I am honored to have received the 2009 Campfire USA Paint Out Best of Show award for this cloudy day painting. It will be available through auction at the Campfire USA "An Artist's Christmas" Gala, Nov 14, 2009 in Fort Worth.

On Sunday morning we had a "Quick Draw" (really a "quick paint") from 9-11:30. Numerous school children in costume arrived on the scene for their own special event! My painting sold in silent auction.

The group raised several thousand dollars for Campfire USA as artists painted for 4 days and donated 2 paintings each for sale and auction.

The invitational event was sponsored by Campfire USA with sponsorship from many organizations and individuals, including Paula Kornye Tillman of the Kornye West Gallery in Fort Worth who lent her loving touch and energizing personality to the long hours.

Campfire USA Paint Out 2009

The past weekend has been an exciting one. With 30 other artists I participated in the Campfire USA Paint Out in Fort Worth at our beautiful Botanic Gardens.

Summer travels.... Fort Worth, Ouray, CO and more Fort Worth

Sunday, Oct 18, 2009 at the Campfire USA Paint Out, a 4-day invitational event held at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens. Thirty artists paint for 4 days, donating 2 paintings each to raise funds for Campfire. We were treated like royalty, served lunches, cookies, wine and cheese! Comraderie was wonderful. I was awarded Best of Show, icing on the cake!

Most paintings posted so far are from 2008. They provide a little "history" of my plein air efforts both in the local Texas landscape and farther afield in Colorado. These are mostly "fair weather" paintings with temperatures pleasant (above freezing and below 90 degrees)... it is not always so nice.

I am a painter. I paint outdoors for the most part, "en plein air".  I am planning to post plein air paintings as well as studio pieces as they evolve. As I evolve in my "blogging skills" there will be text with descriptions, explanations if they seem helpful. For now, I will let the paintings do the talking.