Officer

When I laid eyes on this policeman, I was fascinated by his exceptional beauty and all the colors in his skin. He was surprised when I asked his permission to paint him, and may have ended up the butt of some teasing by his fellow officers.

Giclee prints available at http://connie-schaertl.artistwebsites.com/

Prepared to Wait (16x20)

I revisited this painting a number of times and the top image is it's current stage.

First iteration:

This one has taken awhile. It's painted on 16X20 stretched canvas. And, of course, the model is my daughter, Laurel.

My first true plein air painting

It's only 5 X 7, much smaller than I'm used to painting, but the Texas weather was finally cool enough to spend a few hours outside. Since it was a wonderfully rainy day (if you don't live in central or south Texas, you can't imagine the significance of this!) I set up my easel on my front porch. This was a trial run for the equipment I'm planning to schlep to France with me next month, and it functioned very well.

Austin Visual Arts Association Juried Show

I finally submitted some pieces for the annual juried show that Austin Visual Arts Association holds at the Dougherty Arts Center. My painting, "The Man from the Valley" was selected for the show, a very eclectic mix of interesting works of art.

Willow with Gold

This painting of my daughter, Willow, seemed to come together on its own. The colors in the photo are a little off --- the background actually has more yellow tones and the green is not so blue.

Giclee prints available at http://connie-schaertl.artistwebsites.com/

Respite in the Old Spanish Governor's Garden

I painted this from a photo I took in the luxuriant garden of the Old Spanish Governor's Mansion in San Antonio. Since the city is home to many military bases, and the young man was so obviously in the military, I suspect that this was a poignant interlude before, after or between deployments.

Every Picture Tells a Story

One of my paintings was featured at this website: http://everyphototellsastory.blogspot.com/

You can add a story or poem or song to go with it.