Studio paintings VS Plein Air paintings

This large 24x48 panorama of the Rubies that I'm working on in the studio drove me into a frenzy to get outside to paint!  Impossible to get the same feeling in the studio.

 Thank goodness I had a gorgeous day to get outside to paint!! I am suffering with a bit of cabin fever despite the "glass hut"  I have to sit in. I really needed to see if I could breath more life into my colors and there is absolutely no substitute for first hand experience. After a few hours out my own front door and two paintings later I'm a very happy girl!  Can you "feel" the difference in the two paintings?  Now I'm ready to tackle the large piece again..... Hey, maybe I'll haul it outside to finish up! 

11x14    Oil - a challenge mixing the different shades of blue and still be warm.

Along the Banks

8x10 Oil on Linen

This is my lovely niece, Josey! budding artist and first experience at plein air painting.

  

My regular partner, Bailey.

 I had the pleasure of taking my niece out for her first experience in plein air painting, it was such fun and she had on the cutest hat!!  I gave her a smock first thing out of the bag, even though I think she was proud to call her new jeans, painting jeans now. She did great for her first time out and I hope we get to do it again.  I finished my painting back in the studio but had a good start despite the topple down the banks when the wind caught the easel - the paper towels we had to jump in the river to catch, but we were able to haul the wet mess home and laugh about it.

Hope your summer is going well, stay cool.
Kathryn

Painting Out

 I'm still painting out every single chance I get despite the wind and all of the daily tasks that seem to come up whether expected or unexpected. BEND!!!

Plein Air painting day

I also love to garden! and this year after a whole lot of hard work for the last few years I am able to get the organic vegetable gardens going  YAY fresh lettuce!

The lettuce garden

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful week,
Kathryn

"Sunrise"  11x14 Palette Knife Oil on linen

"The Rock" 10x12 Plein Air Study 

HI - yes, I know it's been a little while! Here are a couple of current paintings, the top one is one I did during the 2nd Annual Art Walk here in downtown Elko. The painting is a scene from a favorite hiking place in Soldier Creek, a difficult hike but one that is well worth it. I used a palette knife on this piece and even let a few of the kids that came by try their hand at it - so much fun to watch their faces light up with excitement over getting to paint and I came away with a painting that I love.

The second painting is a study that I did over a week ago on a paint out and I had thought at the time that my colors were very dark and gaudy, but the painting has grown on me now that it has sat untouched in the studio. I can't wait to go back to this spot and try it again!

Thanks for visiting,
Kathryn

Plein Air Painting in the Tetons and Yellowstone

Grand Tetons in the early morning with a partly cloudy sky and cool breezes

Mt. Moran in the late afternoon

Me trying very hard to get the right colors mixed!

At the end of Lamar Valley in Yellowstone.

Just back from a wonderful trip to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone! We went up for the last weekend of the Fall Arts Festival in Jackson, so much fun and energy flowing there for the arts!  Camping and painting the gorgeous scenes all around us and of course lots of excitement with the wildlife too. Big Bull Moose staying in our campground so every morning was filled with taking photo's of them.  We take this trip often but this is my first time to get to paint En Plein Air in the Tetons and I must say it was intimidating looking up at the scene and knowing I had to get those shapes correct because they are the most photographed and painted mountains around. When I started my first painting of the Tetons it was early morning and cold...brrr, I was determined to give it a go anyway, I started my sketch, got it down, started painting, made a mess....wiped it off and started all over, the second try went better but I didn't have time to get the sky in because I was just shivering too much by then and ready for a HOT cup of coffee. In the late afternoon I was able to paint again, the gorgeous scene at Mt. Moran, this painting is my favorite of all of them that I did on the trip.  After four days in the Tetons we moved up to Yellowstone and spent another four blissful days there.

A very inspiring trip with 2,850 photo's taken, thank God for digital cameras!  Look for lots of art work to come featuring some of our greatest National Parks.

Have a great day!

Camping and Plein Air Painting Weekend

8x6 Oil Aspen tree trunk study

Painting under the awning at camp

8x10 Oil Thomas Canyon Hike study - we didn't make it over ridge when my partners gave up on me.

My tired painting/hiking pals

After a long hike back to camp, a popsicle treat. Bailey pup was exhausted, not to mention my husband was too.

Painting my heart out!

8x10 Oil Thomas Canyon water study and my favorite of all the studies from the weekend

6x8 oil  old beaver pond area with a beautiful stand of aspens. I've tried painting this area so many times and believe me I'll be back there soon to try again. So many GREENS!

We had a wonderful weekend camping, hiking and of course painting this past weekend. Our puppy (Bailey) did beautiful with the change in lifestyle and having to be attached to the leash most of the time. She passed the test camping trip and we are looking forward to a week long camping trip to Wyoming in September.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful day :-)

A taste of Winter!

9x12 oil en plein air on Raymar panel

It was 24 degrees yesterday morning when I started off for a morning of painting in the canyon. Cold, crisp and absolutely beautiful. The painting above was completed on sight and I must admit I am delighted with it. When I arrived at this location I sketched three different options and thought I had decided on which one to start with. After setting up my tripod and pochade box I glanced up in a different direction and this scene just begged me to paint it. So I did a quick sketch of it and began painting. 

 Below is a photo of the start of the painting I had initially planned to start with. I was able to get a good start on this before it turned too cold with the light breezes kicking up. This painting will be finished in the studio after I return from a week long painting trip to California. A workshop with the award winning artist Kathleen Dunphy  http://kathleendunphy.com/  Painting for 5 days, 7 hours a day and "NO Whining" aloud. Should be a wonderful experience for me.

Wild Iris and Roses I

6x8 ~ Oil on Linen

Please contact me if your interested in this little painting.

Kathryn@anaturalframe.com

I finally got around to taking the time to photograph last weeks paintings from our outing. This one I can say was

pretty much done on location...I added some highlights in the studio. Check in tomorrow for the second day's painting that was only sketched and based in due to the cattle driving us out.

As for this afternoon.....after a busy early morning of grocery shopping, I treated myself to a couple of hours in Lamoille. A cool shady spot off the beaten path.

Thanks for Visiting

Pleasures of Painting on location

June 17, 2010

Painting in Spring Creek Campground,

at the base of the Ruby Mountains, Elko Nevada

I painted out the last two days with a couple of other artists. We had such a good time....I woke up this morning ready to go again! The first day was cloudy, with cold breezes and yesterday was sunny, a beatiful day. Yvonne and I parked ourselves in the perfect spot for the morning, streaming water, lucious grass, wild iris on it's last week.....Come to find out it was the cows perfect spot for their afternoon nap and after foolishy thinking we could continue and they would move on....they gently pushed their way in and us out!

LOL,  After two days, I have just 3 paintings that still have a spark of potential...somedays you have it and some you don't!

But I have loads of great reference for cow paintings.

Have a great day!

"Nestled below the Ruby Dome"

12x12 Oil on Linen

If your interested in this painting please contact me,

Kathryn@anaturalframe.com

Sunday, a day in the front yard

12x12 Oil on Linen

This painting has a good start....hopefully I won't "Ruin it"

before this day is over!

Hope your having a good day....thanks for stopping by!

"Welcome to Lamoille" Plein Air Study

8x10 Oil

This is a quick study, but if  your interested in something like this please contact me Kathryn@anaturalframe.com

This is one of the views just as you start down into the town of Lamoille. It was partly cloudy....and cold, when the sun popped threw the clouds with it's warmth I sure appreciated it. The trees are an amazing color right now as they are trying to come out of their winter hybernation and into Spring.

Thanks for your visit!

"Time for Fishing"

6x8 Oil

If your interested in this little painting please contact me

Kathryn@anaturalframe.com

This little painting is of one of the beaver ponds we like visit in the summers...last summer my son and his dog had a fabulous time fishing here....hopefully I will paint them in action one day soon.

               Thank you for your visit!

Lamoille Church Study

6x8 Oil

This is a study NFS ~ however if your interested in something like this please contact me Kathryn@anaturalframe.com

This weekend we had a blustery day on Saturday and on Sunday the sun came out and we were blessed with the most beautiful day! I couldn't let the day just pass me by, so off I went to Lamoille, which was gorgeous with the fresh snow. I was in Heaven!

Thank you for your visit!

Brownlee Lake

9x12 Oil En Plein Air

Copyright 2008 Kathryn Grider all rights reserved

Contact me for more information

I started this painting on the first lake we hiked to. It was a

very serene place and you could watch the fish jumping in the

lake, however we didn't catch anything here. My oldest

granddaughter kept asking me about the sticks in

the water... you know...."How did they get there?"

....."What was there first the tree or the water?"

Seeing life through a childs eyes....almost makes me

wish I were a kid again!

Thanks for Visiting!