Kaia Thomas - A path with ART

So I finally found some time to dust off the plein air equipment and get out to paint! It's actually been so long that I am embarrassed to say. The kick in the butt is my upcoming workshop with Chris Morel and not wanting to show up to paint too rusty. As usual, it was an adventure...it was a pleasant, first cool day in 3 months and all seemed to be going well...We went to a favorite spot of mine that I've known about for many years and it's just loaded with magical beauty. Unfortunately it's also a favorite spot shooters...I was about an hour and half into my painting when the gun shots started. The shots would make me jump and added some unwanted brush strokes to my painting. I tried to endure but soon became very uneasy about ricochet bullets. So I had to put an end to the painting... We went to another area away from the flying bullets but by then the day was nearly spent... So I spent the rest of my time taking photos of the beauty... All in ...

Spring is finally arriving in the desert.  This year is going to be amazing after all the rain we received so far and I am about to share with you a little taste of it... So one day as I was gazing out across the valley from where we live, I noticed something strange. It appeared that the entire mountain side 30 miles away was turning orange!  I knew it must be our Arizona poppies but couldn't believe what I was seeing. To see this from so far away!  Time for an adventure. I grabbed Luke and we took a drive across the valley to check this out... Unfortunately, none of the photos we took did these flowers justice...    It was breathtaking and blinding! The color was so intense... As far as the eye could see... Nothing but insane beauty... And then my heart with pleasure fills and dances with the...poppies.  This experience is now burnt in my brain. We live on a truly magical and beautiful planet.  

Yesterday was a magical day! A perfect day to go plein air painting!  Of course I appear to be a rain magnet and although it was a beautiful warm day, 20 minutes into painting it suddenly decides to act like it's summer monsoon season. Seriously whacky weather this year!   Of course plein air painting will always challenge you...like when it begins to start pouring rain and your boyfriend is trying to be sweet and helpful by moving your easel to dry ground and accidentally dumps your pallete in the sand...ahhh, it is indeed a test of patience:)   So after a magical day of painting and we finally make it home the wind comes along and dumps my painting face first in the dirt...yep, another exciting plein adventure:) and yet I'm eager to go do it all over again.