We make art for lots of reasons. Some of us are driven to a paint from our passions. With passion we seek beauty, an accomplishment, or an idea of something new that we are sure we cannot achieve. Some of us are driven to paint for money. Sometimes this is a necessity or it might be a form of validation or ego. Some of us are driven to paint for love. We want to express our love through painting or give our love to someone that way. Or it might be self love because we simply love to express our selves in paint.
My mother-in-law, Martha W, Murray, made this painting on the left in 1934 when she was a student at TCU. The Perdue family treasures it. Unfortunately this little painting has not fared well through time. My sister-in-law asked me to make a copy for her before it dissolved. In this case I suppose we have to say this painting was motivated by different kinds of love and by the love of several people for various people.
A toast to you Martha as we end 2013, nearly 80 years after you signed your painting. I hope this makes you smile in heaven.
This is not a painting just an exercise using color temperatures to create the illusion of solid forms. Look at what can be done with a piece of folded paper and a Styrofoam ball!
An image of standing on the brink, ready to jump unprepared into oblivion, has been with me for some time. I made this painting just for me. I am now ready as I have never been before. So "Jump" is NFS.
The colors in this painting are yummy. Mike took the reference photo at Laguna Gloria. It must be a photogenic spot because later I saw a slightly different version of it printed in The Austin Statesman.
My Hometown Series sold too quickly. The Series capture scenes that I see every day in our little town of Driftwood, Texas. I'm not complaining but rather missing the little paintings. So I made a very limited edition of 30 high quality giclee prints. Each one is a true facsimile like the gallery wrap originals with images on 5 sides (face and 4 sides). The size is 8x8 inches and priced at $100 each.
If you want to have your own, send me email at driftwoodtxartist@gmail.com.
"La Ventana Light"
"Back in the Day"
"The Salt Lick"
My newest painting is all about the light and shadow. We can only see color when there is light. That's just the way the human eye works.
The first image is the painting in its completed state. I have drawn the image and applied opaque paint. The second image is the completed painting after applying a permanent mauve and raw umber light glaze over all, and then pulling out the lights and highlights. Both versions are appealing in different ways, but the second painting is stronger overall.
This is the third in the Hometown I Series. You can't create a series of iconic local scenes of Driftwood, Texas and omit The Salt Lick. It is a mecca for barbeque eaters and the most recognized landmark for the area.
I am ready to leave these small format paintings for a while and choose only large brushes in my studio.
This is the second in the Hometown I painting series. Yes, I did modify the La Ventana Light listing so that you could see them together and because I changed the name from La Ventana Entrance to La Ventana Light. Hey, I'm the artist so I get to say.
This building was once the hub of community activity in Driftwood. It housed the General Store and the Post Office. Now it is the photography studio of a notable photographer, Dan Winters. Dan works for the likes of The National Geographic. Dan now owns the building and keeps restoring and improving it. This view is from a few years ago before the color of the building to the right was modified and the old sign identifying it as the Driftwood Country Store was wiped out. Many will remember this landmark as it is depicted here.
