Gatehouse Garden

Gatehouse Garden, 8 x 6, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2015

SOLD

This past weekend, Plein Air Austin gathered for our annual paintout and picnic. We met at the Barr Mansion, a beautiful old mansion that is now a wedding venue. Although the day was windy, I found a sheltered spot where I could capture a sideview of the mansion's charming little gatehouse. Afterwards, we feasted on BBQ... painting, good friends and yummy food... it was a great day!

Please join me for this upcoming Workshop (last till fall):

April 30-May 2, 2015 | Plein Air | Click here to register: St. Simons Island, GA

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Country Manor

Country Manor, 16 x 12, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2013

Last week, Plein Air Austin met up to paint at the lovely Barr Mansion just outside of town. This old Victorian home and it's surrounding gardens always have a way of transporting me to a different era. The original house was built in 1898 for a cotton merchant named William Barr and it is still surrounded by working farm and ranch land. Today the property is a popular wedding spot (in very high demand with the Austin brides) and it's booked for months out. 

Garden Embrace

Garden Embrace, L. Daniel, 6 x 8, SOLD

I am quite drawn to the intimacy of private gardens, so today's paintout with Plein Air Austin was a perfect location for me. We met up at the Barr Mansion, which is a beautiful Victorian home from the 1800's that is now a popular wedding venue outside of Austin. It is surrounded by well-tended gardens from which this statue greets the morning each day. The unabashed praise of this young gardener is simply contagious. 


I can't help but think of these words from "Morning Has Broken", the old gaelic melody sung by Cat Stevens...

"...Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning

Born of the one light, Eden saw play

Praise with elation, praise every morning

God's recreation of the new day..."

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Cabin Entrance

Cabin Entrance, L. Daniel, 6 x 8, SOLD

On Saturday Plein Air Austin met up to paint at the Barr Mansion, a wedding venue outside of town. The mansion itself is a cool old Victorian structure, but what caught my eye was this old cabin behind it. Here is the really sad thing... this entrance used to belong to a gorgeous ballroom that burned down this spring. I have seen pictures of the ballroom but can't actually imagine how this was connected. Maybe a service room or catering kitchen of some kind? I do know that many a wedding reception took place here and it is definitely being rebuilt. For now it's a burned out shell; literally, just to left of this scene. (Oh, the power of cropping!)




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