even a portrait.
By the way, the subject of this little painting is Tuffy, the buckskin paint who has a Napoleon complex. Carpenter Carl brought him back for a visit. Carl's in the neighborhood building a house (he built my studio summer-before-last), and he rotates Tuffy between our place and another friend. Carl's a handy guy to know - he's going to help us build a chicken house. Grasshopper control and fresh eggs are the objective. We need a secure place for the birds, though, because we have a prolific population of Great Horned Owls, Red tailed Hawks and Coyotes - not to mention the assorted snakes. Gee - makes you wonder why we try, huh? I DID try raising Guinea hens several years ago. Afterall, they seem to thrive everywhere I see them. Not so at our house.
I carefully kept the keets in an enclosed pen until they could fly and roost in the trees. The first day I let them spend the "night out" only 11 guineas came home. The next day 11 went out and 10 came back, and I found a head at the end of the driveway under the gate post - exactly where I occasionally saw an owl perched. The numbers continue to decline until 2 went out and none came home. A neighbor down the road reported a stray guinea in her barn several days later. We never saw them again. I hope to have better luck with chickens - I understand they have bigger brains...Guineas are known to forget where they lay their eggs.
Psalm 9:17
The wicked return to the grave, all the nations that forget God.

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $50 USD
Or, send me an email

Left out 2 - arabian mares oil painting

32 X 16 Oil on Stretched 3/4" canvas with painted sides
Contact Artist for Availability

We all know what it feels like to be left out of the clique. But most times they aren't talking about us - and if we simply asked, we would be invited in! Lots of color and paint in this one, and in the interest of frugality, the sides are painted black so you can hang it on the wall immediately, live with it and decide about framing it later.

Revelation 19:9
Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' " And he added, "These are the true words of God."

Or, send me an email

Asters - floral oil painting colorado flowers

Colorado Asters 5 X 15 Oil on canvas board $115
Includes shipping and insurance

The snow has been falling all day and the wind has blown like nobody's business. Yesterday it was 79 degrees. I got sunburned working in the garden, and I was inspired to paint flowers!
I awoke this morning to blustery winds, 32 degrees and fat snowflakes, desperately trying to stick on the warm ground.
Mike and I were scheduled to ring the bell for the Salvation Army in front of the local WalMart at noon, so we journeyed into town through the blizzard.
Until today I had been rather glum about this year's Christmas, but standing in the blowing snow and wishing friends and neighbors "Merry Christmas" totally changed my mood. By the time we finished our assigned hour, had shopped and visited a friend in the nursing home, the roads were becoming dangerous so we headed slowly for home. We passed 6 cars in the ditch in our 12 mile journey. (All were being helped.) A long, cold afternoon in front of the fire, listening to old time radio programs, reading and painting loomed. Life is good.
We all need to remember that the reason for Christmas is NOT to have a contest for who gets the biggest pile of goodies that hold our interest for 5 minutes. We need to remember that God only wants us to be more like him every day of the year - giving and FORgiving. And every time we do so, we get closer to him.
God bless ya'll this Christmas and remember to keep laughing at Al Gore - Global Warming hasn't hit Texas yet!
Ephesians 4:32
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $115 USD
Or, send me an email

Dandy Coming At Ya - sunset afternoon horse running oil painting

8 X 10 Oil on linen panel $125

SOLD to a Texas Collector

This one is similar to another I painted recently - this time with the horse running to the viewer.
Is dry and will arrive in time for Christmas.
Join me tonight in Dallas at the Dutch Art Gallery on NW Highway from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. I will be bringing some new paintings and sharing stories with my collectors!
Philemon 1:6
I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $125 USD
Or, send me an email

Zenyatta Wins - thoroughbred racehorse breeders cup winner

8 X 10 Oil on Linen Panel $125
Includes shipping and insurance in US

This is an amazing mare. Fourteen races, fourteen wins - most of them from way behind. Breeders cup winner two years in a row.
Mike Smith is the only jockey to ride her and I'm sure he is sad over her retirement. I'm sad because she didn't win "horse of the year". But I'm happy, too, because she is still healthy, unlike Barbaro (or Ruffian - remember her?).
I don't follow thoroughbred racing all that much, but this one is worth researching. Winning stories are nice to read about. And winners are nice to know (and paint).
Isaiah 58:14
then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." The mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $125 USD
Or, send me an email

Horse of a Different Color - bright colored abstract horse

8 X 8 Oil on Linen Panel $50
SOLD to a collector in Indiana

In between the "serious" paintings, I am compelled to just paint color - but it seems like I still have to paint horses....oh well, so shoot me.
It's another dark, wintry day in Texas. It even snowed briefly this morning. The good news is that winter rarely lasts for very long in Texas. In fact I can remember a number of Christmas days where it was 70 degrees or warmer. But today is miserable. Soooo to create warm fuzzies, I have fired up the wood stove in the studio and placed a pot of bubbling venison stew on it. The dog and kitty consider me their best friend right now.
Just 20 days until the Winter Solstice and the days will begin to lengthen again. I sympathize with my Norway friends!
Proverbs 22:24
Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered.

Free Ride - butterfly on mule nose with cowboy illustrative art book cover

20 X 20 Oil on stretched linen

Contact Artist for Availability

I HATE wasting time on the computer!!! I spent most of this morning working on my WEBSITE and updating and networking and cleaning up files and and and...I feel like I've done nothing. I think I need a manager...
Anyway, I worked a while on this painting and I still need to do a bit more - mainly darken the background (and probably "yellow" the hat). But since I'll do it with a glaze, it'll have to dry first. The title, of course, is a lie - there is no such thing as a free ride...which the world will find out eventually when the huge house of cards we have built comes crashing down.
The state of the world is beginning to worry me some more - I go through stages of confidence, followed by stages of extreme fear - and not for myself, but for those less capable. Today was a rainy, dark, worrisome day, so I spent part of it ordering seeds for next year's garden. One things is for sure, as long as I have dirt and water, I'll never go hungry, because, like my mother, I can stick a board in the ground and something will grow.
Psalm 34:10
The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.