In the studio with artist, photographer and instructor Robert Louis Caldwell

Here is a sneak peek into the current painting that I have on my easel. Most of the reference for this particular piece came from a visit to Tulsa Oklahoma around two/three years ago. I was out visiting and exploring the country side with a collector friend of mine when he told me about this old water pump he had and after seeing it I knew I wanted to paint it! Progress to date... I am currently on the second layer of color, background is finished and I am currently working on the galvanized metal textures of the pump. This painting will be unveiled at an upcoming show at Lovetts Gallery in Tulsa, Oklahoma during the first weekend in November.

"Three Princes (African Elephant)" Oil on 1/2" prepared maple 36 x 48 The painting, “Three Princes (African Elephant),” is the first painting that I actually searched for in the field. The idea and inspiration for this piece came from what I believed at the time to be the loss of the opportunity to travel to Tanzania, Africa, for the first time in 2012 -- a loss that was soon corrected by what I perceived as serendipity. In order to get to Tanzania, I was attempting to presell paintings and/or drawings to my collectors, which when you think about it, you are asking someone to purchase something sight unseen. The deadline was fast approaching for me to put down the deposit for my trip and I hadn’t received any bites on my advance purchase promotions. I had come to the decision in my head that my trip would not happen. At the time that I was making this choice and getting ready to end the promotion, I was working on a drawing of an African elephant from re