Kaia Thomas - A path with ART

Giving a value study demo for the class (photo courtesy of Clement Scott) So, not only was the day of March 20th the first day of Spring, the new moon, AND a solar eclipse, it was also my first day of teaching a class and giving a demo! Of course it was a very nervous day for me, and I'm pretty sure I drove my family and close friends a little nuts with all that nervousness, but it was also a very exciting day that ended up being such a great experience. For one thing, I learned that I actually enjoy teaching, and even more so, giving a demo! A progression of my black and white value study (photo courtesy of Louise Walden) This class was part of the Art 130 course at the Cochise College in Benson, Arizona, taught by friend and fellow artist Clement Scott . He had invited me to be guest instructor for the introductory day of landscape painting. I am very grateful for the opportunity and so happy I was talked into it! The students were great too! There is something a...

Macario Pascual and myself painting the Escalante River at the Kiva KoffeeHouse I have just returned from yet another magical painting adventure in Escalante, Utah. It was my second year attending the Escalante Canyons Art Festival plein air competition.  Although I received no ribbons this year, I was, however, rewarded with beautiful scenery, new friendships, and wonderful hospitality. The people of Escalante, and the people volunteering and attending this festival, are largely the appeal for me going. The artwork produced and entered in this year's competition was truly incredible! View of the show It was challenging this year, with the wet weather, and some nagging health issues - however, I remained focused and excited throughout the experience! I painted several pieces, at several locations during the week long event, and here is a sampling of three of my favorites... "Backbone Bonsai" 10x8 in. oil on linen panel Available Pa...

 "The Ol' Egg Room"      8" x 10" oil on canvas panel   Contact me for pricing and availability When painting pal Clement Scott and I, discovered an old barn to plein air paint in Pomerene, Arizona, we didn't realize the history that would be revealed about it after asking permission of the land owner to paint in his yard. This old dilapidated structure, tucked away amongst a grove of pecan trees and knee high weeds, had once been an important egg sorting room, where special lighting allowed them to reveal whether the eggs were keepers or not. It was a main supplier of eggs to many nearby towns. Who would of known??! Hearing a story such as this can help breathe life into a painting.  I added the chicken later on, as a sort of homage to the place and our experience.

"Afternoon At The Amerind"                             6" x 8" oil on canvas panel Contact me for pricing and availability My friend Clement Scott and I had a recent plein air adventure near the Amerind Foundation in Dragoon, Arizona.    It is an area full of history, and about a million paintings waiting to happen! We had a blast, and this painting is the result of that day.   If ever in this neck of the woods, a visit to the Amerind Foundation is a definite must! Well worth it.

"Strut" 6" x 8" oil on canvas panel Contact me for pricing and availability Some years ago, we attempted having chickens. Attempted being the key word there. They had so much personality. I had taken a photo that I thought really captured their personalities, and thus a painting was born!

"Arizona Colors" 6" x 8" oil on canvas panel up for auction! Sold! Click Here to see auction. Another study of my trip through Northern Arizona. I was very taken with the late afternoon contrast and colors that were happening. The Juniper trees made perfect subjects for capturing it. The underpainting... Establishing the darks ... I have been spending the last few months really focusing on my planes and values. I feel like I'm starting to get a feel for it. Although, as an artist, I don't think I will ever arrive at anything. It's a life long journey of learning and growing.

"Early Morning" 6" x 12" oil on canvas panel       I got back to work on the horse series yesterday, and I have to say I got a little excited about this one. Everything seemed to just fall into place as I painted, which believe me, is not a common occurrence!    The Block-in   This is another scene taken from my adventures in New Mexico .  I think I may have years worth of reference photos from my time spent there:) No complaints about that! Beginning to add color       I took the reference photo during the early morning. The air was crisp and heavy with dew. You could even see it glistening on the barb wire fence. The light was amazing, with lots of inspirational interplays happening to spark the creative spirit. I'm glad to finally come around to painting this moment...  

 "Refreshing Perspective" 9" x 12" oil on gesso board starting bid $125 Sold! Click Here to see the auction.  This painting is up for auction starting December 11, 2013! The auction is through dailypaintworks,com  This painting is in the October 2013 issue of Southwest Art Magazine in the "Art of Arizona" section.

Here is the progression of my newly completed painting "Sunflower Medley".  This was a joy to paint - minus the miserable heat wave that had to be endured during it's creation! Enjoy... "Sunflower Medley" 24" x 20" oil on linen $1200 www.kaiathomas.com

 Rest Stop Ocotillo - 5 x 7 study in oil   I had no clue when I started a 5 x 7 study of "Rest Stop Ocotillo" that a brand knew style would be born. A style that somewhat resembles icing a cake!     I began the study with a palette knife and although I intended to paint the rest of it with brushes, I used the palette knife all the way to the end, even signed it with the knife!    For the most part, I struggle with being too tight in my work. My paintings often land more on the realistic side and I long to have a looser, more painterly style. In this case, when I started applying paint with the palette knife, something broke loose and that more expressive side suddenly emerged. I was so surprised to see it! I felt a kind of elated freedom and a renewed inspiration! The thick, expressive paint and crazy colors that happened were so exciting!   When I approached the larger canvas version of "Rest Stop Ocotillo", I did not expect to contin...

To say I was excited that "Power Flower" was selected as a finalist in the American Women Artists Online Competition, would be a definite understatement. To be amongst such amazing talent and to be selected out of over 500 entries! Wow! You can see the slideshow of the finalists on the American Women Artists page .

April 13th, 2013 Taken during my show at 55 Main Gallery in Bisbee, AZ pictured here are gallery owner Cristina Plascencia (left) and myself with the artwork.   I was having one of those insightful moments a few days ago and it lead me to the thought "I should write a post about that!" So here goes...   It came to my attention that I have had this blog for nearly four years now. Of course, there were periods of time where I seemed to endlessly fail to find the time to write a post but I did my best to write when I could and share some important aspects of my journey and artworks I created.   I had pondered in the beginning what to call my blog - I wanted it to be fun and interesting and of course pertain to what I was going to share - thus the play on words  A Path with "Art" was born. It wasn't until recently that this blog name took on a much more profound meaning for me.  At the beginning of October 2012, at a very low point in my lif...

 About three months back, I started painting miniature sunsets in oils. I was doing it as a sort of discipline and exercise at the time but found that it became a passion for me, painting these tiny, concentrated, desert skies. After some time of doing these miniatures, I had the urge to go BIG! I wanted to see how the larger versions would look and would I be able to capture the same potency.  "Brilliance"  24" x 30" oil on canvas Available Here! The first of the larger versions is seen above. I was very happy with how it turned out and thus began my new passion - painting large sunsets! "San Pedro Sunset" 24" x 30" oil on canvas Available Here! "Sky Symphony" 20" x 16" oil on canvas Available Here!

"Garden Delights" 10" x 10" framed oil on linen  Available through 55 Main Gallery ! " Garden Delights " was inspired from a particularly beautiful summer garden we had here in Arizona. The sunflowers were in full force and in turn attracted many varieties of butterflies including the Monarch Butterfly, which is what I chose to paint here atop a vibrant and prolific type sunflower named the Mexican Sunflower. These are two of my favorite things in the natural world and of course means a real joy to paint!

"Brilliance" 2.5" x 3.5"  oil on archival primed card stock Contact 55 Main Gallery Another miniature sunset added to the series!    

"Cotton Field" 8" x 8" oil on gesso board In November I will be participating in a show in Bisbee, AZ that is in celebration of the Heather Green Studio's 2nd Anniversary since opening.  The show theme is called "Cotton Anniversary" and although the gallery is open to all media, subject and style with the only rule being it must have the dimensions of 12" x 12", I really wanted to try and paint cotton. I don't have a lot of background or relationship with cotton as a plant and I was curious and challenged by the idea of painting it. As it turned out, cotton harvest here in Arizona is in the month of October, so Luke and I set out in search of a cotton field so I could collect some reference photos and also get to know the cotton plants. We were very fortunate to find an amazing and perfect field in a nearby town and our timing couldn't have been better as they were in the process of harvesting right at that moment! I actuall...

"Haunted House" 6" x 8" oil on canvas panel wooden frame $110.00 + shipping www.kaiathomas.com I came across this abandoned house in New Mexico during our return trip. I love forgotten homesteads such as this - they look to me to be so saturated with history they are sagging from the weight of it. It has been named Haunted House because everyone in my family keeps referring to it as such. It stuck...not to mention it's the right time of year for a name like that:)

" Playground of the Ancients" 24" x 30" o/c     My latest project has been painting a rock landscape series. This painting is the first in the series. This series is being done from field studies and photo reference taken over the last few years. This place is one of my all time favorite spots to hike and hang out in. It is part of the Chiricahua mountain range located here in Southeastern Arizona and only a short distance from where I live. I have been visiting this magical spot for over two decades (okay, that just made me feel old - lol).  Here are some photos I took during the painting's progression - enjoy!  Underpainting....  Adding darkest darks and lightest lights...  See the small original field study?...  Boulders are nearly complete... The pose...lol...

Free Rangin' 20" x 16" oil on canvas framed $650.00   Available Here! This was such a fun painting to do and definitely a different choice of subject for me. Never thought I would be painting cows but this particular circumstance came from a great photo shoot that landed me some wonderful reference photos to work from. I really loved the playfulness of this cow and worked to express that part. This painting is available in my Etsy shop . It is framed with a rustic style, handmade, mesquite frame that suits the mood of the painting well. Here are some evolution shots for those who enjoy watching a painting in progress...