Well, I’ve started running out the gate for 2020 and have 5 new eBay artwork auction pieces that need a new home!
You can access the auction pieces from my profile page or here.
Here’s a preview of theses gems! I also do commission pieces!
It’s hard to believe that the year 2020 is now here. So here’s my 2019 year in review.
The biggest change was moving from West Texas to North East Texas and being without a studio for a time. Although I now have a dedicated space it’s still unfinished. Some art stuff is still boxed up. At least the basic necessities to paint are out, which goes to show you don’t always have to have the perfect paint set up to work. It just needs to be functional.
Looking back 2019 was the year for my Byron Signature work doing small 8×10’s. Well, looking back I did 52 of them! I think only one from 2019 is still up for auction on eBay along with 4 new Byron works. You can see what’s available on my profile.
I thought you might enjoy seeing all 52 artworks in this 2019 year in review of these little gems.
One of my first paintings although not bluebonnets at sunrise was still a bluebonnet painting nonetheless and over the years I’ve never tired of painting them. If practice makes perfects, then I’ve had a lot of practice. A gallery owner who has specialized in selling theses favored blue Texas flowers told me I was one of the best bluebonnet painters living. I appreciate that.
With such a subject that has been painted frequently not only by me and other artists, it can be a challenge to represent them differently. After all they grow in a region known for oak trees and hills, so there’s going to be repetition.
So, here’s a scene with a slightly different color scheme than some I’ve painted even though the elements of oak trees, hills and bluebonnets are the same. I hope you enjoy the glowing sun casting it’s first rays as the day begins to awake from its sleep upon a field of azure notes.
“Bluebonnets at Sunrise” can be purchased through my eBay auction that will begin Sunday October 6th, 2019 6pm pacific time and ends October 13th. When live, you can access the auction by logging into your eBay account and then visiting this page to view active items. Hope you win!
So when does art become priceless? Recently a combination including one of my paintings, tropical storm Imelda and a comment from a client gave added meaning and answer to the question.
First, when you think of something as being priceless it generally means you can’t put a monetary value on the item under consideration. In art, you might call to mind something purchased for X millions of dollars by some museum or extremely wealthy individual and let’s face it, puts something like that out of reach for most of us. Thus, you might consider it a priceless work of art. On the other hand it could be something of insignificant monetary value, but priceless to you. Perhaps a masterpiece drawing done by your child given to you as a gift. You treasure it and would never think of discarding or parting with it even if it looked like a Picasso that was done while blindfolded.
A very touching scenario came about when one of my eBay clients won a recent painting. It so happened that it coincided that the painting was shipped and en route when tropical storm Imelda hit the South East Texas area inundating the region with torrential amounts of rain. Concerned for his welfare and family, I sent a message. My client’s reply was touching and gave a new perspective on the piece he purchased. The following is an excerpt.
“Thanks my friend. It has been a tough 24 hrs. I live on a hill in between the border of Labelle and Fannett TX. Fannett registered 32” of rain. All my neighbors were flooded except 2, they share the same hill that we are on. My sons friend who lives on the other side of the road, (name withheld) was killed this morning, trying to rescue some horses. A downed power line got him. It’s been a real sad time with all this. I have a neighbor that has throat cancer, we got him out, he is real fragile, it took about 7 hrs, but he is safe now in LA. (Louisiana) I did take some time, and had a reflection on that painting. I keep a screen shot of my favorite paintings. This one that I won is my all time favorite, because it’s like the area I grew up in, by Enchanted Rock, very similar to scenery on Crabapple Road in Gillespie County. I found a slice of solace looking at the photograph of the painting. Thanks, that is what your art is capable of doing.”
Once mail delivery was able to be resumed and the painting arrived he said: ” I received your painting today. It was unbelievable as expected. Today was the first day we received mail since the storm. It was a great surprise. Thanks for everything and look forward to seeing more of your painting in the future.”
This is the painting we are talking about called “Sky Drama.”
It would seem that in this instance my art brought something you can’t put a price tag on. I so much appreciated his sharing his feelings. I’m honored.
Chasing color and capturing it has in many ways been elusive for many trying to paint. Further it’s been a course of intense study for a very long time including the artistic and science side to it with many opinions. Recently, I came across an old book published in 1895 or so, that was written for teachers on color study. My how the English language has changed since then! Despite the wordiness, it got me to thinking on the subject of color once again and thought I’d share some insights gained from 41 years of painting.
Color perception and taste is personal. No two people likely see colors in the same way and artists have their favorite paints and often no two have the same exact palette. Color preference is seen in other areas. As an example, take shopping for a neck tie. Pick any tie and someone will love the colors in it, while another wouldn’t want to be caught dead wearing it. Yes, color is personal. Likely you can harmonize your tastes in clothing and its accessories and even in your home furnishings and decor. So it goes with painting. Artist’s works can often be recognized by their use of color, not just technique or subject matter. Someone may like the color scheme chosen, while others hate it. That’s how it is. What’s important for an artist regardless of preference is simply to learn to mix and duplicate the appearance of colors they see and then put them in the right place in their painting.
We really don’t need to know the science of how we see color. Be happy that you can, even if your vision isn’t the same as others. It brings variety, but you can develop your color sense to a higher degree through practice and careful observation.
First you need a set of colors that will give you a good vivid representation of the 12 hues on a color wheel. For that I list the following as primary colors.
These colors differ from what one normally considers as primary colors because those do not produce a full spectrum. The above colors are similar to the hues of printing inks of yellow, cyan and magenta. Although these produce a fairly vivid color wheel when mixed, we need to remember these are not inks being printed which are made up of little dots and visually combined to see a color. Therefore, I prefer to have tubed colors that approximate the secondary colors.
Using a tubed color instead of mixing a secondary color will give a more intense color and it will also give more intense intermediate colors when mixed with the primary colors. To lower the brightness of a color, instead of using its compliment you can mix a gray of roughly half black and half raw umber. To tint the color add white. For further explanations you may wish to read my other article on how to choose a color palette. Hope these suggestions will help in chasing color and capturing it.
Here’s a variety of paintings up for auction on eBay featuring different color schemes.
Morning Light at the Pond 10×8 oil by Byron
To have a chance at placing a winning bid, first sign into your eBay account and then visit my profile page. You’ll see what other paintings are also available. Auction end dates are variable.
Another way to find my listings while logged in, is using eBay’s search feature and typing in “Nature landscape oil painting” in parenthesis and it will likely return results for my work.
Colorful Creek 8×10 oil by Byron
Color in the Canyon
Arizona Vista 8×10 oil by Byron
Thanks for reading!
Whenever I think of a vintage Texas oil painting, several artists come to mind, such as Porfirio Salinas, Robert Wood and some early paintings by G. Harvey.
Painting by Porfirio Salinas
I enjoy looking at their works as it evokes the mood of an unmarred landscape and Texas imagery at its finest.
For me I also strive to evoke a similar mood and give a vintage feel to some recent impressionist works under my “Byron” signature. Two of which are up for auction on eBay.
Spring Evening 8×10 oil by Byron copyright 2019
This painting recently sold for a nice high bid on eBay. The sunset behind the tree provides some drama and the gentle steam providing a restful mood.
A commissioned Byron painting of bluebonnets 8×10
The following auctions will be ending soon. You can access them through my profile page.
Texas Vintage 8×10 oil by Byron copyright 2019
Rocks and Flowers 8×10 oil by Byron copyright 2019
Hope you enjoyed viewing these Texas vintage inspired oil paintings.
Recently I was able to experience a change of subject matter from my Texas themed works for an oil painting commission of Boynton Pass, a location near Sedona, Arizona.
The following photo was provided for inspiration. However, there were a couple of requests, including a canvas size of 30×46 and then removing the highway and making more of a path and finally adding a century plant on the left.
Boynton, Pass near Sedona, Arizona
The end result is the “Majestic Red Rocks of Boynton Pass.”
Majestic Red Rocks of Boynton Pass by William Hagerman copyright 2019 (Commissioned Painting)
This was a fun painting to do and a nice diversion. My client was very well pleased and the painting will be featured in a special spot in his new home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
If you have a special photo that you would liked to have painted, please contact me.
You can visit my Commissions Page for more info.
I was recently able to experience the plein air painting benefits when coming upon an old red barn in a field full of red clover flowers. It simply could not be passed up. Below you can see my pochade box for plein air (out of doors) painting and my subject matter behind.
Plein air painting pochade box and view of scene
Red Barn and Red Clover 8×10 oil by Byron
This painting with its easy title (Red Barn and Red Clover) will also be up for auction on eBay. It’ll end May 7th. You can access the auction from my profile page.
Bidding started at only .99 cents!
So what are the benefits of painting out of doors, versus working from a photo? Simply put, photos lie compared to what your own eyes can see. Camera’s are a distortion of reality. Although I find it essential in recording details and the fact it’s not always possible or practical to paint at some locations. However, painting from life increases your understanding of color, light and values more so than anything else. You also become aware of a camera’s limitations and how to work work with those limitations.
But, what if you don’t have the desire or it’s not practical to paint on location? Try taking just your paints, and mixing the colors you see and make notes in a journal. Sort of a color chart. Of course take a photo to remind you of your scene or do a pencil sketch… or both. So get out and give it a try! It’ll lend authenticity to your work.
If you need plein air painting supplies, here’s a link to Judson’s Art Outfitters. I purchased the 9×12 Guerilla Box years ago and it’s still going strong.
Nostalgic Bluebonnets 8×10 oil by Byron copyright 2019
I was feeling a little bit nostalgic for a classic view of one of my favorite flowers to include in my landscape paintings. (Bluebonnets!)
Days of Spring 8×10 oil painting by Byron copyright 2019
Now living in North East Texas, it’s been enjoyable to see a variety of trees and flowers not previously encountered. In several areas there were flowering Dogwood and wisteria growing up along fences and even up into the trees. Not to mention fields and fields of yellow flowers. So I decided to combine all three. Hope you enjoy these latest 3 Byron paintings!
Well, Spring is definitely here in North East Texas. My allergies can attest to that. But, the season has also inspired three new springtime eBay oil paintings all based on actual locations.
This current auction will end Sunday April 7th starting at 6pm Pacific or 8pm Central Time. You can click the link below the painting to go directly to the auction. Starting bid is only $49. It’s a great price for an original painting on linen panel and the small size means they can just about fit anywhere and in any decor!
While riding as a passenger I saw a glimpse of a red bud tree in bloom. There was no disappointment upon returning to further investigate the scene. Although the asphalt pavement was converted to a dirt road.
Thanks to zoom camera lenses I was able to capture this distant view of a graceful tree with new leaves. I found it to be a restful and relaxing scene.
Some of the county roads in this new wonderful area I get to explore are definitely rewarding with subject matter. This old barn was almost not even noticed as there was another larger barn closer in view. However, this one was already situated in a natural artistic composition.
I hope you enjoy these new Springtime eBay oil paintings. The painting “Off the Beaten Path” will soon be an oil painting tutorial here on the blog so you can see the order in which it was painted. Until then. Thanks!
After 36 years living in West Texas, we undertook a big change in moving to North East Texas settling in a small community about 100 miles north east of Dallas. My what a change this has been. However, for an artist, it’s such a beautiful area that has plenty of subject matter. Now I have plenty of new inspiration for my art work.
So after an absence for a time, I’m back to doing some painting and wanted to share my latest eBay auction featuring six of my Byron Signature works of some north east Texas Landscape Oil Paintings.
Here they are: Click on a title to go directly to the auction. Bidding Starts at $49. However, there’s one among the group that starts at only a penny! 🙂 The auction ends Sunday March 3rd between 6pm and 6:30 pm Pacific Time and 8pm 8:30pm central.
I appreciate you taking a look. Hope you win a painting!
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