A Little Plein Air from the Porch

S'zanne (Her Blog http://www.studiozanne.blogspot.com/2013/05/china-cove-kaleidoscope-of-color.html) needed to get her paintings back from the last Austin Pastel Society Show in Georgetown.  I had brought them here as she couldn't be at the striking of the show.  Enid (enidwood.com) picked up paintings for other artists and had the containers for S'zanne.   Anyway, after an e-mail discussion we decided to meet at Enid's and paint.  Artists usually don't need much of an excuse and this past Friday it worked out for us.  It is always soooo good for me and all artists to get together and visit with light critiques of our work. Painting can be solitary.

There was an ever so slight chance of rain so we painted on the porch.  Ah, such a good day.  Enid surprised us with lunch.  Thanks, Enid! (Maybe she should have us over weekly.....hmmm.)

I have really pared down my equipment for plein air.  I have pastels, easel, surface to paint on, water and watercolors, tape, wipes, liquid gloves, sunscreen, etc., in the black bag.  The smaller bag has water, snacks and a Coke.

I missed getting a photo of enid, but that is one of her paintings and pastels on the table.  She was working on touching up some paintings she did last week at a plein air competition in California.

S'zanne painting away.  I missed getting a photo of Singer, her Corgy traveling companion.  He paitiently kept us company.  Well behaved companion.

As I was finishing up.  It was a cloudy day.

The easel is the one I bought in Albuquerque at the International Pastel Society Convention.  I think I like it for painting.  It is a bit heavier that I thought it would be and will not hold a larger board than 16 x 20.  I will still have to take my other easel to New Mexico for larger paintings.

Here is the painting as I left it yesterday.

On the way to Enid's, I stopped to put air in my tires.  When it is rainy the low tire warning comes on, usually just when I drive by myself.  I was checking the pressure and a voice says, "Do you need some help?"  I looked up and there was Mark Ockelberry!!

Mark is an artist friend that I hadn't seen for about a year.  Mark is an amazing artist.  He has a photographic memory for details and draws buildings, people and animals by instinct and memory.  He had a kidney transplant about the time I saw him last and is doing well.  He makes wooden yard art and old barnwood frames now.  He has some drawings at the Lost Pines Hyatt Resort - the old time train stations at Elgin, Bastrop and Smithville.  Check them out when you go there.  Beautiful work.  It was wonderful to see him.  I'm not going to let a year go by again without seeing him.  I mentioned Mark in a couple of posts, read here http://jocastilloartblog.blogspot.com/search?q=mark+ockelberry  I had a page for him on my old website and on the Bastrop Fine Arts Guild's old website.  I will have to see if I can find them.  The photos don't seem to be on this computer.  Probably in storage on my website.  I will look another day.

Gene went grocery shopping while I was gone and grilled some pork chops for dinner. After that Gene and I went to La Grange to the Bugle Boy and saw Hal Ketchum.  Joanna was there.   What more can you ask from a day?  Friends, art, dining, live music and family.  Woohoo!!

I enjoyed this old video of Hal Ketchum on YouTube (Google for more info on Hal.  He puts on a fun show.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFRkH_3ZmbU

Hot Feet, Pastel Painting WIP and Mark Ockelberry

Most of the day was not art related. A little baseball, watching the College World Series. We were rooting for UC Irvine and they lost to Arizona State. Now it is Cal State Fullerton and Oregon State. No favorite. Watched a little of the U.S. Open but do not like the way NBC presents golf and do not like Johnny Miller. I was tempted to just watch the highlights as I was rooting for Tiger, of course. The Golf Channel presents the European Tour well. They show golf and the announcers are in the background, for the most part. You don't have to watch the talking heads and the interviews with the "experts".


I made progress on the little feet. I reworked the legs and feet. I'm happier with it. I still want to refine it a little, but it is pretty much done. We are having the children over for Father's Day tomorrow so will let the critics decide.

Yesterday I met with Mark Ockelberry. You should go read this bio, he is a very interesting young man. We try to help him with framing and getting his art to the Guild for showing. It was important for him to have something up for Bastrop's 175th Birthday and Juneteenth.

Mark's work is so original. He has a photographic mind and he designs his drawings from something he sees but changes to the country or primitive look. Not really folk art, but very original and interesting. Mark was commissioned to do the railroad stations in Elgin, Bastrop and Smithville by the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa, for the main hallway.They look great. They bought several others as well. He draws with graphite, colored pencils and pens.


This one is Hill Country Farm. 11 x 14 inches.



This one is The Road Home, 11 x 14 inches.

These and his other new one, "The Grass is Greener", which has a cow looking through a fence, are available at the Bastrop Fine Arts Guild Gallery on Main Street in Bastrop. If you are not in Bastrop and are interested just send me an e-mail I will round them up for you. They are $175.00 each, plus shipping and sales tax (if you are in Texas).

La Pacena

This is one of my favorite paintings, La Pacena. It is an oil that I did years ago in La Paz, Bolivia. I did not
paint today,so thought I would put it up here. I use it for my avatar on wetcanvas.com

La Paceña
Oil on Canvas, 24 x 36

I worked at the gallery (Bastrop Fine Arts Guild Gallery) today. It is a club effort that we have had for about 7 years. The Guild has been organized for about 9 years. It has always been fun ... and a lot of work. Joining an art group can be good for the spirit. It is energizing to be around other artists and have input and criticism from them. The wetcanvas.com group can be a similar source of energy. Of course, one can spend too much time on-line and forget to paint. Ha. Being in a group helped me to get serious and focus on my art. I had been a very sporadic painter and have been much more dedicated since joining. Actually, I am in two groups now. The Austin Pastel Society is the other group. Pastelists seem to be very sharing, encouraging and inspiring as a whole.

One of our artists, Mark Ockelberry, in his thirties, I think, has been on dialysis since he was eighteen. He had a transplant when he was about twenty but it didn't work so is still on the list waiting for a kidney. He is very talented. He is inspiring because he is always in a good mood with a smile on his face. He has worked very hard in life and has a wonderful family. I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to be so optimistic and easy going in such a difficult situation. I think of him when I am feeling disgruntled and not feeling too well.

Anyway, one of the Texas Longhorn baseball players, Carson Kainer, is having a kidney transplant from his father. He is hoping to recover and be playing baseball again next season. I wish him the best.

Well, enough rambling, more later,
Jo