Artist's Views

Bailey at Hwy. 35

Rice Canal Bridge on Old Massey Ranch Rd.

Diane

 

Fall in Pearland Texas

     Colorful leaves and hay bales - around the Gulf Coast of Texas, this is what fall looks like in Pearland. Actually this year, it is far more colorful than usual for some reason.

     This is a plein-air sketch of hay bales and Tallow trees growing against a fence line. If the truth be known, there really wouldn't be any color in our landscape if it wasn't for the invasive Chinese Tallows and poison ivy vines.

    I'm still working on my landscapes. I do not feel that I'm confident enough to paint them yet; everything grabs my attention.  But I do know that if you want to be good at it, you cannot seal yourself in your studio and paint. You have to paint outside every chance you get...there is no way around it. So after my umpteenth landscape, I might have a painting I actually like.  

Pepper and Bella

Pepper

Pepper is my neighbor's horse. He is a quarter horse trained as a roping horse. 

Bella 

Bella was a beautiful companion; loved hunting. She was shot by the man that lives down the street.

Abby and Petey

 Petey

Abby

Karen...devoted friend to Abby and Petey.

The Muse

 

The Pear

My sister and I had the privilege to paint a Pear for display in Pearland, Texas.  Not only does the Pear depict Pearland's former mayor, Tom Reid, but also it highlights many of his achievements during his time in office, primarily with education, transportation, and art and culture. 

Mr. Reid was instrumental in building Pearland's first library, which bears his name. He served for approximately thirty years as Pearland's mayor and retired with the designation of Mayor Emeritus. 

My sister and I collaborated in painting the Pear. We were lucky that it squeezed through the front door of my home. And we quickly realized that it takes...a lot...of paint to cover a four foot pear. 

The entrance to the Tom Reid Library is depicted over his shoulder.

The Princess and the Pea

This is my granddaughter, Emma. And I love this photo of her. It's like a surrealist painting.

Pictured is a very large pear that she is featured on, and there is a Statue of Liberty resting in the background, shades of Dorothea Tanning. 

An Artist's View

OUTDOOR SKETCHES 

All sketches are painted outdoors in Plein Air. 

Hay Bales

What is fall without hay bales. I found the bales on Old Massey Ranch Road, Pearland, TX.

11"x 12 1/2 " Old Massey Ranch Road 1

11"x 12 1/2 " Old Massey Ranch Road 2

12"x 12 1/2" Old Massey Ranch Road 3

Spring Wildflowers at the Nature Center

This spring, I painted the wildflowers at Pearland's Nature Center. There was an over abundance of pink evening primroses. I think of primroses as the "bluebonnets" of Pearland. 

Not that long ago, when Pearland was mostly rice fields and pasture land, the fields looked like a sea of pink cotton candy. Now the primroses are relegated to the ditches and alleyways of Pearland...and of course, Pearland's Nature Center.

Garden at the Pearland Nature Center 

11"x 14" Evening Primroses

10"x 14 1/2" Coreopsis and Evening Primroses

11"x 12 3/4"  Coreopsis at the Nature Center

 For Purchase: Contact  sjderrick@gmail.com or 

Call   281-830-4451 

Mornings with Grandma

Pictured is Emma my granddaughter. We sometimes spend mornings together. On these occasions, we build stages for performances, swimming pools with cabanas, and caves for unicorns. We build our fantasies out of colored paper, cardboard, and scotch tape. Of course, with all of this building, we get hungry. So strawberry and chocolate donuts is a must to sustain all of this activity. 

Tinged with a touch of envy, It is enjoyable watching a child dream. To go to a place where morning glories truly do become fashion statements. 

       

Silver Sable German Shepherd

 

Super Sally

Sometimes we make the wrong assumptions. She was playful, gentle, and patient  

Jaunita

    

Colby's Charolais Fred

Handsome Fred is huge, but also sweet. This is due to a lot of pampering. This is reasonable because what is there not to like about Fred.

Using Strathmore Bristol Vellum

Graphite on Strathmore Bristol Vellum

If someone mentions graphite used as a medium for artwork, I always think of artist/illustrator Paul Calle. Although he worked in other mediums, he did amazing works using graphite. I always thought his style, with its controlled, directional strokes, was unique. He also used Bristol board frequently for many of his graphite illustrations. 
So I thought that I would give it a try. 

Charcoal on Strathmore Bristol 

This is an example of charcoal used on Strathmore Bristol Vellum.

Plein Air: Pearland Rice Canal

This is a 12" x 15" plein air oil sketch of a rice canal crossing County Road 100 in Pearland, TX.

I finished this sketch in September, and it took three mornings and a can of Gulf Off. 

Here are more sketches of the rice canal. There are tons of turtles, and the neighborhood kids try to trap them by tying bait to the end of a string and flinging it over the side of the bridge. The bottom picture depicts a crude oil pipe-line crossing the canal going to a storage tank on the other side.  

James Gurney's "Paint a Cell Phone Tower Challenge"

Today, I found out that I'm one of the artists that were chosen in James Gurney's "Paint a Cell Phone Tower" challenge. All I can say is WOW! James Gurney is an artist that I have admired from afar for a very long time. I can hardly wait for my Art Dept. badge to arrive; I have been coveting one forever.  
The sketch depicts three cell phone towers at the train tracks close to 518 and Hwy. 35, across from Pearland Coffee Roasters.

Pearland's Live Drawing Classes 

The class meets every Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Art and Kustom Kreations in Pearland. Come and join us.

Contact Vicky Gooch at 832-457-9621--vicky@vickygooch.com

Pearland Arts League 8th Annual Juried Exhibition

  PAL's annual juried art show took place on July 21, 2018. We had close to ninety entries. PAL would like to thank artist, Bruce Williamson, for being our juror for this year. 

Artist Bruce Williamson juror for PAL's 2018 Annual Exhibition Show 

     When you have the time, drop by Re/Max Realty and view the show, which will stay up until the end of August. 

Re/Max Realty

2911 S. Sam Houston Pkwy, 

Houston, TX 77047

My entries for this year were:

Massey Ranch Road Sojourn 

The Real McCoy

Daisy

DAISY

I love dogs and will always have one. Daisy is a rescue, so I think of her as a Pomeranian Plus. She is fourteen now with a few health issues. Also, she is the best ratter ever.