Kaia Thomas - A path with ART

Okay, so I have a bit to catch up on here - it's been a while since I've posted... Biggest news would be winning Best of Show at this year's Ann Boyd Wade Fine Art & Photography Show in April!! Very excited, and deeply honored by this!  I did a solo plein air event for my gallery for the April artwalk... It was so much fun, and one of the paintings sold! There was another plein air event in the month of May, again during the artwalk weekend. This was a group event, which included a wet canvas sale and show.  We all had such a blast! Diane Hayes, Clement Scott, Kaia Thomas, and Michelle Cook One of the pieces created during the weekend... "Off Main" 8" x 8" oil on canvas panel Available through 55 Main Gallery 55maingallery@gmail.com Well I think that about covers it for now...there will be more news to come :)

"Colorful Dwellings" 8" x 8" oil on canvas panel Starting bid $50 Click Here for details. Last weekend I took my Mom to Bisbee, Az. for her birthday. She had a great time and got a much needed break. We stayed at The Jonquil motel , a favorite place of mine. They have a really nice back yard area for sitting, with views of one of  Bisbee's appealing qualities, colorful homes and unique architecture. I got inspired to paint one particular scene that had a nice grouping of colorful Bisbee homes. I set up my gear and created this little painting. 

"Velvet and Leather" 12" x 12" Oil on Canvas     Happening right now at Heather Green Studios is an art exhibit celebrating 3 years in Bisbee, Az., which I am currently participating in. This years theme is Leather, the 3rd traditional anniversary gift.     So, (I asked myself) "What do I do with THAT theme!?" I almost didn't have an entry for the exhibition after some time with no inspiration, BUT, one day, as I was puttin' on my boots, it occured to me that they were leather... aha! An inspiration at last! I don't have a lot of experience with still life painting, and more specifically, painting boots. I love a challenge though:) I not only decided to take on painting a still life of my leather boots, but I decided to use only two colors + white. I chose the complimentary colors of purple and yellow. In the end, I was pleased with the results. My background ended up having the look of velvet, which was not my intention, but I...

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...

"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...

So much has happened since the last time I posted a blog. Life just got too busy for cyberspace:) Many adventures to tell! I will try to play catch-up here and start with what happened in September... I attended the annual Bisbee Plein Air Competition the second weekend of September. This was my second year with a whole lot of learning under my belt since my first attempt. I had only been doing plein air painting for about a month when I participated last year. Needless to say I felt awkward and my paintings didn't go so well.  This year, however, was a very different story. First off, I had some confidence in what I was doing - helps for sure. Second, I had a very good painting session - you never know! Sometimes it just doesn't click but this was a definite YES! At the final festivities there is a silent auction with a chance to sell your work and a reward ceremony (first place $500). I was in total shock when both the paintings I entered sold in auction! Really! This was...

Here is a watercolor sketch I did over morning coffee at the High Desert Market in Bisbee, Arizona.  I got the opportunity to unplug for a few days, and I really love Bisbee for that. I took a lot of reference photos while I was there for future paintings. It was quite the inspiring trip! Here are a few shots I took during our stay... The Jonquil Motel where we stayed... Luke playing guitar in the park... Main Street in Bisbee... Good times!