Pursuing my passion

After being in Estes Park and Longmont, Colorado for the past 25 years my dad and his wife moved back to Texas this past year. It's great having them back and made celebrating his 85th birthday a little easier than when all the kids/grandkids flew into Colorado for his surprise 80th birthday party.

My sister and her family were the only ones that had to fly from Florida this go around - all the rest of us are within an hour and a half. His wife rented a restaurant in Athens, TX that is usually closed on Saturdays for the celebration. We all gathered and surprised him when he walked in and then after he was over the initial shock of the surprise and we were seated my sister and her family come in and he was shocked all over again. It was great fun!

After my dad retired he had many hobbies, one of which was working on old cars. He bought a 1929 Model A (same year he was born) and worked on the engine and some other parts over the years. I had tried to do an illustration about 10 yrs. back (before I started painting), but it never got completed - I knew it wasn't very good, but I didn't know enough to make it better. I had told him I was wanting to do a painting of it (used colored pencils), but I guess he finally gave up on the idea.

I decided to give it another go - this time in oils. It came together fairly quickly. I had always loved the view from their Estes Park home - wish I had been a plein air painter when they lived there. The painting shows him sitting in his driveway - I left out the house that was across the road and behind him. Anyway, I forgot to take a good photo of it before I framed it. Surprise #3 for my dad was his painting and yes, he loved it.