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

Final Days of Summer Break

SO... tomorrow I go back to planning the art curriculum for our brand new high school and the new challenges of a new building and new expectations! Today is the last day of my summer break and I finished the Kenya ink triptych. I have 3 of the pieces ready for the Brazosport Art show in August, The baby elephant and herd, the Arabian Oryx, and the three panel Kenya triptych---I'm thinking that the 4th piece will be my bighorn ram. All the items on the agenda for my UHCL Distinguished Alumni award have been checked off, completing my interview today at the Hilton on Clear Lake. Than you to everyone who has paid attention to my frequent musings and dabbles in nature art!! Here are the 3 sections of Kenya panels: DOUG HISER

ALL ELEPHANTS!!

Summer Break is Over for me next Wednesday! Just got back from the Guadalupe River in the hill country and cooled off in the clear water from the HOT texas HEAT!! Four paintings will enter the Brazoria Art show August 11th. Our recent trip to Africa has gave us a deeper appreciation of the magnificent animals on our planet and we must all do our part to help save them. Here are the many examples of elephants that I have brought to life with my ART. Thank you for tuning in! Doug Hiser

Summer is fading fast!

That is right my friends! Summer is fading fast but of course the Super HOT TEXAS heat isn't! This week we braved swarms of militant mosquitos to journey to the Egret, Heron and Spoonbill rookery at High Island, Texas. Gayln got many great shots of the many varieties of birds that nest and live there, along with a few big hungry alligators too. I will be painting some more of those birds in the near future, but right now I'm working on the triptych of Kenya, featuring: Wildebeasts, Zebras, Impalas, elephants, and Baboons. I am also currently working on a larger painting of a baby African elephant surrounded by his protective herd. Here are some works in progress: I hope you like them and forward my blog to other nature lovers! Doug Hiser

Lion Cubs Painting

Hello friends! CLear Lake Art Walk was a good experience for my Art Sales! Sold the large elephants painting 24 x 36, sold the large Winter Fox painting which took 3rd place in the Houston Society of Artists show last May, Sold every Pelican painting I had, Sold the new Blue Heron, a panda, and many more. ############################################ Later that night we visited with many of our Artist Friends at the highly successful Galveston ArtWalk. SO many people were viewing, networking, and buying artwork. We had such a good night and topped it off with a chocolate malt on the Strand. #################################################################### I have been writing more and more on my latest novel and sharing paragraphs on Facebook. I work on two and three pieces of art each day during these summer months. I have so many paintings planned already I feel sort of overwhelmed. Just finished the tundra swans and the lion cubs and Topi antelope while steadily working on the huge triptych Kenya wildlife landscape. Planning my Art classes for HS that will start sooner than we're all ready for. We'll be entering a brand new HS building this year and I have to write curriculum for Art I, Art II and Art III. #############################3 Latest news is my award of the Distinguished Alumni Award for 2012 at UHCL. I have completed my portrait photo to be hung in the Bayou building and turned in my ring size! I am so humbled and honored to be included in such a great university for all time. I still feel so special. VOted on by my peers in the Alumni Association.. :) Enjoy the rest of the summer, here in Texas it is only 100 degrees everyday! DOUG HISER

Moose and Swans

MY new ink piece is inspired by an Alaskan scene of a Moose in shallow water while two beautiful Trumpeter Swans swim nearby. *************************************************************************************** Today was a hot day but we braved a 2 hour hike through the woods and along the bayou watching deer run through the prairie grass. ************************************************************************************* The tiger swallowtail butterflies and bright red cardinals were plentiful along the trails. *************************************************************************************** Out on the slow moving bayou we encountered a gorgeous large Osprey, perched on a dead tree in the middle of a bend in the bayou. Many egrets and herons were active along the banks but nothing disturbed the big fish seeking predator. We waiting to see him fly or go hunting but he was perfectly at home on his branch surveying the bayou and refused to take wing for us. ************************************************************************************* Enjoy the Hot Texas summer as best you can. I'll continue with art and writing and staying close to nature. Until next time, see you. Thank everyone who takes the time out for art. ******************************************************************************** Doug Hiser