Randall Cogburn

Winter 2012 Juried Show Galveston, TX

2012-01-30T19:20:00.004-06:00

The Winter 2012 Juried Show at the Galveston Art League is Saturday, February 4th 6 pm – 8 pm

OPENING RECEPTION AND AWARDS PRESENTATIONS. I'll also be there during the day sitting for the gallery come by and say hello. If your familiar with my work I usually paint small. However, this time around I'm painting bigger, and a change I'm gladly excepting and thrilled about. So if you'd like to see my new work drop by and check out the two paintings I've entered into the show on the 4th, this Saturday. Also pleased to say one of my paintings sold during the January show so I'm thrilled about that. See you next post.

~Kirby

Link to the Galveston Art League is here.

Gallery Paintings Up

2012-01-11T22:20:00.001-06:00

I'm very excited to let you know I have 3 paintings at the Galveston Art League Gallery up for sale. If your around the Houston/Galveston area and would like to see some great art stop by and take a look around. They will be up for viewing until the end of January.

If your not aware the Galveston Art League has been around since 1914 and if you'd like to read more about them and directions to the gallery here's a link http://www.galvestonartleague.com/

~Kirby

2011-11-29T21:09:00.001-06:00

I'm not sure if I posted this one. I painted this at the Brazos Bend State Park one day. Nice place to go to paint. You can walk all day long and not see the whole park it's big. By the time I finished you can tell the light has changed in the background no longer any colorful light shining through lighting up the grass.

~Kirby

Lily at Trailside

2011-11-23T11:16:00.001-06:00

You got to check this video out it's awesome!!

Something previously painted

2011-08-13T23:45:00.001-05:00

A previous painting I did, from still life.

Galveston Art Wallk

2011-07-15T12:49:00.001-05:00

The Galveston Art Walk is this weekend. I will be having a couple of paintings of mine not sure which ones but come and find out. I might have more in rotation once they sell. It's at E Street Gallery, 2219 Post Office St. near Bogan Gallery.

~Kirby

Loch Leven

2011-04-15T12:36:00.000-05:00

Loch Leven

5.5" x 5.5"

Oil on Panel

A simple scene near Loch Leven, Scotland. Lately I've been real interested in learning about Scotland.

Click to Purchase $50 includes s/h

Nightlife

2011-04-07T17:48:00.001-05:00

Nightlife

5" x 7"

Oil on Panel

A nice sunset at Galveston Beach at the SeaWall. I'm not quite sure what tall buildings in the foreground are. Love that beach. I used to surf near the Flagship Pier which is further down to the right. If youv'e never been to Galveston beach it only gets clear during a long drought and when the wind is calm you'll even have really clear water up to 2 foot visibility near the beach which is rare. It gets much clearer the further south you go towards Chorpus Christi and South Padre Island near Mexico.

Click to Purchase $50 includes s/h

Green Pond

2011-04-07T10:29:00.001-05:00

Green Pond

5.5" x 5.5"

Oil on Panel

A view at the Armond Bayou Nature Center. I did a plein air painting of this scene while I was there but the values were hard to get right do to the light changing so much and as you might see here the greens were all over the place. The difficult part for me to convey in the plein air painting was making the foreground tree seperate from the background. I got it right here in the studio painting as you can see there wasn't very much difference between the foreground and the background. The water was really an eye catcher with lush green reflections and the pond algae was floating around and the sun caught at different times. Another interesting reflection is the big lit up vertical one and also the sun lighting up the algae at the back side of the pond. It was a very peaceful pond.

Click to Purchase $50 includes s/h

Blooming Out

2011-04-06T21:31:00.000-05:00

Blooming Out

6" x 6"

Oil on Panel

An Iris flower from the Armand Bayou Nature Center. Not sure what it's name is if you knwo let me know and I'll add it in.

Click to Purchase $50 includes s/h

Adjustments, No. 29

2011-04-04T16:23:00.002-05:00

Adjustments

5" x 7"

Oil on Panel

I don't do monochrome paitnings to often, well hardly often at all. From the looks of the ones I have done I really like the process of painting them. This one took a while to get the proportions right so that took up most of the time. After that was done, painting it was a piece of cake. With a little miner adjustments here and there until I liked the overall look and voila, tis done.

Click to Purchase $50 includes s/h

Ho Chi Minh Trail

2011-04-03T19:41:00.002-05:00

Ho Chi Minh Trail

6" x 6"

Oil on Panel

You might be suprised by what I'm going to say about this plein air painting. If your a painter you can relate. After riding my mountainbike at Memorial Park for a while I thought I'd grab my painting gear and head out somewhere to paint. The weather was overcast and potential for rain. Never did rain though. What happened was after spotting this spot and setting up my tripod and pochade box I discovered my palette was not there. What, no palette? A little panic ensued but no fear I'll figure out something. Well I thought I'd do a monochrome study and mix some paint in my medium cup cap. That started out ok but I decided I need color in this and out of shear determination to paint this scene I started using my rag and putting down blobs of color and loading the brush and mixing it on the rag. It worked out pretty well actually minus the oily hands though. Not bad for a rag palette.

Click to Purchase $75 includes s/h

If your wondering how I price my paintings usually if I have to go a ways to paint which this was the case and the spot was not an easyone to get to I charge more. Most paintings fall into the $50 range like the studio paintings but some plein air paintings are $50. Of course the bigger they are the more I charge.

One more thing, if your into mountainbiking check the video in an earlier post.

Something odd but even, lol.

2011-04-02T21:48:00.000-05:00

Just noticed the tracker down on the bottom. I think it's called a website ticker or something like that. Anyway it's at 22,222. Only comes once, lol.

~Kirby

El Sendero a Tenacatita

2011-04-02T00:06:00.000-05:00

El Sendero a Tenacatita

7" x 5"

Oil on Panel

El Sendero a Tenacatita - The Path to Tenacatita. Have to love those Palm trees and hibiscus flowers in the summer.

Click to Purchase $50 includes s/h

A Splash, No. 28

2011-04-01T17:31:00.002-05:00

A Splash

7" x 5"

Oil on Panel

I like the looks of this one. A little action, and depth in the waves with some nice color in the reflection and of course the colorful figure.

Click to Purchase $50 includes s/h

Original Painting Sold

2011-04-01T13:42:00.000-05:00

My original painting for the Japan Crisis has sold. If your interested in a framed print let me know donations go to the Japan Red Cross Society.

~Kirby

Insane Bike Ride

2011-04-01T11:18:00.003-05:00

A friend sent me this video of an insane downhill mountain bike ride. I can relate to some of this since I love mountainbiking but this is deffinitely over the top. Around 2:25 get ready for the do or die jump. He laughs a little glad he made that one. The dog makes for some intersing action too and some insane jumps that are very suprising. Macho Libre, lol.

VCA 2010 RACE RUN from changoman on Vimeo.

Armand Bayou Plein Air Meetup

2011-03-26T21:39:00.000-05:00

This Saturday the Galveston Plein Air group met at the Armond Bayou Nature Center near Nasa's Johnson Space Center grounds. A very nice day to paint. Here's some photos of a pond with some Irisis I beleive popping up. I setup my gear near Bill who had a jump on me already, early bird, as well as a group of up and coming young guns out to paint with us. There were so many oppurtunites to paint all you had to do is pick a spot and have at it. Below is a pic of my first painting of the day. A little muddied do to being in the shade a little to much, keeping me from seeing the colors clearly, or was that me trying to get out of saying, yes I know, I didn't do as good as job as I should have. Maybe it was the exitement, I'd go for that. After I cooled down some and focused more I painted another which I liked but still needs some more work. The next painting I did is below and made some touch ups on it a little more once I got home. I'll upload the rest of the pics later when I have time.

Under the Tree

5.5" x 5.5"

Oil on Panel

The last painting I did at the meetup in Armand Bayou. It was a nice view and amazing colors everywhere.

Click to Purchase $50 includes s/h

Going Places, No. 9

2011-03-26T18:23:00.002-05:00

Going Places

5.5" x 5.5"

Oil on Panel

Haven't done one for the Sreet Portraits blog so here it is. The shades are what caught my eye and the skin tones being lost here and there and of course the strong shadow.

Click to Purchase $50 includes s/h

Bondi Beach, No 27

2011-03-23T21:20:00.002-05:00

Bondi Beach, No. 27

7" x 5"

Oil on Panel

A little freer on the storkes in this painting as well as a different technique all together. I was a little perplexed on titling this painting and from nowhere the name Bondi popped into my head. Nice to have those happen and I'm not even sure when the last time I heard the name Bondi before but I know it's a famous beach near Sydney, Austrailia. It means water breaking over rocks and if you know what a nullas is you just might be from Australia. If you find out let me know.

Click to Pruchase $50 includes s/h

Double Take, No. 26

2011-03-22T22:25:00.002-05:00

Double Take, No. 26

7" x 5"

Oil on Panel

Another for the Girls on the Beach series. Still a ways to go to get a hundered done. I think even if I get a hundred done I like doing them so much and enjoy getting the color in skin tones is fun especially in the shadow areas, always interesting. Did a retouch and made a splash of color for the windsurfer.

Click to Purchase $50 includes s/h

Galveston Island, TX

2011-03-19T19:37:00.003-05:00

Tiki Island Bridge

6" x 8"

Oil on Panel

Went on a kayak trip from Galveston Island across the bay and under the Tiki Island Bridge and back. After I passed through the bridge at Tiki Island there was a nice small island I beached on and did this oil painting above of the Tiki Island Bridge. Also took some photo's and the best out of the bunch is a shrimp boat coming in to port to unload it's catch of the day.

Click to Purchase $75 includes s/h

2011 Japan Crisis

2011-03-17T19:41:00.005-05:00

2011 Japanese Red Cross

5" x 7"

Framed Prints

The orignial painting is up for Auction. Check the following link for bidding etc. Scroll down to the bottom fo the page to find it.

I decided I can't give enough so I'm enlisting the support of others to support the Japanese Red Cross Society in this time of need. I'm offering framed prints under glass for $25 if you can show proof of donating a minimum of $25(2000 yen)to the Japanese Red Cross. Send me an email with proof at KirbysArt@live.com If your interested in the painting all of that money will go to the Japanese Red Cross, email me for details on that.

Sincerly,

Randall Cogburn

Mad Dash

2011-03-16T23:50:00.001-05:00

Mad Dash: Sketch

8" x 10"

Charcoal on paper

Since my title of my blog is described as having sketches in it I thought I'd put one in for good measure. Here's a sketch I worked up and will turn into a painting soon. It's called the Mad Dash, worked up from a scene of a film I saw recently and so far looks like it will work out. The title is reffering to the captain making a mad dash to get his sword which has been knocked away from him in a sword fight on the beach. I think I'll have to put his left arm reaching out to get the sword. Most of this scene was blocked off by other people fighting so I had to make most of him up and hope it reads right in the painting. There's some other postions I thought might work even better and show more movement so I might end up do a series of paintings of him. When I was about to photograph the sketch my sketchbook fell and it looks like it smudged some of the charcoal. That's the negative side of using charcoal, you need to fix it when it's finished or else, lol.

~Kirby

The Wolf

2011-03-16T18:44:00.001-05:00

The Wolf

8" x 6"

Oil on Panel

On patrol off the coast of England. I love tall ships and anything related to sailing and will have some more of these coming soon.

Click to Purchase $50 includes s/h

Garden Trailer

2011-03-15T13:50:00.000-05:00

Garden Trailer

8" x 6"

Oil on Panel

You can probably tell in this painting I'm using a different technique. I thought I'd loosen up a whole lot and have fun and make a nice painting with some depth and loaded with color. I think I did a nice job of it. This is a plein air painting done right outside my front porch this afternoon. I like the perspective of looking more on top of the trailer than at ground level, makes the interest more about the trailer. A little boxy thing isn't it?

Click to Purchase $50 includes s/h

El Rastro de Tierra

2011-03-10T13:56:00.001-06:00

El Rastro de Tierra

8" x 6"

Oil on Panel

"El Rastro de Tierra, The dirt trail." Nice day to be painting outdoors and couldn't resist this scene in my backyard with a low viewpoint sitting on the ground as I paint. Hearing some rustling near by, I thought it was a snake, still not sure. It's almost spring time, well it sure does look like it here in Texas a little on the cool side today.

Click to Purchase $75 includes s/h

Archway

2011-03-09T23:33:00.000-06:00

Archway

5.5" x 5.5"

Oil on Panel

A nice archway in some old architecture.

Click to Purchase $50 includes s/h

Crossing Shadow

2011-03-09T16:26:00.000-06:00

Crossing Shadow

8" x 6"

Oil on Panel

A windy day today and turned out to be nice bright sunshine. I had a need to paint and stepped out the front porch and looked for something interesting. This scene finally made me paint. I like the small white flowers in the yard and the shadow going across the road.

Click to Purchase $50 includes s/h

José Esperanza de La Paz

2011-03-08T16:43:00.001-06:00

José Esperanza de La Paz

7" x 5"

Oil on Panel

A well connected pearl trader from La Paz, Mexico. Legend has it he has seen the Heavenly Black Pearl and has met the notorious Sevillano.

Click to Purchase $50 includes s/h

Rendezvous at Scivu

2011-03-07T16:37:00.001-06:00

Rendezvous at Scivu

6" x 8"

Oil on Panel

Scivu Beach, on the Island of Sardinia, Italy March 7, 1474. A French spy, Gaetan, has made a treacherous journey to steal a famous painting by Da Vinci from a wealthy nobleman in Florence. Here he's meeting a corrupt Italian merchant turned Privateer, to trade the painting for a large some of money and trip back to France.

Click to Purchase $50 includes s/h

On Safari

2011-03-06T21:44:00.000-06:00

On Safari

6" x 8"

Oil on Panel

Some wild wilder beasts eating some grass. What's that a lion behind those trees. Nahh, just cows. A late evening plein air painting done in the field. Wow, the color sure does change fast in the evening.

Click to Purchase $50 incluedes s/h

Within the Prairie

2011-03-03T21:54:00.001-06:00

Within the Prairie

5" x 7"

Oil on Panel

I love the grass color this time of year even better than spring. Nice tans and golden colors of the dried grasses as well as the rich reddish browns. To bad this is black and white. The title I came up with is of course referring to the golden tan of the prairie grass running through it in a stream of color.

Click to Purchase $50.00 includes s/h

Diablo El Torro

2011-02-28T23:54:00.002-06:00

Diablo El Torro

6" x 6"

Oil on Panel

"El toro le embistió una cornada. The bull gored him with his horn." This one was a blast to paint as you can see I had fun with it. I like it so much I might not sell it but here it is.

Click to Purchase $60 includes s/h

Shimmer

2011-02-28T19:53:00.000-06:00

Shimmer

7" x 10"

Oil on Panel

A view in the late evening on Galveston Bay. This is from a kayak trip a while back and finally got around to doing it. I'm glad I did. This is the last of the 7x10 panels I have and might make 8x10's instead.

Click to Purchase $100 includes s/h

Spring Cleaning

2011-02-28T13:56:00.001-06:00

Recently I've been doing some spring cleaning on my Blog and my paintings that I have. A little early for spring cleaning but hey down here it's warm and the lawn is greening up. I thought it needed it. So if you have been wandering why a lot of my posts are gone that's why. If your new to my blog you mist out on a lot of stuff about 3 years worth. Looking for better painting day's ahead so stick around and comment. Let me know your a live person or something.

~Kirby

Feed Station

2011-02-26T19:51:00.003-06:00

Feed Station

6" x 8"

Oil on Panel

An impromptu plein air this evening. I guess I should call it "Redemption" after the last painting I painted went south this morning at the marina. A plus my dad came with me as well as my brother. I was able to paint and they went on a nice walk getting some exercise. This is another from the safari fields that I like to go to. I was glad to come upon this feed station which I think it's for Wilder beasts or Lions to eat something, not sure what, lol. The light was definitely moving by the minute. As I systematically laid down color I realized it was coming together very nicely, a good step in the right direction for me. Oh, the white areas on the side of the painting are due to my pochade box that holds my panels keeping them from smudging. I usually take care of this before I take a photo, easily fixed now.

Click to Purchase $75 includes s/h

Plein Air Meetup at Hillmans Marina.....

2011-02-26T16:41:00.000-06:00

A nice day to paint for sure is anyday you can get outdoors to paint. We found a nice spot to paint from Bill Bonham, one of the painters, had permission from a landowner who happened to have a nice scene of some shrimp boats. A bit cluttered but that's how shrimp boats are usually docked anyway. Some of the other painters in the group were Janie and one other lady I forgot her name again. I'm telling you I'm bad with names. We all had a good time and I found it interesting that all of us had different painting styles, very neat. Here's some photo's I took in between paintings, with the last photo my painting of Pogy, the shrimp boat:

Bill Bonham painting away and having fun. Looks great Bill!

One of the other painters I forgot her name but she paints really well.

Janie painting the scene. She made a fantastic sky. Awesome!

Poggy

8" x 6"

Oil Panel

Here's Poggy, and looks like a tight fit for him. Maybe I should call it Poggies Spot. This one turned out alright but the next painting I did I had trouble with. The light was coming and going and I had a hard time getting the light right so I scratched that one. I had fun everyone and hope to see you at another meetup.

Click to Purchase Poggy $75 includes s/h, unframmed

Berry Bend

2011-02-26T00:50:00.000-06:00

Berry Bend

10" x 7"

Oil on Panel

I knew this one would take a while to finish but what I wasn't sure is if I should tackle it tonight or do it this weekend. I opted for the do it now. I'm glad I did because it turned out fantastic. I still may adjust some things here and there and if I don't I still think it looks finished.

Click to Purchase $100 includeds s/h

Stickered

2011-02-24T17:19:00.001-06:00

Stickered

8" x 6"

Oil on Panel

I was going to title this paitning "Rembrandt Lighting" but it obviously isn't the right lighting on the subject so I scratched that idea and instead called it "Stickered" since that is somewhat of a focal point and the reason I wanted to paint this lamp. That's a five dollar stcker by the way. A more sketchy feel this time, but I was going to go for a different feel realizing about halfway it wasn't going to be. I might tackle this again and do it in color with a much different perspective. More info on Rembrandt himself in a video documentary here with a much younger view of Simon Schama, the guy who made the Power of Art series.

Click to Purchas $50 includes s/h

Plein Air Meetup - Saturday February 26

2011-02-23T09:17:00.000-06:00

Hillmans Marina area
Date: Saturday, February 26
Time: 9:00AM
Contact info: Just email me
Directions: Click Here
Fees: none
Medium: whatever you have
Weather: Looks to be great again
http://www.khou.com/weather/?nTar=OPUR&iq_id=7417358

Notes: Not exactly sure where we will meet at the marina but there will be shrimp boats around, hmmmm. There will be more people showing up this time to paint so it will deffinitely be fun. Support Hillmans and buy some shrimp or oysters or both.

~Kirby

Working Late

2011-02-23T00:36:00.000-06:00

Working Late

7" x 5"

Oil on Panel

Oh my gosh I'm tired. So tired my shoulders are aking. It took a while to complete this painting. Was it a coincedence that I started on this real late in the evening. Maybe, but right now all I can think of is going to sleep, oh geesh it's twleve thirty in the morning......

Click to Pruchase $75.00 includes s/h

In Storage

2011-02-22T13:50:00.001-06:00

In Storage

7" x 5"

Oil on Panel

This caught my eye today, so I setup in the living room to paint what is now being called the storage room for lack of a good place to put stuff. I'm a big fan of color in shadows and to let you know the wall is white paint so I have know idea how the wall turned that color but it was. To help with painting this I enlisted my second helper Mr. tripod/easel. I clamped one of my palettes on it and was able to adjust to the right hight and wow what a difference it made instead of working on a paletter area the size of your fist.

Click to Purchase $75 includes s/h

Nassau 51

2011-02-22T00:42:00.002-06:00

Nassau 51

7" x 5"

Oil on Panel

I like these wooden sailboats. This is a gaff-rigged if I'm not mistaken. A nice sailboat to have for sure. Sometimes on Saturday's you can see small sailboats sailing around in Galveston Bay. This was one of the few wooden boats sailing around the rest were fiberglass Sunfishes or Lazers, etc.

Click to Purchase $75 includes s/h

Outbound

2011-02-21T16:55:00.000-06:00

Outbound

5" x 7"

Oil on Panel

I'm sure there's some sea monkey's on there somewhere. Some smaller boats hope one day they'll be this big. Tankers like to pass through this channel at the Freeport jetties. I've actually paddled my kayak through here earlier in the day. Maybe I should upgrade my kayak for a ship what do you think?

Click to Purchase $75 includes s/h

Brazos Bend Plein Air Meetup

2011-02-19T22:29:00.001-06:00

The Brazos Bend Plein Air Meetup was a big success especially for such a short notice. We had five enthusiastic painters show up to do what all plein air painters do and that's have fun painting outdoors. Let me tell you we definitely did that today. The early morning was unique in fact we were engulfed in fog. It made for some different painting conditions especially for me and I can vouch for everyone else that it was really fun to paint in. We started in the prairie which was a perfect place to paint trees in various Gray tones. Once the fog started lifting out came more color. Here's some photos of the prairie engulfed in fog:

Here's some photos of us on the prairie trail. I have to apologize for not getting Dawn Maureen in any of the photo's, one of our painters in the group, a very happy painter indeed. Hopefully one of the others captured her having some fun. The other painters that were there were Tim Schneider and landscape painter at heart. Nancy Pruden an art teacher and a friend she brought with her which I forgot her name. I'm bad with names but not remembering faces. Heres some photo's of us scattered about painting like mad. No pics of me yet. Do you really want to see moi? lol!

So what do you do while painting out in a prairie with other like minded painters. Of course, we talk paint. Everything from the norm like what kind of paint do you use to, what's your most funniest plein air outing. Here's Nancy's friend painting on an easel she got for $50 sounds like a winner there. The Cadillac of plein air easels. Nancy below on a Gorilla. Nice and small built like a tank. Tim on a home made painting eye level and Dawn on a simple tripod easel and a nice chair. I wish I had a chair like that about 4pm in the evening.

Here is Nancy Friend. As soon as I get your name I'll fill it in :)

Here's Nancy Pruden painting away.

Tim Schneider painting away and

a glimpse of Dawn Maureen

We hit the prairie pretty hard and then scattered through the park doing other scenery. The sun came out once in a while during the day and finally some nice skies once in a while. I was so busy painting that I didn't take a lot of photo's like I hoped.

Here are the paintings I did. I can say I have at least 2 keepers and the other three were kind of hit and miss in some areas. I might just rework those instead of chunk them. I'll post all five here anyway just so you can see even the mistakes. Painting plein air is not an easy thing to do especially after standing more than half the day and trying to keep a good mental attitude while painting. Practice is the key. I want to thank everyone that showed up at the meetup it was a blast and I hope to see everyone again so we can spend more time having fun and hopefully be a little bit better the next go around. Thank you, I learned a lot!

~Kirby

Breaking Fog

6" x 8"

Oil on Panel

Click to Purchase $75 includes s/h

Standing Out

8" x 6"

Oil on Panel

Click to Purchase $75 includes s/h

Here are the other three that didn't make the cut, sorry guys.

Plein Air Meetup Feb 19, Saturday - Friday Update

2011-02-14T15:07:00.015-06:00

If you know anyone in the area let them know about it.
Drop me an email if you want to come. We will meet at the 40 Acre Parking Lot.

Weather shows 0% chance of rain. Good idea to bring pancho and umbrella just in case. Partly cloudy skies. May be fog in the morning, could be interesting. Low high 50's bring coat, highs mid 70's.

6 painters coming so far maybe more.

Brazos Bend State Park Plein Air Meetup
Date: Feb, 19 2011. Saturday
Time: 6:00am(Dawn is around 6:30am) till sunset(around 6:30pm)
Contact Info: email me at KirbysArt@live.com
Park: www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/brazos_bend/
Maps are on that site for download as well as Park fees.
Plein Air Group Fees: none it's free
Medium: whatever you like, oil, watercolor, pencil, acrylic, gauche, crayon, coffe stains, lol.
Weather: 0% chance you may see rain
http://www.khou.com/weather/?nTar=OPUR&iq_id=7417358

Thing to Paint or draw etc.
Theres Prairie, trees, lakes, creeks, rapids, people, wildlife, buildigns, and good chance for some great skies, and clouds.

Bring the following:
Head Lamp
Poncho
Umbrella
Dry towel in car waiting :)
Cell Phone(in plastic bag in case of rain)
Plein Air Equipment
Panel Carrier if oil painting. Other painting mediums note below
Bug Spray
Bottled Water
Snacks, etc.
Walking or Hiking shoes
Used clothes you don't mind getting messed up
Park Map with you

Notes:
Head lamp can be found at Homedepot $10-15 and last a long time. I bought mine last year and use it regularly and haven't used up the batteries yet. Bug spray, I didn't have any musquitos last Saturday but you never know. Bottled Water, snacks like energy bars etc. something that can be eaten easily. Something for lunch only 30 minutes. No alcohol.

Other painters:
Let me know if your doing something other than oil or don't have a way to carry at least 2 paintings at a time. You might have to do something different

~Kirby

Safari No. 5

2011-02-13T22:38:00.000-06:00

Safari No. 5

6" x 8"

Oil on Panel

This is the first time to use a viewfinder to help judge composition and placement on the painting. I'm pretty accustomed to just paint the composition freely without aid. On this occasion the perspective was key. I'm glad I did use it because the scene was hard enough even though it looks simple here. I did see some wildlife luring in the background behind all the trees on the right. A tiger maybe? Hippo's? No just cows here in TX, lol.

Click to Purchase $50 includes s/h

Big Creek

2011-02-12T22:13:00.000-06:00

Big Creek

8" x 6"

Oil on Panel

This is the first painting I did at Brazos Bend State Park. I can tell already this will be a deffinite favorite and one day plan to do some big paintings from here one day. It beckons the oil painter in me. To get to this spot was a bit of a walk. No fear treak man is here. With my back pack packed with my painting gear and my small camelback pack looped over my tripod stickicking out of my bag to hold my camera bag. It was kinda warm so I hung my hoody onto the ripod and I bet people thought I had a gun sticking out of my bag. Anyway, this creek was pretty steep and I had to find an area to climb down that was decent. Know I didn't fall down if that's what your wandering. I guess it would be funny seing my flop down the cliff. At the bottom thered be this big colorful splash of color everywhere do the paint getting everywhere. I took my time on this painting and took some pictures of it while it was on the tripod but the sun was getting in the way causing flare.

If you want the extra story email me.

Click to Purchase $50 includes s/h

You Shouldn't Have, No. 9

2011-02-12T00:56:00.000-06:00

You Shouldn't Have

6" x 6"

Oil on Panel

A very cute face indeed. It's been a while since I attempted a portrait. Need to keep these going so I can get better.

Click to Purchase $50 includes s/h

Old Style

2011-02-11T16:11:00.001-06:00

Old Style

6" x 8"

Oil on Panel

An old style camper long forgotten. This happened to be a plein air painting done on the spot. It took about an hour and half to do. I'm quite pleased with the hard edges here and there with lots of lost edges. A fun one for me to do even though I wasn't sure if I wanted to paint it. Interestingly enough those odd ball ones tend to come out the best. Have you ever had a bad day and despite how bad it is something really great happened anyway when you thought nothing could ever brighten that day up?

Click to Purchase $50 includes s/h

The Cap, No. 25

2011-02-11T01:43:00.000-06:00

The Cap

10" x 7"

Oil on Panel

The bigger paintings do indeed take a long time to finish. There's always room for more detail. I had a blast painting this one. I would like to thank the photographer for the ref. Mike Forsman. He is a passionate photographer of wildlife and once in a while people here and there. If youd like to see some spectacular shots that will really motivate you to get out doors check his photos here you wil be suprised for sure.

Click to Purchase $100 includes s/h

The Skinny, No. 24

2011-02-08T22:43:00.000-06:00

The Skinny

7" x 5"

Oil on Panel

Well, even the basic shot of the silohuete is breathtaking. This turned out to be a challenge. The water was the most difficult part of this painting. I tend to fly through it as I paint getting an overall feel of where it's going and then it's down to details which make or break it. On this one I used a friends photo Jenny Salvador

a photogorapher.

Click to Purchase $50 includes s/h

Fruit Call, No. 23

2011-02-08T01:13:00.000-06:00

Fruit Call

10" x 7"

Oil on Panel

A bit the bullet and did a larger painting. This is the first large painting of the Girls on the Beach series which are mainly 5" x 7". I took my time on this one and well I had to since it's a bigger painting. Things tend to show up easier, lol. I'm quite pleased at the colors and will do more of this size or even bigger.

Click to Purchase $100 includes s/h

High and Dry, No. 22

2011-02-06T23:41:00.000-06:00

High and Dry

5" x 7"

Oil on Panel

Heres another for the series. I was going for the depth in this one and came out swinging.

Click to Purchase $50 includes s/h

Strolling, No. 21

2011-02-04T18:16:00.002-06:00

Strolling, No. 21

7" x 5"

Oil on Panel

I'm not sure why girls where short shorts when it's cold on the beach. Oh who I'm I kidding of course I do. It's to keep those pesky beach gugs off. What! That makes no sense.

On Ebay

The Critic

2011-01-13T00:15:00.000-06:00

The Critic

8" x 6"

Oil on Panel

The Critic, a painting inspired by a story? Yes there is a story behind this painting. It all started in a restaraunt eating out with familly. I was in one of my sketchy moods and had an itch to sketch. There were plenty of people sitting at tables eating there food and talking away. Have you ever wondered what people have been doing that day. How about that couple. Maybe the guy is a banker who deals with some pretty hefty accounts. The wife, a homemaker, well maybe. How about an airplane steward who just got back from Borneo. I don't know where that is but I'd have to Google. Oh, ok just wait I Google it...Well ok I'm back so I guess I'll talk a little off, off topic about Borneo. Well maybe not. Why spoil this story with off topics. If youd like to jump to something more interesting heres a link to Borneo. So you made it this far and you either came back to read the rest or skipped the link and finished. People have interesting lives and I just had to sketch someone. That ended up being an elderly couple and after eating my meal, I had steak of course, I whipped out my sketchbook and did a quick contour drawing in pen and finished with watercolors. Looked great. Well later I decided to look throug some of my sketches and make an oil painting from it. This is what I came up with. Of course I aded the painting and easel and made him cartoony. So the next time you meet a stranger or friend ask them what they do or did. It could be interesting.

Click to Purchase $50 includes s/h

A Favorite

2011-01-12T00:36:00.000-06:00

I always liked reading National Geographic. My dad is a big reader and had lots of them but sadly were damaged by storm. Me on the other hand I kinda liked them. It was a go to reader if I was at the library killing some time which happned a lot during college. Now, I've taken a liking to photography and what better magazine to now slobber over. Photographers who are lucky to work for them are some of the best. Also, birding has become something I enjoy since and I'm seing birds I've never known existed. In this issue of National Geographic if you haven't received the new one or rushed down to the bookstore to get one is a nice one indeed. Let me know if you are a National Geographic reader. I'm Saving the best for last check this link out! The answer to your question is 'no not really'.

~Kirby

Red Cardinal

2011-01-09T11:35:00.000-06:00

This Red Cardinal was a suprise show up. I love the colors on him really red all over, it's amazing. He's doing so acrobat techniques here.

This last one I liked just because of his posture. He looks very alert.

~Kirby

Prints Available email for details

Yellow Rumped Warbler

2011-01-09T11:30:00.000-06:00

After photographing this bird I had no idea what kind it was. After a friend from the UK mentioned it was probably a Yellow Rumped Warbler I was estatic. This is the first Warbler I have ever seen. How exciting it was.Warblers are among my favorite birds to find. It's tempting to look through bird books to see all the different kinds to be seen but I think I'll pass on that and hope to find them as a suprise. Here's some more photos:

I'm not positive but I think the last phot is a Yellow Rumped Warbler also but not sure. They sure have some good eyes though. He's playing peekaboo.

~Kirby
Prints Available email for details

2011-01-03T12:44:00.000-06:00

High Plains

6" x 8"

Oil on Panel

This painting was fun to do. I aimed for getting the different colors in the grass and trying to convey the suns light glancing off the grass.

Click to Purchase $50 includes s/h

Opals

2011-01-01T12:40:00.000-06:00

Opals

Prints For Sale

email me for detals

Some Jazz Blues and Art

2010-12-28T23:27:00.000-06:00

Driving By

2010-12-28T13:07:00.000-06:00

Driving By

6" x 8"

Oil on Panel

I have been a little out these days, not sick just not painting, but back in action again. Another safari trip.

Click to Purchase $50 inculdes s/h

Validation

2010-12-17T22:59:00.000-06:00

This is a very nice little movie clip I found on YouTube. Enjoy!!

Fall Colors

2010-12-15T22:26:00.002-06:00

Cold Downtown Houtson

2010-12-12T17:40:00.000-06:00

Another photo of downtown Houston.

~Kirby

Snap Shot

2010-12-09T00:36:00.000-06:00

Lucky shot with the camera. Near downtown Houston.

Walking the Walk, No. 19

2010-12-05T11:29:00.000-06:00

Walking the Walk

7" x 5"

Oil on Panel

Another for the Girls on the Beach Series. I liked the colors in the shadows and the surfboard adds to the contrast as well as the nice highlights. I really liked the distant colors in this scene as well.

Click to purchase $50 includes s/h

Anchored

2010-12-03T19:10:00.001-06:00

Anchored

6" x 8"

Oil on Panel

This is from a another kayak trip a while back. It took me quite a while to get to this spot from where I launched, how about 10 miles or so. I knew there was a nice little sailboat at this spot anchored and what I wasn't sure of was if there was a convenient spot to land the kayak and put up a tripod. As you can tell the water was rough that day. Luckily there was a nice little cove that kept the waves away and it was partially sandy, just enough to set up a tripod and paint comfortably. I used the palette knife one this one and I think it made it even better than using the brush. I'm pricing the kayak trip paintings more since it does take a lot of effort to get there.

Click to purchase $75 includes s/h

Shimmer

2010-12-03T13:31:00.001-06:00

Shimmer

6" x 8"

Oil on Panel

This is from an older kayak trip I did. I was sitting right near the edge of a small island in Galveston Bay.

Click to purchase $75 includes s/h

Take Out

2010-12-03T13:17:00.000-06:00

Take Out

8" x 8"

Oil on Panel

Chinese take out. This one turned out to be really cool looking. Glad I saved the box.

Click to purchase $50 includes s/h

Shrimper

2010-12-03T12:46:00.002-06:00

Back to posting paintings again. Wow long lay off. Heres a shrimp boat that was on my kayak trip in Galveston. I took my time on this one. This one is like an optical illusion. Can you tell what makes it look like 3D?

Private Collection

Circus

2010-10-29T19:21:00.000-05:00

Circus

6" x 8"

Oil on Panel

This is one of my few palette knife paintings. You have to dig way back to find the other. This is from another bike trip south into the many farms nearby. It was really windy that day and the sun was brilliant. I found this scene and had to paint it. The reason I call it Circus is the metal ring amongst some weeds, some kind of farm equipment standing on its side, the cow birds flickering around and the cows well there always wondering what I'm doing.

Click to purchase $50 includes s/h

Black Magic

2010-10-27T09:29:00.002-05:00

Sold

Black Magic

8" x 6"

Oil on Panel

This was interesting. A little late last night staying up and noticed the moon was hanging around so this is what I came up with. I had a nifty little head lamp that had a night light(red) that helped keep my eyes adjusted to the darkness and once in a while switched it over to the plain light to see the colors correctly.

Evening Shade

2010-10-21T10:16:00.002-05:00

Evening Shade

6" x 8"

Oil on Panel

I couldn't quite get the photo right to much glare towards the bottom. Another local spot I drive by a lot. I'm always looking for places to paint and there endless. With a little imagination you can paint all day long. What attracted me to this scene is of course the shade and the light. The cows were added bonus. I don't think they like the smell of oil paint, but watercolors no problem. They even come right up to say "Hi, whats up! Do you have food?" The colors in the background trees were also fun to paint in.

Click to purchase $50 includes s/h

Roads End

2010-10-20T22:41:00.000-05:00

I used to do a lot of these little watercolor sketches and I guess I just got sidetracked somehow. Here's another for the record. Is there a record? Anyway, thats a dumpster at the end of the road. This is a plein air sketch done somewhere around town.

~Kirby

Roads End

8" x 5" Watercolor on 140lb cp nfs

Galveston Bay Kayak Trip

2010-10-18T19:51:00.000-05:00

I lucked up seeing this sailboat in the bay. It's a 15' Marsh Catboat, gaffrigged, and looking fantastic as she sails in Offats Bayou in Galveston, TX.

Fisherman at 8mile. The roads that run N to S are numbered. To get to this spot just hang a right at the seawall until you find 8mile road. Take a right make a jog left and right and down a long road to the end. You can see the Galveston Causeway in the distance.

Old battered shrimper from the Hurrican Ike. In need of repair. I don't think its for sale though.

The Colonel. A paddle boat in Offats Bayou.

This was a long kayak trip, I mean long. I'm still feeling it. My longest a 19 mile trip. Here are some thoughts about it if you like to laugh read on.

It was a nice trip, long but nice. Can't complain about the weather, blue sky, sunny. Remember to put some food in pockets so I don't have to get out of the kayak in the middle of the bay, and ending up flipping it on reentry the first time. Made sure I didn't do that again on the second attempt. Long paddling with not much rest can result with fatigue but don't listen just keep paddling, what else can you do when the car is another 7 miles away. Fisherman get a little ticked when you get near there lines. I didn't see any, I've been paddling for, uh 4hrs straight and into the sun, go figure. Making trips shorter allows for more painting time. I'm a sucker for long distance suffering, either that be running, riding a bike, swimming, or mowing the lawn, mine takes at least 3hrs with a push mower. Bring sunglasses next time. Paddling for long distances leads to inevitable pain somewhere and in multiple places. Only convenient way to use the restroom is beach it. Having a blast though. Fish can jump and hit you when you spook a whole bunch so paddle faster to have more fun in the shallows. They jump at night the big ones. Sometimes a post in the water is a fisherman so be aware especially at night. Keep brim down and just keep paddling. Oh gosh when is this trip going to end. Am I there yet. I'm not sure if I'm going on that 75 mile round trip around Galveston Island like a dreamed. I sure I will. Dang it. Its going to take multiple days you know. Yeah a real trip. Still paddling. Not really hungry just tired of paddling. Keep paddling you still have 5 miles to go. Interesting to route your route where you've never been before using the gps. Makes it a downer when your exhausted and you'd rather take the shortcut to the car but realize this might be the shortcut planned anyway. Low tide equals for some weird things happening. One, you can't paddle as fast in two foot water or less. Exhausting, shoulders are getting tired. Readjust my technique. Ahh better. Switching paddle stroke helps. Must remember to install a motor on this kayak, not, have sail though which is fun. Two, shallow water equals weird bumps from underneath like a big fish somewhere below hitting the kayak, and oh you'll end up in the water too if you freak out, didn't happen though I swear, really. I hope my gps batteries don't wear out I need the night light since its getting dark and oh by the way remember your itinerary before you set out. Sometimes you'll get lost when it gets dark and pass your spot to get to the car. Marsh grass looks real similar to everything at 3 feet off the water. Where do you go. Luckily I've been there before. Thats where I need to go, must turn around and paddle another mile?!! Geesh. Low tide means getting stuck in the mud. Finally I'm back. Dang, mosquito's are bad at night. Can't wait till next time. Oh, evening provides for some awesome sky colors for painting. To bad I was paddling like a maniac to beat the darkness. Oh well, snap, snap. I still feel like I'm in the water, woooh, woooh.....

~Kirby

Looking Back

2010-10-14T10:14:00.002-05:00

Looking Back

6" x 8"

Oil on Panel

This one turned out to be a joy painting. This was done out in the Oil Fields again in the morning time. These cows were aware of me. Usually cows are curious and want to see if your bringing food. I suppose they had other plans. Its really amazing out here theres so much scenery and just a short drive away from home. Theres even hills here, lol. Just to let you know out here below Houston its mostly flat, Mostly houses the closer you are to Houston. If you go the opposit direction theres acres of farm land and some houses. The further south you go the more scenery you get. These oil fields are like a miniature wild kingdom almost like your on a safari in Africa.

Click to purchase $50 includes s/h

Resting

2010-10-13T22:35:00.000-05:00

My Dad

6" x 8"

Willow Charcoal

NFS

One of those days

2010-10-08T14:29:00.002-05:00

One of those days

6" x 8"

Oil on Panel

Sunshiny morning with a little fog left here and there. This was done in the Oil Fields a frequent place I like going for landscape painting. This is looking right into the sun. It doesn't look like much but there wasn't much there to begin with lol.

Click to purchase $50 includes s/h

A couple watercolors

2010-09-23T23:40:00.000-05:00

Easy Breasy

10" x 8"

Watercolor 140lb cp

A Whisper

5" x 8"

Watercolor on 140lb cp

Both of these were done using indigo watercolors. I used to do quite a few charcoal sketches and still like doing them but you have to pick something and stick with it. The above I did about 4 sketches and I had to work out the values to make the scene beleivable. The cows I really liked the ref came from a movie clip which I thought was neat. I liked the highlights and had to to do it. I called this one Whisper because the center cow looks like his left ear is perked up hearing something.

Chill Out - Sold

2010-09-20T14:37:00.009-05:00

Chill Out

8" x 6"

Oil on Panel

This reminded me of a favorite blues artist, John Lee Hooker. One of his songs I used to play a lot is Chill Out with Carlos Santana. This painting was done right outside my front door looking out across my favorite field. What was different about this day it was really rainy. I had an umbrella but I was holding it in one hand and painting with the other. It was so rainy that the panel started to get wet while I was painting. If you have oil down on the panel first before it gets wet the paint will stick. If the mesquitos weren't so bad this would have been a blast to do but it still was fun.

A Stand

2010-09-16T15:03:00.002-05:00

A Stand

8" x 6"

Oil on Panel

I think this one turned out pretty good. At first I thought it wasn't going to work but after standing back looking at it and taking a break and coming back to it a couple times it started to come together real nicely. This is stand of trees right across the street from my house. I have quite a few I can paint but I have always had trouble figuring out a good composition for them.

Click to purchase $50 includes s/h

With a Twist, No. 14

2010-09-14T16:56:00.001-05:00

With A Twist

7" x 5"

Oil on Panel

I like this pose a lot and really had fun with this figure. I always seem to be amazed where rich color ends up in the shadows.

Click to purchase $50 includes s/h

Street Portraits No. 4

2010-09-07T18:09:00.001-05:00

Dialogue

5.5" x 5.5"

Oil on Panel

I haven't posted in a while due to being real busy. Heres my next street portrait of a biker. I like the way the colors came out in this one.

My Painting Series.....

2010-09-02T15:29:00.004-05:00

Just to let you know I have two painting series blogs called Girls on the Beach and Street Portraits. I will be posting them seperate from this blog. Posting twice takes more time. I'll post all my other work here like plein air paintings, still life, watercolor, etc.

~Kirby

On The Line

2010-09-02T14:55:00.001-05:00

On The Line

8" x 6"

Oil on Panel

I haven't posted in a couple of days mainly due to computer hiccups and daylight to photograph my paintings. This is a train I've been dying to paint. It parks here in town once in a while for some reason and having my gear ready and the time to paint it has eluded me for quite some time. Yesterday it was my lucky day. Got home got my gear and headed out. Once there I scouted around trying to find the best position to paint from and setup as quick as I could. The guy beside the train was fixing to climb inside and leave when I decided to paint him in.The train did leave halfway through the painting leaving me to finish what I thought was right.

Click to purchase $50 includes s/h

Street Portraits No. 3

2010-08-31T12:14:00.000-05:00

Cool Shades

5.5" x 5.5"

Oil on Panel

This guy fits the bill of cool. Like always I go about doing things differently almost every time. This one I tried hitting big blocks of color and fined tuned here and there.

True Story

2010-08-31T10:15:00.000-05:00

True Story

6" x 8"

Oil on Panel

If you don't know by now, I like to ride my bike places and do sketches and paintings. This field here is one I always go by but previously it has been overgrown with weeds and not to appealing to sketch a big thicket of overgrown weeds. But it has recetnly mowed down. Ok, so the story goes as I was riding my bike down the road while carrying a gas can, ok why you ask am I carrying a gas can? The car ran out of gas just at the house of course. Anyway, as I was carrying the gas can and going by this field as the mowers were mowing it down one of the mowers hit something and a big huger explosion errupted causing a ball of flame blasting out from under the mower. I thought I was done for. I even had nice ringing in my left ear for a while. Glad was wearing my riding glasses. The guy who was mowing turned out ok but coldn't here a word I was saying. I thought about naming this painting a generic name like Field 3 for lack of imagination. I'm kinda of getting tired of Grassy Field or Morning Field. Boring! I remember about this incedent and voila a nice title "True Story".

500th post

2010-08-30T15:34:00.000-05:00

Bare Feet

7" x 5"

Oil on Panel

I like this one in its simplest form, the figure, and the way its positioned. It's nice to get it just right and when you have it just right it grounds the figure giving it some life of its own. I also like the movement you can almost feel as if you were there on those volcanic rocks.

Street Portraits No. 2

2010-08-30T14:48:00.002-05:00

Italian Job

5" x 5"

Oil on Panel

This one took a while and was a bit of a challenge for me. I was debating on naming this one Mint but I think Italian Job fits the bill. The little blemish on her cheek makes her look real cute.

Street Portraits No. 1

2010-08-28T13:58:00.000-05:00

Classy

4" x 4"

Oil on Panel

I just might make these into a series but not excactly sure if I will be able to do one a day. The night time lights really made his skin go throgh some color changes which was neat.

Bikini Girls No. 8

2010-08-27T19:25:00.000-05:00

Beach Blanket

7" x 5"

Oil on Panel

Beach blanket time. I like this one with the contrast of the shadows and light and the background harbour. It's neat how getting the right grey colors can suggest shadows and lightness within. The distant harbour was blurred so suggesting it with light colored greys helped out.

Bikini Girls No. 7

2010-08-26T14:41:00.002-05:00

Wahini Surfer

5" x 7"

Oil on Panel

A wahini Surfer putting her surfing leash on ready to go catch some waves. This one was a little more challenging in that there were more shapes involved. But I like the depth and different colors everywhere.

2010-08-25T20:47:00.000-05:00

I finished this one just in time to take a photo of this painting. It was a challenge. The reason I chose it is the light refecting of the sea and the figure in more of a backlit view. For some reason I love doing those since its really interesting to make shadows colorful.

Bikini Girls No. 5

2010-08-24T20:10:00.000-05:00

5" x 7"

Oil on Panel

Ah, nothing like the beach. Lying on the beach getting a sun tan and listening to your iPod. Just don't fall asleep you'll wake up baked. Either that or find out the surf has came up a little too close. I think I captured the moment just right. I like the bright light and shadows makes it feel like a hot summer day. I think this is the best one so far.

Bikini Girls No. 4

2010-08-23T17:11:00.002-05:00

7" x 5"

Oil on Panel

I thought I'd play around with the composition giving the painting more depth. The glare of the camera is becomeing a nuisance.

Bikini Girls No. 3

2010-08-22T12:30:00.002-05:00

7" x 5"

Oil on Panel

I like how this turned out. I was in painterly mode this time. Going with my instincts and being more loose and free. Thats one thing I like about the way watercolors react and I think I'm heading in the right direction with oils too.

Bikini Girls No. 2

2010-08-21T22:31:00.000-05:00

7" x 5"

Oil on Panel

My second painting I wanted to do some water and I liked the colors tones on the skin. It's always amazing how once you start theres always a thought of "is this going to turn out right?' Well, if it doesn't theres always 98 more to go to get it right. But I think this one is really good.