Lil' Joes BBQ

 

"Lil' Joe's BBQ" 

11" x 14"

This is a plein air painting of a typical Bar-B-Que joint here in Texas. I found this one on an 

antiquing trip to Round Top, TX with my wife who is always kind enough not to complain when 

I pull the car over for a couple of hours. When I'm driving my head is on a constant swivel and 

I'm painting inside my mind at every turn. Sad to say, I finished this before Lil Joe's opened up 

and I didn't get to sample their food.

The red & white checkered table cloth caught my eye, but the fun part of this painting was

all of the details within the shadow side of the entrance. I wanted less detail within this area, but it still needed to read as the objects they are, window air-condition, Pepsi machine etc. 

I'm happy to say this painting and three others found a new home during the Plein Air Southwest Salon. 

Playing with Dioxazine Purple

 

"I'll Give You the Moon" 

9" x 12"

This is a typical vintage Texas house. I was drawn to the telephone poles, silver propane tank and even 

some clothes lines. I found this view in Fredericksburg, TX.  

Painters note~ I added Dioxazine Purple to my palette for this one. 

I included a Google link for the curious to see my exact location.

Google Map of location

I'M BACK! ~ Vintage Model T Plein Air

 

"Model T" 

10"x10" 

Sorry for the delay in new posts, but I've been having a computer problem that prevented me from posting photos. I ended up changing web browsers and that put me back in business.  I will try and catch up.

I was thrilled to see that my neighbor bought this old truck and leaves it outside in front of his home. It had my name all over it. I met the owner and he was very welcoming and has even commissioned me to do another painting of his home. Here is the commission painting in progress below. Unlike the truck painting, I am working on this one inside my studio from my photo resources.

"Work in Progress" 

 

Suprise!

 

"Orange Pumpkin"

10 x 10 oil

 

Painted this a couple months ago for a an artist friend that has owned this van for a long time. I surprise him with it and told him to pass along the good deed by sending some other unsuspecting person a painting.

 

I have done this several times and enjoy it very much. Who knows, someone that leaves me a comment could receive on one day too.   ;?)

 

 

 

Bed of Cactus

 

"Bed of Cactus"

9 x 12 oil

 

A friend of mine spotted this truck and sent it to me knowing I would love it! It's funny that I have so many people that think of me when they see something like this. I've been sent photos from all over, but this one just screams Texas.

A painters note...I alternated with very dry strokes and then would switch brushes to a very turp filled brush that would even drip and run to try and get varied textures going. It was interesting. I used to paint stuff and leave it alone, afraid I would mess it up and now that I have more confidence and experience I try different things. If I don't like it, I just take it off or paint over it.

Feel free to scrape and wipe, but don't try and get everything off. What you leave can look interesting and add unexpected textures when you go back into it.

Honeymoon Present

11 x 14 oil

A good friend of mine recently got married and he told me he was honeymooning in Italy. After fighting through the extreme jealousy, I decided to paint the new couple something that would help them remember the occasion forever. This also gave me an oportunity to paint something a little different. Bonus...I found a fantastic silver frame at an antique store that I knew would work perfect for them too and I even painted the young lovers seated in the gondola.

Someday I hope to be sitting with my wife in the same spot.

Outdoor Painter.com article

 Bob Bahr did a writeup about me over at OutdoorPainters.com the home of Plein Air magazine about my favorite place to paint! I appreciate the press and I'm honored to be mentioned on their site.

"People may know about Randy Saffle's tendency to paint tractors.

But they probably don't know why he does it."

 

  It's fun to see my work collected like this. I get asked some of these same questions Bob asked me all the time. Here was my chance to put it in print. Thank you for the recognition and the chance to share.

Click the link to read.

OutdoorPainter.com | My Favorite Place to Paint: Randy Saffle | Home of Plein Air Magazine

Locally Grown

 

"Locally Grown"

16 x 20

 More palette knife fun. This time from a picture I took of a local farmer that was

giving his time to teach kids how to plant at Nash Farm in Grapevine, TX.

Palette Knife practice

 

"Big Sky"

11 x 14 oil

This was painted from one of my get lost exploring the Texas farm

roads outings that I'm becoming more and more a fan of. The sky looked

exactly like it appears in the picture, with these giant clouds.
I started out painting taking lessons from a instructor that only uses a

palette knife and no brushes. I always use a palette knife for finishing

touches, but it's been a while since I used it as my primary utensil. 

I shared it on Facebook and was surprised at the positive reactions,

considering how quickly this came together.

 

I'm going to make an effort to use the knife more often.

 

Wonderful day!