CHRISTMAS in the HISER world!!

Okay so it is almost Christmas and the Christmas break began with the END of the WORLD. These next two weeks should be spent with family, watching the new movies, football and soccer games, getting some serious art time AND some SERIOUS NAP TIME!!***********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************Our Christmas Art Show at HGA went well and now my students will be getting ready for UIL Visual Scholastic Arts Event in Feb. I will be finishing my Aplomado Falcon gigantic 4 x 5-ish ink piece! Below I have added 3 steps to my close up Kenya Hippo painting--which i will also be finishing soon. Still working on the different cover versions for my new BOOK due out in a few months: TEN SECRETS OF LOVE************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************During these two weeks I will also be scheduling my Art and book appearances for the upcoming SPRING ART season! I hope to see many of you soon! Thanks for reading my words and checking out my ART! Doug Hiser

Watching nature in Matagorda

Thanksgiving is over and the food was great and the family interesting as always. We took time out on the way from Galveston county driving 2 hours to Port Lavaca, Texas, for my Wife's family gathering and took a detour in Bay City, Matagorda Wildlife Refuge. We have stopped here many times and the birding is always rewarding.***************************************************************************************This time the adventure included my wife, Gayln, getting extremely close to a beautiful Red-shouldered Hawk. The photos are below. We also were very lucky to sit and watch a belted kingfisher catch a fish too large to swallow. For twenty minutes, he slapped and pounded that silver fish against the tree branch on the other side of the Colorado River. It was so awesome, because Kingfishers can be such elusive birds to watch.*************************************************************************************************We were lucky to encounter a trio of gorgeous wood ducks and buffleheads. Other species we got good views of were Brown Thrashers, chasing each other in and out of the foliage, egrets, a lone Roseate Spoonbill, flycatchers, yellow rumped warblers, vireos, and many others. We also took the easy photos of those swamp dwellers on logs, red eared sliders and other assorted turtles. This was the first time we failed to see any alligators but the day was slightly chilly.***************************The swamps, the woods, the ponds and river foliage, and the many vines and interesting trees all have spots in my mind's reference eye for future paintings. I did some sketches later in the weekend and I am pondering my next painting this week. Christmas is on the horizon and this time of year gets too busy for me and puts a damper on my art time. Hey guys, Thanks for READING!! Doug Hiser

San Antonio Art Conf 2012

Hello!********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************I am back from three days at the San Antonio Art Teachers Conference, the Riverwalk, and the ZOO! I have to say that each conference workshop is a great experience with learning and pushing boundaries in my art realms. The most rewarding experience is that many art teachers are also artists and the conversations seem to be so gratifying. The best thing about the event is that I always come away with so many NEW ideas about teaching art and so many different styles for tweaking my lesson plans. Being around so many good teachers and artists is what I miss most about being the only artist on my campus. On the other side of that coin is the difference of opinion that i have from some of the other art teachers. For example--there is an OLD School way of thinking about art and a New Age of imaginative thinking and the OLD School is still pushing their philosophy against the rising Tsunami of the NEW WORLD of Imaginative ART. I think the ART world Academia are still pushing their Agenda and they do control the Art Education world in college and school, for now. SO I am STILL a REBEL, i guess because, even though I have a college art education I do not follow their beliefs. I could write an entire novella on this topic but I'll stop here and just say---it is better to keep quiet about your opinion on "HOW to teach and What to teach" when in the company of ART Academia. I will let my ART speak for itself instead and my student's art speaks loudly too. :) ***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************Here are some of the many different and unique examples of stuff I did in workshops---> Thanks for reading my words! Doug Hiser

Art Festival Season and a BABY RHINO!

I have had a busy season of 2012 so far after returning from our trip to Africa. I had a few art shows squeezed in with the Bay area Art Walk, the Word Wrangler Fest, The East Texas Book Fest, Galveston Artoberfest, Seabrook Art Fest and the Santa Fe Heritage Fest. Next week I will be in San Antonio for the Texas Art Educators Conf. Thursday through Sunday. So far I have not been persuaded to do any Art Fests or shows in December but that could change. I will be featuring my student's Christmas art at the HGA Christmas Program on December 21st.*********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************As far as producing ART. I am going at WARP speed. I finished my baby Rhino today and will share it with you below. I am steadily working on a large 36 x 40 Aplomado Falcon and starting a painting of a fight scene between a white tiger and a 'regular' haha tiger.**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************Please, my friends, share my blog and my art and it helps us to grow and reach more people who love art and wildlife, who care about conservation and saving our planets precious animals! Thanks for tuning in again. Doug Hiser

Seabrook Arts Fest Awesome!

Last weekend I enjoyed a windy but satisfying day of selling ART and BOOKS to the Avid art lovers of Seabrook, Texas. Canvas sales, matted prints and all sizes in between, the people who attended the FEST seemed to LOVE ART!! ..............................................................................................In TWO Weeks, November 10th, Saturday, I will be set up at Runge Park in Santa Fe, Texas--for the annual Heritage Festival. I haven't been to it since I was a little kid. The event should be a fun time and I am hoping to introduce so many new readers to the Santa Fe amazon bestselling novel, The Honey Bee Girl.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The following weekend, November 15,16,17, 18th- takes me to the Texas Art Educators Conference in SAN ANTONIO, Texas. I am very excited to attend my 6th annual conference. Last year my African Cape Buffalo took third place in the Texas teachers Art Show. I have more art entered this year.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I am so close to finishing the IBIS and PALMS ink piece and barely begun to work on the gigantic ink of the Aplomado Falcon. I'll share so older works of shorebirds here:

Weekend LONG Festival is Over

Well my friends--the long weekend show in Galveston is over. The first day was better than the second day but I got through and met many new friends and old friends too. Sold books and art and hopefully brought smiles to people's faces with the sharing of art and writing. I LOVED walking the Festival and talking with all the artists--the ones I am already friends with and the new ones I just met, sharing stories and techniques and just laughing and enjoying the Festival. .................................................................................................NEXT weekend I will be setting up with my ART and BOOKS at the SEABROOK ART FESTIVAL. I hope it is a great day and ART lovers show up to celebrate art and the awesome city of Seabrook. .................................................................................................I sold two FIRST 's this weekend>> My squirrel painting and my horseshoe crab ink piece. I sold a few ZEBRA RIVALS painting CARDS, and looks like I am getting an awesome Commission to paint 3 African Elephant scenes for a 20 foot wall in a beautiful home in Seabrook. .......If you showed-up at the Festival and stopped by THANK YOU and I enjoyed seeing many of you saying hello............................................................................................My up-coming schedule: Oct 27th Seabrook Art Fest------Nov 10th Santa Fe Heritage FEst----Nov 17th San Antonio TAEA Art COnference. Here is some looks at the Indian Rhino painting I have been working on>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

ARToberFEST Galveston!!

Come on out and see ALL the Artists at the Saturday and Sunday Weekend Street ART Fest in Galveston. There should be over 30,000 visitors and GREAT weather for this fabulous show weekend!! Gayln and I will be there featuring my WILDLIFE ART and my Bestselling Novels!>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>I have over 200 DIFFERENT prints and paintings for SALE--EVEN 5 x 7 's and 8 x 10's in NICE MATS with Good SALE prices! ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))I have been busy with many ventures and this weekend, while BUSY, will be a fun time talking with other artists and the many lovers of art I will get to meet during the FESTIVAL! ******************************************************************************************************I have been working out many plans and ideas lately in my sketchbook and here are some of those sketches. I am still currently working on the Indian Rhinoceros watercolor painting and it is almost finished and I will share it on my NEXT BLOG! Please feel free to join my Blog or subscribe. THANK YOU, DOUG HISER

October 2012 a month to reflect

Hello, my friends and fans,---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I have hadsuch an emotional month so far and a very busy one too. The UHCL award night was so special to have my family and friends around me when I was awarded Distinguished ALumni of UHCL. President Staples explained that UHCL has graduated over 54,000 students and to receive this honor was overwhelming. I began my acceptance speech by saying, "I am just a country boy from Santa Fe, Texas, growing up catching snakes and turtles."-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------That is so true. Here I was at Space Center Houston where everyone donned a black tie and the women wore beautiful dresses and I felt so out of place among such recognized people. When I look back at the photos of the night I realize that in my suit no one could tell that i am really just Tarzan cleaned up.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------When the Associate President of the University spoke about me he also told everyone that I was Tarzan and a passionate man about nature and conservation and animals and LOVED to create my animal art with bright powerful colors and that each painting tells a story of how I see the world. He said that he has never met a person who is interested in so many things and has so much energy and love of the life around us and his family.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Enough about that night --all those words and emotions made me flow tears so much-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------SO-the next day I went back to doing what I do-creating art. I hope everyone enjoys what I bring to life with pen and paint.-------------------------------------------------My upcoming schedule: October 20-21-Galveston ArtoberFest two days of the biggest ART FEST and I'll be featuring hundreds of my animal ART.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------October 26-27 SEABROOK Festival of the ARTS-----------------------------------------NOvember 10 Santa Fe Heritage FESTIVAL----------------------------------------------November 17 San Antonio TxArtsEA COnference

I Think I LIKE Wading BIRDS better than ALL the REST

Even as a kid, I was always drawing and watching those slender graceful wading birds. I loved the magnificent Great Blue Herons that would rise up from the creek, startled by me making too much noise chasing a snapping turtle. I would watch, astounded, as the big dark wings beat the air and that long neck and beak reminding me of some prehistoric pterodactyl as the beautiful large bird flapped down the waterway and landed a safe distance from my intrusive presence........................................................................................So that is one reason why i love their mystery and their impressive beauty. I keep coming back to drawing, painting, and creating art of the wading birds, the herons, the egrets, storks, cranes, and even flamingos.......................................................................................Here are the tedious steps using color pencil layering to create one of the most beautiful slender necked waders, The Tri-Colored Heron, frequently seen right here along the Dickinson Bayou on the Gulf Coast of Texas...........................................................................................Enjoy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.........Other news: The Awards Banquet for my Distinguished Alumni Award at Space Center Houston is Coming up, October 6th! I am nervous, to receive such a honorable award. .................................................................................................ALso in October is the fabulous Art FEstival on Galveston Island attracting close to 30,000 people, ARTSTOBERFEST. I will have my booth tent with TONS of my wildlife prints and art on display for SALE. COme on out to the festival and visit with me. Thanks for tuning in, DOUG HISER

Book Festivals -a great place for ART and BOOKS!

It has been a WILD 2 Weekends of signing my books and selling my ART!..........................................................................................First in Tyler at the East Texas Book Fest and then last weekend in Giddings, Texas at the 7th Annual Word Wrangler Festival. I have to tell you that NOBODY takes better care of their invited AUTHORS than the people in the CITY of GIDDINGS!======================================================================================Funny story that happened to me Thursday night! I left the author banquet and headed to my hotel-The Ramamda Inn-which i had already stopped by on the way into town and picked up my key. SO I go to my hotel and park in front of my room # 123 and get out and -DANG it --my key won't open the hotel room door! SO-- i start to walk around front to the OFFICE- after trying the key numerous times! When i get to the front I look up at the sign-EXECUTIVE INN--OOPS! I am at the wrong hotel-no wonder my key doesn't work! the two hotels both have red signs and are very close to each other- I bet I'm not the first person to do this!!I felt like an idiot!! HA HA! ....................................................................................................................................................................................I read one of my all time favorite short stories to the students from the local schools, "The Woodville Monster" which I know so well I don't even have to read I end up telling the story and being very dramatic instead of reading!! Kids love scary funny stories!! I love speaking to students about great books and the wonderful world of reading--GIVE me my soapbox and I tell them how I started reading and WHY they all should NOT MISS OUT on reading all the great books out there!! I talked about Journey to the Center of the EArth, Old Yeller, the TARZAn books, Rudyard Kipling and on and on....The students like all the animal art and the occasional superhero art I have and how many times did i hear from the little ones, "You are a very good drawer." SO instead of an artist i should just say I am a professional DRAW-ER!"..................................................................................................................................................................................I am proud to have sold the "GREEN SEA TURTLE" painting there too! Good sales and I only returned with about half of all the prints I brought and books sales were great. Now is the time for restocking my art prints and getting more mats and organizing everything for ARTSTOBERFEST in Galveston!! The BIG ART fest! I am so looking forward to 30,000 people in 2 days on the ISLAND looking at the ART FEST! I LOVE meeting people that love ART, the conversations alone are worth the weekend

osetting up and staying outside in my tent all day!!

EAST TEXAS BOOK FEST !!

A day after the East Texas Book Fest at the UT campus Tyler and I am just reflecting on meeting all the many authors and readers that strolled through the center on Saturday. it is always an odd mix of many different kinds of people-almost as varied as those strolling through an airport! I signed copies and sold my books, The Honey Bee Girl, Montana Mist, Cavern of the Eggstone, and Tropical Calypso, and also sold many of my wildlife ART prints too! SOLD my RAVEN painting too!------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ONE of the highlights of the day was meeting and getting to hang out with New York Times Bestselling Author Taylor Stevens. She is an amazing individual and an author you NEED to Check out! http://www.taylorstevensbooks.com/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------My favorite Texas Author didn't attend this year and I missed talking to Joe Lansdale!! His books are fabulous! ____________________________________________________________________________________________NEXT WEEKEND I will be at the 7th Annual Word Wrangler Book Fest in Giddings Texas- my 6th YEAR in a row! It is one of my favorite places to attend! The people there are awesome and so friendly and helpful to all the attending authors. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------My Art CLub is underway and we will be starting our first activities Monday! Teaching HS ART is keeping me extra busy and my time for producing my own art and writing has been dwindling down to almost nothing, but i did find a few minutes to work more on the ORYX painting-almost finished-just the animals and part of the clouds to paint. Here is some of my sketchbook pages and the unfinished Oryx painting:

Another SKetchbook filled up!

Summer is slowly ending and with the start of the new school year my sketchbooks have been getting increasing use! Planning the school year, teaching three different levels of Art is a challenge, and then I still try to find time for working out at the gym daily, playing soccer, and squeezing in somewhere time for my OWN ARTWORK!- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Recent work, The Kenya Tryptich, the Baby Mara Elephant, and the Colorado Bighorn Ram are ALL hanging in the Gallery at the Brazosport Center for the ARTS at Brazosport college until the end of September. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - September 8th I will be one of the Featured Artists for the 2nd year at the EAST TEXAS BOOK FEST at the university of Texas Tyler. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - September 14th The 7th Annual Word Wrangler festival featuring Texas authors beckons and I will be there for my 6th year in a row!! I love that FESTIVAL!! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - OCtober 6th! My special night!! I am extremely excited and honored to attend the University of Houston CL ALumni Awards Banquet at SPace Center Houston. I will be receiving the award for Distinguished ALumni UHCL. The emotion I am feeling and the anticipation of making my parents and family proud is so amazing! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - October 21st weekend--I PASSED THE aRT JURY INSPECTION!! AND WILL BE ONE OF THE artists FEATURED AT ARTOBERFEST in GALVESTON!! YAY over 30,000 art lovers and buyers attend this fabulous weekend on Galveston Island! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Here are some recent sketchbook pages and the partial watercolor painting of the Arabian Oryx underway - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Signup to follow my blog or follow me on facebook--or just stay in touch, read my books, enjoy my art creations it is so wondefful to have friends along for the ride. :) Thank you ALL, Doug Hiser