Happy Birthday, Carole

My mother is Carole McIntosh Sikes, and her birthday was yesterday.  If you know her, you will agree that she is multi-talented.  She's an accomplished painter (the first women to gain an MFA from the University of Texas, Austin).  Some of her paintings may be found here: http://sikesart.com/carole/nature/index.html  Also, she has written and published a history of her neck of the woods called Hudson Bend and the Birth of Lake Travis.  

It's available at http://www.amazon.com/Hudson-Bend-Birth-Lake-Travis/dp/1626196672
and also in Austin at the Tarrytown Pharmacy, the Oasis Restaurant, and Barnes and Noble Bookstore.

Since I always enjoy seeing process in others' work, I will show you a 'during' and an 'after' of one of this week's paintings:

The unfinished painting is much more exciting to me both because of the red under-color, and because of the way the twigs look, scratched out of the wet sky paint. The final image represents what I saw as we walked one of the trails at Mesa Verde National Park.  I wish I could get the best of both in one painting...I'll just have to keep seeking that elusive goal!