where ever you go,

there you are

yard art

Clay bird flower pots. This is up on a hill, just outside of Wimberley.

FREEB!RDS

Parked in front of a burrito restaurant in San Marcos, Texas. "Image, Peace, Love"

electric chickens

After 6 weeks in New England, I'm back in Texas. I have 2 weeks to pack up, and then move to New England. I've always wanted to live there, and now it's happening! Yikes!

I'm excited but will really miss Wimbereley. Such a great little community of creative, eclectic hippies, with the mixture of wealthy, retiring Republicans from Houston and Dallas. I wish the best of good energies to Wimberley for preserving it's charm and beauty. And thank you for the past eight years of inspiration.

early morning

Salem, Massachusetts. Still snowy. Still beautiful. Still cold. I love the cold weather.

back yard birds

Another drawing from snowy New England. I've been here for two weeks, still haven't seen the ground beneath the snow.

This is a compilation of several scenes. The bird houses are from a backyard in Salem. The birdbath and picket fence are from the next door neighbor in Peabody.

A few weeks ago I listened to a story on National Public Radio about John Steinbeck's novel, "Travels With Charlie". It's the story of his cross-country drive in a camper with his standard size poodle, Charlie. It turns out that most of his stories were...uh...slightly embellished, or, just plain made-up. He wrote about the folks he met along the way, and the simplicity of life and travels in a camper with Charlie, his canine companion. Turns out that a good deal of his travels included his wife and quite a few comfortable hotels along the way.

I've been doing this with landscapes and scenes all of my art life. I was thrilled to hear that my favorite writer did the same. Kudos to you, Mr. Steinbeck (and Bill Steigerwald)! And thanks for the encouragement and inspiration!

Here's more from journalist Bill Steigerwald and his adventures,

"Travels Without Charlie"

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10262/1088350-37.stm

back yard

Deep snow in the suburbs of Peabody, Massachusetts.

free-range chickens

Six weeks ago, after returning from a trip to Florida, my next door neighbor volunteered to pick me up at Austin Bergstrom Airport. Since my plane was delayed for a couple of hours, she went to a nearby garden center and bought some Rhode Island Red baby chicks (a wild moment of impulse shopping). I had a box full of them at my feet for the drive home.

Who knew chickens are so entertaining? They are about 2 months old now, with most of their adult feathers. I'm so glad I was able to talk my neighbor into building the coop on the opposite side of her house, away from mine. Cluck luck.

the art of noise

My hippie neighbor's porch. He has a large collection of windchimes, so on windy days, you can hear his house from far away.

birdhouse

While working on a commissioned art piece, I've been painting this on the side. I bought this birdhouse for five bucks with no intention to get so involved with it. I do love painting whimsical three dimensional objects like this.

eagles' nest

Two fledglings and an adult eagle. The nest is in a dead tree which is roped off for protection against us humans.

urban nature

"Manicured" nature in Florida. Over the weekend I visited Kayo Costa State Park, a barrier island off the southwest coast of Florida. Nature is allowed to do its own thing on this island. Off the paths, it's hardly passable on foot, but there is alot more wildlife. Kayo Costa is accessable by boat only.

yard art

Left; an old clinky clonky bamboo windchime. I love these things. Right; an old purple martin bird house. The wood is rotting, so I doubt it's been inhabited in in quite some time.

Large moleskine with Faber-Castell PITT pens.

the birdfeeder and the hopeful cat

Throughout the winter I have had many birds feeding and living very close by. They are so much fun to observe. Clarence, my cat co-exists nicely with them for the most part. Only once, I found cardinal feathers on the ground. They are either the least suspecting, or the bravest of the birds.

bones

Blanco River

While sketching, this pair of ducks swam over and came right up to me looking for a handout. I had nothing for them. The duck with the orange feet bit my knee before they headed back for the water. The nerve of them!

flight

The large moleskine sketchbook has been evolving into a place for more imaginary and whimsical ideas and art. The small moleskine is still perfect for location sketching. I love doing both.

T-Shirt contest

Last month This American Life (Public Radio International) held a tee shirt design contest. This was my submission. After a month of Sundays, the final design was finally announced. http://thisamericanlife.org/

Not being the winner, I was slightly dissappointed, but it was a great challenge nevertheless. Kudos to Jon Shkiele for the chosen design! http://www.thefiresign.com/

The neighborhood

I drove past a wooded yard filled with all sorts of wonderful birdhouses...I just had to turn it into art. The tree is from their neighbors up the road...a combo-neighbor art scene.

Pelecyphora strobiliformis

From my cactus and succulent plant collections.  Pine Cone cactus. It really does exist.