UT Baseball - 2nd Game

Sorry art blog readers, today is baseball again. I promise I will get the sketches up in the morning. :)

Today the Horns won! 13-8 over San Diego. You can read about it and see some nice photos of Nick Peoples on the official page. Joanna hasn't posted yet, but she put up more photos of the Alumni game. She did keep score today. It was very cold sitting in the shade with a breeze. Before the sun went down it was OK. The game was great, dinner with the girls and stopped by the Guild Gallery for Charlie McDaniel's photography show. (Maybe that counts as doing something for art today. Ah, I did sketch a car while waiting outside Home Depot for Gene.)

After the neat photo I got of Huston Street the other day. I decided to try and get all the pitchers on one foot when they are throwing to compare the styles.

Kyle Walker pitched first.



He was replaced by Adrian Alaniz, who got the win.



Then Keith Shinaberry pitched. He really bends over and gets low to the ground. We usually sit up and toward home plate in Disch-Falk Field and looking down from there and a view more from the front we had not noticed how low he gets. Wow. Wonder what the batters think?


The closer today was Austin Wood. Interesting to see the different pitching styles. Also Austin has his pants legs long/down. There was a discussion a couple of years ago about why the pitchers wear their pants the way they do and their hats as well. Baseball players are a bit superstitious.

Horns first baseball game today! Art Notes..

The Horns (University of Texas Longhorn Baseball Team) had their opening game today against San Diego. They climbed back from a 5 run deficit to loose by only 1 run. Drat. It was exciting at the end. You can read about it on Joanna's page. It was toooo cold to go. I listened on the radio. They have it on 1300 The Zone, AM, sports radio. We are only 40 or so miles from the station and it fades out when the sun goes down. So I have to pay and listen on Yahoo Sports on the internet. Very unfair. I should say, I listened on the radio until the sixth inning and then had to go to the "pay" station. Drat. You can also read and sign up to listen through the official Longhorn page. We hope to go tomorrow. It is supposed to be a bit warmer and then get colder again on Sunday.

The team is playing at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock while the Disch is being renovated. You can read about that on Joanna's page and see photos as well. In the meantime, until we get to the real game, this photo is from the Alumni game at Dell Diamond a couple of weeks ago. They were in short sleeved shirts! We were sitting in the shade and a bit cold. :) We shall see how tomorrow goes.

As for art today, I suggest you have a look at Katherine Tyrrell's blog, Making a Mark. She is a mega research artist and has so much info there, especially for pastels and colored pencil. Good advice on web pages for artists. A place to learn and see beautiful work as well. :) She and various friends have started a project for the year. An artist a month. They researched and practiced art from John Singer Sargent in January and are starting on Van Gogh for February. So interesting. I'm letting them do my homework! Check it out, be prepared to have a lot of reading and looking to do! Maybe join up with them in figuring out the whys and wherefores of Van Gogh this month. Let me know if you do! I have already told you about Maggie Stiefvater. She is in on the projects and her blog gives me a smile every day and they are all great artists.

I have some sketches to post, but didn't get a photo. Tomorrow, tomorrow.......

Old Barn, "New" Acrylic Painting

This is an acrylic painting, 9 x 12 inches. Just an old barn out of my resourse photos. Nowhere special, but modeled on the area around Bastrop.

I am trying to accustom myself to working with acrylics both in studio, like this one, and plein air. They are easy to carry around. The challenge is blending before they dry and being patient to let them dry before adding another layer. They also dry darker than you put them on. I worked from a pallette of Titanium white, cadmium yellow light, cadmium yellow, yellow ochre, cadmium red medium, alizaron crimson, cobalt blue and burnt umber, but just a touch of that for the sky and to sketch with. The barn doesn't have any "brown" in it. :) Let me know what you think.

** Oops!! I just realized today (Feb. 2) that the way I titled this, it sounds like this is an old painting. It is not. It is a new painting of an old barn for my show. So I would appreciate any critiques or comments. Thanks.

Scavenger Hunt 27 Sketches

I forgot to put up my sketches from Tuesday for Scavenger Hunt #27 from wetcanvas.com. This hunt runs until February 5 and I will put up the next list and host. That means I need to comment on the sketches, but I usually do anyway. #1 is my mouse, #2, the telephone, # 3, mail and #4 fingernail attached to your finger. I would hate to have to draw one unattached! The mouse was done with a regular ball point pen and the others with the ZIG Millennium about 40 minutes total while watching a movie on TV. That takes another part of the brain and I loose track of both .. the movie and the sketch. Oh well, practice is the name of the game. I like the mail the best.

I also worked on publicity for my show. It is on my web page now. The deadline for my ad and story for the Heart of the Pines Magazine is tomorrow, so I was doing that as well. I may be the cover artist for March. That would be swell! There is a larger photo of the Salsa Stuff painting there, also.

Two for March Show, Pastel Paintings

I did not get any shots of the Salsa Stuff in progress after all. It was too dark to photograph inside. It is soft pastels on Art Spectrum black paper. I like the way the black brings out the rich colors. 9 x 12 inches. I bought a white frame the other day for another painting, but I like the way it goes with this one. I will take a snapshot of it so you can see.



This is the final for Latte in Blue**. I'm just not going to spend any more time on that small painting! 5 x 7 on Art Spectrum paper, a blue color. It will be framed in dark blue.

**Or not. I just tried it in the frame that I was getting ready to paint to match .. and it is too close to the edge. If the frame cropped it, it might be OK, but it just touches the edge of the cup. Back to plan B, do it over again. Ha. Good practice.




Thanks for looking and commenting. There is time to change the names or any glaring errors. :)

Pastel Painting Box - Lost Pines

This is the first painting on the box. The woods in our side yard. Pastel on Art Spectrum paper, 4 x 6 inches. You can click on the photo for a larger view.


This is the second painting in our back yard. Pastel on Art Spectrum paper, 4 x 6 inches.



These two are Gene putting the paintings in the box.



The finished box, paintings side.


The box with the three drawers partly open.

It came out very nice. It will be in the auction at the Family Crisis Center Dance. For dance information call 512 321-7760. Maybe you will go and place a bid on this. It is a way to get two paintings at a bargain price .. maybe. :) You can pay a large price and help four counties with family abuse prevention and more. Go for it!

Sketch, Sampoña and More

Here is the last sketch I did for Scavenger Hunt 26 that I did on January 26. #10, musical instrument - Sampoña from Bolivia, #11, figure - doll from Guatemala, #12, something silver - bowl from Bolivia (it is probably pewter, not silver, but is shiny), #13, something copper, cup from Chile, #14, leaves, #15, bottle, #16, drinking glass, #17, plate, and #18, timer. These were done in the Canson sketchbook with the ZIG Millennium pen, blue. It was almost peaceful sketching these and watching TV.

I finished the photo box paintings and Gene put them in the box. I am not going to get the photos up tonight, well this morning, as it is after midnight. I also started a pastel painting of tomatoes, jalepeños and an onion still life for my show. 9 x 12 inches on black Art Spectrum pastel card. I will post some photos as I go along.