Plans, maps, and gasoline

I am almost ready to leave for the
show. As any woman knows, there
are only 300 things I have to take
care of before I can leave! Between
the husband, the goldfish, the 3 kittens,
(Huey, Dewey, and Louie); the
business and personnel schedules,
not to mention getting all the artwork
loaded, I am a little stressed!

When I signed up to do this show,
I was not able to do another show
that I have done for the last 5 years.
So, Saturday, I ran up to Shreveport
to see some of my vendor friends at the
Red River Revel. It was pretty weather,
and there were great crowds, so they
will probably do pretty well.

I will try to post some work while
I am in San Antonio. I am planning to
paint on location a couple of days
before the show. Thanks for sticking
with me through this journey...it has
been fun. I will continue doing some
art of the day when I return.

Packing up

I leave to go do the show in San Antonio in a
couple of days. I am not painting tonight,
but pricing and packing instead. I have
decided to take this painting. (no, it is not
the San Antonio river?!) I took my painting
group to Italy a year ago, and this is one of
the watercolors from the trip. I have 3 or
4 of these scenes that I am going to take to
the show. They will mix in nicely with the
other work.
We traveled to Vencie, Florence, and Rome.
Vencie was my favorite, but I loved them
all. I will post another couple of Italy
paintings before I leave.

Venice Canal orig watercolor framed
16 x 20 $350.00
www.peapatchgallery.com
sheltongail@hotmail.com

Cathedral

This is part of the cathedral in downtown
Santa Fe. (I know it's not in San Antonio,
but it still is Spanish architecture!) When
I go to San Antonio next week, I plan to
try to paint some of the churches there.
There are some beautiful ones. I especially
love the Catholic church building that is in
the middle of the downtown department
store (it used to be Joske's...I think it is
Macy's now). The church would not sell
out to the store, so they built around it.
I believe the church is St. Joseph's. I
want to paint it while I am there.

Santa Fe Cathedral 7 x 10 $45.00

I am an artist using this blog to post artwork that I am
completing each day for various shows and exhibitions.
The older work on the blog is from Alaska and Key West.
The current work is for a show in my hometown of San
Antonio in October. If you are interested in any of the
pieces, they are all for sale, and you can email me with
any questions. Thanks so much for viewing.

www.peapatchgallery.com sheltongail@hotmail.com

Beyond Repair

Another

old

truck..I

think

this one

is

beyond

repair.

Since I

turned

fifty, I have felt a little beyond repair! I have aches

and pains I have never had; I had my eyes checked

today, and they are worse, so new glasses and contacts

have been ordered; and I am going to have to

have some surgery later this year. At least maybe

I can be repaired in some ways...not like this poor

truck!

Beyond Repair orig watercolor 7 x 10 $40.00

I use this blog to post art work that I complete each

day for various shows and exhibits. There is work

from trips to Key West and Alaska on earlier posts,

and the current pieces are for a show in San Antonio

in October. All of the work is for sale, and if you

see something you like, you can email me. Thanks

so much for viewing. I love your comments and

remarks.

www.peapatchgallery.com sheltongail@hotmail.com

Road Warrior

Another old truck...I sold two today, and had to replace
them! People seem to love the nostalgia of these
road warriors. I guess they speak of simpler times,
and a slower pace. I've had people tell me they
remind them of their grandfather or dad.

We have an old truck in our shop. It belonged
to my brother's father-in-law. It is a 1959
Ford, and we just love it. They had to dismantle
it to bring it in the door. Then they put it back
together like a giant puzzle. Right now, I have
all of my flower paintings displayed in the bed
of the truck...it's a "flower bed". Anyway, we
have lots of fun decorating the wonderful old
warrior.

Road Warrior orig watercolor 7 x 10 $40.00
www.peapatchgallery.com
sheltongail@hotmail.com

Poppies

This is
a
watercolor
of some
yellow
poppies
that I
painted
from a
photograph
that I
took at the
wildflower
farm outside
of Johnson
City.

I went in
the spring,
and it is really something to see. They have
huge fields of several different kinds of
flowers. The main building and greenhouse
are lovely, and they sell all manner of gardening
items. But the blooming flowers are the real
attraction. Acres of red, yellow and purple...
color so intense it is breathtaking.

If you are in the area, you need to plan a trip.
It is 7 miles east of Fredericksburg on Hwy
290. It is called Wildseed Farm. worth the
trip...

Yellow Poppies orig watercolor 7 x 11 $40.00
http://www.peapatchgallery.com/ sheltongail@hotmail.com

Pepper power

Growing up in San Antonio, you could eat
a lot of hot food! I never really learned
to like it, but I had a lot of friends and
family who did. My sister-in-law
eats jalepenas on everything, and
when she was expecting, she ate them
even more.

This is just a fun little watercolor
of some peppers.

Peppers orig watercolor 5 x 7
$15.00
www.peapatchgallery.com
sheltongail@hotmail.com

Beep, Beep!

These funny

roadrunners are

all over Texas.

I have even seen

some of them

near my home in

the piney woods of

north Louisiana.

They say they are

not very good fliers,

but they make

up for if with their

speed on the

ground. I know

that they eat

snakes, and that

makes them heroes

in my book.

Roadrunner orig watercolor 9 x 7

SOLD

http://www.peapatchgallery.com/

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Just an old goat

This is a Boer goat. They are originally from South Africa. They are
bred for meat production, and they also produce milk. I have been
seeing more and more of these goats on farms here in Louisiana and
Texas. They have comical expressions and behavior. I often see
them climbing on typical farm objects like bales of hay, tractors,
fences. I love to watch the baby goats; they are always so playful.

I've already mentioned that we spent some time on a friend's ranch
when I was growing up. They had Spanish goats, and they were
adorable. We were there one summer, and there was an orphaned
baby goat that the rancher was bottle-feeding. What a treat for a
city kid...to get to feed that baby goat. Then, he would follow me
wherever I went. The rancher kept telling my Dad, "I think Gail
needs to take that goat home." Well, he won that battle, and we
loaded up that baby goat, and headed to the suburbs of San
Antonio. We had a big backyard, and kept him out there. I named
him "Friskee", and we were big buddies. I would walk him around
the neighborhood just like a dog, and he would bleat at the neighbors.
I am sure they thought we were all crazy. Well, we only got to keep
the goat about 2 weeks. He got into my mother's flowers, and made
a real mess, and she said he had to go. We gave him away to some
friends in the country, and my days as a livestock owner came to a
close.

I did another painting of a goat one time, and I titled it; "George".
A woman came in the gallery, picked up that painting, and said she
had to have it. Puzzled, because goat paintings don't exactly fly
out of the gallery, I asked her why she felt such a connection to that
painting. She said her husband's name was George, and she always
referred to him as an "old goat". Who knew!?

"Gracie" original watercolor 6 x 9 $35.00 SOLD
http://www.peapatchgallery.com/ sheltongail@hotmail.com

Hill Country Blues

Growing up in San Antonio,

we were right on the edge

of the hill country. I spent

a lot of time there, and still

think it is some of the most

beautiful scenery there is.

Kerrville and Fredericksburg

are two of my favorite places.

And there is nothing more

breath-taking in the spring than the

carpets of bluebonnets

spread across the countryside.

Whenever I go home, I try to at least drive through some of the hill country. I enjoy

the wildflowers and the vistas, the cattle and the whitetail deer. I am looking forward

to passing that way again soon.

Hill Country Blues orig watercolor 8 x 10 $45.00

www.peapatchgallery.com sheltongail@hotmail.com

I am an artist who uses this blog to post my art completed each day for upcoming

shows and exhibitions. There is work on this blog for a show featuring work for

a show titled: "From Palms to Pines: Work from Key West and Alaska" There is

also work for an upcoming show in San Antonio in October. All of the pieces are

for sale, and you can contact me if you are interested. Thanks so much for viewing.

Rooster Cogburn

Another little watercolor study of a rooster.

I always make a trip to our local parish Fair
every fall. The children enter their roosters,
chickens. ducks, geese, rabbits, pigs, and
cows. It is a treat for a photographer like me.
I am able to get a wealth of reference photos
of all kinds of wonderful animals, up close,
and still!

Rooster Cogburn orig watercolor 5 x 5
$20.00
www.peapatchgallery.com sheltongail@hotmail.com

Armadillo fun

Didn't feel like painting anything serious tonight. These little
animals are such a "Texas" thing. I have seen all kinds of
images of them.

When I was growing up, we used to spend some time in the hill
country on a friend's ranch. Armadillos were everywhere.
My brother and I had a system for catching them. When
we spotted one rooting around, he would circle around and
find the armadillo's hole or den. Then he would fill it up or
block it with something. Then the chase was on. We would
both run after him, and of course, he would run for his
home. Not being able to get in, we would be able to run
him down, grab his tail, and catch him. I don't really
know why we wanted to?! But then, we would let him
go. It must have been the thrill of the chase! A lot like
life!!

Armadillo orig watercolor 5 x 7 $15.00

"Gregory Peck"

I have painted dozens of roosters over

the years. They never seem to go out

of style. We had roosters in our

kitchen growing up, and I have them

in my kitchen today.

They have such an attitude. If you have

ever watched one, they really know they

are in charge, and that they are beautiful.

"Gregory Peck" original watercolor

7 x 10 $40.00 SOLD

http://www.peapatchgallery.com/

sheltongail@hotmail.com

I am an artist working on paintings and drawings to be entered in various shows.

On this blog you will find work for a show titled: "From Palms to Pines" featuring

work from my trips to Key West and Alaska. There is also work for a show in

San Antonio in October: the River Art Group show in La Villita. All the pieces are

for sale unless marked "sold". Thanks so much for viewing. Leave me a comment;

I love to hear your thoughts.

A truck of a different color

I took a workshop a couple of years ago that really
stressed the use of color. The teacher, Ken Hosmer,
wanted us to paint with colors that were expressive,
and not limited to local color (the actual color of the
object or scene). His paintings are very colorful, and
I am sure if you look him up, you can find some
examples.

This is another of the old trucks that I love to paint.
This one is not actually in Texas, but near my home
in Louisiana. It is not actually these colors either!
It is a nice even rust color all over. I enjoyed painting
this expressive colorful version.

Old Truck original watercolor 9 x 11 $60.00
www.peapatchgallery.com sheltongail@hotmail.com

Bluebonnet

If you were raised in Texas, I know that you have
some photos somewhere in a drawer of you sitting in
a field of bluebonnets. You might have on your Easter
outfit (if the timing was right, and they were blooming
at Easter) or you might just be in a t-shirt and shorts.
I can remember driving up to the hill country several
times to pose in the blankets of blue flowers. We were
told not to pick them, of course, because someone would
come and take us to jail.

I took my painting group to Salado last spring to paint
some bluebonnets. We stayed a few days and had a great
time. The most fun we had was at the Topsey Exotic
Ranch, a drive-thru wildlife experience. We had a camel
saunter over to the car and stick his head all the way
in the window, and snatch the bags of animal feed right
out of our laps. We were so shocked and we laughed so
hard. If you ever get a chance to go, roll up your windows
around the camel.

I have painted lots of these small watercolors of
bluebonnets and will have some at the show.

Bluebonnet original watercolor 5 x 7 $20.00
www.peapatchgallery.com sheltongail@hotmail.com

As time goes by....

This old truck is
on the highway
that I take to
drive to San
Antonio from
my home in
Louisiana. I
always look
forward to
seeing if it is
still there.



I photographed it not long ago, and did this small watercolor
tonight. I think the old automobiles have such character.
If they could talk, what stories they could tell.

I will watch to see if it is still rusting when I drive to
San Antonio in a couple of weeks.

Old Truck original watercolor 8 x 6 $40.00 SOLD
http://www.peapatchgallery.com/ sheltongail@hotmail.com

Hark!

Every year at Christmas, I design and print a
Christmas t-shirt. I have been working on
this idea, and I think this will be it. I think I
will just print it with black on a white shirt.
I have people that collect them, and buy one
every year. This one ought to be fun for them.

Back to painting Texas tomorrow.

Barn

There are old
barns all over
Texas.

One of my mother's
best friends was
an artist, and she
influenced me
greatly. She
painted a lot of
barns. I always
loved them. As a
wedding gift, she
let me pick out one
of her paintings. I selected a great landscape with a wonderful old
barn. It is a wonderful reminder of her and the example she always
was to me. I can only hope that I have influenced other young artists
along my journey.

Texas Barn #1 original watercolor 9 x 6 $40.00
www.peapatchgallery.com sheltongail@hotmail.com

On a mission

This is San Jose, one
of the missions in
San Antonio. I
visited several
years ago, and
photographed it.

This small
watercolor will
be for sale at the
River Art Show
in La Villita in
San Antonio in
early October.





San Jose original watercolor 6 x 10 $35.00

Prickly Pear

These cactus grow all over Texas
and are in yards in San Antonio. My dad, tired of
mowing the lawn, always threatened to get rid of
all the grass, haul in some rocks, plant some cactus,
and just have a rock garden surrounding the
house. (My mom would just roll her eyes...)

I have painted lots of versions of these pretty
flowers. I like the contrast between the thorns
and petals, the flat leaves and the fluffy flowers.

"Prickly Pear" orig watercolor 6 x 8 $25.00
sheltongail@hotmail.com sheltongail@hotmail.com

Remember the Alamo

When you grow up in a city where there is such an
icon of history, you would think that you would
at least grow up visiting it. I didn't go to the Alamo
until I was about 13, and I think it was with a
school trip. My parents didn't go downtown ( we
lived out in the suburbs ). Anyway, everyone always
tells me the same thing: they didn't know it was
going to be surrounded by so many downtown
buildings. It is right in the middle of the hustle
and bustle of the city, and it is actually very small.

I worked at the Alamo the summer after high
school, before I went to college. I did not actually
work for the Alamo; I worked for a company
across the street that showed a film about the
story of the battle, etc. They hired nice, young
teenagers to stand in front of the Alamo, and
encourage visitors to buy a ticket to the movie.
We were very deceptive; everyone thought we
worked for the Alamo! We were dressed in
cowboy attire, and greeted them as they
approached the front of the building. We
pointed out all the features of the grounds,
and then told them, they could catch the film
across the street, to fill them in on all the details.
It usually worked, and we were rewarded with
bonuses if we met our quota!

I met people from all over the world. Most of
them wanted to see where John Wayne died.
(they had at least watched that movie) It was
too hard to explain that they had used a movie
set out in West Texas...so we would always tell
them, "right over there". Many an oriental
tourist took their picture with me standing on
the spot where John Wayne died. oh well....

Remember the Alamo orig watercolor 7 x 10
$35.00 SOLD
http://www.peapatchgallery.com/
sheltongail@hotmail.com

Mission San Jose Rose Window

This is a little watercolor sketch of the rose window at
Mission San Jose. The missions are all located fairly
close together on the south side of San Antonio. I had
never visited them until a few years ago when I took
my painting group to paint and photograph them. They are
all beautiful old buildings, and excellent examples of this
type of architecture.

I plan to visit this mission again the week of the show,
and paint on location there.

Rose Window orig watercolor 6 x 10 $25.00

Riverwalk

How many times has it been me sitting under those
umbrellas? I love the Riverwalk, and I have eaten
in those restaurants a lot.

I have set up in this same spot a couple of times,
and painted this scene, and sold the paintings
to tourists walking by. I plan to do it again when
I am in town before the art show on Oct 5 & 6.

I hope if you have been to San Antonio, that you
have gotten to spend some time along the river.
It is a special place, and I have many fond memories
of times spent along its' banks. I had a few dates
during high school that involved strolls along the river.
My husband and I spent our honeymoon night in
the Hilton right on the river. I have taken my
painting class to my hometown, and we have
laughed and made memories right here in this
spot. And whenever I go home, I always spend
time with my family downtown in this beautiful
place. I hope you get to make the trip sometime
soon!

Riverwalk original watercolor 11 x 14 $150.00

El Mercado

One of my favorite places is El Mercado(the market) in
downtown San Antonio. It is a covered market similar
to those in Mexico. It has an outdoor plaza, and several
great restaurants. It is pretty touristy now, and sells all
the favorites: paper flowers, pinatas, blown glass, carved
onyx animals and fruit, crosses, embroidered clothing, and
silver jewelry. I love looking at all that stuff, and I always
find something to buy.

I have a whole collection of Mexican nativity sets. They
make pottery ones, metal ones, wooden ones, and some
carved into gourds, brass ones, etc. Every timeI visit the
market, I find another one for my collection.

Another favorite place at El Mercado is the world famous
Mi Tierra restaurant. It is one of the best Mexican food
places in town. It is open 24 hours a day, and has the
most wonderful Mexican bakery. You have to take a number
to be served in the bakery (it is that busy..) but it is always
worth the wait. When people ask me what to see and do
in San Antonio, I always recommend a stop at Mi Tierra's.

This is a painting of the building that houses the restaurant,
and part of the plaza. It is a colorful, bustling place, filled
with music, shopping, and great food.

El Mercado orig watercolor 11 x 14 $150.00 SOLD
http://www.peapatchgallery.com/ sheltongail@hotmail.com

San Antonio bound

I was born and raised in San Antonio. I lived there for 21 years
before I married my husband, Steve, and moved to Louisiana.
I have been in Louisiana almost 30 years, but San Antonio is still
home. I still have family there and lots of friends, and I try to
go home once a year.

When I do go home, I love to do all the tourist things. When I
lived there, you didn't really do all that (unless you had out of
town company, and then you took them). I didn't go to the
Alamo until I was about 13. And I just went to all the missions
a couple of years ago.

I am looking forward to this show in San Antonio. I have never
done a show there before. I plan to do alot of San Antonio and
Texas subjects, and hope they will be well received ( and
purchased!). The show will be in La Villita Oct 5 & 6.

On the River original watercolor 11 x 14 $150.00
www.peapatchgallery.com sheltongail@hotmail.com

"Big, broad land way up yonder"

This is a watercolor of a glacier by a lake where we stopped
during the trip. It was quite cold standing by the water, and
there was a cool breeze as well. The water in the lake was
the most beautiful turquoise, and the air was crisp. I think
this is the type of scenery one has in mind when they think
of Alaska.

I found this beautiful poem by Robert Service:

"It's the great, big, broad land way up yonder.
It's the forests where silence has lease.
It's the beauty that thrills me with wonder.
It's the stillness that fills me with peace."

I am going to take a break from painting for the "Palms to Pines"
show for awhile. I have a show to do in San Antonio in one month, and
I am going to be working on some things for it. I will share
them on this site as well. I grew up in San Antonio, and this is
the first show I have done there. I am excited about painting
my hometown, and hope to do well at the show, the River Art
Group show in La Villita Oct 5 & 6. I hope you have enjoyed
this journey through palms and pines as much as I have. Stay
posted for more "art of the day." Thanks for viewing.

Glacier Lake original watercolor 10 x 12 $100.00

In the Shadow of His wings

This is another one of my finished colored pencil drawings that will
be included in the Palms to Pines show. I love flamingos;
they are such graceful and gawky birds all at the same time. They
get their name from the Latin word for "flame". In the wild,
they live 20 years; in captivity, they can live up to 50. Adults are
about 5 feet tall and weigh 6-7 pounds. Their webbed feet support
them on the mud. What we think are their ankles are actually their
knees. They live in large colonies in the wild and are very social.
Both parents take part in the nest building which is a mud mound
around two feet tall and 12-20 inches in diameter. They usually lay
a single egg. They are very defenseless, and usually fly away for
protection.

I have written a scripture on this drawing: "Keep me in the
shadow of Your wings."

"In the Shadow of His Wings" original colored pencil 22 x 30
$750.00 http://www.peapatchgallery.com/ sheltongail@hotmail.com

Swan Lake

This is a pair of tundra swans that I drew with colored
pencil a couple of years ago. The original is large, 22 x 30,
and it took me a couple of months to finish it. I can only
draw about two hours a day, and water patterns like this
are very tedious. I used a photograph that I purchased
the rights to from a photographer in Alaska. The original
is sold, but I do have it in print. I will put one of the prints
in the "Palms to Pines" show.

Swan Lake 9 x 12 print $45.00 22 x 30 print $150.00
www.peapatchgallery.com sheltongail@hotmail.com