I really love nature and its many attributes. A friend of mine is an electrical engineer in Austin and began his career in semiconductor fabrication. He spent hours in sterile environments. He loves what he does, but he escapes to their ranch in Colorado every chance he gets. Watching the animals and communing with nature brings him peace, which he finds in few places.
 
We may have moved from an agri-culture to a tech-culture, but the wilderness calls us. From it we gather perspective, peace, adventure, and memories. 

Nature's gifts are the focus of my paintings. Landscapes and animals are married. The paint and technique hold the painting together. But all this rests on the foundation of an authentic experience with wildlife. 

At the end of the day, I want to paint something that I want to look at 20 years from now and get it into the hands of collectors who feel the same. It really isn't more complicated than that.

Back to the easel!
  

"Rio Seco Rise" continues my journey to capture in paint prime whitetail in some of the most inhospitable land in the country. The nature of this terrain is rugged, yet there is beauty. The buck was hesitant to leave the cover of brush but the does were worthy lures. The banks of the Rio Seco were lush from recent rains. Although this was from reference gathered two years ago, the memory was vivid. Reference pictures acted to fill in the blanks- the rise in the land, the tweaks of anatomy. A joy to paint!
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"Rise  & Shine"©2022 oil/board 20" x 37" InSight Gallery Texas Masters

Available: Legacy Gallery

When it comes down to it, longhorns are downright relatable. Anyone who has lived half a life can admire their tough-as-nails, at times ornery, at times sweet, disposition. The Spaniards knew what they were doing when they brought them to the Americas. 

I started painting longhorns right out of the gate. I got inspired by our dry summer and that welcomed drenching, unusual for Aug/Sept. Locals rejoiced and not only the two legged variety! We had a blast watching whitetail frolic and nearby longhorns act half their age. 

​On the farm, I couldn't escape nature. The seasons of plenty and times of thrift were yearly if not  daily reminders of the rhythm of life. The weather was watched with  appreciation of sunshine and often with prayers for a good rain. 
My family took me west on trips and I fell for Terlingua, Big Bend, and the Texas Brush Country. Travel outside the state was to escape Texas' heat. Summers we left for the mountains of New Mexico and Colorado. I owe much to my sister Margaret, who also purchased my first art books. To this day she exhibits an adventurous spirit not seen since our ancestors left Germany for Galveston.

𝐶𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝐺𝑜𝑙𝑑 ©2022
18" x 14" 
National Museum of Wildlife Art
​2022 Western Visions

Tis the season soon! Fall kicks off the small works shows giving opportunities to purchase small paintings and sculptures. Working mood and story on a small scale can be difficult, but artists muster efforts to satisfy and engage new and seasoned collectors! What a great time to be a western/wildlife artist or art collector!

My warmest thoughts are of past shows, Whistle Pik Gallery Christmas Miniatures, Legacy Gallery Holiday Small Works Show, and into the new year with Stu's American Miniatures Show at Settlers West Gallery. While Whistle Pik is no longer with us, there is ample opportunity with the current museum and gallery shows. 

I throw my hat in the ring with Crown of Gold. My enjoyment of painting our natural world is limitless, but I count moose as a thoroughly fulfilling subject. I wanted to evoke a yearning and inquisitive aspect of this bull. The cottonwoods were brilliant and matched the gleam from his antlers, but his gesture was paramount.

Available @ 2022 Western Visions, National Museum of Wildlife Art 
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Early last summer we noticed a particular fawn.  Short-legged, a little gawky, she seemed to prefer us to her peers. If we sat on the porch to enjoy the evening, "Lil Bit", as my wife named her, came to visit. Her mother's grunts were useless as "Lil Bit" scampered up unabashedly. With no other deer in-sight, she disregarded chainsaw activity, and burning brush to graze alongside us during chores.

​When we took to a hotel during our February ice storm, we left a supplement of corn nearby for the wildlife. Two does and a variety of birds were lost, but Lil Bit appeared unscathed.

​If this little doe has anything, she has moxie.  Although she is becoming more doe-like and visits less frequently, her trailblazing style is infectious.

I'm honored to have "Hondo Honcho" as the cover for October's issue of Texas Outdoors Journal. TOJ is the go-to publication for game and conservancy in Texas.
Info: Texas Outdoors Journal 

​"Heads Up" could well be the theme for 2020. Much maligned, the year will go down in the history books as a heck of a tough year to get through. However, when things go awry, opportunities are born! I won't sit and cry in my oatmeal, it's time for work and as my wife says, "At least we don't have a skunk in the attic". Well said. 

These thoughts stem from a commission destroyed in freight shipping. Other artists told me it would happen eventually. Yep, Murphy's law caught up to me. I had to adjust plans, create a painting to surpass the original, order a new frame, and negotiate reimbursement for the original with the shipper. I'm one to believe that no experience is without a reason and I'm stubborn enough to not allow this experience to eat at me.

Let's keep our heads up, get out there and get after it! In response to the change of schedule I painted "Heads Up" for The Museum of Western Art, Round Up Show and Sale. Always wary this buck has raised his head from a quick graze. I hope it is a scene many can relate to!

The 37th Annual Roundup at The Museum of Western Art in Kerrville, TX will be held Sept 26 -Oct 31. 

​Back in early 2019 in planning paintings for the 2020 show at InSight Gallery, I decided I wanted to paint a moonlit longhorn scene. I got inspired after seeing such a scene after a long day of reference gathering. 

After the initial sketch is in place, I pay closer attention to anatomy. I continue to refine. 

Now I begin to put a wash down. This will give a warm undertone. 

Jumping forward I begin to refine in color. I continue this process until completion. Although the scene is serene, I wanted a shimmer and movement in the light. Western history and cattle lore often centered around the night watch. The stars are bright on this night, but the longhorns take center stage. 

A strong fall cold front arrived bringing an early freeze. Ideal weather for our whitetail, they appeared oblivious to the frigid temperatures. Our kids visited with their blue heelers and the deer made quick game of these two porch dogs. The does came to taunt each morning casually  bounding over the fence when time arose. This went on each morning until a buck interrupted with more pressing issues. 

The bucks made fast haste of the cold snap. The rattling of tines were heard most evenings echoing across the valley. It's the timeless, sweet music of nature that feeds the soul.
I'm reminded of what fuels me. The new windows overlooking our valley have made the studio a joy to work in and I'm eager to get painting with each sunrise. Much like the blue heelers, I have never been one to let go of a chase. 

We made the move! I hope it is our last! We moved back to Fredericksburg and closed on our home last week. Some remodeling of studio space should give plenty of north light and room to work. I am eager! It may take longer on landscaping and living space, but our contractor is on the same page that the studio takes top priority. 
Fortunately, I have found space to work until the studio is completed. 
In the midst of the move, I was commissioned to paint a steer painting. I'm doubly honored as the couple is new to collecting western art. 

I wanted to play with the light on the bluff with the blue tones of the shadows on the main longhorn. He could have been bathed in light, but I wanted to steer away from the obvious, (no pun intended). The painting is a large 36" x 48" and I wanted it to echo the rugged beauty of the west.
I hope to update soon with our move -in and finished studio!

"Spanish Dagger" 24" x 40" Briscoe Western Art Museum Auction 2019 

I aimed to muster up the best of the Texas brush in "Spanish Dagger". Each year the lure of the whitetail increases with each passing day as fall nears. Bucks can be monsters in the brush and this guy was a brute. It is all about the buck and the yucca, both of which are aptly nicknamed "Spanish Dagger".

In South Texas, seasonal colors vary from year to year depending on temperatures. I've been there when barely a sprig of green is evident and then other years, like the one in the painting, summer hugs winter allowing for extended growing season creating a thick yet airy lushness as rain allows.

"Spanish Dagger will be at the Briscoe Museum of Western Art, live auction March 29. 

"Horns at Honey Creek"  is reminiscent of scenes throughout Texas, however, this is set west of San Antonio. Love of family and land kept this second painting close to home. My grandparents arrived as children in Galveston, TX from Germany in the 1880s. They met, married and purchased 239 acres, not 10 miles from where I grew up in Central Texas. We all have stayed in Texas since.

Longhorns captured my imagination early on. Self-reliant, rugged and the mascot for the University of Texas in nearby Austin, longhorns dotted the landscapes of ranches throughout Texas and were accessible subjects for me to paint.

"Horns at Honey Creek"  is in the Hill Country. I'm unsure if the creek got its name from the color or the taste, but I imagine it's probably a little of both. The dappled light of the shade play on the pattern of the longhorns. Summer is ending with cooler days on the way.

"Horns at Honey Creek" 24" x 32" Briscoe Western Art Museum, Night of Artists 2019

"Western Winds" 24" x 36"