Leroy

"Leroy" (pastel, 6x4 inches) click here to bid or buy

Another majestic bison from a family vacation to Yellowstone National Park when the kids were young. I've managed to get a few other bison pics here and there in other places, but none can compare to the bison up there. Something about the knowing that they really do "own" the land that gives them an air of attitude and magnificent health that's hard to find elsewhere!

The Leroy family name originated from the descendants of Norse Vikings, from le roy, meaning "the king." I thought it an appropriate name for this Bison.

Here's a short video showing how the Ultramarine blue fluid acrylic color mixed with the Golden brand fine pumice gel makes a really nice dark value on the terra cotta.

 (I decided to position the body off the picture to focus more on that amazing eye!)

New work at the Gallery at Brookwood

"T is for Tiger" (pastel, 12x12 inches) $550

The rest of my current inventory from the year has been delivered to the Gallery at Brookwood for the winter. These are most of what I have there now. Hope you can take a visit, their gift shop and gallery are a sublime shopping experience!

Not only that, but all art sales help support the citizens of Brookwood.

"Twin Fawns II" (pastel, 18x18 inches) $975

"Shadowfire" (pastel, 24x24 inches) $2300

"Cow Lick" (pastel, 18x24 inches) $1730

"Twilight Road" (pastel, 9x12 inches) $475

"Smith" (pastel, 10x10 inches) $475

"Peggy" (pastel, 12x6 inches) $390

"Banded Archerfish" (pastel, 4x6 inches) $250

"Butterball" (pastel, 6x4 inches) $250

Later this month I'll be enjoying my first international workshop, in Montreal, Canada! I'll try to make some new posts while I'm there.

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Shadowfire

"Shadowfire" (pastel, 24x24 inches) $2300

I sold my last bison painting, so it was time for another! This young fella had a rich brown coat and a devilish look in his eye.

Shadowfire is with me at the Texas Masters Invitational Fine Art Show and Sale, this weekend, May 24-26 at the Y.O. Ranch Hotel, Kerrville, Texas. Stop in and stay a while in the air conditioned comfort of the Y.O. Ranch Hotel ballrooms.

Join us for a reception tomorrow, Friday, May 24, from 2 until 4 pm.

Then head down to Water Street and enjoy the Kerrville Festival of the Arts, going on this weekend too!

I added my gold layers with a fat bristle brush, for extra texture!

Untramarine... the new black! Deep and rich over the terra cotta.

Prime

"Prime" (pastel, 20x20 inches) $1600

Painting 20 of my 21-in-31 in March.

It was time for another bison. I still have a few good shots left from a family vacation to Yellowstone years ago.

Prime will be with me at the Bayou City Art Festival March 29-31, 2019, in Memorial Park, Houston TX. Hope to see you there! Come see me in booth 519.

Pride of the Plains

"Pride of the Plains" (pastel, 36x24 inches) $3500

When did I sneak this one in? I'm not quite sure; last week was a blur! But I have this one with me as well, this weekend at the Main Street Fort Worth Arts Festival, April 18-22. Find me on Main in booth #518. Come on out and enjoy the Festival!

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An American Heritage

"An American Heritage"  (pastel, 36x24 inches) $3500

My second-largest new work for the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair in Ann Arbor, Michigan, July 20-23, 2017. (Find me in booth #145 on Washington Street!)

This beauty is from a photo I took in Yellowstone National Park a few years ago. The bison own that place, and are not afraid of anything!

I have an amusing story to tell with this painting, about (not) listening to my own teachings. In the progress shots below you might notice that the bison's left ear (on the right when viewing her) seems to be incomplete or even missing. Because the photo was the same way I actually hadn't noticed this. Probably the cow had been twitching her ear back when the photo was snapped. I finally noticed this when I had completely assembled the scan and was about to post. The painting was already at the framer!

Well, after debating with myself and a couple of neutral observers about whether I should just leave it be, I finally had to chew myself out for ignoring my own advice about "blindly following the photo" and "if there's something in the photo that is ambiguous, DON'T paint it that way! It will be ambiguous in the painting as well!"

So I went to my framer in the morning with a handful of pastels and put in the left ear! (Then came home and edited the photo of the painted ear into the image file.) Whew! The price of being a perfectionist.

Here are some earlier progress shots. Other than the missing ear, the bison was one of those rare, flowing, 'easy" paintings!

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Billie (and the Cottonwood Art Festival)

"Billie"  (pastel, 10x8 inches)  $395 framed

From my stock of bison pics out of Yellowstone. I tried, but just couldn't identify this one as a young female, or a young male, so I'm calling him/her Billie the Bison.

Billie will be with me this coming weekend (May 6 & 7, 2017) at the Cottonwood Art Festival in Richardson, TX. Hope to see you there!

Some progress shots:
I thought it was time to describe my underpainting process again, for any of you who are new to my blog. I start with a piece of Gatorboard primed with a single layer of gold-toned pastel primer. This is Golden (brand) Quiacridone Nickel Azo Gold fluid acrylic color mixed into Golden (brand) Fine Pumice Gel at about a 1/4 (color/gel) ratio. I make my drawing on the single-primed board with a pastel pencil in a medium value warm color (like sepia) so that I can just see my drawing when applying the next layers, and so the color harmonizes with the gold primer and won't get muddy.

This is with the second layer of gold primer. The gel is clear, so the color mixture is semi-transparent, and gets darker on each application.

Then (below) I added Art Spectrum (brand) Pastel Primer in the terra cotta color. When I plan to use the black primer for black fur, as I did on this one, I like this warm color underneath, and to establish a mid-value. (Sometimes I loose my drawing at this step. I'll reestablish key areas of the drawing if I need to.)

Lastly, I used the Art Spectrum (brand) Pastel Primer in the black color. I lay it into the darkest areas, then scrub and dry-brush it into the medium values of the terra cotta to continue the value scale and add more depth to the monochromatic underpainting. The Art Spectrum primers are more opaque than the Golden pumice gel, but still have a bit of transparency to them, which allows for some building of depth in these tones. I did a second application of the black to achieve those darker areas.

 Then it's ready... for the pastel!

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