Plein Air Challenge: Day 42

And here's the last one I will leave you with until I post plein airs from the Tetons.  I painted this from the Kaw State Park in Topeka as well.  A really lovely evening to paint!

Clouds Over The Kaw, oil, 6x6 ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 41

Sometimes the biggest challenge is knowing when to take a break!  I leave for Jackson WY in 10 days and have a ton of studio work to do, so I'm putting the daily challenge on hold until I get to the Grand Tetons.  Usually when I arrive at the Grand Teton National Park, I am so excited to paint that I paint three plein airs a day!  There will be plenty of opportunity for making up the days.  For now, I'll leave you with two pieces done along the Kansas River, or Kaw River, at the Kaw State Park in Topeka.  It was so nice, and my husband and little boy were able to go on a hike while we were there.  The parking lot is by the railroad tracks, so Collin got to see two Union Pacific trains go by!

Kaw River Reflections, oil, 6x8 ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 40

This was Friday, June 28.  It was a really busy day so I did this piece fast in the afternoon just to loosen up.   It's a small piece of my garden viewed between the trees.  I am needing a lot more time in the studio in the next few weeks, which is forcing me to find compositions in my own backyard.  This isn't a bad thing.  In fact, lately I've been drawn to subjects I wouldn't normally paint such as the flowers, plants and vegetables that are right outside the back door.

Tomatoes and Currents, oil, 6x8 ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 39

It was really nice to be out early this morning (Thurs. June 27th) and beat the heat.  For a brief time, the sky and the clouds showed off some amazing colors.

Morning Sky, oil, 6x8 ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 38

Our daisies are in full bloom right now!

Daisies, oil, 5x7 ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 37

Just a little tree study after it cleared up and the sun came out on Tuesday.

Summer Trees, oil, 5x7 ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 36

I went out to paint yesterday's painting at sunset.  The most incredible storm clouds developed during the sunset hour. Very powerful and moving.

Rain Cloud, oil, 6x8 ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 35

My blog is now caught up to today.  We had rain off and on today (Sunday), so I waited for some stormy clouds to move through to paint. It's always fun to catch their movement!

Passing Storm, oil, 10x8 ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 34

It was a hot day to be out on Saturday!  I found some shade to stand under for this little painting of the horse pasture that is next to our house.  We are fortunate to have some nice spaces around us.

Horse Pasture, oil, 5x7 ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 33

Friday was the first day of summer which seems like a great time to paint some more flowers, especially when it means I can be in the shade of my backyard.  Happy Solsice!

Patio Flowers, oil, 5.5x9 ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 32

 A quick oil sketch of trees in cooler middle of the day light.

Tree Row, oil, 6x6 ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 31

Here's the last one from last night (June 18) which will be today's painting.  Only 1/2 hour.  I usually consider these studies, not finished pieces when going out with the goal of studying color.  This certainly applies to late light paintings since they demand quick painting.

Mission Creek Valley 9pm, oil, 6x6 ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 30

I wanted to study late light on Tuesday, June 18, so I went out at 7:45pm and painted two studies until almost dark at 9:15pm.  Here's the first...

Mission Creek Valley 8pm, oil, 7x10 ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 29

Our neighbor has horses and I've been wanting to study them for a while. I'm finally going to do some paintings.  What I probably should do is bring out my sketchbook a lot more.  They move around a lot and it's hard to paint them!

Grazing After The Rain, oil, 6x6 ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 28

I painted this little piece from our front yard today while hanging out with the family on this lovely Sunday.  Happy Father's Day to all the great dads out there!

West 37th, oil, 5x7, ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 27

The only time I had to paint on this very busy Saturday, was in the morning in the backyard while watching three little boys chase each other around.  Not the most serene setting!  So I sat down and did a little flower sketch.  I didn't get a chance to photograph the finished piece, but at least I can say I painted flowers now.

Painting Daisies in progress, oil, 5x7  ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 26

I was loving this little pond I found on this Friday morning.  So did my dog!  She headed right out there and went for a quick swim.  I really need to remember to bring towels.

Pond Swell, oil, 5.5x9 ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 25

A quick cloud study this afternoon (which was Thurs. June 13).  I need to get out in the morning - whew!

Cloud Study, oil, 8x10 ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 24

Well I've been remiss in keeping my blog updated with each day's painting, so I'm going to start catching up...

Plein Air Challenge: Day 24. Had a brief but fun painting session with my 5 year old this evening. This is an excersice in both patience and quick painting!

From the Backyard, oil, 5x7 ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 23

I didn't have a chance to get out as early as I hoped, but did get out this morning before it got really hot. Thank goodness for SPF 100!

Morning on Hays Road, oil 9x12 ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 22

It's going to be a very busy week in the studio, so I did this little piece simply to loosen up a bit before working at the easel.  This bare tree provides a nice contrast to all the foilage.  Something loose and fun...

Bare Branches, oil, 7x10  ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 21

I'm now caught up, posting today's (Sunday) piece.  I went out early this morning, taking some back roads toward Maple Hill to see if I could find interesting architecture.  I found this amazing, large barn on Willard Road east of Maple Hill.  It has an interesting roof line.  There is also a brick silo in really good condition.

Barn on Willard Road, oil, 5x7  ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 20

It's day 20 already!  This is Saturday's painting which I am just now getting around to posting.  I thought I would concentrate on architecture here and there in the next week just to mix it up.  We all have certain things we are drawn to.  I have always been more attracted to natural forms - trees, creeks, clouds, etc.  But I would like to use this Plein Air Challenge as an opportunity to play with subjects I don't always go to first.

Farmhouse, oil, 6x6  ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 19

Here is Friday's painting.  What a busy day!  I spent most of the day in Kansas City judging the Stems Plein Air event.  Judging any art show is a tough job, but it is also inspiring.  There were some great plein air pieces in this show!  I had to squeeze this piece in late afternoon before having to head home.  There is a little glare in this photo because it was shot with my iphone outside instead of bringing in.  Beautiful sunny afternoon!  Happy Friday everyone!

Sunshine and Clouds, oil, 12x9 ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 18

I'm trying to catch up with these postings after several very busy days.  Here is Day 18 which was Thursday.  After Wednesday's cloudy, rainy day, it was really nice to see a beautiful sunrise. I got up early enough to catch it popping up over the clouds.

At Sun Up, oil, 8x10 ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 17

Just playing with atmosphere and texture today. (Atmosphere is code for rain!).  Yes it's raining again.  I set up under a big oak tree which at first provided a pretty nice shelter.  Then the rain got really heavy and the shelter didn't do the job.  It's a good thing water and oil don't mix.  Although I've had a few comments on this blog about a resist happening when painting on acrylic primed canvas, and I must say I experienced that a little bit.  Painting thicker seemed to solve the problem.  I would be very curious if anyone else has had this experience and what they did to help it.  I haven't tried painting on oil primed linen in the rain, so that's next.

A Rainy Wednesday, oil, 6x6 ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 16

Well this has been one of those days when it's just plain fun to be an artist!  First, I got a message last night from another artist who lives in my area.  She was wondering where I was painting yesterday (Day 15).  It so happens she lives up the road from Six Mile Creek and ended up purchasing both yesterday's piece of Six Mile Creek Road, as well as the 6x6 sunset I painted on Day  14.  What are the odds I would paint the property of another artist?

This morning I was in the same area, painting a lovely pond.  The owner of the pond was out mowing, noticed me and drove over to see if I was having car trouble and needed help.  I think he was pleasantly surprised to see I was painting his pond.  He asked if I would drive into town where his wife was working at the post office and show the painting to her when I was done.  I did and she asked me to send her an image of it.  How fun is that?  I am always amazed at the nice people you can meet and have a chance to connect with while out painting.

Sit or Fish?  oil  6x8  ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 15

I'm finding that stopping to paint in a spot that interests me often leads to finding another view from that same spot or very nearby.  Very handy when you have to find something to paint every morning and have limited time.  I've started to keep notes about possible future painting locations I find so I can get right out to paint without spending a lot of time finding a spot.  Today, I was on Six Mile Creek Road, which is the location for my earlier Six Mile Creek painting.  As I was painting there about a week ago, I found myself wishing I was painting the road instead!  Well then it's a good thing I have to get out everyday, right?

Six Mile Road, oil, 5x7  ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 14

I'm often too busy with baseball and other family things to get in an evening painting during the week.  For that reason, I'm making a point to get out either early in the morning for sunrise painting, or in the evening to catch the sunset on the weekends.  After several days of rain, there was a great sunset painting opportunity Sunday night in my favorite place!

Sunday Sunset, oil, 6x6 ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 13

Last night was the opening of a group show at the Gallery at Artworks in Wichita, KS.  It was a great night and lots of people came out to see the show.  It was a late night driving back from Wichita, but I still wanted to catch the sunrise this morning.  My Monday through Friday schedule of getting our son ready to go to preschool then dropping him off, usually doesn't allow for catching the sunrise so Saturday and Sundays will be my sunrise or sunset days.  Looking forward to these days and hoping for some great light shows!

Saturday Sunrise, oil, 6x8 ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 12

I've been trying to think about a goal or concept I want from my daily piece before I go out each morning.  Of course, that doesn't always work.  Often what I decide to do and what I thought I wanted to do are two different things.  But today it worked.  After painting so many cloudy gray days in a row with nothing but green, I really wanted to focus on finding the variety in the color I see.  I pushed the sky just a little more violet, and also pushed the warmer grays in the water.  It's interesting that just a little pushing toward cool or warm without getting into intense color can really make a difference.

"Tree Reflection"  oil  6x6  ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 11

I've been really good so far about keeping a schedule, which I'm finding is very necessary for a challenge such as this.  My other painting committments didn't stop during this challenge.  In fact, I have several pieces that need to be finished soon in my studio.  Therefore, my routine has been to take my son to preschool then go straight out to paint.  Then spend the remaining day in my studio.  Even on days such as this when it's raining and I would most likely hold off painting outdoors until another day - I still do it!  I've been happy with my results so far.  It's a nice feeling to know that I got something good out of a day I would normally not go out!  And I keep rediscovering things that should seem obvious. For example, if you want atmosphere, go paint in the rain.

"Vera Road In Rain" oil 6x8 ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 10

I've made it to day 10!  Ok that's not really a big deal, but it does feel like a small milestone.  Today's painting was done from a road 7 minutes from my home/studio where I go to paint A LOT.  I tell students and anyone else wanting to do more plein air painting that they should think of it as this big adventure where one has to drive an hour to find a good location.  Instead, find a place that can inspire you that you can get to in 20 minutes or less.  You will be surprised at what you can find in your own neighborhood!  Then when the mood strikes, you'll be ready.

Hillside  oil  9x5  ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 9

I didn't travel far from home today. This is a small part of a tree row I can see from our back yard.  I find it very inspiring to look at other artist's work that transforms something very ordinary into something really beautiful.  It's interesting to see through other artist's eyes.  The simple subjects are often best for that insight.  I've often thought of doing a series of work just from my backyard, or from a road very close to my studio where I often paint.  How many pieces could I produce from the same spot?  They would look different, not only by which direction you look and how you crop, but also with time of day, light, and weather.  The possibilities are endless. 

"Summer Tree" oil 6x8 ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 8

After an exhausting couple of days "on vacation," we got home and all I really wanted to do was rest.  I DID NOT WANT TO PAINT!  But I promised I would every day so I took my stuff out and started to push paint around. Many artists I admire say you can't wait for inspiration, you have to go get it. So true. So true!  It was nice to have the opportunity to wait to for the sunset this evening.  It was worth the wait.  The clouds were practically dancing.  So much fun to capture their movement.

Memorial Day Sunset, oil, 10x12 ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 7

Technically, this was completed by 10:30pm on day 6, but I wanted to paint the moonlight and had a great covered patio with an outdoor light to help me out. We were also in Branson with family and were going to Silver Dollar City on this day.  So glad I did this because I can't imagine setting up to paint after an entire day in Silver Dollar City with 3 kiddos!

"Clouds and Moonlight" 8x6 oil ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 6

Here's an idea to challenge yourself.  Go on a weekend vacation and find yourself without a painting umbrella on a day it rains.  You've got a 4x5 covered patio at your condo.  So set up on the patio and then what ever you can see from there - you paint!  I didn't turn out half bad either.  Another good reminder to that it's often better to quickly find something simple that can inspire you rather than driving around for an hour hoping for that perfect spot. There is no perfect spot!

Palace Heights Back Door, oil, 10x8

Plein Air Challenge: Day 5

I've already fallen behind in posting my daily paintings.  Here's Day 5.  This isn't something I typically do but I guess that's why it's called a challenge.  I'm usually drawn to the wide open landscape but wanted to test myself and try something new.  I struggled to simplify and find large shapes, even though in reality there was soooo much going on in this little space!  The point of this excercise is to get better at painting all types of subjects on location.  I am hoping to try something like this, maybe even this location, again later in the challenge to see if I can improve.

Six Mile Creek, oil, 8x10 ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 4

It was much calmer out this morning, but since it was cloudy and the light was a little flat, I decided it best to include some structure in my painting for today.  This quaint little ranch sits on Hwy K-4 close to my home/studio.  It was so peaceful painting next to the cows who went about their business eating the tall grass or taking a nap.

Miller Ranch, oil, 9x12  ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 3

Wednesday, May 22, 2013.  This post, which is today's painting, gets me caught up on the blog.  Wow it was windy this morning!  Not nearly as nice as yesterday.  The silver lining in this, some dramatic things were going on in the sky.  Mostly overcast when I started, I mixed a variety of gray values from warm to cool in preparation for painting the sky.  I laid in most cloud shapes as well as the trees and ground plane.  Then it was a waiting game - waiting and watching for the clouds to break.  Thus the name, Cloud Break.  I'm happy with the movement of the sky.

Cloud Break, oil, 12x9  ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day 2

Tuesday, May 21, 2013.  It was a beautiful day to be out painting!  70 degrees and sunny - who could ask for more?  My routine for most days during this challenge will be to drop my son off at school around 8am, then go straight out to look for a spot.  All my gear stays in the car so it's ready to go.  I took a road I don't usually take so it seemed to take a little longer to find a spot than normal.  This violates one of my rules - don't spend much time looking for that perfect place to pull over.  There are great things to paint if you stop long enough and really look!  This painting was an attempt at trying a little bit different composition.  I don't think it's my strongest piece and not sure I like the design.  I do like the shadows, however.  If I can find something good in each piece I do, this will be a success.

Plein Air Challenge Day 2: Two Ponds, oil, 9x12 ©Kim Casebeer

Plein Air Challenge: Day One!

A few days ago I posted on facebook that I was starting a Plein Air Challenge - to paint one plein air a day for the summer, perhaps beyond.  I realized later that this would be best expressed on a blog, so from this point on I will post each days work on my blog along with any experiences I want to share about the process, the successes, failures, or simply about that day.  I will still post pics on facebook.

I have thought about doing something like this for a while but held back for lots of reasons - too busy, too many comittments in the studio, fear of failure, etc.  All lame excuses really.  After getting back from a whirlwind trip to Fredericksburg TX for the OPA show and seeing so much great art, I was newly inspired.  We got home late Sunday night, and Monday morning I committed myself to this goal of painting one plein air a day!  This has been a goal I've wanted to accomplish for a long time so I'm letting you all know before I chicken out.  From this point on, I will post daily if you'd like to follow the craziness.

From Day 1, May 20, 2013: 37th Street Morning, oil, 8x10 ©Kim Casebeer

Sharing a Wonderful Paint Trip to Carmel, California

Here I am painting along the beautiful coast.  Photo courtesy Debra Groesser.

I've recently returned from a wonderful paint trip to the Carmel, California area.  What a great experience!  We had beautiful weather for painting and I got a lot of work done.  I have included several photos of some of the plein air pieces I completed.  These, as well as some studio work, are available at Mountainsong Galleries in Carmel through May 19.  Our group show opened April 19 and the work looks great!  You can see the studio pieces in the show online at Mountainsong Galleries website.

 

Painting in progress at Carmelite Monastery.  This was the first painting of the trip.

Who knew that all my painting in the Kansas wind could prepare me for painting along the California coast!  It was windy and a lot cooler than we thought it would be.  However, we were determined to paint water and rocks so we braved it.

Deb Groesser and I celebrating after a great day of painting, even though it was a little cold!  Photo courtesy Gary Huber.

Garrapata Mood, oil, 8x6.  The day I painted at Garrapata State Park, the clouds were spectacular.  Both this piece and the one below were painted in this park.  Both available at Mountainsong Galleries.

Fair Weather Clouds, oil, 8x10. 

The day we painted at Garrapata was windy but what great atmosphere!  And a bonus - meeting some of the artists that stayed to paint after the PleinAir Convention.

Here I am with Michele de Braganca.  Got to know her and Gary Huber while we tried to keep warm in 15 layers of clothes painting at Garrapata!  Photo courtesy Gary Huber.

Sticking it out was worth it.  Mother Nature gave us a beautiful sunset!

Deb Groesser and I pausing to enjoy the sunset.  Photo courtesy Gary Huber.

WOW!!

Painting at Point Lobos State Reserve the next day was equally wonderful.  The weather and the atmosphere were both great!  Many of us painted the rock formations. 

Several from our group checking out Point Lobos before settling on something to paint.  Left to right:  Cindy Baron, Becky Joy, Christine Debrosky and Shanna Hernandez.

See those painters in the distance??

And I couldn't resist giving China Cove a try.  I went for the back lighting which made for great color and mood, however not so good on the eyes.  Even with my cap really, really low I still had to quit.

Painting in progress at China Cove.  This one will have to wait to be finished in my studio under more controlled lighting.

Sundown at Point Lobos, oil, 6x8.  Available at Mountainsong Galleries.  We spent a day painting in Point Lobos State Reserve. This was my last painting of the day.  I worked fast to catch the evening light.  Sometimes faster is good as there's no time to over think.

There were several times we simply did the beautiful drive along Highway 1 and found places to pull over to paint.  The Eucalyptus trees were fun to paint because they had such nice shapes!

Ocean Side Meadow, oil, 8x10.  Available at Mountainsong Galleries.  Just had to paint this beautiful, open meadow along the coast.

Another area along the Highway 1 drive with great views was close to the Big Sur area.  Cindy and I pulled over to paint the fog.

Cindy Baron and I at one of our group's favorite painting spots.

Painting in progress near the Big Sur area.  The fog continued to move making for great atmosphere.

Morning Impression, oil, 7x10.  Available at Mountainsong Galleries.

Our group met many other artists in town for the PleinAir Convention during a beach side bonfire - how fun!

As if painting in a beatiful location with great artists wasn't enough!  During the trip I found out that "Chasing Light," a 36x36 piece which won the January/February bi-monthly competition, took an honorable mention in the annual PleinAir Salon Competition.  The winners of the 2nd Annual PleinAir Salon Competition were announced during the PleinAir Convention in Monterey, CA organized by PleinAir magazine which was taking place while we were there.  Outdoorpainter.com has a nice online article about this piece:  http://www.outdoorpainter.com.

Opening Night at Mountainsong Galleries. Left to Right: Becky Joy, Deb Groesser, myself, Cindy Baron, Christine Debrosky, and Shanna Kunz Hernandez.

It was great to see all of our hard work together on the walls of the gallery at the end of the trip.  We have a strong show hanging now until May 19 at Mountainsong Galleries.  Please visit the show online at Mountainsong Galleries website.  I hope you have enjoyed learning a little about our trip to Carmel!

A small sample of the work hanging on the walls - Shanna Hernandez, myself, and Becky Joy.  Plein air pieces in front.