canvas by canvas at the iron horse inn artistic retreat center

We have had the best fun with 6 of the members of the collaborative artists from "Canvas by Canvas"! Karen Foster, Cindy Yandell, Barbara Hackney, Connie Michael, Nancy Standlee, and Maryann Stephens stayed with us here at the Historic Iron Horse Inn Bed and Breakfast, in Granbury and spent three days painting wonderful pictures at our new Art Studio.





My dream to see artists working in the studio has become a reality and I loved spending time with these lovely women. they know how to have fun and they are incredibly talented artists too!
Every time I popped into the art studio to visit with them (it was hard to stay away - their sense of fun was infectious!) there was more of their work to delight in! I particularly enjoyed watching Nancy's flock of roosters grow as the weekend progressed - see the photo to the right of her "brood".






Saying goodbye to these ladies was hard
- I feel like we had old friends over to stay. Thanks girls for making this such a fund adventure for all of us!

Nancy Standlee is a fellow blogger and she has a really entertaining blog space. Great fun to read!







Check out their paintings at canvas by canvas and
see their unique way of working collaboratively.
Each woman paints a section of a picture and then all of the 9 sections are hung together to form one picture which will have a story attached from their many adventures together.

I can't wait to see which adventure in Granbury they decide to paint together!

A perfect getaway for artists to enjoy.

I think it is important that I make it clear that our artistic retreat center at the Iron Horse Inn Historic Bed and Breakfast, Granbury Texas is not just a place to take workshops with nationally renowned artists. It is also a perfect place for artists to get away together for their own retreats, in a lovely relaxing and historic setting. Our gardens are inspirational, with our 400 year old oak trees,



our Koi pond, and the hike and bike track right beside the old mansion.

The sunsets are spectacular here as are the sunrises. The bright red cardinals flitting among the trees are georgous, our kitties basking in the sun in the garden are real models for paintings, the old mansion is a wonderful subject to paint from its many different angles, and pretty soon the red bud trees will be in blossom. Our studio is a great space to work in, with lots of light and space and two storys to spread yourselves out in!
It is possible to stay as a small group of 5 in our Garden Gate Cottage for as little as $65 including use of the studio, or you could opt for some luxury in a private room in the house, each room has a private bathroom.
During the cold weather we have the fire lighting in the fireplace for guests coming down to breakfast, or sitting reading in the evenings - very inviting.

All in all the perfect getaway for an artist - luxury, relaxation, privacy, inspiration and a great space to work too.

wedding venue in granbury texas

The Iron Horse Inn, Granbury Texas is the perfect place to have your dream wedding. The old mansion is such a romantic setting, with its beautiful hand carved wooden staircase, perfect for the bride to make her entrance, and the wide open bright rooms for small receptions of up to 75 people.
How about having your honeymoon night in the Cogdell Suite, with its gorgeous sun room and 100 year old clawfoot tub, original to the house. The bed and dresser in this room were once in the previous house, built in 1885 and burned down in 1900. Many of the original pieces of furniture were saved and are now in this wonderful old home.

The gardens are large and pretty with 400 year old live oak trees, and 100 year old pecan trees. At night the lights in the trees look like dappled moonlight. A lovely setting for your wedding party. There is lots of room to set up tables and a dance floor in the garden. Maybe you would like to have your ceremony in our arbor beside our koi pond! Or sit and pose for photos with your beloved in the garden swing in the old oak tree.

The possibilities for this historic home are endless, and we are more than happy to work with you to make this the wedding of your dreams.

V.....Vaughan coming to teach at the Iron Horse Inn, Granbury, Texas

We are very excited to have the extremely talented V....Vaughan coming to teach at our Artistic Retreat Center, here at the Iron Horse Inn Bed and Breakfast, Granbury, Texas. She will be here April 6 - 9. What a great opportunity to stay at this wonderful old mansion and study with V....Vaughan for 4 whole days!

V... for Virginia, has completed a fascinating series of 365 paintings, one every day for one year depicting her last year on their family farm. The paintings are on exhibition in various galleries around the country and we are delighted that some of this series will be on exhibition in Granbury Texas, at "Your Private Collection" art Gallery.

Virginia says of her workshop in Granbury "Special lessons on sunrise and the waxing moon en plein air" She will be teaching many of her techniques at the four day retreat. A rare opportunity not to be missed!

Ancient trees at Granbury Texas Bed and Breakfast

We are in awe of our wonderful old trees here at the Iron Horse Inn bed and breakfast, in Granbury, Texas. The view from the kitchen door is of our 400 year old live oak. It is magnificent and proud, and it is a delight to sit in the swing beneath it and rock gently. We have two 400 year old live oaks on the property. The other is a beauty, growing just beside our new art studio.
All of the pecan trees in the garden were planted by the original owner, Lucy Cogdell when the house was built in 1905. They still produce huge crops of nuts every year!
At night it is a delight to stroll around the garden and see the trees lit up by our mercury vapor lights in each one. Or sitting in the sun room of our Cogdell Suite you feel as if you are in the trees, with the lights all around you. A very special room!.

How much history these old trees have seen.

Rich history in our Granbury Texas Bed and Breakfast

One of the things our guests are always delighted about when they come to stay with us is doing the historic tour of our old home and hearing the interesting stories of some of the family members through the generations.

This house is the largest historic bed and breakfast in Granbury Texas and it is rich in history and the most wonderful thing for me is that it has not changed much since it was built over 100 years ago. We even have many of the original pieces of furniture from the house which was built on this foundation in the 1880's! The solid oak mission dining room set is always admired by guests, as is the old four poster bed and huge 7' claw foot tub.


It was made specially for the original owner Daniel Cogdell who was 6' 4"!






This is a truly unique bed and breakfast and we would love to have you come and stay with us to experience all of the charms it has to offer! Come to Granbury Texas, enjoy the delights of a great small town and stay at a unique historic bed and breakfast. what could be more fun!

Announcing the new Tara Hill Irish Room at the Iron Horse Inn, Granbury Texas

We are delighted to say that our plans to create an Irish room at the Iron Horse Inn Historic Bed and Breakfast have been realized this week! After many days of decorating and many weeks of looking for just the perfect pieces to compliment our own Irish items, we put the finishing touches on the room just yesterday. It is beautiful, with photos of Ireland taken by Paul on his first trip when we first met. The room is filled with books on Ireland, artwork, bronzes, quilts and celtic throws and pillows. Come along and stay in this special room!
We called it The Hill of Tara because this is a very special place to us in Ireland - it is an ancient historic site (5,000 years old) and it is where we became engaged!