I did a couple really quick plein air paintings yesterday, but the real beauty was this massive cloud formation that morphed from a mushroom cloud into what I'm convinced was a cloud UFO.

Joplin, MO

There was an oil spill on the sun the other day - no filter on these images.

One of the things I love the most about the prairie is it's many moods.

A wise painter once told me, "don't lose sight of the fact that you're pushing pigments around with a brush on a canvas," and I thought that was such good advice.

San Pedros from my backyard.

 Work of the day. It was a beautiful day for plein air.

My show, Prayer to the Earth, at Urban Art Gallery in Joplin. We had a really nice reception last night. Thanks to all who came out. 

Surfside Beach, TX

Fragmented beauties

Everything is temporary.

Back in Kansas and I miss the ocean already.

 Back in Pittsburg.

I had the absolute pleasure of attending KCAI's Educators ArtLab this last week. I was enrolled in the Illustration program where we focused on the prompt of creating a 6-word memoir: a story told in 6 words. It was amazing to get to feel like a college student again and focus solely on creating art - no cat vomit, teenager chauffeuring, or food preparation to demand my focus. In fact, eating at the dining hall was one of the best parts... If only I always had an efficient place to eat meals without having to make them myself, imagine what could be accomplished. In fact, I think we need an adult equivalent of college dining halls... like, just take 1/3rd of my income and feed me. I digress.

On the 3rd day of the residency, my car window was smashed. The thieves took my $40 emergency gas money and a small bag of embroidery supplies. (LOL, embroidery supplies... the joke's on them.) This happened to several other cars on campus as well. I lost a little studio time due to dealing with insurance stuff and filing a police report, but the silver lining is that now I have some practice at dealing with such a thing, especially alone and in an unfamiliar place.

The folks in my class were super kind, though. They offered encouragement, brought me food when I was dealing with insurance calls, made other phone calls on my behalf, and even helped me clean the glass out of my car seat so I could get it moved into the secure parking garage that KCAI offered me. So... faith in humanity at least momentarily restored.

Working late

Some of my classmates

KCAI dining hall facility

On the last day of the program, KCAI students hung our work in an exhibition. I have to hand it to them - it was beautifully done, especially for being put together in just a couple hours. We were able to observe the work of participants in the other program areas (painting, ceramics, and printmaking).

I need to feel the prairie/Everything on the prairie is alive
Watercolor, Graphite, and Gouache
24" x 18"
2022

Our illustration group

Our instructor, John Ferry, inspired us with a lot of art-related thoughts, quotes and readings. Some wisdom that I want to commit to memory:

"All [art] education is self-education."

"Nothing can be accomplished without enthusiasm."

"Show up, pay attention. Tell the truth without judgment or blame. Don't be attached to outcome but be open to outcome."

"I don't let a painting leave my studio until I don't know how to make it any better."

"Decide what you aren't going to do so you can decide what you are going to do."

"You can't be creative until you're warm, rested, and well-fed."

Also some good advice from our TA, Miranda:

A great color theory formula for a triadic color scheme: 60%/30%/10% -- for value, 70% one way/30% the other. 

Dark/light - light/dark.