For a brand new challenge this spring, I registered for Paint Historic Waxahachie, a plein air painting competition hosted in the town of Waxahachie about an hour south of Dallas. Basically, over the course of a few weeks, our assignment was to complete paintings on location anywhere in the city limits. Filled with beautiful historic homes, I was attracted to the detailed craftsmanship and architecture. Each homeowner had taken great care in decorating their porches and yards to create a warm welcome, and I wanted to capture that beauty and pride in my paintings.
For a brand new challenge this spring, I registered for Paint Historic Waxahachie, a plein air painting competition hosted in the town of Waxahachie about an hour south of Dallas. Basically, over the course of a few weeks, our assignment was to complete paintings on location anywhere in the city limits. Filled with beautiful homes built in the late 1800s, I was attracted to the detailed craftsmanship and historic architecture. Each homeowner had taken great care in decorating their porches and yards to create a warm welcome, and I wanted to capture that beauty and pride in my paintings.
Here you can see this beautiful pink Victorian surrounded by more beautiful rose and scarlet blooms. I loved the play of complimentary colors, even down to the green detailing and scrollwork on the house.
I painted this small oil painting at White Rock Lake earlier this week, getting ready for my Plein Air Workshop this weekend. It was a perfect morning – blue skies and a gentle breeze, with an ideal temperature. I was attracted to the multi-colored sailboats and the interesting pattern they formed. With so many boats, I sketched out my composition and then I had to paint very quickly before the light changed – a fun challenge and an enjoyable, peaceful morning.
These Texas Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush are created with extremely thick oil paint and palette knives so that the final painting is loaded with texture and color.