Hill Country Spring Time

Western Art

Hill Country Springtime

Anyone who has visited the Texas Hill Country in Springtime will never forget the sites and smells as the earth comes alive with Blue Bonnets and wild flowers.  Those that have the privilege of living in this blessed area look forward to the renewal of the land early each March.  The people of the Texas Hill Country are people of the land . . . Ranchers and Farmers.  The Winters are cold and hard, and with spring comes the grass and vegetation that will fatten the livestock and provide the means for the people to make it through another year.

Anyone who has ever witnessed the Hill Country in all its glory, will never forget the beauty and majesty of the experience.  Blue Bonnets burst forth, turning hills and pastures alike a deep beautiful blue.  The field of blue is accented by the red and yellow speckles of "Indian Blankets", and highlighted by the light violet of the Dakota Verbenas.  The land is made new, and you know that God has not yet given up on mankind, because he has once again painted the landscape with unspeakable beauty.

Those who have experienced it will understand, and to those who have not, it can not be explained.  This painting by Rita McWhorter captures, perhaps better than any other, the beauty of The Texas Hill Country in spring time.  The landscape captures the freshness and newness of the land after a spring shower.  The Blue Bonnets are in full bloom, and the dead grass of winter has given way to the rich colors of spring.  A caliche road leads to an old farm house, with barn and windmill visible in the background.

I grew up not far from the ranch depicted in this scene.  Each day when I look at the painting, I wonder why I ever left.