Gone Fishing

The last two weeks of May are some of the year's busiest with end-of-school near for the grandsons. In June I'll be "gone fishing" for a few weeks while I complete commitments to others and commitments I have made to myself. There are family portraits I want to do, portraits of the children and portraits of the old folks. It seems there is never enough time to paint all of the visions stuffed into my head. Images overflow my mind. Some of them must be painted to clear out the brain clutter (related to house clutter).

Preview: Pigtails #3

I am working on #3 of the Pigtails series. This one is larger at 9"x12" size but is still pastel and colored pencil on toned paper. I'm having so much fun with the piggy paintings as they remind me of a time in my youth when Dad raised pigs. My dad even got into the spirit of this one and offered a color/composition solution, but you'll have to wait to see the finish.

I can hear the grunts, squeals and oinks as I paint them. I'm not sure how the piggy paintings work for Art Helping Animals since on the farm pigs were livestock raised for market or for porkchops, but the paintings are fun and reminiscent of so many childhood nursery rhymes. I will keep this one since my dad participated in the making (at least verbally). It's only in the last year that he has become positively supportive of my art.

Preview: Looking at Clouds #1

It was often said to me as a child that I had my head in the clouds. I do remember many lazy, hazy days of summer when I would lay on my back in the sandy fields and look for pictures in the clouds. That was an activity encouraged by my mother whose creativity seemed mostly directed at finding an activity to keep us children out of her hair as she went about canning and freezing garden vegetables for the next winter. Looking at Clouds is small, only 4.5"x6" colored pencil on toned paper. When completed, it will be available at One Painting a Day.

The previews above are two of my current works-in-progress. I'll be posting more as they develop more fully.

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Purchase paintings here: One Painting a Day.


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Happiness = (work)+(love)+(fun)

Dr. Gordon Livingston reminds us to "Think about it. If we have useful work, sustaining relationships, and the promise of pleasure, it is hard to be unhappy." 

He defines work as "any activity, paid or unpaid, that gives us a feeling of personal significance. If we have a compelling avocation that lends meaning to our lives, that is our work."

Tuxedo Cat and Tulips

original oil painting by Vernita Bridges Hoyt

[This is a low resolution image with a watermark and copyright notice. Text shown above is not on the original painting.]

Last week I told a friend that I want to create a body of work this summer. "Why," she exclaimed, "do you want to work all of the time?" It took a few minutes to explain that the "body of work" refers to a number of artworks that my muse wants to see on canvas before summer's end. 

People sometimes have difficulty understanding the drive that keeps me painting. Rather than laborious work, it feels like something I have been chosen to do -- a vocation, a calling. If I don't paint, I know it. If I don't paint, people around me know it as they notice a mood change, my underlying impatience to get back to the creation of artworks.

Yesterday I continued painting an 11"x14" oil painting that combines three references--the cat, the tulips, and the window on the house behind. This is painted on a gallery-wrap canvas that can be hung with/without frame or set on a shelf. The painting wraps around the side of the canvas as shown. I'll paint the finishing touches on this one today.

The three components of happiness are something to do, someone to love, and something to look forward to.  --Gordon Livingston, M.D.  Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart.

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Purchase paintings here: One Painting a Day.
Find Auction Sales here: Texas Sauce Penderings.

Beagle Blues

Please click here to see the finished pastel painting of "Amy" Beagle Blues. Thanks.
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Purchase paintings here: One Painting a Day.

What is the one thing ...

Refrigerator notes posted in layers cover the door to the cooling box in my kitchen. Daily there is one note that peeks out from beneath the others. It always asks the same question--What is the one thing I'm not doing right now that, if I were, would make the biggest difference? Daily I thoughtfully try to answer that question. There are so many things. Today I think, "Maybe if I cleaned off the door of the refrigerator ..." One never knows. After all, it is said to be the little things in life that make the difference.

I have started a pastel painting of another Beagle to help out B.O.N.E.S. and will finish it late tonight, which brings the thought of sleep deprivation into my mind. These late nights and early mornings are too many. Perhaps a few eight-hour nights of sleep would make the biggest difference.

This is the finish of the "Amy" painting aka "Beagle Blues", a Beagle whose photo caught my eye on the B.O.N.E.S. web site. It is painted with pure sticks of pastel color on archival toned paper with a few white accents in colored pencil. 

"What is the one thing I'm not doing right now that, if I were, would make the biggest difference? " ...anonymous
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See special auctions here: Texas Sauce Penderings.

Antique Roses

Yesterday I was invited to tour the Antique Rose Emporium at Independence, Texas. What a joy that was! I took so many photographs of wonderful flower gardens. I just can't wait to start painting new canvases. Maybe I'll do some watercolors again, too. If you ever feel like burning some high-cost gasoline, take the trip to Independence, Texas, near Brenham and visit the Antique Rose Emporium. What a wonderful and relaxing place to be.

Here is only one of the photos. There are endless varieties of flowers there, much more than rose bushes.

It's time to clear out the studio and make room for these new paintings about to come off my easel. After a long hiatus from eBay, I decided to offer some of the existing inventory at auction. Two paintings were listed today. This is an opportunity to own one of my paintings for less than retail value. Please click on the links below to see more detail about these first two art auctions:

Fresh Flowers

Border Collie Sketch

I will try to list one or two new auctions each Sunday / Monday to end on the following weekend, so watch the blog for more to come, or bookmark my eBay search page.... Subjects and media will vary.

eBay Seller: vernitatxart: Direct from the Artist, Art items on eBay.com

... and remember to "Dream as if you'll live forever... live as if you'll die today." James Dean

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See additional paintings here: One Painting a Day.

Pigtails, Five in a Row

I know you've been waiting for some time [not you, Martha], and finally! Here is my pig sketch... mixed media on 6"x9" Mi Tientes pastel paper. The mixed media includes ink, colored pencil, graphite and pastel. When I use pastel, I like to add lots of pure color, and this one has lots of color.

This painting was inspired by a Diane Finlayson photo and painted with her blessing. A 10% donation will go to the Gorgie City Farm, a registered animal charity in Edinburgh, Scotland, where the pigs modeled for Diane's photograph.

Twenty-percent 20% of this painting will benefit True Blue Animal Rescue near Brenham, Texas. T-bar rescued my Border Collie Brooke among others. The 20% to T-bar will be designated for their Heartworm Fund which they established in Brooke's honor.

Email me if you are interested in this one --  artist@vbridgeshoyt.com

"Dream as if you'll live forever... live as if you'll die today." --James Dean
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Purchase my paintings here: One Painting a Day.

Texas Longhorn Steer and Border Collie Brooke

Flea season is upon us, and again Border Collie Brooke is suffering from flea allergies, grass and pollen allergies. I've never seen a dog suffer so with allergies. You'd think she was human ... well, she is almost human. Poor little thing has congestion that she frequently clears by sneezing -- big time sneezes. She sneezes almost like I do, three or five times in a row. She is good to let me wipe her nose with a tissue to keep it off the carpet, but I need to get her back to the vet for another allergy shot and some allergy meds. I am hoping this painting will sell quickly to pay for her vet and medicine bills. 

Twenty percent (20%) will come off the top and go straight to True Blue Animal Rescue who initially rescued Brooke before she found her forever after home here with me. 

The next 10% will be used to pay for PayPal transaction fees and shipping costs to get the painting to its new owner. 

After the cost of paint and other art supplies are deducted from the funds, whatever is left will be used to pay Brooke's allergy and heartworm preventative meds. She is, of course, continually on the heartworm meds, but the allergies are seasonal. Other than allergies, Brooke is happy and continues to thrive.

© 2008 Vernita Bridges-Hoyt

Texas Longhorn Steer #3
original painting by Vernita Bridges-Hoyt

The Texas Longhorn is mascot of The University of Texas.
11"x14" oil on canvas
unframed

$250 includes FREE shipping

This is a detail of the painting. A little glare reflected from the wet paint will not be in the original.

"Dream as if you'll live forever... live as if you'll die today." James Dean
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Purchase paintings here: One Painting a Day.

Impressionist Bluebonnet Texas State Flower

The wildflowers bloomed early in Texas this year. Over Easter weekend I took lots of photos of Dogwood blossoms, bluebonnets and other wildflowers. Here is my first bluebonnet sketch for 2008. This could be a challenge as previously I've only pictured blueblonnets en masse. 

© 2008 Vernita Bridges-Hoyt

Click on the image to enlarge.

Impressionist Texas Bluebonnet

Bluebonnet Sketch #1

6"x4" pastel & colored pencil on Mi Tientes [yellow paper is like pale butter in reality]

unframed, includes 8x6 inch mat 

This is an original sketch by V. Bridges-Hoyt and includes a signed certificate of authenticity.

$100

Click to Buy It Here

Use secure online payment through PayPal.

email artist@vbridgeshoyt.com

Thank you for shopping.

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One Painting a Day
Sunflower Artist
Dog Days
Border Collie Art

Sam's Room, log cabin interior

© 2008 Vernita Bridges-Hoyt
Sam's Room
The Law Office of Sam Houston, Texas Hero

Huntsville, Texas

This painting depicts the historical log cabin interior of the law office of Sam Houston located alongside his house in Huntsville, Texas. Painted from a photo taken through the door on the south side, the painting includes a desk, two chairs, law books, and the interior logs and window on the north side of the cabin. A gun powder horn hangs from the chair. History has it that Houston would not allow any woman to enter the law cabin, not his wife nor any female servant. The dog trot residence and the law cabin are on the historical register along with the Steamboat House where Sam Houston died. All three structures are located in a park across from Sam Houston University in Huntsville.

20"x24" oil on canvas
framed

$1,440
+ S&H and tax, if applicable

Buy It Now
Use secure online payment by PayPal invoice.

Layaway Available with 25% down payment,

to be paid out in 90 days.

A portion of this sale will be donated to a deserving charity.

email for more info

artist@vbridgeshoyt.com

Thank you for shopping.

I appreciate your interest and past support.

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One Painting a Day
Sunflower Artist
Dog Days
Border Collie Art

Heaven in a Wild Flower

Sunflowers grow wild in Texas ... fields and fields of sunflowers. Cultivated sunflowers typically grow taller and larger, but there is nothing cheerier than a field of wild Texas sunflowers painting a sunny picture against a blue sky.

Sunflower © V. Bridges-Hoyt 2008

"To see a World in a Grain of Sand

And Heaven in a Wild Flower,

Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand,

And Eternity in an hour." --William Blake

To see Van Gogh's sunflower paintings, click here.

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Sunflower Artist

One Painting a Day

Recent Works

I pulled together this composite of recent paintings to see where I am headed. With the exception of the sunflowers on the upper right, all works in the image are completed. A few of them are sold. Still in the studio are the revised doll portrait, the Cardinal, "Patch" to help Old Dog Haven, the still life of copper and stein, and the trio of unfinished sunflowers. Click on Sunflower Artist to view this work in progress. It appears I am headed toward more sunflower paintings.

Images are copyright V. Bridges-Hoyt 2008. All Rights Reserved.

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Click here to see more of my daily paintings: One Painting a Day

Portraits and Studies

I have put a number of my portrait studies and a few finished portraits in a video format for youtube, but you can view it by clicking on the start arrow here.

For years my intentions have been to paint more portraits to leave behind as a legacy when I am gone. I think every artist paints wondering if their paintings will survive the years to come. It would be nice to think that I still have time to finish a few more portraits and that those portraits would be valued over time. So I dream on ... and paint on.

The past two years of painting pets and animals has been of threefold benefit: 1) I've contributed toward the $41,000+ raised by Art Helping Animals to benefit homeless pets and other animals in need; 2) I've gained terrific painting practice for capturing the essence of life in the painting of people; 3) I've met terrific artists and made such good friends who give me great inspiration and support. As I embark on painting more people, I will continue also to paint the the animals. It's all about painting LIFE.
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Click here to see more of my daily paintings: One Painting a Day
See more art to benefit animal rescue here: Art Helping Animals

Canine Art Review

As I reviewed art painted throughout the previous year, I was amazed at the numbers of dogs or other canines I had painted and sold. Each of the paintings in the video below was painted to benefit an Art Helping Animals approved animal rescue organization. I hope you enjoy watching the video.

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Click here to see more of my daily paintings: One Painting a Day

Old Dog Haven

Here is the next YouTube video made for Art Helping Animals. This one presents paintings to help Old Dog Haven rescue organization in the State of Washington in the Pacific Northwest. Please google Old Dog Haven to check out their web site and all the senior dogs they have helped.

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Click here to see more of my daily paintings: One Painting a Day

Study of Cat and another Work-in-Progress

Trying to pacify my muse again, I picked up a small set of acrylic paints used only once before. The muse is here begging me to paint, but because of other activities and responsibilities I put her off. Promising her I would paint something, I agreed to try the acrylics which dry quickly. Last night I did this quick study of a cat. I might paint a larger, more detailed version at some time in the future, or I might print this one on note cards. Click here for how to purchase.

© Vernita Bridges-Hoyt 2008

Although painted in a completely different style of loose and flowing paint, the cat model was Zarr, the Maine Coon used in my mixed media painting published on the cover of Today's Pet News last year (see below).

© Vernita Bridges-Hoyt 2007

I seem to be focused on cats this week. I've begun another one of a cat with tulips. This cat reference was provided by one of the wonderful rescuers at Save the Dalmatians. I've taken a bit of artistic license to combine the reference with  my beautiful purple tulips. The image below is a preview of the work in progress. I will show more of this oil painting as it progresses.

© Vernita Bridges-Hoyt 2008

With stolen minutes, I will paint this one in bits and pieces until I can show you the finished artwork. Painting something daily, no matter how small, keeps the muse happy. Painting is not just something I want to do. It's something I have to do. It's who I am.
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Click here to see more of my daily paintings: One Painting a Day

Birthday Painting

The birthday painting is now complete. This is the Beefmaster bull calf that was in the barn lot last year. He would be grown now. Dad saw the unfinished painting on February 10. Now I can present him with the final version framed. 

I hope soon that I will find my muse again, or the muse will find me. She seems to have been off on a vacation somewhere in the sunshine while I worked my way through the cloudy days of winter. Aside from this one, the Dalmatian "Puppy Breath" and another Dachshund in Hat, I haven't painted much this year. 

Saturday brought such a pleasant surprise. My Arkansas cousins, Lamar and Lynda, stopped by the studio. It was such a joy to visit with them again. 
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I am hoping to get back to the daily painting routine soon. You can watch for my progress at the blog: One Painting a Day