"Back in April, 1970, or so, a friend of mine ask me if I would like to take a drive out towards Houston to see the Bluebonnets and other wildflowers in full bloom. Back in those days, it was the thing to do, to go see the Bluebonnets in full bloom out in the countryside. So, of course, I said yes. 

Armed with ,my trusty Nikromat camera, I was ready to take some beautiful wildflower shots. As we drove down the highway, my friend said to me, 'Would you like to see the Chicken Ranch? It's right up the road'. Well, I couldn't resist the excitement of seeing THE Chicken Ranch, so I again said, yes! 

As we drove through the gate, my friend said 'Look at all the air conditioners in all of the windows!' I was noticing how many windows were on the house, each with it's own window unit, when I saw a car leaving the grounds. He drove very close to our car as the driveway was narrow. At that moment I realized that, maybe, the driver of the car thought that 'I' was returning to my workplace! I dove down under the dash to hide, and requested that we leave the premises promptly! 

On the way back home, I saw this old farm and beautiful field of Bluebonnets and Paintbrush. There was one cow in the background. The scene was so peaceful and colorful. I took a few photos and three years later, painted this oil painting. At the time, I had only two oil painting brushes. I painted this 24 inch by 36 inch canvas using one, half inch paint brush and a few tubes of oil paint. 

Since that time, many people have wanted to purchase the original painting, but I never can bring myself to sell it. It represents the start of my business career in art, a wonderful exciting and happy memory, and it's one of the few paintings I have painted for myself. 

Throughout the years, I have often wondered if the old farm still exists. I have driven down the highway many times since then, but because of the heavy traffic pushing me onward, I never seemed to find the exact place where the old farm was. In late 2004, however, I was a passenger in my sisters car. As we came upon the town, I ask her to drive slowly so that I could look for the old farm. She asked me how long ago it had been since I took the picture. I said, 'In 1970'. She looked at me and said, 'That's been 34 years ago! It won't be there. It was old then!'. At that exact moment, I saw it. The old house looked the same. The windmill was broken and falling down. The old barn, and what looked to me to be chicken coops, had been kept up too. They were now being used to house large bales of hay. We pulled over and I took new photos. The Bluebonnets weren't there, but the memories were.     

Merri

About the Artist... Click Here

 "Texas Remembrance"! Own a piece of history!!