Don't Fence Me In: A Southwestern lamentation: the eclectic cacophony of civilization and childhood drowning out "the wide open country that I love." The painting is built on a map of the Texas Panhandle.
Take Me Out to the Ballgame: Next door neighbor, Lloyd, now a young man,was a child surrounded by music of his mother and grandmother, cello and piano performers and teachers. Lloyd was also a Red Sox fan. The image of his dutifully practicing the cello with his mind on the baseball field struck the right note of harmony and contrast.
Home on the Range: The Texas Panhandle of my memory: a melody simple and uncomplicated but rich in mirage.
You Are My Sunshine: As if there is insufficient sunshine in the Western plains, the ubiquitous sunflower adds its own voice.
(Click on paintings to enlarge)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYGCbCbdTXUrFWzLEeSB3aqaRFjW9rEguO_WOPLgmaWqyGYjlppL1z4dGTOr2O11dxNlyr2O_kskdbaXjlwydaPNME6dtlYtprL-aI8E23KHZe-fQcSyxl_TWEImPoJQu4pLsRgCaWgw/s320/IMG_2830.jpg)
"One ought, every day, to hear a little song, read a good poem, sip a tasty wine,
see a fine picture, and if possible, to speak a few reasonable words."
-- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1836)
-- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1836)