Plaza Lights Magic

I absolutely LOVE painting the Country Club Plaza for the holidays!  Always inspiring, this place is celebrating it's 100th year!  Though I've painted these gorgeous streets multiple times, I've never chosen acrylics to do it with.  I've been painting a great deal lately, so it's wonderful to stretch into a different medium for a bit.  I'm using a do brush technique with heavy body acrylics, without water.  They build up with a thicker, more opaque quality this way.  And the color pop of that acrylic paint is also very different from my oils.  Such a great change!  The best bonus is that the painting dries very quickly, so I could frame it up the same day!  This one is now showing at HDR Inc in Kansas City along with 14 others.  It is the 3955th painting in 3955 days. 

Nichols and Broadway Lights

I LOVE shopping AND painting the historic Country Club Plaza along Nichols during the holidays!  The Christmas lights switch on shortly after 5:00, and the wet streets lend themselves well to reflections.  The beauty down here is timeless, and 90 years of Christmas lights is something to be celebrated!  I only wish I had many more days available to paint it's beauty!  With a wintry mix expected Monday - I find myself wondering how gorgeous it would be down here with a blanket of snow on...... and the wheels start turning. Painting number 4125 in 4125 days. 

Lights on Broadway

 

I LOVE capturing the magic on the Country Club Plaza during the holidays!  This place is iconic in Kansas City, and a must visit spot each Christmas season.  I loved painting the Lighting Ceremony, and have returned here several times since to paint the lights on that wonderful architecture!  I'm lucky to have grown up locally, and have many fond memories of the place. I'm so happy to return to paint the beauty again and again.  I am truly living this artist's dream.  Painting number 4123 in 4123 days. 

Lights on 47th St

 

I LOVE capturing the Christmas magic of the Country Club Plaza on 47th Street, in ink and watercolor.  I've long done nocturnes in oil, but have only started using my watercolors.  My intention was to start with watercolor and finish in gouache, but I've yet to use my gouache!  I even think it would be far easier to get the intensity I need with gouache, and yet I hesitate.  I'm so comfortable with my normal methods, I find myself leaning on them in the field, rather than jumping into something new.  I will make it a point to do so this week!  No reason to sit in my box when there are methods to explore!  Painting number 4406 in 4406 days. 

Union Station Holiday

Union Station is a magical place for the holidays - and there is nothing like capturing the magic with paint!  Tonight, Kansas City Parks and Rec sponsored a Holiday Quick Paint inside Union Station, and the halls were decked!  I love painting in this historic train station, it really is a gem in Kansas City.  I used oils for this interior, after sketching another in ink and watercolor.  I rarely do interiors, but I sure do enjoy them!  It was so fun gathering with artist friends and Mom joined in the fun, too. Painting number 3241 in 3241 days. 

 

Christmas on the Plaza

Christmas on the Plaza
Oil on panel, 4x6 - sold

One of my favorite parts of Christmastime is seeing the lights down on the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City.  Everywhere you look, thousands of lights twinkle around the buildings - the beautiful architecture makes this evening light display spectacular.  We try to shop the plaza a few times while the lights are up, and always I am taking photos!  This one is from a shopping trip with my parents and youngest daughter, looking northwest from outside Forever 21.  I returned to my oils today - and oh the paints felt so creamy - going on just like butter with my brushes!  This is a new size for me as well - 4x6 inches.  Small - as my painting time is short, and because I found a few frames this size that would be nice for these little gems.  This is my final week to be completely ready for Christmas, as my family will be coming in on Sunday.  I try to have all things ready, so I can really enjoy our time together once they are here.  Painting number 335 in 335 days.......I think I will paint several of these before I move on to another subject.  Or, I may just bounce back and forth between all my Christmas subjects :)

Historic Plaza Lights

Historic Plaza Lights
Oil on panel, 12x9

The Kansas City Country Club Plaza Lights are something everyone should come see for the holidays!  A holiday tradition since 1930, these beautiful buildings are illuminated from Thanksgiving through January.  This is my first street scene - with cars and shoppers - and at night!  This is the view from outside Forever 21 - from a night of shopping with my youngest daughter and my parents. The dark, wet paint is hard to photograph at night without a glare - so I will retake it tomorrow in the daylight.  This is day 30 of 30 on the painting challenge - I can't believe I actually painted every day!