Plein Air Painting in the Adirondacks

This summer has been a busy one with several short trips, but the major one was to an amazing week-long paint-out in the Adirondack mountains in upstate New York.   The publisher of Fine Art Connoisseur and Plein Air Magazines, Eric Rhodes, hosted his "Publisher's Invitational" with 100 artists painting the beautiful landscape for a week in late June.  I met my painting sister, Peg, who lives in Oregon and an artist friend there, and we had a ball with all the other painters from all over the country.  We stayed at Paul Smith College on St. Regis Lake, making day trips to lakes, rivers, and vistas.  The following two paintings are the lake from the deck of the college.

"Adirondack Lake Point"  9" x 12", oil on canvas panel $400 framed

"Adirondacks St. Regis Lake"  9"x 12", Oil on Canvas panel  $400 framed

"Adirondacks Placid Lake"  11" x 14", Oil on Canvas panel  $400 framed

This next painting is the one in progress on my easel. 

"Adirondacks Bog River Falls"  9" x 12", oil on canvas panel,  $400 framed

"Adirondacks St. Regis Falls"  11" x 14", oil on canvas panel $400 framed

With heavy rains all spring, the pounding and roaring of the falls was so exciting.  I wanted to capture the force of that river.  This was the last painting of the trip and what a way to end it!  All of these paintings are now on display at the Brown County Art Guild in Nashville, IN through the fall.  Browncountyartguild.org  If  you want to inquire or comment on these paintings,  you can email me at kclark@twinrocker.com, and you can see all of my paintings on my web site http://kathrynclarkfineart.com/.  Thank you for viewing my art works.

"Under the Dome"

"The Tippecanoe Courthouse at Dusk",  Oil on canvas, 20" x 16", sold

For the last two months, a major focus of my oil painting has been the Tippecanoe County Courthouse in Lafayette, IN.   This is because the Indiana Bar Association in Indianapolis is building a collection of paintings representing all the 92 county courthouses in Indiana.  At the beginning of this year, the Tippecanoe Bar Assoc. sponsored a competition titled "under the Dome" to choose a painting that will represent the Tippecanoe Co. Courthouse.  The judging occurred at the beginning of April.  The painting above was my first attempt to represent this complicated architectural style.  It represents the corner of the building and the second floor because I wanted to feature the dome in this view.  Although only one painting would be chosen as the winner of the contest, all the paintings were for sale and are on display for the month of May in the courthouse.  A third of the selling price was a fund raiser for CASA for Kids and the Tippecanoe Co. Legal Aid Corp.

"The Marquis de Lafayette", Oil on canvas, 20" x 16", sold

On March 6th, nature dumped on us with a big, beautiful, wet snow.  I'd already finished two paintings of the courthouse, but this statue of Lafayette on the corner of the building's grounds was stunning!  Normally in the winter with no water in the fountain, it is drab and nothing to look at, but not on this day!  What fun I had painting it!!  

"Tippecanoe Courthouse from Columbia Street", Oil on Canvas, 24"x 18", Winner, Sold

After I successfully completed the first painting of the courthouse, I felt I could tackle the entire building from Columbia Street with a larger canvas.   Just the second floor and dome would not do for the official representation for the Indiana Bar Association's collection.  This was the third courthouse for Tippecanoe county, built in 1880, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.  I was thrilled to be the winner, receive  the $1000 purchase prize, and have the honor of having my painting be permanently installed at the Indiana Bar Association's Headquarters in the Capitol Building in Indianapolis. 

Patti Truitt, the President of the Tippecanoe Bar Association congratulates me with the winning painting.  

This event was very challenging for me as it was the first time I had painted an architectural portrait.  Competitions like this push an artist way out of her comfort zone and offer a major learning experience.  I enjoyed it very much.  If you'd like to see these and other paintings on my web site, here is the link:   www.kathrynclarkfineart.com, and please forward this to others who may be interested.   Thank you for viewing this blog. 

The First Blush of Spring

"The Falls of New Harmony Pond",  9"x 12" on canvas panel  $550

Field study for "New Harmony Pond"

As the weather finally gets a little warmer, and the snowdrops start blooming, painters begin to get an itch to leave their studios and paint in the fresh air of nature.  The first outdoor painting event for the Indiana Plein Air Painters is always a great one down in the tip of the boot of Indiana at New Harmony.  It takes place from April 18--20th and includes prizes for the painters and a large SALE of paintings for collectors and the general public.  Over a hundred painters from all over the Midwest participate.  Please join us!

One of the events is the "Field to Finish" in which artists paint a small field study during the three day event, not bigger than 12" in the longest direction.  Then, during the year, we paint a larger "finished" studio painting.  Both the field study and the finished painting are exhibited at the next April paint-out, called The First Blush of Spring.  That exhibit at the New Harmony Hoosier Salon is juried for prizes.  Last year my paintings were the judges favorites, so we'll see how these two do this year.  Here is my finished studio painting of the pond.

"New Harmony Pond", 18" x 24", oil on linen canvas, $1900

Let me encourage you to join us this year.  People are welcome to wander and look over the shoulders of dozens of painters, ask us questions, and snap up a painting off someone's easel or attend the painting sale in which we bring both studio and plein air framed paintings.   There's delicious meals at the Red Geranium and other local restaurants.  If you'd like more information on the event and accommodations, call Maggie Rapp at the Hoosier Salon  New Harmony Gallery,  812-682-3970,  hoosiersalon@sbcglobal.net,  507 Church Street, New Harmony, IN 47631.

If you'd like to see more of my paintings and drawings, just go to www.kathrynclarkfineart.com  As you know, I always like to hear from you.  Please pass this blog on to friends, and thank you again for your interest.