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

Opening this Saturday! “The Lollipop Guild” Invitational Miniatures Show Lovetts Gallery Tulsa, Oklahoma JUNE 20 - JULY 20, 2015 I cordially invite you to "The Lollipop Guild" show at Lovetts Gallery in Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 20, 2015! All art exhibited in this show will pull inspiration from the beloved classic “The Wizard of Oz.” I am excited to exhibit two pieces in the show that are small in size but big in inspiration. The Scarecrow. "Abstract Thought (Raven) " Graphic Pencil on 1/2 in. Maple panel 8 x 16 $1,500.00 This piece is one of two I created for the themed show “The Lollipop Guild” at Lovetts Gallery in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Inspired by the classic movie “The Wizard of Oz,” I wanted to create a piece based on the Scarecrow character and would have never guessed how difficult it would be to find a scarecrow for my reference. I still hadn’t found my needed scarecrow as I headed out to Tulsa for my e...

New painting! " Disquieted Agitation (Lion)"  Oil on Board on 1/2 in. Maple panel  15 x 30  Within 11 seconds everything changed. In October 2013, I was in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania, with a group of artists taking part in an elephant conservation/awareness safari hosted by African Wildlife Trust. We did indeed have a great many opportunities to observe and witness the planet’s largest land mammal. But we also had the fortune to see myriad other species including the king himself, the lion. Out of my two trips to Tanzania, this particular moment that I have captured here is probably one of my most remarkable. It went from a calm, serene scene, almost boring, to intense agitation in the matter of seconds. I was fortunate enough to capture the changing moment with my camera. My fellow artist and professional photographer friend, James Gary Hines II , and I were standing up and out of the roof of the Land Cruiser photographing two lions by a baobab ...

Adventure in Tanzania, Africa 2013 Part 2 Among a pride of nine Lions Field sketch from Tarangire NP, Tanzania 2013 I went to Tanzania with a goal, more really of a high hope, that I would get a chance to see big cats. I say this because when you go on safari  you need to be happy with whatever Africa will give you, even if its your 207th zebra.   Africa... Africa was very generous this last trip! On October 14, 2013, which was day 3 of my 2013 safari, we were on the east side of Silale Swamp on a park road that isn't heavily traveled. To be honest I wasn't expecting much from this drive because many of the previous trips down this particular road in 2012 didn't offer up much. But as I said previously… Africa was very generous this trip. We had eaten our bush breakfast on the side of the hill that leads down into Silale Swamp about 9:30 in the morning and were making our way south down the road to the bottom of the swamp to cross over and go back up the ...

November 7, 2012 Two lions spotted at Silale Tarangire National Park, Tanzania, Africa Field Sketch Another field sketch drawn while in Africa, I delivered this to one of my collectors just a few weeks ago. I drew this little sketch back in my tent the night after we had the fortune of seeing two female lions on the edge of Silale swamp which doesn't look like a swamp. This sketch was the "warm up" for my drawing "Margin (Lion)" (I'll post about this drawing later). The collector who received this was extremely gracious enough to lend me his very nice camera body for my adventure in Africa, I asked him what I could give him in return and he said a lion. Well I of course couldn't bring a lion home but I could create a sketch of what I saw, two magnificent lions in the tall grasses of Africa. My collector was pleasantly surprised and asked if he could lend me his camera for my next adventure.

To a friend who loves cats! I had the honor and privilege last night to have dinner with a collector of my art who is also a very dear friend and present her with this field sketch from Africa. She was caught completely off guard because she had no idea that she was getting the sketch. I thought it was the least I could do since she has supported me over these many years not just with adding a few of my pieces to her collection but by telling me again and again that my work was good enough even when I thought different. This sketch was drawn in my tent the second night after I had the great fortune to have seen two female lions just on the rim of Silale swamp  which doesn't really look like a swamp. After another great day of game drives, a fantastic sunset by the fire pit with a glass of wine at Kikoti Camp and a superb dinner I went back to my tent to do a little sketching. The funny part about this little story was that I was awoken early in the morning, 4:30am, by a very...