Watering Holes on the Katy Trail

"Springtime at Sugar Creek"

Day 2 was an event called “Watering holes along the Katy Trail”.  Artists were asked to sign up for one of four locations along the Katy trail that were breweries or wineries.  This divided the artists and provided a variety of locations for the judges.  I chose the Sugar Creek winery and proceeded about 7 miles east of Augusta to the location.  Tuesday was very sunny and windy.  The difference in the colors I saw was striking from the day before.  You don’t realize how much light effects the color of things until you try to imitate it in a painting.  My second day entry, Springtime at Sugar Creek, showed a full range of bright hues from the crimson red maple trees to the budding green leaves on the early vines.  What a feast for the eyes!

Artists gathered at the nearby
 Klondike Park for the judging

The winner by Joshua Bean
of Colorado

Private Estate Event , Augusta, Missouri

When I arrived in Augusta on Monday, April 25^th, I was comfortable with the area and ready to begin my first ever, week long plein air painting event.  The first day was called a “Private Estate event.  The location was kept secret until registration in the morning.  After we received our “sack lunch”, we caravaned to a private estate complete with a vineyard, pond, and pastures with two beautiful Arabian horses.  The down side was that it was about 60 degrees and rainy all day.  We all found shelter in the out houses, barns or our cars and proceeded to be inspired by the incredible scenery.  The owner offered to open his garage for me and I saw a beautiful view stretching all the way to the Missouri river, from my sheltered position.  I forgot about the cold and proceeded to the task at hand, create my interpretation of the scene in front of me and to do it in a few hours.  What a challenge!  Here is the results of my first day.

Artists took shelter everywhere!

"View to the River"   You could see all the way to the Missouri River.  I loved the different layers of color
the view to the river supplied, even though the hues weren't bright because there was no sun.

Augusta, MO Plein Air Event and Workshop

                                        Billyo Workshop at the Augusta Plein Air Event

       I learned about the Augusta Plein Air Event from an artist friend who had attended it for the past 5 years.  She said this was a fantastic event sponsored by the community of Augusta, Missouri and open to all artists.  It is a 10 day event with different businesses and local wineries sponsoring daily events with daily purchase awards.  I planned to arrive on Mon. April 25 and to participate in the last 5 events. 

      When I got a notice they were offering a plein air workshop on the first day of the event, taught by Bill O’Donnell, a well-know plein air artist, I decided it would be worth an extra trip to the St. Louis area to take the workshop. Gary and I made it a little “getaway” and we went a day early and visited Hermann, MO, a quaint area near Augusta that has many wineries.  On Wed, April 20^th we drove to Augusta and Gary spent the day taking photos while I attended the workshop. I love to  look for “isms”  when I take a workshop.  “Isms” are little nuggets of information by the presenter that capture the essence of the experience.  Here are a few of Billyo’s “isms.”

     Start painting with a middle value, then add lights and darks.  Big shapes first.

     Look for “hidden colors”  in whites.

     If a painting reads well in the dark, it will read better in the light.

     If you use more than 5 brushes on a painting, you’re insecure!

      Before we left Augusta, we had a chance to meet the lovely couple who had agreed to provide me logding during the next week’s event and visit their home complete with a view of the historic Katy trail, a vineyard and an incredible wine cellar.

"Painting on the Katy Trail"   (my painting during the workshop).

My next 6 posts will highlight my experiences and paintings during the 6 days I spent in Augusta.

Kingswood Art Exhibit

       I was invited to have a "one man show" in the Kingswood Senior Living Community in Kansas City.  I have been to other shows at this center, and I was happy to accept the offer.  The show will be on display until May 10, and I have about 40 paintings on exhibit.  It is always fun to see a large body of my work displayed together.  I like to compare styles and treatment that I have used in recent years.  I also like to exhibit watercolors and oils in the same show, as each medium has such a different approach.
       The theme of this exhibit is focused on the gratitude I feel for the 2 gifts that my retirement has provided to my development as an artist, the gift of time and the gift of travel.  Each title card is a little gift complete with a bow.  On each card I included a short sentence or two to personalize the painting and provide some insight as to what I was thinking at the time I worked on the painting.

    

       Another gift, not mentioned in the exhibit, is to be able to have my children and grandchildren see my body of work and to be proud of their mom and grandma!

Sundown at Port Isabel

8x10 Oil on board

     Just when I was having pretty good luck using greys, I came across a sunset with  beautiful warm sky!  I'm also a sucker for lighthouses.  The lighthouse at Port Isabel was a little disappointing as it is located in a very congested area, full of restaurants, shops and traffic!  

We stopped by the lighthouse at sunset one evening and I thought the colorful sky, and silhouetted palm trees simplified the busy area.  I also used my artistic license to remove some traffic lights and electricity poles!

Seagull Siesta

6x8 Oil on Canvas

      For a land locked couple from Kansas City, our daily walks on the beach are wonderful!  The sounds and smells of the Gulf are exceptional.  I was told that seagulls tuck one foot underneath them when they are resting but I never observed this first hand until the other morning.  A lone seagull was taking a little siesta as we strolled by, with my camera in hand to record it.

     Back at the condo, I still had a lot of nice warm greys mixed from my previous painting so I set up my easel down by the pool and painted this "sleeping seagull".

Storm Approaching

                                                                 Oil on Board    8x10

      I am so thankful that I can entertain myself on a cold, dreary day in South Padre Island, TX.  We have been here a week and have experienced a "mixed bag" of weather including an ice storm.  Yesterday we got in a nice long walk on the beach.  It appeared that everyone knew bad weather was coming and this was the last chance to get a walk in for a few days.  I snapped a few shots with my phone as I liked the misty look the approaching front provided.
     Today we were held up all day in our condo.  It was 37 degrees this morning.  I got out my easel and started playing with the photo I took yesterday.  I started with 3 neutral greys and gradually built in a few more colors near the end, repeating my favorite phrase, "less is more" as I finished.