Downtown Magic

Hooray for the rain holding off for tonight's quick paint in downtown Overland Park! It was raining lightly when I drove up, and I was prepared with my oils and my raincoat.  I spent way too much time cleaning my palette this afternoon, and the reward was the fresh paints to dip into!  As I packed up my car to head home, the rain began to fall lightly.  Perfect timing!  I love painting this iconic street from my childhood.  Painting number in days. 

 

Downtown Overland Park

 

It's so much fun to paint my favorite street in historic downtown Overland Park with artist friends!  Tonight was the Magic Hour paint out for the Stems Plein-Air, benefitting the Overland and Arboretum. This is a lively place with walkers and families strolling by to visit and enjoy the downtown district.  I only wish I had more time here to paint in my old stomping grounds!  Painting number 5054 in 5054 days. 

Overland Park Clock Tower

I love meeting artist friends in my hometown to paint the historic area.  This clock tower is an icon of downtown Overland Park, and this time in painting it from down the street.  My daughter and her family came to Thompson Park for some play time on this gorgeous day, so I painted from the edge of the park while waiting for her to arrive.  It's so fun to sketch down memory lane!  Painting number 4068 in 4068 days.  It looks like some of my postings have not actually posted - I guess I'll have to go back and fill in when I've got plenty of extra time.  Silly technology. 

Clock Tower

I loved meeting friends to paint in old town Overland Park this morning!  Things are really changing near my childhood home as upscale apartments seem to be popping up everywhere.  I even had trouble recognizing the landscape and streets, they looked so different.  The old Overland Park Bank with the stagecoach on the lawn is now being updated and transformed.  Never a fan of progress, I was relieved to find this old scene pristine, without any high rise apartments looming in the background.  So fun to return here to paint, it sure brings back memories.  Painting number 4245 in 4245 days. 

Dubuque Clock Tower

I pre-sketch almost every painting or metal piece in the field before I start in the destined medium.  Sometimes, I get so busy that I tuck those sketches away in bags and pochades, to be found much later when I run across the forgotten drawings.  I guess that is one of the hazards of daily painting!  The sketch above was actually my way of being sure of my composition before starting it in copper.  I needed to make sure it worked, because once I start on the metal it can be very hard to make a correction.  When asked by a patron for any Dubuque pieces I might have left, I searched and found this one of the iconic Clock Tower downtown.  Such a lovely place!  Painting number 2603 in 2603 days.

Sunset Behind the Clock Tower

Sunset Behind the Clock Tower
Brush Creek Art Walk
Country Club Plaza
Oil on panel, 6x12

The temperature was perfect, and the breezes were light tucked down by Brush Creek.  I had already painted the creek with the large fountain and gondolas parked along the edge.  Michaela was not yet finished with her painting, so I started this one.  This clock tower is one of the Country Club Plaza icons - and I couldn't resist painting it again this year.  I had only gotten the block in completed when she ready to head for home.  When I am painting on location, I can stay all day long and not notice the time.  I had even considered staying for a nocturne paint, but she would not have agreed to that.  So, upon realization that this would need to be a quick paint, I started in with quick and loose strokes.  The painting became more about the color and reflections than about trying to get all the details in.  There is currently scaffolding all around this clock tower, as repairs are made - but I chose to leave them out.  I wouldn't have had the time to get them marked out anyway.  This is pretty loose and impressionistic, but it captures the mood of the evening, so I am leaving it as is.  This is painting number 258 and Day 18 of Leslie Saeta's 30  Day Painting Challenge.