Denim Cowboy

Denim Cowboy
6"x12" oil on canvas

On one of our many trips between Houston and Grapevine, we always chose to stay off of I45 and go the back road on Hwy. 6.  It's a much prettier drive and you pass through some great Texas towns like Bryan-College Station, Marlin, Hearne and Waco. The last time we made the drive, we stopped and walked around downtown Hearne.

Ahead of us on the sidewalk was an old Cowboy dressed up in his finest denim wear and sporting the old LBJ style cowboy hat. I met him in one of the stores and chatted with him about his day. Sometimes, I long to be back in a small town where life is a little slower.

I love Grapevine and the DFW area because it's home, but there's a lot of good folks in Texas' small towns. As I get older, I'm trying to take a little more time to meet people around me and listen to their stories.

I took a few pictures of the old man when I was stalking him and painted this  "6 x 12" oil on canvas called Denim Cowboy.

River Life

Although they are few and far between, it's always great when you stumble across water sources in Texas.  Whether it's called a creek, river, stock tank, pond or lake, water is a precious commodity in our state.

This spring, my wife and I were driving through the Hill Country and ran across this river that flows into the Colorado River.  The life along the river is starting to bud and grow, but there's also the contrast of plant life that haven't begun their blooming season.

I'm reminded of the story of Jesus talking to the woman at the well.  He asked for water and she hesitated because it was rare for a Jewish man to ask a Samaritan woman to do anything.  Then Jesus tells her that anyone that drinks this water will get thirsty again, but He offers living water.  His water will never dry up and always quenches our thirst. 

That's great to know for those of us who need a fresh drink of living water.

The Willow Cottage

One of my favorite places on Main Street in Downtown Grapevine is The Willow Cottage. Great place for gifts, cool clothes for Moms and children and they added a Soap Shop next door.  They also sell my art work. If you're ever in the area, stop by and see them at 326 Main St. in Grapevine.

Their site is www.willowcottagegrapevine.com.  Here is some of the work I have for sell there:

Evening Falls

There is nothing more beautiful than a Texas sunset.  As the sun slowly falls from the sky, shadows lengthen on the ground.  But above the ground, the leaf canopy on trees begins to sparkle with light as the sun paints the sky with a pallet of reds, yellows and blues.

Evening Falls8"x8" oil on canvas

"Evening Falls" didn't come from a photo, although most of my work comes from images I capture by camera.  One afternoon in my garage studio,  I was playing around with yellows, blues and reds and this image emerged from my strokes.  I began to contrast the glowing sunset with it's impact on the ground below.  It's always fascinating to watch shadow and light change the lower the sun sets in the horizon.

This painting also encourages me to think of beauty in darkness. There is a lot of darkness around us, but we can be the light of the world and create color and sparkle wherever we are.  I know people who look like they are in darkness all the time.  Their bitterness, sadness and contempt of other people makes them look like ghosts in the shadows.  Other people I know bring light and color when they walk into darkness.  These are people that bless our lives in so many ways. Their fun to be around and they bring goodness and grace to every situation in life.  I hope I'm one of those people.