Local Buildings by Commissions

I have been commissioned to draw two local homes. One is going to be torn down and the former owner wants to have a record of the home in which he grew up. He plans to make prints and give each family member a copy at Christmas. The second home is a flash back. I was asked to draw the home as it was during the childhood of some family members. I removed some large trees and moved some items around. I also removed the siding and replaced the old shingles. The third drawing is of a local business. The owner's family makes handmade frames and I hope we can offer them on the art website very soon. www.artbydavidanddonna.com.

Greenhouse Blues

In order to plant a garden from seeds, you have to get the seeds to sprout. So I’m told by Donna. Since this is easier to accomplish and can be started earlier in the year in a greenhouse, we purchased a greenhouse. We got it on line after much research and consideration. It was constructed of plastic walls and flexible supports. It was secured to the ground by tent like tie downs. Donna planted hundreds of seeds in many trays and placed them on shelves. She watered them and cared for them with motherly tenderness. Then the wind came. The greenhouse, though guaranteed to withstand high winds, does bend out of shape. When the top of the greenhouse was pushed to the side by the 40 mph wind, the shelves were displaced and the seed trays wound up on the dirt and the seed pots dispersed throughout the greenhouse. The labels Donna had placed in each pot were also strewn over the entire greenhouse area. Without the proper nameplates, the garden was difficult to plan. However, the garden turned out to be very productive and we enjoyed many and tasty vegetables throughout the season. Much credit is due to Donna for the great effort and prolific harvest. The greenhouse, on the other hand, did not make out so well. The Texas sun and wind took its toll. The crossbar on the west side of the greenhouse failed during a good wind. While we waited for the manufacturer to respond to our request for a new support, the plastic sleeves holding the supports dried out and ripped. The remaining supports were then allowed to spring forth from the plastic loops and protrude into the air. The greenhouse then collapsed. Before Donna loaded the pile of plastic and support junk into the truck, I drew this posted picture as a memorial to our first greenhouse experiment. Next time maybe we will use glass and steel. A good friend recommended a PVC pipe construction with two layers of plastic sheeting. However, I am not sure this will last through the Texas wind and sun either.

Garden

This is an image of our backyard. Donna has planted herbs and strawberries along the pool and fenced it from the rabbits. When we had the pool put in, only dust surrounded the pool and blew into the water. We had to brush the pool sides each day to help clear the water and keep the filters working properly. Now, the grass around the pool is thick and the herbs smell like perfume on the breeze. This is the perfect place to sit at sunset and enjoy the county quiet.

Basket of Pears

Our pear tree has been picked. We harvested about 50 pears and Donna is drying them for snacking. I put several into a small basket and added some peppers and beans for a small picture. I used a new technique for me, stippling. If you would like to see my webpage, please visit: www.artbydavidanddonna.com.

If you would like to learn more about stippling, there are many websites to visit. One I like is www.ehow.com/how_4452437_use-stippling-drawings.html. This site has instructions and tips.

Where the Pavement Ends

The road in front of our farmette is paved until you pass the driveway, then it turns to gravel. The traffic is light but we get cars, trucks and tractors. We live just west of several large farms and tractors are always pulling large, spidery looking, farm equipment. The type of equipment depends on the time of year and crop they are tending. The tractors are moving slowly and do not vary their speed as they pass the house. The trucks do not slow down for the transition from pavement to gravel, they just brace for the bumpy ride they are about to get. The cars, however, slow for the adventure ahead. Some even turn around in our driveway at the sight of the gravel extending in front of them for several miles.

Sometimes I stand on my front porch and watch the fields across this street. The farms are laid out in an uneven checkerboard pattern and run from south to north down into the small valley we overlook. In the spring, some of the squares are brown from the winter and some are the green of early winter wheat. Some fields are still brown from tilling and awaiting seeds to be planted. Others are yellow with uncut hay Farm houses dot the countryside and large round hay bales line the fences. In summer, the fields change color again. From the heat of the Texas summer sun, the milo turns a golden brown with reddish brown heads rising up over the leaves of the plant, nodding in the ever present breeze. The harvest begins in the fall and the farmers struggle to keep up with the work as time is short to complete the job. After the crop is in, the farmers have time to plan for winter and the cycle begins again.

As the road is in a transition and modifies the speed of the traffic and equipment passing the house, the speed of my life is also modified. I am now retired and have the time to do the things long put off because of a hectic fifty year career in high-tech sales. The trucks plunge ahead, the cars turn around and the tractors plod along: which do I follow? I think I’ll be a truck and dive into the opportunities now available to me on the road ahead. I am fortunate to be able to pick what I will do. Art, public service, hobby farming, or just reading the books I have set aside for so long. I have a place set up with an easy chair and lamp next to my book case for this occasion. I have a studio at the back of the house for drawing, painting or pottery. Of course the requisite refrigerator and TV are also there. I could help my wife with the greenhouse, the chickens or the horses if I am in a helpful mood.

This transition may be at the end of the pavement, but there is lots of gravel to go.

Old Barn and the Hot Corner

Two pictures I drew several months ago. The Old Barn is located on a back road between my gym where I workout three times a week and the mechanics shop of a friend where we sit and discuss the issues of the day. The shop has much charm. This is a drawing of the Hot Corner. Hot because the wood stove is located here.

Cold Corner and Farm Clothes

These two drawings represent two basic events in my day to day activities. The Cold Corner is located in the mechanics shop of my friend. Opposed to the Hot Corner where the stove is located, the Cold Corner is the location of two important items, the toilet and the soda machine. The second drawing is of several pieces of clothing I wear when working around the farmette.