Songbirds, Red Cardinal Small Oil Painting

This morning songbirds announce that springtime has come to Spring, Texas. This is the time of year I really enjoy being up early in the art studio; however, this spring I haven't been able to schedule any regular easel time. My muse had escaped, but I sense her return. When I hear the songbirds outside the studio window, I want to paint birds.

This is another painting I came across as I was cleaning the studio. I am torn between keeping this one or listing it at TexasSauceStudio.Etsy.com as this is one of my favorite paintings. This is one of those paintings you must see in person to appreciate the thick paint and the color. Painted with a palette knife and oil paint, this painting has much texture. The colors are pure and bright, again with my typical color palette. All my paintings relate to each other when several are  grouped together.

Thanks for following my Texas Sauce Art Life.

V. Bridges Hoyt

Two Turtle Doves

December 27 

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me—

Two Turtle Doves 
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree 

Two Turtle Doves 
watercolor and ink on Arches 140# cp paper
8x8 inches

© Vernita Bridges Hoyt 2010  

The two turtle doves represent the Old and New Testaments that tell the story of God to the world. 

Ta Da! Birds and Cats

photo of Toya Cat at Rimrock Humane Society in Montana
Click here to view a demo of my Toya painting.

On Friday, a 6:00 a.m. awakening was late for me. Typically, I am up to greet the day by 5 o'clock. 

Friday: Today I took the time to journal morning pages and by the third page found myself writing a list of "want to do" and "have to do". The W2D list greatly outnumbered the H2D list, but the H2D list is more pressing. I would like to approach the H2D list differently to make it more fun.  A couple of days ago I finished reading Julia Cameron's Finding Water, the third book in The Artist's Way volume.  Cameron suggests making a "Ta Da!" list rather than putting all the focus on a To Do list. I like that idea and must start my Ta Da list as I go through today. To focus on accomplishments rather than on what is yet waiting to be done might create a little more fun through the day. 

I love early mornings when the birds are singing happily outside my windows. I would love even more sitting on the patio to be in the midst of birdsong while drinking my coffee, but Spring's allergy season is here. Unfortunately, I must avoid breathing in all that pollen that will bring more beautiful flowers in just a few days or weeks. However, listening to the birds makes me want to paint birds, so I've taken the next sheet of my Arches watercolor block and gridded it into smaller sizes for painting birds in 20 minute increments of time. The block I have is cold press but I much prefer to work on hot press, the smoother surface, because it accepts a fine ink line as well as it does watercolor.  I expect to be posting birds soon.

Cats like birds, too ... for different reasons in the nature of life. Speaking of cats, I've increased the animal rescue donation to 50% of proceeds for the sale of my painting of Toya the Cat in Montana, and I've uploaded a video filmed as I painted Toya last winter. Just click on this link to watch me paint.  Or view all of videos on my TXsauceStudios channel at youtube.


TODAY'S PROVERB:

Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing. --Proverbs 12:18

Art Auctions for Cardinal and Seascape, VIVA paper towels, Proverbs, Immoral Women

ART.  I have listed two 7-day Art Auctions this morning. One is new, the other a relist with reduced start bid. For some reason, the blogger image uploader is not working for me this morning so I will give you the auction links instead. You can see the images there.


Cardinal Tree -- new painting / new auction
http://cgi.ebay.com/VBHOYT-Cardinal Red Bird Tree DAILY watercolor PAINTING ACEO art card


Galveston Seascape -- relist / reduced start bid -- last chance
http://cgi.ebay.com/VBHOYT-Galveston-Seascape-WAVE-Texas-DAILY-oil-PAINTING

LIFE. ...I use the best paper towels (Viva brand) to clean my brushes when I paint. When painting with oils, a cheaper paper towel ends up being a costlier one because I use so many more of them to wipe the paint off the brushes. Viva, a more expensive brand,

Year in Review: March

March brought signs of Spring and another Cardinal painting ...

and I revisited the baby doll to repaint the background flowers as sunflowers ...

 

I have since gold-leafed a frame for the doll painting which you can see in the right hand corner of the gallery below.

Another cat study in a different style below--acrylic paint on unstretched canvas ...

as compared to a more detailed version of the same Maine Coon cat (2 views) painted in watercolor and pastel.

all images © 2008 Vernita Bridges-Hoyt

painting the sauce of Texas

animals • flowers • people • places

Today's Blessing: Today we had snow in Houston--enough to stick and leave a white powdery covering on rooftops, plants and cars. We haven't had snow on December 10 since 1944. It was magical watching the flakes fall.

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

"Sweet Nectar" Hummingbird on Red

© 2008 Vernita Bridges-Hoyt

Sweet Nectar
Hummingbird on Red
4x6 watercolor and ink on Arches 140# cp paper
framed
black wood frame ready to stand or hang

sold

email artist@vbridgeshoyt.com

Thank you for shopping.

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

AHA for T-bar

I have just finished producing another youtube video for Art Helping Animals.  A percentage of the sale of each painting will be donated to T-bar to help animals in need. Click here to watch the video of original AHA paintings available to help animals at True Blue Animal Rescue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfzx22LnmhQ

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

Zazzle Top 10 Card Award

Granted a
Zazzle Top 10 Award
Most Viewed Greeting Cards


Cardinal Red card
by
txsauce

Get this custom card at Zazzle

Bluebird of Happiness, pastel

My mother loved birds. On one of my trips home to the farm I sketched a bluebird that perched on the fence post above one of Mom's bluebird houses.

Bluebird of Happiness
soft pastel
9x12 Art Spectrum acid-free pastel paper
copyright Vernita Bridges Hoyt 2007
certificate of authenticity included

Artist's Collection

I couldn't part with my mom's bluebird and decided to keep this painting for myself.

Detail of bluebird
Click on image to enlarge.



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Click here to visit Texas Sauce Art Studio gallery at www.txsauce.net

Cardinal bird auction to help Daisy dog ~ SOLD

The Cardinal painting is up for final auction to benefit TBAR's Daisy who is undergoing heartworm treatment now. Daisy is a black and tan, spayed, 1 year old Shepherd female. Rescued Border Collie Brooke recovered 100% from a heavy heartworm load after treatment made possible through True Blue Animal Rescue. Together we can help TBAR help Daisy who is in rehab with a foster family who will give her the love and care she needs during treatment.

Scroll down for the Cardinal painting specs and where to bid on the auction.
Direct donations can be made by clicking on True Blue above.

Daisy
T-Bar Number: D210
Weight: 45 lbs
Sex: Spayed Female
Age on 1/2007: 1 year
Breed: Shepherd
Color: black and tan

Cardinal - sold

postcard painting #24
watercolor
4"x6" Arches 140# cp
copyright Vernita Bridges Hoyt 2007
$99.00 value

Available by eBay auction at a reduced price for one week only! SOLD
Bidding ends April 18. High bidder wins.

20% of sale proceeds will be donated to

True Blue Animal Rescue in central Texas

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Study of Hummingbird Flight - SOLD

A couple of weeks ago while at the farm, I was awake and up early with the house to myself. After breakfast, I picked up my sketchbook and the colored pencils given me at Christmastime. The previous two blog posts were two of my studies. This Hummingbird was another, and there are two more still to show. It's very important to keep drawing and sketching quickly in freehand so as not to lose that skill. A quick study sometimes captures the essence, the very life, of a subject. I believe this is the real goal to reach for in daily painting.

daily painting study

Study of Hummingbird Flight
original 100% colored pencil
3.5"x3.5" acid-free Canson paper
copyright Vernita Bridges Hoyt 2007
certificate of authenticity included

$19.95
+ shipping and handling charges

Buy It Now
with no waiting for an auction to end.
There is no obligation to click and look.

SOLD

Questions? Email artist@vbridgeshoyt.com

20% of sale will be donated to Cascades Raptor Center in Oregon.
Read more about the Raptor Center at arthelpinganimals.com.

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Click here to see my complete daily painting collection.

Click here for A Look at Architecture.

Spring Flowers postcard Hummingbird 1

Spring has come to Texas, and I have a series of 10 postcard paintings to offer. Each card features an original, unique painting. Each card will be offered individually. Nine of the cards feature a hummingbird, the tenth an Easter cross.

These are actual Strathmore postcards with a space for your message, address and postage stamp on the back side. Although designed to go through the U.S. mail, the watercolor paints could be damaged in transit. I suggest framing and matting these original art postcards to enjoy as paintings. If you mail them, place them in an envelope for protection of the watercolor painting.

Hummingbird 1
watercolor and ink, postcard painting 27
4"x6" postcard Strathmore 140# cp
copyright Vernita Bridges Hoyt 2007
certificate of authenticity included

$9.50 opening bid - art auction
$24.95 Buy It Now

How to Purchase:
email artist@vbridgeshoyt.com
or purchase from my eBay store TXSauce Studio Art

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Click here to see my complete daily painting collection.