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We just returned from a glorious week painting in San Miguel de Allende. I rented a 6-bedroom villa in the heart of this charming Mexican colonial town. This area of Mexico was built around a Pre-Hispanic ceremonial center, which dates around the time of the Toltec empire (900-1100 A.D.) Today, the population is around 175,000 inhabitants, with expats making up about 10% of the residents. Foreigners flock to San Miguel not only because of the low cost of living and low crime rate, but also because of the year-round sunny weather. Houstonians love it here, as it's cool in the summer with highs around 75 and lows of 55...ahhh! The expats have contributed greatly to the city as well. Many of the lovely old homes and gardens are being redone by expats, and 83 NGOs are contributing (so far) over 2 million dollars to the community. This Painting trip, I was with 5 other painters and although we went out, the 3 levels of gardens at our house made it easy to paint there. Below are photos of some of the lovely gardens of San Miguel.

To experiment is not to take your work too seriously. Nothing is precious. You need to change your attitude. Take a risk! This summer I have given myself permission to Screw Up! Below is a pleinair I did at a ranch near Fredericksburg. It was pretty nice, but somehow I felt I wanted to try something else, so I threw a cloud passing by in the foreground. Just for the sake of contrast, how about making that hill not only darker but warmer. Wow! That certainly does change the whole look, doesn't it? Maybe it works, and maybe it doesn't, but how are you going to grow as an artist if you don't give it a go? How often do you risk Screwing up? Might I suggest Painting is a safe way to jump into the unknown?

The Outdoor Painters Society (OPS) is a wonderful National organization I have enjoyed being a member of for at least 10 years. They organize group Plein Air activities, mainly in Texas, year-round. Alas, I have not been a very active participant, as most of the year, I am teaching painting at my studio here in Houston. I do try to get out Plein Air painting in the summer, just Not in the Texas heat. This August, OPS is having a Members Only Show at the Navarro Council of the Arts in Corsicana, with about 700 entries, and I was notified that I got an Honorable Mention for the painting above, "Hollee's Farm". With only 6 awards out of 700 entries, I am feeling pretty good about this! Thanks so much for the honor.

When traveling and away from my studio, I usually paint small pleinair paintings as inspiration for larger paintings when I return. This year, however, after encouragement to "Steal from those I Admire," experimenting with different colors and values is a natural progression. The sketch above was painted from a photo I took near Fredericksburg, but I changed the colors to pastels and lightened the overall value except for the ciders in the foreground. The "Tonalist Painters" started a technique of limited color palette, often in a high key, in America from about 1880 to 1920 as a reaction to the bright colors of the Impressionists and Fauvism. The Fauves used bold, non-realistic colors and simplified forms. I am experimenting with "Stealing" from both schools, and I must say it's lots of fun! The Russian School of painting, which I admire, is also experimenting with this idea. There's nothing "New" under the sun, just new to me. ART comes from ART.