Heading West before dawn is a good feeling.
The Golden Hour
I love that last hour before dark, when the sunlight slams into everything making it glow. There is something magical about that hour metaphorically too. If you are a procrastinator you know what I am talking about. There is nothing like the looming darkness of a deadline to causes you to write a brilliant paper. Sometimes it takes being conscious that the end is near to really notice things around you. The last hour of vacation is often more appreciated than the first. I wonder if we were able stay present to these ideas how much more we could enjoy our lives. So for those of us who rush around and forget to be present, stop and look up when the sun is hanging low and the light changes your perspective, and really soak it in.
Roadside Primrose
The evening primroses are in full bloom right now. I love how the light illuminates through their petals, almost making them glow. This hill was covered in them, almost like it had been painted pink. I included the highway below because it reminds me that there is beauty all around, even near noisy interstates.
Black Eyed Susan and Indian Blanket
Black Eyed Susan and Indian blanket….with a little imagination and rhyme you could almost write a fable or a country and western song about these fields.
Texas Roadside
I had a great chance to enjoy Texas wildflowers this weekend. We went camping at Possum Kingdom Lake this weekend. I was struck at how beautiful the drive was, it was fun the watch the colors change as the miles passed by. Although I knew it might make me feel bad, I painted this from the passenger side of the car as I rode with my family.
Blackland prairie
Field study, and easel.
Brothers Hiking
Good day for a hike.
Field of Gold
I painted this from a thumbnail. I planned on using a photo to finish it, but the photo was on my ipad and I couldn’t see the screen at baseball practice. I could see it ok in the dugout, but when a ball came zooming in, I decided I better pay attention or get out. So, I finished the painting from my little black and white thumbnail safely behind the netting in the stands. If you listen closely, perhaps you can hear the sounds of the afternoon…
Lupinus texensis
“Bluebonnets have inspired the poet’s pen, the artist’s brush, the cowboy’s dream, and the legislator’s eloquence throughout the broad spaces of Texas. Their royal beauty and enchanting fragrance have a particular message which speaks to the emotions with compelling directness.”
–Mary Daggett Lake, 1926
Lupinus texensis is the scientific name for Texas Bluebonnet.
Sunrise in Texas Blue
The noon day palette I would need to paint this scene would be quite boring, but it was interesting at dawn.
paintandsimple 