Last plein air painting before going back to school.

Tip Toe Through The Garden
5 x 7
oil on canvas panel

    I painted out in the Dallas Arboretum on Sunday, It was a great place to paint. This was my final opportunity to paint out before school started on Monday and I loved it. I'll still paint out as often as I can. To me nothing beats painting outdoors, even in the heat of summer.
    To see more of my works check douglasbclark.blogspot.com or douglasbclark.com.

"Back To School" by Ann Rogers

9 x 12

oil on stretched canvas

Our children will be headed back to school in a week or two so be sure to slow down for kids riding bikes and skateboards or walking to and from school. This was painted from a photo of my first granddaughter when she was just starting to ride her tricycle. She's starting to high school in another week, where has the time gone? 

Chalk It Up...a collaborative piece of artwork

Chalk It Up

48" x 48" Collaborative Mixed Media on Gallery Wrap Canvas

This is stretching the theme of "Back In School".....but a new box of Crayolas always brings back memories of going out and getting school supplies. This piece was a fun and interesting project for me....it was originally exhibited at the McKinney Aveue Contemporary for the membership show. The theme was "Fifteen". The artists are Charles William (Faciall) and myself. I met Charles through the Stewpot Art Program where I volunteer, and we thought it would be fun to work on a piece together...from start to finish. We discussed several different ideas, and one day Charles found a plastic bucket of fifteen colorful chalks. We took them outside on blistering day, and had a photograph session and played with the chalk on the hot concrete in the 105 degree Texas heat. So we had our inspiration and a reference photograph to work from.

We wanted to create something that was fun and exciting. Charles is a very talented artist who works in acrylics...and I needed to adapt to the acrylics since it had been years since I painted in acrylics. I love my oils. Anyway, we got a 48" x 48" canvas and started painting...we had to talk about it all...usually Charles and I sit down in front of the canvas and the art just pours out. We really don't discuss it...but we both needed to make sure that what we were dong was alright with the other. Soon the piece became mixed media and we added chalk and pastels to the paint to give it a chalky effect.

This collaboration was a great experience for both of us. I think we learned alot about art and about ourselves. We exchanged our views on painting methods and techniques, and exchanged conversation about our daily lives. Charles is a an extremely gifted artist, and unique individual. It was an honor to paint with Charles on this canvas. I would encourage you to visit the First Presbyterian Church of Dallas Stewpot website:http://thestewpot.org/art.asp. The Open Art Studio is a community outreach serving the at-risk populations of Dallas. It is open to all people looking for an environment to express and create through the medium of art. Currently, this piece is hanging at Royal Lane Baptist Church.