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. 

S. Delaware and 3rd Street

The amazing light is what first drew my attention.  I had planned to paint the view looking down 4th Street, but oh, that light was calling.  I moved my car closer to the spot, and took my ink and paper out.  I would first ink the house, and then the street - and then decide which to paint. I never made it to the second drawing!  This was my scene!  I took out my oils and decided on a  8x10, because I was now 30 mintues into my 2 hour Quick Paint time.  Undaunted, I let the painting unfold.  I had already worked out the composition and values in ink, so I could allow that intuitive part of me lay down that paint. Would you believe I even finished 15 mintues early?  I had time to clean my brushes, frame and pack up at my leisure. Icing on the cake?  This painting was awarded 1st place in the Sunflower Stroll Quick Paint!  Painting number 2051 in 2051 days.

Sunflower Stroll Plein Air Winner
oil on panel, 10x8
purchase here

1129 N 4th Street

With a hot cup of tea and a cool spot in the shade of our B&B's front porch, this charming brick house called to me.  With some quick line work, I started in with my watercolors.  When I first used these little pan sets, I wiped the mixing areas clean after every use, keeping them shiny and new.  Now, I find it's much faster for me to leave those dried mixes on the tray! With a bit of water from my water brushpen, the color reactivates, and I've skipped a mixing step. Often I can just pick up a bit of another color, drop it right into the old mix, and voila, I'm already painting.  I'm all about time saving measures, and this works well with my limited mixing style.  I never would have believed how much is enjoy ink and watercolor painting, just two short years ago. ALWAYS keep learning, the forward progress can be invigorating!  Painting number 2029 in 2029 days.

Better Blinds Inked

I love these little one night plein air events!  A gathering of local artists, old town charm of the historic downtown Lee's Summit, and several purchase awards up for grabs - who could want anything more?  This was my final drawing, executed after I had already turned my other work in.  I didn't have another frame, but I really wanted to draw this before putting my gear away.  So, I did, and then I turned it in unframed (which I never do - I would rather take it home unseen than present it in the raw!)!  I ended up selling it, too....so maybe I need to rethink that framing thing......!  Painting number 1717 in 1717 days.

The Mill from the Alley

Fourth Fridays are always a lively event in old town Lee's Summit.  Tonight there was a quick paint plein air event sponsored by Got Art.  I walked down Third St, and back up again, looking for a way to frame the glorious clouds in the sky.  Each way, the scene down this alley caught my attention.  It is not my normal subject matter, but I could not resist it!  I started right in with paint, since I was beginning a bit late.  The stormy sky was the perfect backdrop for the old Mill, and all those lines just lead right to my focus.  This was fun, and a good warm up for tomorrow in Marceline.  I was awarded 2nd place for this painting, and it is my 1331st painting in 1331 days.