Dear Blog Readers,
I am back after too long with the promised painting of the spring verbena at our place.  This was done before the last posted painting and shows the small pasture at our place in early spring when the verbena were just getting started.  Note how sedate the colors and the abundance compared to how loud and lush it got later.  Actually, I like this one better.  It rings a tad truer just because it is not so garish.  But the other one is true too, just wilder color because that's the way it was.  We may never see verbena like that again.

I've been busy painting and working on sculpture and have more to show you and plan to get it on the blog faster than I have been.  I get going on the blog and then I think I am overwhelming people with too many posts, and then I get lost in what I am doing and forget about it.

I did give a demonstration last month to the Trinity Art League in San Antonio and enjoyed it very much.  I talked to the group about how to put a plein air kit together and what colors to take with you, and then showed them how I amend plein air works I have done in the field.  I was gratified to have 8 people sign up for a half day workshop plein air and seven of them actually show up.  We worked on a scene along the San Antonio River in Brackenridge Park.  It was of the old Number One Pump House which was built back in the 1800's as a source of clean water for the city.  It is now overgrown with foliage and is quite picturesque and very paintable, although we are told it needs desperately to be renovated.  I'll send that painting along soon.  I just finished the one I started at the workshop and will photo it soon. 

I am always appreciative of any feedback you have to offer.  If nothing else, it lets me know you have seen the blog.

Thanks!
Jay

Spring in Brush Country

Hey all,

I have been a little slow to get something new on the blog lately so I thought I'd show this old piece which is another dragged from the "fix" bin. I've had so much fun with what's come out of that box that I find myself leafing through it weekly. Most of them don't need much to make them more finished and I am tickled that with passing time, I've learned to see the problems and be able to address them so easily. Time matures the artist?

This is another plein air piece, done several years ago, in the early spring on a ranch way south of San Antonio. It needed only a little addition to the vegetation and some darks in very small places to bring it up to par.

I hope you enjoy it.

Jay

South Texas Phlox

Dear Folks,

This is a rarity for me. It is a painting done plein air and it is on canvas, 16"x20". I did it a few years ago at a ranch south of San Antonio where the owners encouraged as many wild flowers as they could allow to grow and still run cattle on the place. At this particular time, the phlox were the dominant color on the landscape, but there were splashes of other color from a few bluebonnets, some sort of irisy looking thing and some white daisy-like flowers. Wish I could be more specific but I didn't get their names.

I have been tempted more than once to rework this piece because it is so Eastery looking. It doesn't look real I think. But as with the other flower landscapes you've seen recently, this was painted on location and that's what the location looked like. It's just the way it was. Spring in South Texas can sometimes be that way. Just too good to be true.

I'm going to put it in the gallery soon as I think this is the time of year someone would appreciate it. I hope you enjoy it.

Jay

East Texas Spring

Dear Folks,

I told you I had a backlog of stuff to get on this blog. Here's another one. This is another 8"x10" oil on board. It was done several years ago at the Botanical Center in San Antonio. It is a little cabin brought in and planted around to represent East Texas. And it does that beautifully. This may be the only place we are likely to see wildflowers this year. They plant and water this so the field is very representative of what you see in that part of the country.

It needed very little to finish it off--a little sharpening of the roof of the building--a little emphasis on some of the field flowers--and there you are.

Jay

South Texas in the Spring

Here is one more bluebonnet done at the same ranch as the last painting. Again, done plein air, on 8"x10" board, and now, years later, fussed with in the studio to bring it up to code. The one from yesterday is at the gallery downtown now, and this will go down there as soon as it dries. I have more to post, so stay tuned!

Have a great day!

Jay

Hill Country Woods

All,

I am feeling most accomplished today. I spent all morning in the studio working away at a group of paintings from my "To Be Fixed" pile. This is one of them. I painted this 8'x10" oil on location several years ago but was never satisfied with it as a finished painting. I wasn't exactly sure of what was wrong with it, but after letting it sit all this time, I showed it to one of my cohorts at the studio and he went right to the problem. I had never finished the tree tops! Oooh. Why didn't I see that? Because I was so focused on the distance in the thing I never looked above that central blue. Now you know why I go to the studio downtown when I have a perfectly good one to paint in at home. I need those extra eyes now and then.

Anyway, this is typical of the cedar woodlands of the Texas Hill Country and was actually painted not far from my house.

Jay

Spanish Dagger in Bloom

Dear Friends,

Again it has been a while since I posted anything on the blog. I've been very busy trying to get things organized so I can go get some surgery done this Friday and spend the next couple of weeks recouperating. Not to worry. It's nothing dire, but it will make me sore and grumpy for a few days so I wanted to get this one last post in before I head for anaesthesia.

This is another plein air painting of the Spanish Dagger in front of my house. It's actually an older painting than the other one I already showed you. It demonstrates again the color really involved in a "white" subject. I do like the glow of the afternoon sun on this huge blossom.

My friend and mentor, Susan , has pointed out that I am not doing a good job of photogaphing my work and freqently these posts are a bit out of focus. I am trying to remedy this with rephotoing some of the work and fixing the images already on the blog, but trying is as far as it's gotten. I am also redoing the photos of the new works I want to post as her remarks were very correct and I need to pay more attention to the presentation of my work. So, hopefully, when I get back to you after the surgery, I will have better pictures of the dog and cat and horse paintings I am currently doing. I am excited to show them to you.

I will look forward to returning to the blog very soon and I hope you will stay tuned!
Jay

Winter Along the Blanco River

Dear All,

I am sorry again to have let things go for so long on the blog. I haven't forgotten you all and I hope you didn't think I've given this up. Oh no. Not at all. I've just been busy.

This little plein air piece was done in Wimberly in the Texas Hill Country. The bare trees along the hillside didn't offer much color to work with. Shades of gray are ok if you feel like being subtle, but I opted to use the fact that there was good color in the water. It really was quite intense. This is because the day was overcast and in that situation while one does not have good sun for lively shadows, color often becomes stronger. I've had folks who have spent much time up there tell me they think this looks just like that area in winter. Well, I hope so!

See the little house up on the hill? I've often wondered what it would be like to live in such a nice place with such a great view. I noticed it sat well above the flood level for the river. Anyone who has ever witnessed the amazing flooding with a little hard rain in the Texas Hill Country will know why that house was set so far above the river.

Hope you like this.
Jay

A Cove at Point Lobos

This was done on the California trip a couple of years ago. It is a plein air piece, on 8x10 board, in oil and was done in a morning on the cliffs overlooking the convoluted rock and water landscape of the Point Lobos area. I was excited because the first thing I saw when I hiked to this location was a big fat seal lazing on the little beach sunning himself. I let out a gasp of surprise, which unfortunately, he heard and I think was surprised himself as he rolled into the water and floated off. Otherwise I'd have added him to the painting and it would have been better for it.

But I enjoyed the color of the rocks and the wonderful green of the shallow water over the sandy beach. California truly is blessed with great color in their landscape.

This is one of my favorite pieces from that trip.
Jay

South Texas in the Spring

Hi again y'all!

Sorry to have been so slow to repost on the blog lately. I've been getting stuff ready for the big River Art Show in downtown San Antonio this weekend, Oct. 4 and 5. If you are in the area, my booth will be inside the La Villita Assembly Hall in the air-conditioning. You should drop by.

This piece will be there on display. For Sale. Available cheap. Why? Because, good as it is, it is done on canvas board. Oh. Why does that make it cheaper? Because it makes it non-archival. Will it melt away? Only if you soak the backing in your bathtub. Is there anything you can do to protect it? Yes, you can gesso the back of it and keep it dry. It will last for years and years and years. And years. It's 9x12, for a change, and framed nicely in a gold plein air frame.

I did this of my neighbor's vacant land in the late spring when the yellow flowers have taken over from the bluebonnets. They are almost as rampant and make for some pretty bright landscapes. I like the contrast with the bluey cedar (juniper) trees.

I think it has a slightly (very slightly) Van Goghish look to it. You may disagree. You can feel free to say so!

See you at the show?

Jay

Bridle Path

This painting was done on location at a friends ranch a little south of San Antonio several years ago. She ran horse trials on her place and had made wonderful trails through the brush by clearing and mowing and a little bit of bull dozing. I rode there many times and found it to be a great riding venue. One day I went out to her place and parked my truck along this favorite trail and painted it.

The painting later won a Grumbacher Medal and I have always counted it among my favorite pieces. It remains with me. A keeper.

Again, an oil on 8"x10" gessoed board. I know you get tired of me telling you that, but it's what I usually paint on.

Hope everyone is getting over the hurricane faster than Galveston and Houston are. But it sounds like some places in Ohio got it pretty bad. My good wishes go out to you.
Jay

Spanish Dagger

Dear Folks,

This time we go back to Texas landscapes. This one was done in my very own front yard. These Spanish Dagger--a type of yucca to those of you not familiar with Texas--were already here when we built our house on what had been a cow pasture. It was just a wild native. We built a little rock garden around it and have given it minimal water so it looks a bit hard scrabble most of the time. But come spring, the old yucca puts out these spectacular large multiple blooms which are most impressive.

This piece was done plein air, meaning I sat on a chair outside in the sunshine and painted it the way you see it. That's the horse pasture behind it. See?

I like this one very much and have opted to keep it rather than offer it for sale. I like the red underpainting. Remember my discussion about bright colors as underpainting in those coastal pieces? Well, here we have it in a more desert type environment. And it works nicely as a counterpoint to the muted greens of the various plants.

I have to tell you about my friend Anne, who visited us from upstate New York a few years ago. She was wearing white pants when she got too interested in the various native plants in this grouping and walked right into one of the pointed ends of the Spanish Dagger. She got a very good lesson on why these plants are called that. The blood on that white pair of pants was quite stunning. I think she still remembers that incident. So, these things are fun to look at, but don't get too close!

Jay

Morning in the Hill Country

Dear Folks,

I am back at it with the Jay Lauver's Art Blog and wanted to show you another piece done for reference purposes for a later bigger studio piece. This one is another 8x10 done on location. I took photos and used both this and the photos for a canvas, 16x20. It looks much the same so I won't bother to put that on the blog, and besides, I kinda like this a little better. I think the things done plein air are actually a bit more free and lively.

This was at a ranch in Comfort Texas, and in fact, the place where the previous blog posting painting was done. Peggy and I got up early one morning and found this lovely misty morning glowing outside the door. Hard to resist.

I've had several rather shy inquiries about my prices and while I am not doing this blog strictly as a commercial enterprise, I am not averse to lettting you know that my work is mostly for sale. Almost all of my plein air pieces of the 8"x10" size come framed and range in price from $200 to $500. The vast majority of them are about $300 framed. I have gotten to the point too, where I do not sell them unframed unless there are extraordinary circumstances. I learned this the hard way when I would see pieces I had sold unframed put in cheap thin black frames which did not complement the work and presented it very poorly. Framing does not necessarily make the painting but it certainly can belittle it. I don't understand why you would pay for an original work of art and then not present it like you were proud of it.

Oops. I think that's another lecture. And if you are reading this, I am likely preaching to the choir. Sorry.

I hope you are enjoying the rain, which is a big weather break for us South Texans. Maybe the drought is going away?

Jay

Hill Country Cedar

Dear Folks,

Thanks for the positive feedback on that exotic painting from last time. It's not my usual thing, but it was fun.

Today's painting is more my usual thing. This was done plein air at a ranch up near Comfort in the Texas Hill Country. We sat outside on a gray day during the late winter. Technically, the trees we all call "Cedar" in this part of the country are actually junipers, but tradition holds sway over biological accuracy.

Again, this was done on an 8"x10" gessoed board. You may ask why so many of my pieces are done on this board, and the answer is twofold. One: it's very convenient to carry when going on location. It fits in a backpack with several other boards until I am ready to use it and it takes up no room. When it is a done painting I can either leave it in my paint box or put it in a wet box designed specifically for that size painting. I have carried many wet paintings of that size board all at the same time in such a box. Mine holds six at a time. They even dry well in there. Secondly: I like this surface for a more impressionistic work. My brushes are very soft because this surface does not really allow the use of bristle brushes, but it allows me to control edges and make good blending lines and color.

Sometimes these small paintings make great reference material for a bigger, more studious piece, but I am usually trying my best to produce something complete when I paint out. Or at least something which can be easily made finished. Sometimes I go out with a plan to work on a specific element of art--such as color or light--and then I don't necessarily worry about producing a finished piece. This painting did not require much attention in the studio as I had time and unchanging light the day we were out.

That's my lecture for today. It may be more than you wanted to know!
Jay

More California Paintings

Dear All,

I am sending along a couple more of the California paintings done Plein Air. The tree was done at Carmel, along the beach. And the surf painting was done at Point Lobos, which is near Carmel.

I am so sorry to have not gotten anything on the blog the past couple of days and am grateful for those of you who have shown such an interest. I'll try to keep up with it in a more timely fashion.

These paintings are both done in oil on 8"x10" gessoed board and are framed in gold Plein Air wide frames. They were almost entirely done on location but were adjusted a little in the studio.

The trip to California was a couple of years ago and was a golden opportunity. I went with a group of other Texas artists and we were there just to paint. We went out every day from our home base, a rented house in Carmel, and painted at least one painting each day, and often did two or even three. It was a great experience. We saw seals and sea lions and various species of dolphins and whales, not to mention the western bird species I had not seen before. I kept a pair of binoculars on my chair while painting so that I would not miss any chance to see all the wonderful wildlife out there.

I've sold many of those paintings but still have some left, including these two. I'll post some more at a later time. In the meantime, I am working on three dog paintings I am excited about. I can't post them until the dog owner sees them, but I'll keep you informed on how those are going.

If you are having trouble making comments on this site, please just send me an email, jaylauver@sprintmail.com. I have tried to change the comments section so anyone can do so without having to sign in, but there still seem to be problems for some folks.

We are enjoying Dolly rain right now. Its' a sad state of affairs when you welcome a hurricane!

Jay

The Prize Winner

This is the painting I described in my first post on this new blog. Sorry. I'm still learning how to work this thing.

This painting was done on location on Evans Rd. north of San Antonio along the Cibolo Creek. The old house is still lived in, but remains very much the way it was when it was built. An old family cemetary exists not far from the house but I don't know if the residents are related to the cemetary family. The painting is small, 8"x10", is framed in a wide gold "plein air" frame and is available for $500. Buyer pays shipping. I have another version of the same house, painted the same day, but with a slightly different composition, which is also available.

As I become more accomplished with the blog, I will publish a great number of my paintings so that they can be viewed as a body. Please look for that when I get it done. If you have comments or questions, please do respond as I am interested in what you have to say about the piece. Besides, I'd just like to know if anyone is looking at the blog.

Thanks!
Jay