Here's one more painting of Brewster County, Texas. I saw this scene late one afternoon in February (I think it was) while waiting for a GPS receiver to log data on a punch mark on an aluminum cap that I'd set in a rock mound found on the side of a hill. The peak on the horizon is Santiago Peak. Once upon a time during the heyday of mail order real estate scams, some enterprising developer had a plat prepared showing a town laid out on the top of the peak and proceeded to sell lots - without mentioning that it was basically inaccessible, of course.
We both think this is our favorite of the paintings you've posted.
Best,
> We both think this is our favorite of the paintings you've posted.
Thanks very much. Eventually I'm going to get prints of this one and I'd be glad to send you one if you'll forward your mailing address to kentmcm-at-swbell-dot-net (sans hyphens).
That particular painting has had an interesting life. I mostly completed it over a year ago. The sky wasn't right so I reworked it, and let it hang on the wall until it bugged me every time I saw it enough to think about throwing it away. It just didn't have the feeling of standing on that ridge in the Del Norte Mountains of West Texas, looking to the Southwest into that expanse of pure space. Then I thought I'd have one more go at the sky and suddenly the scene was there on the canvas, just as I recalled it.
It didn't hurt that the hike had been made to locate a pile of stones that a surveyor had made in the early 1920's to mark a section corner in a protracted 50-square-mile block and it didn't hurt that I'd lugged a rock drill up the hill to drill a 5/8-inch hole into the limestone at the center of the mound and fix an aluminum cap with a punchmark to the rod. The GPS vector fixed the exact position of the center of the mound, but as that was happening the sky spread in all directions toward some pale horizons and some of that ended up in my camera and on the canvas.
Afternoon Windmill,Hays Co., TX
This is actually a somewhat more recent painting. It's a windmill that I've probably driven past about ninety times on a ranch in Central Texas in the course of surveying work. I drove past it in the morning on the way in and late in the evening on the way out. The afternoon light and the afternoon skies are usually more interesting.
There are a few details of the windmill fan yet to be painted in, but I'm slow to add them simply because it isn't a parts diagram for a windmill, but is intended to give a feeling of the air. The clouds which are vaguely reminiscent of contrails are invented rather than observed. They just seemed to work better than what the late afternoon sky presented.
Afternoon Windmill,Hays Co., TX
That one reminds me of a pic someone posted about what some faded writing might have been on the tail. I did lots of searches on it but could only find that some of tails were painted with some local advertising.
Perhaps you could put "McMillan Land Surveying" on it.
Do a google search on "windmill tail art" and you will see some examples.
E.
PS: I really like that first one as well.
The style reminds me of Monet's dabbing style.
I agree with the Taylor's assessment, that is one of your best.
Have a great week! B-)
Afternoon Windmill,Hays Co., TX
Hey Kent
Is this the same windmill?
Afternoon Windmill,Hays Co., TX
> Is this the same windmill?
No, John, that one behind you has a square platform and is in Atascosa County.
