Dreaming of Her

8 X 8 Oil on Canvas Panel $125

Includes Shipping and Insurance in US

We saw several large elk on the side of the road during our drive over the longest, highest paved road in the United States: Trail Ridge Road, which travels from Rocky Mountain National Park to Grand Lake. At it’s highest point (tundra above the tree line), we were at 12, 186 feet. Yes, there were glaciers, and it was cold and windy. And Mike gripped the steering wheel for the entire 4 hour round trip drive. I hung out the window and got some GREAT photographs!

This elk was with two other guys and he kept lifting his head and gazing off into the distance. As far as I could tell, there were no cows nearby (we had seen the main herd of females with their calves way farther down the road). But he kept searching the distance, like he was dreaming of a lost love…

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Isaiah 59:14
So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter.

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Roadside Rest Stop

8 X 6 Oil on Linen Panel $125

Includes shipping and insurance in US

We are still in Rocky Mountain National Park and enjoying the cool weather and spectacular vistas.

These are the same three sheep I used in the previous painting – standing differently. In actuality, they WEREN’T on rocks – they were on the side of the road – hence the name for this painting.

We have taken a number of picturesque hikes this past week, and I have been on the lookout for great looking rock ledges that I can place the sheep upon. They deserve to be portrayed in the habitat that we normally envision them – on rocky ledges, risking life and limb for survival. The painting is in my head already – waiting for me to get home to the studio.

Hold that thought…

(NOTE: I am loading this blog from a remote location and if you wish to purchase this painting, send me an email and I will get back to you when we re-join civilization. Please be patient! THANKS!)

Deuteronomy 8:9
a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.

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It Takes Balls - rocky mountain big horn sheep oil painting

8 X 6 oil on canvas board $125
Includes shipping and insurance

We have seen the Rocky Mountain Sheep twice now and I could not resist painting them. These guys were actually on a hillside next to the road to Thirty Mile outside of Creede, and when I hollered “STOP!” while scrambling for my camera, Mike nearly had a wreck! But I got some good photos. The rocks I put them on is from another spot in Thirty Mile. I really liked the way the light played across the shrubbery. I may crop this some more and paint it larger – perhaps square.

If you want to purchase this, I won’t be able to mail it to you until September 1. I have discovered that rushing these paintings to dry and mailing them too soon after varnishing them is dangerous. I have had reports of damage to the surface. If this has happened to you, please let me know so I can either fix it or compensate you!

We are momentarily in town (Estes Park) doing laundry and "computer work". About to go back to the boonies again -

Garrett and Merideth are caring for the house as are half my neighbors (the BEST people in the world!) If it weren't for good friends and family, this trip wouldn't be possible

Acts 27:9
Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Fast. So Paul warned them,....

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Price: $125 USD
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Thirty Mile Campground Mule Deer Doe

8 X 6 Oil on canvas board $115

Includes Shipping and Insurance

We are at 30 Mile Campground, 6 miles from the headwaters of the Rio Grande River. We found this place 2 summers ago while camping near Creede, Colorado and came back to camp here last year. I fell in love with the remote location, the extreme peacefulness and the opportunity to hone our fly fishing skills in a river that is still relatively untouched. There is no electricity or phone or water hookups here. There are latrines and water faucets (you fill your own containers and haul them if you don’t have an RV tank, like we do). An emergency phone is available for calling out, but there is no calling in. We have a small generator which we use for a limited time during the day to charge the RV batteries and to turn on my desktop computer for storing the photos I take (doesn’t REALLY sound like roughing it, does it???)

We have fished every day and have caught enough to feed us and the dog. Anything over what we can eat here we release. Two days ago, we our catch resulted in a lovely assortment: a brown trout, a brook and a rainbow – all over 14 inches (the brown was 16) and all supremely flavorful cooked over a wood fire with no embellishments but the smoke. I eat fish for every meal….

This Mule Deer doe is a camp regular – she loves saltine crackers. Rattle cellophane in her presence and her ears perk up (even higher), and she’ll cautiously approach you. She doesn’t trust Georgia, so we haven’t gotten her to stay around very long – but long enough for me to get an image to paint!

Creede, Colorado is 30 miles down the road (hence the name of the campground) - half of it a one lane winding dirt road with blind hairpin turns and steep dropoffs. We journeyed to Creed today to do laundry, pick up a few supplies and let me catch up on the internet stuff. I may be back on-line in about 5 days....God willing and the Rio Grande don't rise!

Psalm 51:12
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

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LaVeta, Colorado Wild Life

6 X 8 Oil on Canvas Board $65
SOLD to a Houston collector

Well, they COULD be wild! I am told there ARE wild horses in Colorado, but I suspect these are not. Their ancestors are, though.

These are the 2 horses I painted yesterday - and this is the setting they were in. Nice life in the summer (except for the Skeeters). Pretty rough in the winter, I'd bet. I frequently think I'd enjoy living in Colorado, but then I remind myself what the winters are like. Mike and I lived in northern Illinois when we were first married and the winters were brutal to our thin, Southern blood. I think I'll stay contented with summer visits to the Rockies, and continue my vow to stay off skis. I used to enjoy the winter slopes (well bundled), but my poor busted legs can't handle the strain any more.

Matthew 23:24
You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

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Swishing Buddies

8 X 8 Oil on Board $65
SOLD to a collector in Florida

We are on the road - LaVeta, Colorado to be exact. Saturday we rode the train to Fir, Colorado to enjoy a Michael Martin Murphy concert on top of a mountain. Talk about a "Rocky Mountain High"!
On the way to the concert, we saw bears, elk and this pair of horses helping one another keep the flies at bay. The weather outside the RV was lovely this afternoon and I couldn't resist getting the paints out.
This is not my usual style, I know, but while on the road I promised myself to try new directions. I'll return to the more realistic stuff when I get home, I'm sure, but for now, I off in new directions....
This painting will need to dry a several weeks before I can ship it.
Matthew 5:39
But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

This painting is SOLD
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Bluebonnet Longhorn Mama 9

8 X 10 Oil on Canvas SOLD

Artist will paint commissions similar

I knew if I started painting longhorn cows in the bluebonnets, I wouldn't be able to stop! This one is Number 9...Thank goodness I have an endless supply of models...and a long list of Texas Longhorn lovers!

The Bible verse today is rather prophetic....
2 Timothy 3:1-4 ¹But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. ²People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ⁴treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—

Media: oil
Size: 10 in X 8 in (25.4 cm X 20.3 cm)

How to Purchase:
This painting is sold

Relief Up Ahead - hot texas landscape

5 X 7 Oil on Board $95

Shipping and Insurance included in US

A typical Texas summer - grass turning brown, mid-day siesta time for this horse with the promise of shade on the next hill top. Just gotta get there...from here.
We actually still have green pastures here in the heart of Texas. We haven't had as much rain as some parts - just 3 miles west of here, the Parkers have had over 3 inches this week where we've had less one. And of course, the hurricane has left its mark on the coast, along with spreading the oil. That's a topic I don't want to get started on. My best vacations as a kid were spent on South Padre Island - and I'm a huge fan of the folks who have brought the whooping cranes back from extinction. I have even sighted them flying overhead on their way to their summer nesting grounds - what a thrill. I don't want to think about their future now...

Proverbs 24:14
Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.Media: oil
Size: 8 in X 6 in (20.3 cm X 15.2 cm)
Price: $115 USD

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Hero Returns

8 X 6 Oil on Board WIP color study
Contact artist for availability

It's been slow all summer and suddenly I have 3 commissions...right before we leave on vacation.
Thank you , Lord!
And thank you, Tessa, for your Arabian models!
This painting will ultimately become an impressionistic 18 X 24. The hero returns to the herd. Lots of symbolism here. See the horse with her head up? Wonder who that one represents????
Psalm 68:30
Rebuke the beast among the reeds, the herd of bulls among the calves of the nations. Humbled, may it bring bars of silver. Scatter the nations who delight in war.

Long Haired Chihuahua pet portrait sketch

5 X 7 Oil on Canvas board commissioned pet portrait STUDY
Contact artist for pricing for YOUR pooch!

I am NOT, repeat NOT a pet portrait artist. But I love cute doggies and this is one handsome little dog. I am having fun painting him, too.
Beth and Barbara visited me last week, and Barbara wants me to paint her beloved Napoleon, her long-haired chihuahua. She emailed me a couple photos and is sending me a CD of more so I can get to know him better. Meantime, I did this one this afternoon to get the "feel" of him. I have a notion that this dog never stops smiling....

Merideth and Garret came by yesterday and were entertained by the chickens, which is becoming a regular pastime around here. I now send visitors into the yard with a slice of stale bread and instructions to call out "chick, chick, chick" and just wait. All 25 of them come running. Some are bold and will eat from your hand, while others hang back and wait for you to toss them a morsel. Merideth managed to coax a couple pretty close and nabbed them - startling the bird and surprising Merideth with their strength and flapping ability.

There are 6 roosters in the bunch, and we are going to have to butcher at least 3 of them. This is not going to be a fun job, but it's one that has to be done. One rooster has a disjointed leg, so he will be the first. I do not think he is in pain, but the other roosters pick on him, knowing that he can't run very fast. There are also 2 barred rock roosters, and like I predicted, they are very aggressive and one is already chasing the dog, which is hysterical! He's doing a good job protecting his hens, but he doesn't know the difference between a good dog and the hand that feeds him (he's gone after me, too!). That leaves three - a speckled Sussex, a Delaware and a White Rock. All are fairly friendly and not yet fighting with one another, so they are secure in the flock - for now!
Jeremiah 5:3
O LORD, do not your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain; you crushed them, but they refused correction. They made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.

Bluebonnet Longhorn Mama 9 - University of Texas mascot bevo

8 X 10 Oil on Canvas
SOLD Commission
send me an email for YOURS!

Years ago I swore I would not paint bluebonnets like every other Texas oil painter. However, they were so gorgeous last year, I couldn't resist - and of course I had to put a cow or horse in the painting. As a result I have sold nearly every one I have painted with requests for more standing in line.
This is my favorite of Ron's cows that roam our pasture outside my studio window. This cow has had 3 pretty babies and never needs help raising them. Her horns are formidable, too, and she knows how to use them.
The lady who commissioned this painting lives in Florida and WISHES she could live in Texas. Occasionally I find myself longing for the coast - my favorite vacations as a child were on the beach - but then I look out my window and wonder why I would ever want to leave. Doesn't make sense, does it?

Texas Summer Sunset 3

8 X 6 Oil on Board $99
Includes Shipping and Insurance in US

I don't have to travel anywhere to feast my eyes. Like Dorothy says "There's no place like home" and this view is right out my studio window...

I have received 2 commissions this week - and one of them is an 18 X 24 Texas sunset painting. I have nearly EVERY size stretcher bars in my storage, EXCEPT 18". So while I am waiting on them, I am painting small sunsets. When we get to Colorado, I'll do more with mountains in the background. But let's face it - the mountains DO get in the way sometimes! We are on the edge of "Hill Country" and so we get a clear, long distance vision of the horizon and appropriately spectacular views of sunsets and thunderstorms. Our front porch faces Northwest, too - perfect alignment to watch them roll in!

Media: oil
Size: 8 in X 6 in (20.3 cm X 15.2 cm)
Price: $99 USD

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Summer Siesta 2 - detailed

8 X 8 Oil on board $125
Includes shipping and insurance

I did this earlier with a lot more paint & less detail in anticipation of this more detailed version. I like both for different reasons...which is an analogy of why I own more than 1 horse. Each has his own purpose and joy. One is easy going, BIG, in the prime of life, never gets in a hurry, gets along with everyone, but doesn't know much (Easy). Another is older, very well trained, sometimes challenging, can go after a cow if needed and tolerates greenhorns taking a lesson on her (PJ). And the youngest (third) never gets upset about being taught new things, is totally fearless and never spooks, and is on the small side so grandchildren can get on her in the pasture (Dandy).

I guess there is a horse out there that can do and be everything - and if I had $20,000 I MIGHT be able to find it - though tall/short and young/experienced are hard to get in one package! Hence the need for three....

Dandy modeled for this portrait, but I painted her more of a Bay than the seal brown that she actually is.

Matthew 22:20-21 ²⁰and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?"

²¹"Caesar's," they replied.
Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."

Media: oil
Size: 8 in X 8 in (20.3 cm X 20.3 cm)
Price: $125 USD

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As Far As the Eye Can See

6 X 8 Oil on canvas
Available through benefit auction.

Save the Date!
Lake Granbury Art Association’s Fine Art Benefit Auction Saturday, September 18, 2010
Granbury Resort & Conference Center
Reception 5:30 – 6:30 pm; Auction 6:30 pm
All beautiful, original art by LGAA artists
Entertainment:
Granbury Saxophone Quartet
Cash Bar, Door Prizes, Admission Free
Great Raffle Items Including Rough Creek Lodge package
Proceeds for the renovation of Shanley House Center for the Arts
For details go to www.granburyartauction.com after August 1, 2010
Proverbs 6:5
Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.

nodp

Summer Siesta

7 X 7 Oil on board

SOLD to a collector in Alabama

Texas summer has started off blazing hot - impossible to ignore and complain about! It's only a matter of time before green turns to brown...

The garden is just about burned up. The few ears of corn that are left are buggy and hard, but the chickens still love 'em. When I turn the girls loose in the morning, it is my habit to pick over a row of the remaining corn stalks and pull and shuck a few ears for the birds to cluck over. It didn't take them long to fall into THAT habit! In fact they nearly lead ME to the corn now.

No one is laying yet - but my friend Sandy H. reports that HER birds have gifted her with eggs already. We are scratching our heads over why hers are and mine are not. Could be that her young birds are stimulated by the older birds in her flock (I have only young 'uns). Or it could be mine are laying in the yard since they are lose all day, and I just haven't found the eggs. I DO know where they spend the heat of the day, though, and a search of the area turns up no eggs. I have been told to place golf balls in the nest boxes...

Genesis 1:22
God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth."

Media: oil
Size: 640 in X 8 in (1625.6 cm X 20.3 cm)
Price: $65 USD

This painting is SOLD

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Be Careful Where You Put Your Nose

8 X 6 Oil on Masonite $115
Includes Shipping and Insurance

The title of this little painting is good advice for all of us - don't you think?
I welcomed some out-of-town guests today. My studio door is almost always open, and today one of my collectors from Florida dropped in - with her Mom. Beth and Barbara are visiting relatives in Texas and thought while they were in the neighborhood, they'd drop in. Of course, within 200 miles means "in the neighborhood" if you are in Texas! I knew they were coming and warned them to get here early to try and beat the heat.
Beth had never been on a horse, so of course we had to do a riding lesson. She did great and took instruction well. Naturally Mom Barbara had to have a go, as well, and I was equally impressed with her daring! Happy 72nd Birthday, Barbara!
After filing them up with peach pie and homemade ice cream, I directed them to Granbury where Barbara was hoping she's find herself some cowboy boots.
These 2 were a delight to meet and I am hoping more of you stop by for a visit!
Matthew 25:36
I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.

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Trail of Hope

16 X 20 Oil on canvas illustration for book cover
Commission SOLD to Texas novelist

Texas author, Dan Vanderburg, liked the first painting I did for him so well, that he came back for more and commissioned me to do this one. The working title is "Finding Rosie", but I suspect that may change.
The storyline is as follows: two white children are captured by Indians. The boy has a heartbreaking decision to make - escape, leaving his sister behind or remaining to face certain death. The tale is about his search for her.
I used my friend Tallen Halliday as the model for this painting (Tallen was quite convincing, both as a boy and as being very cold). The horse is my own PJ turned into a paint. I actually tied a leather strap to her lower jaw and we guided her around by it. She was great!
The buffalo robe I borrowed and eventually purchased (it is SOOOO soft!). I'll have to use it in another painting to justify the expense! We had enough snow in Texas this winter to give me a good feel for it - the large tree in the foreground stands in my back yard.
It was pointed out to me that this scene has to be in the afternoon, because of the shadow direction and the fact that the snow has to be on the north side of the tree's trunk. Details, details!
To purchase Dan's first book, A Legacy of Dreams, online (less than $20) go HERE. You can get it as an EBOOK or paperback. Great summer reading!
Contact me if you have a commission in mind...debbiegraysonlincoln@yahoo.com

Proverbs 16:30
A shifty eye betrays an evil intention; a clenched jaw signals trouble ahead.

Dust for Breakfast

9 X 12 Oil on Canvas $125
Includes Shipping and Insurance in U.S.

These cowboys were up and working before breakfast. When lunch rolled around, 80+ calves had been worked & a bushel of dust eaten by each cowboy in the lot. The lunch that was served was well worth the effort - especially for me, the photographer!

Psalm 42:1
A white-tailed deer drinks from the creek; I want to drink God, deep draughts of God. I'm thirsty for God-alive. I wonder, "Will I ever make it— arrive and drink in God's presence?" I'm on a diet of tears— tears for breakfast, tears for supper. All day long people knock at my door, Pestering, "Where is this God of yours?"

Media: oil
Size: 12 in X 9 in (30.5 cm X 22.9 cm)
Price: $125 USD

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Dust for Breakfast - WIP

9 X 12 Oil on canvas WIP
Inspiration comes from many sources. Sometimes TOO much stimulation can overload the system. I have so many great images and so little time!
This is the beginning of what may end up a large painting - but first I need to work out the details. I think I will turn the cowboy's white shirt to red and make it the focal point. Right now all the white spaces are the focal points and they are too unbalanced. I plan to make the dust less bright and square the image up more. All comments are welcomed!
Galatians 6:1
Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day's out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ's law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived
nodp

Days End

6 X 8 Oil on Board $100

Includes shipping and insurance in U.S.

It's been really rainy in Texas this Spring - making for some spectacular sunsets and this was one of 'em. Rain grows good grass, too, and Easy loves to munch it.

Rain also means endless farmwork - trimming pecan and fruit trees, turning compost, mowing, cleaning stalls, weeding and harvesting the garden. As a result, I haven't had much time to paint.

The chickens are becoming more demanding, too. I cannot yet distinguish hens from roosters, but I have my suspicions. I have been refusing all along to name the birds, knowing that some will end up in the stewpot. I have a soft place in my heart even for the roosters, though, and may just turn them loose and see if they are hardy enough to survive the coyotes, owls and snakes. The first one that crows under our window at 4:00 A.M. WILL be supper, though, I assure you....

Psalm 59:14
They return when the sun goes down, They howl like coyotes, ringing the city. They scavenge for bones, And bite the hand that feeds them.

Media: oil
Size: 6 in X 8 in (15.2 cm X 20.3 cm)
Price: $100 USD

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Patience or Impatience

5 X 10 Oil on Canvas $100
Includes shipping and insurance in US

Sometimes cowboys have to work on the ground waiting for those on horseback to do their job. Believe me: he'd rather be on his horse, and his attitude shows it!
I'm still playing around with color on this subject, and I think I like him better in a red shirt.
Proverbs 22:26
[ 3 ] Don't gamble on the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, hocking your house against a lucky chance. The time will come when you have to pay up; you'll be left with nothing but the shirt on your back.

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Wildflower Wanderer

8 X 10 Oil on canvas $125

Includes Shipping and Insurance in US

I have never seen the wildflowers in Texas as beautiful as they are this Spring. It's like Mother Nature has been hiding and saving up for 10 years and now spends everything in her account.

The "model" for this image is someone I have come to respect highly - his name is Tommy Houston. Tommy has a ranch near Bluff Dale, Texas that spans 2 counties and is a "real" cowboy and member of a dieing breed. And people that know him speak of his generosity with both his time and his talents, as well as his expertise with horses.

I was honored to be invited to photograph his yearly cattle working this month, an event that lasts 2 days. Tommy also invites friends and family to participate, and he feeds the whole crew 3 squares each day.

For those who are curious, I will explain a "cattle working". Cows and calves are rounded up and brought to a pen where the calves are separated from their mommas. The cows are run through a working chute where they are wormed, doctored, if necessary, and those without calves are palpated to check to see if they are pregnant. Those who are not, get shipped to an auction where they will probably end up in your next Happy Meal.

Calves are caught (by roping) and held secure on the ground where they are branded, castrated (bull calves), ear notched, ear tagged and inoculated. The whole process takes less than a minute with as many as 5 cowboys working at the same time. One thing I noticed about the roping crew was that they only roped the calves by the hind legs and did not head-catch them, which can lead to injury, I assume.

Expect more paintings of this event...

Psalm 140:12
I know that you, God, are on the side of victims, that you care for the rights of the poor. And I know that the righteous personally thank you, that good people are secure in your presence.
Media: oil
Size: 10 in X 8 in (25.4 cm X 20.3 cm)
Price: $125 USD

How to Purchase:

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Lefty - calf working oil painting

8 X 6 Oil on Masonite Panel $100
Includes Insurance and Shipping in US

Here's a quick painting of the pen sketch I did several days ago. I'll probably paint this several more times, with a slightly different composition and colors.
You ask why the title is "Lefty"? I had to reverse the image of the roper on the horse to get him looking in the correct direction and that placed his loop in his left hand. SO simple....
Chicken report: They are very happy in their outside run. It will Fall before I trust to let them out for limited excursions in the garden, though. Don't worry, they still get "real" food. I have dug worms for them, shook caterpillars out of trees, left the porch light on all night to attract June bugs which I dutifully gather in the morning...AND they get kitchen scraps - they especially like pineapple peelings (thanks, Mom!). Also there is one really goofy friendly bird that is called a "Turken" or a "Naked Neck Chicken". Her name is Moe. She is supposed to be a good egg layer - she needs to have SOMETHING going for her, because good looks aren't it!
Bee report: I have not yet worked up the nerve to look into the hive. It has been so windy lately that I am not sure about the smoker working (that's my story and I stinking to it.) They are, however as busy as bees and I am hopeful that we can work out something regarding sharing the honey...after all, bees are our friends.
Zechariah 3:10
"'At that time, everyone will get along with one another, with friendly visits across the fence, friendly visits on one another's porches.'"

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Bluebonnet Mama 8 - Bevo's Mama oil painting by Debbie Grayson Lincoln

SOLD to an Illinois Collector

This little painting will probably appear as the cover of the Parker County Sheriff's Posse Rodeo Cover this summer. Last year one of my daughter, Merideth's, photos was used, and this year they asked me to paint this cow and calf.
The bluebonnets are nearly gone in this part of Texas. About all that's left are plump seed pods waiting to burst open and spread their treasure for next year's show. Now the orange galardia (pin wheel), purple verbena and red paintbrush take center stage. Dandelions are support crew with appearances made by foxglove and primrose. The eyes never get a chance to be bored...
Proverbs 10:14
The wise accumulate knowledge—a true treasure; know-it-alls talk too much—a sheer waste.

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What Are you Waiting For? WIP sketch

8 X 10 Sketch for Painting
Here's how I put a painting together...Pick images from as many photos as necessary and compose a drawing. Then I decide on time of day, size, palette, etc. and then transfer final drawing - usually using a grid to keep it in proportion.
These two cowboys are from a recent calf working event at a new friend's ranch. The weather was varied all day - from sun to wind to rain to rainbows to sun again. I am tempted to use a dark, threatening purplish background. Also, the more distant cowboy needs to retreat farther with the calf between the two.
This was a quick drawing using a marker - I'll do a more detailed one paying closer attention to perspective and darks and lights for the next one.
Isaiah 42:18
[ You've Seen a Lot, but Looked at Nothing ] Pay attention! Are you deaf? Open your eyes! Are you blind? You're my servant, and you're not looking! You're my messenger, and you're not listening! The very people I depended upon, servants of God, blind as a bat—willfully blind! You've seen a lot, but looked at nothing. You've heard everything, but listened to nothing. God intended, out of the goodness of his heart, to be lavish in his revelation. But this is a people battered and cowed, shut up in attics and closets, Victims licking their wounds, feeling ignored, abandoned. But is anyone out there listening? Is anyone paying attention to what's coming?