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