Thursday, December 22, 2016

Texas Gold by Bruce Bingham



Texas Gold
12 x 16  oil by Bruce Bingham


I put together a 30 second video showing a
step by step progression of this painting in process.
 hope you enjoy it!



If you need to do a little last minute shopping or just want
something for yourself don't forget to visit the
Castle Gallery Holiday Show on line.


Thanks for following along and 
Happy Holidays!


Thursday, December 8, 2016

WAOW National Juried Show

Last weekend I went to the WAOW National Juried Show
at the RS Hanna Gallery in Fredricksburg.
Friday morning we were able to get in a short paintout
before it started pouring rain for the rest of the weekend.

But it did little to dampen our spirits and we carried on nicely,
all snug and warm in the beautiful gallery,
watching Nancy Boren's demo.
This was my first show with WAOW
(Women Artist's of the West)
and it was more fun that I can tell you in this blog post.
A great group of friendly and supportive artists.

Later on Saturday a group of us gathered in the warmest room and
did dueling demos:









And me.
Just click on the names above to see more of their work!

Here's my demo of a jazz musician at the
Continental Club in Austin.

We even had time for a little creative window shopping between down pours.


And Maren Phillip's Texas size breakfast
with an astonishing amount of butter!

 You can see Maren's work here.

If you'd like to view the prize winners or the entire show
you can do so by clicking here.

Thanks for following along!






Monday, November 28, 2016

Bruce Bingham Sedona Art Prize Finalist

Bucket List
by Bruce Bingham
12 x 12 plein air oil

There is so much I have to be grateful for and recently I've been
feeling extra lucky.
I was so honored and fortunate to become a finalist in the
Sedona Art Prize October 2016!!!

I was thrilled beyond words to be selected by judge Carl Dalio.
If you'd like to see the other finalists and what Carl 
wrote about each work click here.

This painting was an outdoor still life that I set up in the summer.
I was doing a picnic theme at the time and this one was 
particularly fun to paint.

It's one that I really felt good about, especially the bag of chips,
do I've entered it multiple competitions.
This time it was a winner!
I love it when that happens!

You can't ever win if you don't play.....


If you'd like to see more of my work visit: www.brucebingham.comwww.brucebingham.com
If you'd like to sign up for my newsletter click here.here


Thanks so much for following along!




Friday, November 4, 2016

A little fun with my friends

What kind of trouble did I get into last weekend in San Angelo?
Well what happens in San Angelo doesn't stay in San Angelo.
IT GETS BLASTED OUT ALL OVER THE INTERNET AND FACEBOOK!
First it was the Collector's Stampede Party.
Hanging out with Shelby Keefe here in front of a couple of her favorites from the week.

Click on her name above to see more of her gorgeous work.

And of course I saw somethings that I absolutely couldn't possibly live without.
Here's a little painting of a gas station and a bus that
Bubba Watkins Daddy's Texaco
A must have.

Great to see Hai-ou Hou again so soon after the OPA Salon Show.
She painted an irresistible Open Field shown below.




Below is Suzie Baker's awesome little Old Timer:


Turner Vinson showed up the next morning with his baby Byrd and
won the Open Quick Draw.  Way to go Turner!
Marc Hanson was the judge for the Competition and Open Quick Draw.
Fortunately they were judged separately and I lucked out with
Best Concho Street Scene.  Thank you Marc!

But I couldn't drive back home with out Nyle Gordon's
amazing truck painting from the Quick Draw.


There were 35 artists there all week for En Plein Air Texas working like maniacs.
I wish them all continued success, they really deserve it !

Thanks for following along!




Tuesday, October 4, 2016

OPA Salon Show Inspiration

It was an honor and a pleasure to be included in the OPA Salon Show at Castle Gallery Fine Art in Indiana.  It was a beautiful show with close to 300 paintings.
They also had a fun filled weekend planned
with demos, talks, and a wet paint competition and sale.


So thrilled to get an award of excellence from Wet Paint judge
CW Mundy!!!


John Michael Carter demos a beautiful head study.


I won a chance to buy this awesome 8 minute pear study by CW.
For sure my lucky day:))))


CW Mundy demo's a great still life.

How beautiful the reflections are!
Me rubbing elbows with the masters:)

I left completely inspired!!!
Thanks to all who worked so hard to make the show and the weekend
a great experience

Thanks for viewing my blog!



Monday, September 5, 2016

Happy Labor Day!

For Sale
8x10 oil on board

I want to wish all my friends a happy Labor Day
by sharing this plein air painting done
during my recent painting trip to Carmel.
It was heavenly there!

I seem to paint flags lot.  While they are 
always challenging, they are also really fun to do.

Confession:  yes, I'm going to work a little on  Labor Day,
because I LOVE what I do:)))))

Thanks for following along.



Friday, August 12, 2016

Plein Air Diving Competition

And a funny thing happened.....
on the Jersey Shore
hilarious really if it didn't happen to you.

The Place:


I spent an entire afternoon painting Polly's Bait and Tackle on a dock on the bayside.
It's was very windy so I tied a beach umbrella around a piling and set
up my easel in the shade underneath.
I kept my left hand on the easel the whole time even though it was
heavily weighted down.
Until I didn't.

Honestly I felt the wind had died down late in the afternoon,
and I was getting tired, and I needed to clean my brush.
So for one second I took my left hand off and THAT was THE MOMENT
my entire painting kit did a back flip off the dock 
four feet down into the murky water.

My jaw dropped with shock!  
Just before I shouted a four letter exclamation (oops) in front of
a deck full of families eating dinner after taking a ride on the Pirate Ship,
most of which turned to look as I jumped into the water before everything floated
away on the tide.
After all I still had another day, I needed my stuff!
I knew it was low tide but it was deeper than I thought!

The Ugly Truth:
Everything you see here except the umbrella went in,
the palette box, backpack, easel, painting, me....

The Challenge:
It was clearly more challenging getting out than it was getting in.
After all it was a boat dock and not a swimming area.
But I didn't even think about that until a nice group of ladies ran over to ask if I was OK and
"Can you get out"? 
hummmmm
I hauled myself into a near by boat, no small feat I might add,
and they helped pull the ropes in so I could reach the dock.
Nice peeps, we'll probably keep in touch.


Most everything was salvaged successfully.
( Except sadly a few of my favorite Rosemary Brushes:((((
My new fried Polly from Polly's Bait and Tackle let me use her crab net
to fish out my turp can, part of it at least, once I realized it was missing and
the water settled down enough for me to see something shinny on the bottom.
Everybody need a little help from their friends:)

The plein air adventure continues.....
Next time more about the show and what I painted there...

Thanks for following along!






Plein Air Diving Competition

And a funny thing happened.....
on the Jersey Shore
hilarious really if it didn't happen to you.

The Place:


I spent an entire afternoon painting Polly's Bait and Tackle on a dock on the bayside.
It's was very windy so I tied a beach umbrella around a piling and set
up my easel in the shade underneath.
I kept my left hand on the easel the whole time even though it was
heavily weighted down.
Until I didn't.

Honestly I felt the wind had died down late in the afternoon,
and I was getting tired, and I needed to clean my brush.
So for one second I took my left hand off and THAT was THE MOMENT
my entire painting kit did a back flip off the dock 
four feet down into the murky water.

My jaw dropped with shock!  
Just before I shouted a four letter exclamation (oops) in front of
a deck full of families eating dinner after taking a ride on the Pirate Ship,
most of which turned to look as I jumped into the water before everything floated
away on the tide.
After all I still had another day, I needed my stuff!
I knew it was low tide but it was deeper than I thought!

The Ugly Truth:
Everything you see here except the umbrella went in,
the palette box, backpack, easel, painting, me....

The Challenge:
It was clearly more challenging getting out than it was getting in.
After all it was a boat dock and not a swimming area.
But I didn't even think about that until a nice group of ladies ran over to ask if I was OK and
"Can you get out"? 
hummmmm
I hauled myself into a near by boat, no small feat I might add,
and they helped pull the ropes in so I could reach the dock.
Nice peeps, we'll probably keep in touch.


Most everything was salvaged successfully.
( Except sadly a few of my favorite Rosemary Brushes;(
My new fried Polly from Polly's Bait and Tackle let me use her crab net
to fish out my turp can, part of it at least, once I realized it was missing and
the water settled down enough for me to see something shinny on the bottom.
Everybody need a little help from their friends:)

The plein air adventure continues.....
Next time more about the show and what I painted there...

Thanks for following along!






Thursday, July 28, 2016

Minstrel painting progression and tips on inspiration

Minstrel
9x12 oil on board

I had alot of fun painting this one. I even remembered to take photos along the
way so I made a progression video you can see



Why did I have so much fun?  
I'd like to share something special with you because I 
don't think you can ever have too much encouragement or inspiration
no matter where you are on your artistic journey.

Whether you're just beginning, somewhere in the middle or a tad bit
over-seasoned.  I'm a big Dreama Tolle Perry fan and she has developed
an online course that offers something for everyone.
  It's loaded with great tips and
techniques that are fun to experiment with and add to your routine if you like.

It's about much more than how to paint.
For me it's about learning to LOVE to paint again and the 
simple joy of the creative process.

She's starting another year long course in September and you can read about it here:
You can even win a free course so check it out!
I think she's going someplace fabulous next year and you can too without even taking out your passport;))))


My version of the exercise in week two.
Dreama's Cupcake

I find these exercises to be a great warm up and then you can bake your own cupcakes 
just the way you like. 

I had an attitude adjustment about my approach to painting and was able
to release my judgement and attachment to outcome.
(just one painting at a time;)
And THAT is why I had so much fun painting the Minstrel.

Happy painting and thanks for following along!




Monday, July 25, 2016

Alive and Well

Tracks Less Traveled
9x12  oil
painted plein air in the Adirondacks

I am so thrilled and honored to have been accepted into the
OPA Salon with this painting.
Such a delightful surprise and I'm feeling really fortunate.
I know! I could hardly believe it myself:)))))
But here's proof: click here
and you can see the acceptance list.
Pinch me please:)



I've really missed blogging and sharing with you, just been so busy painting! If you missed my
last newsletter you can check it out by clicking here.
It's all about the trip organized by Eric Rhoads to the Adirondacks called Publishers Invitational
which was one of my ultimate painting experiences.  

I can't say enough about these trips I've been on.  Having the time to really
focus on just painting in a beautiful environment with other artists is wonderful.

My first trip was to Fall Color Week when I only knew one other person.
Since them I'm hooked and have met lots of great people. The next one is
this fall and you can find the info here if you're interested.

Hope to see you there!





Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Plein Air on a Texas Dude Ranch

Deerly Beloved
12 x 12
oil on museum board

I went on a painting trip to the Silver Spur Ranch in 
Bandares, Texas.
They had tons of things to paint and I'd love to go back.
I'll share some more of my plein air paintings that I did there when I get back from the 
Plein Air Convention in Tuscon.
But right now I'm off to paint some cacti there.  Can't wait!

I have to give credit for this painting's clever title to my
friend Robin Cheers.
I was looking for something that combined the cow skulls
with the well worn John Deer tractor
and Robin said it perfectly- thanks!
You can see Robin's work here.

Thanks for letting me share my artwork with you!


Monday, March 21, 2016

Joie de peindre en plein air!

Cuban Mariachi
12 x 9
oil on museum board

This was a painting I started in Cuba.
I seem to paint alot of musicians
because I'm attracted to the energy and the feeling of celebration.
They move like crazy and eventually leave.
I know, you'd like I'd catch on.
They left in about 15 minutes and I didn't even get a photo of them!
So I decided to carry on with the background.
After about 20 minutes they closed the curtain to the arcade!
Plein air, French for outdoors, has it's own special challenges.
That's why I named this post:
Joie de peindre en plein air!

My friend Brenda Boylan who went on the trip too Cuba too
painted this same scene from the other side of the arcade.
It's so interesting to me to see different artist's
interpretation of the same place.
Check out her version http://brendaboylan.com/here:
http://brendaboylan.com/

Thanks for letting me share my art/life with you.

You're invited to sign up for my newsletter by clicking here.

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Mistaken Identity

58 Cuban Caddy
24 x 30
oil on canvas

This painting started as 56 Chevy.
That's what I thought anyway.
Thanks to my neighbors for the correction:)
It turned into a 58 Cuban Caddy.
Who knew?
Obviously not me...

This is my first car painting from my visit to Cuba.
There will be more.
Lots of fun:)


Thanks for letting me share my art/life with you.

Please sign up for my newsletter by clicking here.



Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Cuba Painting with friends!

Smokin' Cuban
16 x 20 oil on museum board
available through McBride Gallery
Annapolis, Md,
Cuba Today Show Opening May 1st

If you read my last Newsletter ( different from the blog)
you'll know that I got lost on day one, by 10:30 a.m.
I was taking a photo of this beautiful Cuban woman and waiting
for change from a 10 cucs bill. 
(cucs are the Cuban currency equivalent to about one euro).
It took about four Cubans to come up with 7 cucs change
and by the time I turned around my group was gone!
They actually did miss me I'm happy to say!

I thought I saw them go in one direction but
wandered down the wrong street when it started to drizzle.
I kept wandering and it kept raining harder and harder.
Finally it was a full on monsoon and I was completely soaked,
so I started weighing my options.

I opted to try to find my bus instead of cab it back to the hotel
and ruin my day. So I blindly headed in what I thought was the
direction of the port and where the bus had dropped us off.

Fortunately I was right, the only problem being that there were about
100 buses.  I was getting blown down the street, empty bus after
empty bus (apparently they take a nap when on break).

Finally two bus drivers were visiting in a bus cab and
saw me coming, felt sorry for me because I was looking pretty pathetic,
and let me in and out of the rain. Whew!

I explained in my terrible Spanish that I was lost (obviously)
 and looking for bus #3918. 

All the Cuban's I met were so kind, he just started up his bus and 
drove me around the other 100 buses until we found mine.
Home sweet home!
I gave him a twenty cucs tip for saving my day and giving my
little side adventure a happy ending.
He declined at first but I insisted and his eyes were misty with delight!

The moral is- the photo was worth it!

I painted alot with my new friend Michele Byrne on the trip.
She wields a wicked palette knife. 
If you'd aren't familiar with her work you can check it out here.
Pic of Michele and I painting and she's alot happier with 
her painting than it looks like I am!
Like I told the group standing around watching us paint-
Ella es muys famosa en Estados Unidos!
Check out the link to her site above.

Thanks for following along and allowing me to share my art/life with you!
You can sign up for my newsletter by clicking here.



Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Where I was last January.



I'd like to share my experience in the Antarctic with you.
Our 2015 trip was in two phases- the first half was visiting the actual 
South Pole that you can read about by clicking here.


The second leg of our journey was a small cruise ship from Ushuaia, Argentina
across the Drake Passage to the coast of the Antarctic Continent.
Once we arrived we kaycked with just 12 other people.
It was amazing!


Did I mention three days in twenty foot seas (one way) to get there?
Yes, it was worth it!
Unlike the actual South Pole this area is filled with wildlife,
whales, penquin, leopard seals, birds and more.
Close encounters!
Snow Angel

And what's on the horizon for 2016?
I'm in!

Thanks for following my blog and letting me share my at/life with you!




Wednesday, January 20, 2016

What has Robi been up to? And Fundraiser is sold!

zzzzzz
For you guys that keep up with Robi and his antics here's the latest.

You know the French have a long history of famous forward thinkers that have made a huge impact on the world.  Joan of Arc, Voltaire, Napolean (who is still inspiring many with the complex label), Marie Curie, Coco Channel, the French Impressionists and Conte de Roblechon.


He's French you know.

Yes, my own Conte de Roblechon de la Bourierie (his nom de plume), lovingly called Robi.  True to his French heritage and independent thinking he's inspiring others by his writing and actions.  His latest dissertation was titled 'Disobedience and It's Effect on Society'.

He's been growling about this from under his beard and beret since the tragic events in Paris, not far from where he was born.  He believes that anyone who blindly folows orders creating harm are rabid threats to world order.  He will not back down on this topic.
He's very protective.
Case in point:
Porcupined! One minute in and he wasn't backing down.
Painful to look at I know but he walked away with only two stitches. 
Thank goodness!

As far as he is concerned the world is divided into two camps.  Those that take orders and those that give them.  Guess which camp he thinks I fall into?  Pity me please, sometimes this can be hard to live with! But a protective friend who is by my side no matter what 
is the very best friend to have.
It's a good time to stand side by side.

Please:
Good news about the fundraiser for 5 year old Ryan Etten.
Mean Eyed Cat 2016 is sold!
Thank you Dona Owen for your generous gift to Ryan!

If you missed it the first time you can see more here:
http://brucebingham.blogspot.com/2016/01/fundraiser-for-ryan-etten-and-mean-eyed.html

Thank you for letting me share my art/life with you.

Monday, January 18, 2016

Fundraiser for Ryan Etten and Mean Eyed Cat Bar

Mean Eyed Cat Bar 2016
oil on museum board
9x12
framed
sold!
Thank you Dona Owen for helping Ryan!

This painting is being auctioned off here and all proceeds go to benefit a 
little boy named Ryan Etten, who has a brain tumor.
His story touched my heart and if you'd like to
learn more about his story you can do so here.

Normally this size painting sells for 950 framed but I'm
offering a discount in auction format starting at $700, so if you like quirky Austin architecture
and want to contribute to a worthy cause then this
is your lucky day to help create a difference in a child's life.

Thank you for your support.