Little Plein Air Painters

Last summer I was sitting at a coffee shop preparing to head out for a day of plein air painting at the Lakeside Plein Air Festival when I received a message on my phone from my fellow artist friend  Jim White. Jim was at the event too and he had apparently already been at it for a number of hours. The pictures accompanying his message were priceless. Jim lets kids help him paint his paintings. He is one of the few painters I have seen who do this. Most of us have been approached by children who would like to try painting of course-- but few of use are brave enough to allow a child to touch our pieces. Jim is the exception.

I knew I wanted to paint one of these pictures so I asked him if I could and he is a really kind hearted guy so he said yes. I didn't change much in the painting. I simplified the background, which originally was a complicated looking fence, and deleted some awkward-fitting clothing form the younger girl. The child painter and her sister (or friend--I'm not sure) are absolutely delighted to be participating in the Lakeside Plein Air paintout and this is what I was trying to convey. Although I enjoyed painting the girls, it was also a lot of fun to paint Jim's worn and colorful French easel with all the years of accumulated paint drippings.

Off to the Lakeside Paintout

Tomorrow morning I will head east to the shores of Lake Erie for the annual Lakeside Paintout and Wooden Boat Show. This will be the fourth time I have done this paintout and I enjoy it because it's generally cooler and there are tons of quaint cottages and flowers to paint. Last year  I stayed with a family who works there during the summer months and they have invited me back this year. They're nice folks and it is wonderful not to have to worry about parking or checking out on time.

The annual Katherine Crampton Art show is up in the Hoover Auditorium during this period, so I usually enter something if I can get someone to deliver it for me. I was thrilled to get a first place ribbon for my painting "A Wonderful Life". It's for sale during the show but if it doesn't sell I have a buyer here at home who I would prefer had it. The man on the bench reminds her of her deceased husband, who took many painting classes with me before he passed away late last year.

Hopefully I will get a lot more paintings done this weekend to share here next week.

24" x 30"

A Wonderful Life

Lakeside Paintout and Wooden Boat Show

For the past few years I have attended a paint out in July at Lakeside, Ohio. The paintout usually lasts 2-3 days and there is a wet paint sale on Sunday, which coincides with the annual Lakeside Wooden Boat show. I love going to this picturesque little community to paint because there are flowers and flags surrounding all the quaint cottages and it's like taking a step back in time to the 1950's. I entered a poster contest sponsored by the Lakeside Association in February and I found out last week that I had won. The premise was to create a painting that "captures the excitement and activity of the event." The painting will be featured on promotional materials they use to advertise the event. So that is exciting news and maybe having my signature piece on some posters will help me sell more paintings! It's worth a try anyway.
This is a studio painting, done from a series of photographs. The colors are accurate because I have painted outside enough to know what they really look like, as opposed to how they look in a photo (blue and a bit dull). You may be wondering if it was really necessary to put myself right there in the center of the painting. To this I answer, "NO!" But it was the only place left after I put in all the other interesting painters I wanted to include. :)