Palo Duro Canyon Wildlife Series

Palo Duro Canyon is located in the Texas panhandle, near Amarillo, Texas. It is the second largest canyon in our country, rife with hoodoos. A hoodoo is an unusual rock formation. Our most famous hoodoo is Lighthouse Rock, readily found anywhere one sees any information about Palo Duro Canyon. Another popular feature of the canyon is considerably more recent. Local folks are proud to tell you about a wonderful musical production presented in an amphitheater at the bottom of the canyon, entitled Texas! Travelers from across the globe have come to see and experience everything the Palo Duro Canyon has to offer.

11 x 14 oil on gallery wrapped canvas

This painting of a horny toad amongst the prickly pear cacti received the 3rd Place Award in the Best of the Southwest art show in Amarillo, Texas in 2022, and then sold that same evening. The show was held at the Arts in the Sunset mall as it has been for many years now. Once I finished this painting, I considered how much I enjoyed the color palette and fascinating subject, and I decided I would like to begin a series of paintings under the title "Palo Duro Canyon Wildlife."

SOLD

Palo Duro's Tiny Terror

Sometimes called horned lizards or horned toads but known locally as hornytoads, this little critter looks vicious and menacing, yet he has a very docile nature. (The same cannot be said for the prickly pear cacti. Keep your distance!) They do not bite, and their suit of armor is harmless to humans. They are lizards, rather than toads.

20 x 2o oil on gallery wrapped canvas

This painting is currently in the custody of Amarillo Art Institute at 3701 Plains Boulevard in Amarillo in the Arts in the Sunset mall.

$510

Palo Duro Blackchins

Most people, including Texans, do not realize that despite the harsh weather in the Texas panhandle, there does thrive one variety of hummingbird, the Black Chin or Blackchin or Black-chinned hummingbird. This fiesty flyer's most remarkable physical attribute is the male's black throat which glistens in stunning dark purple iridescence.

Some visitors to the southwest are surprised to discover the gorgeous blossoms of prickly pear cacti. The blossoms sport a wide range of warm colors from pale yellow to hot pink.

16 x 20 oil on traditional profile canvas

This hawk was my first attempt at a palette knife painting. The limited palette is deliberate and in my opinion, the strength of the piece. The painting is in the custody of Amarillo Art Institute at Arts in the Sunset Mall in Amarillo.

$384

Soaring the Updrafts

There is a number of varieties of hawks in Palo Duro Canyon. I am unable to cite which this one is. The similarities are nearly indistinguishable from the turf to the height of the bird.

20 x 20 oil on gallery wrapped canvas

$510

Palo Duro Tod

This addition to the Palo Duro Canyon Wildlife series was a fun project, partly because of the necessity to learn of various species of foxes, included those who have more than one specie in their family tree. I found several fascinating videos showing how a fox acquires a tasty morsel hiding beneath a heavy snow.

This species, the gray fox, is the most typical variety to be seen in Palo Duro Canyon. As I researched, I kept my eye open for suggestions for a title, thus learning that a male fox may be called a tod. Some may recall the Disney animation entitled The Fox and the Hound, featuring a hunting dog and a little red fox named Todd. It makes sense now. From my junior high literature classes, I remember the word reynard in reference to a fox. Perhaps another fox painting is in my future.

20 x 24 oil on gallery wrapped canvas

$606

Aoudad Dad

The aoudad sheep, also known as the Barbary sheep, is not native to the Texas panhandle nor any other part of North America. It was imported from North Africa, beginning in 1948, as a sport hunting commodity. The sheep have thrived in the rugged and very dry west Texas and New Mexico environment. Illustrating this animal is difficult because there are precious few decent photographs of a live animal. Correct pronunciation of the name is aw-oo-dad.

20 X 24 oil on gallery wrapped canvas

$606

Canyon Courtin'

Beginning in the spring, the toms or gobblers strut for the hens as a proposal, of sorts. Palo Duro Canyon offers a fine habitat for the turkeys and their young, the jakes and jennies. Food is plentiful and predators are fewer. Because of human visitors, the turkeys are accustomed to treats and may be attracted by the crackle of a cellophane corn chip bag.

20 x 24 oil on gallery wrapped canvas

Commissioned.

Full Strut

Because rainwater from the high plains is channeled toward the canyon, the tiny river with the gigantic name--Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River--floods the canyon once or twice each year, so that large cottonwood trees thrive, providing roosts for the turkeys. Turkeys begin their mating season in the spring. Only the toms gobble and they may be heard from as much as a mile away, as they seek hens.

20 x 20 oil on gallery wrapped canvas

My intention is to maintain an inventory of Palo Duro wildlife paintings in this series. I thought the alliteration in the title would be fun. Perhaps it will be more of a challenge in the future.

$510

Palo Duro's Dinky Denizen

Many Texans recall from their childhood catching hornytoads for an afternoon of fun, rubbing their captive's belly to put him to sleep. Over the past 3/4 century, the hornytoad population dwindled until people often mentioned that they hadn't seen one for decades. Happily, they are making a comeback in the Texas panhandle. Their favorite food is ants, so astute Texans would be wise to avoid putting out pesticides to destroy ant beds, if our Tiny Terror is a welcome guest.