a new beginning

I have moved my blog to:http://kimshields.wordpress.com/

More of Mother's Things

24x24 oil on stretched cotton canvas
$600 (email me if interested)
It has been a while since I have posted anything, it does not mean I haven't been painting. I have. We took a trip to the mountains in the RV. I took Scott L. Christensen's 10 Day Intensive Workshop at his fabulous studio in Victor, Idaho and Jim rode his motorcycle in the Grand Tetons. Let me tell you, this workshop was the best thing I could of done for my work. Scott opened my eyes to the fact that I need to do more studying and observing the Masters and practice practice practice. Don't feel like you have to complete and frame every time you pick up a brush. I will be doing a lot more studies en plein aire. First, I have some commission work I have to complete first. I had started this still life before I left, I had just a little twinking to do to it when I got back.

Hey Cupcake!

8x8 oil on stretched cotton canvas
SOLD
I am proud to say my paintings hanging at the Magnolia Cafe in Austin had great responses. I sold all of my Austin Landscape series except two and was asked to show again. On another note, I am leaving for Victor, Idaho for Scott L. Christianson's 10-day Intensive Workshop. I am so pumped, he is not only a fantastic artist but I hear from other artists that one of his workshops was a turning point in their work.

My Mother's Things

20x20 oil on stretched cotton canvas

My last visit to my parents house I packed a big box of some of my Mom's collectibles. In my head I could see a series of paintings using a square format and this 1940ish? green with a soft accent of red. This is the first one. I set up another still life today ready for the next one.
I am excited to say I have some of my paintings hanging at the Magnolia Cafe on S. Congress in Austin. I hung the small 8x8 Austin landmarks and a few more larger ones of the Austin area.

Blue Solitude

12x12 oil on cotton canvas panel
$180 (email me if interested)
Today I hung my first show ever! I have thirteen of my Texas landscapes at the Bulverde/Spring Branch Library. They will be there the month of June. It feels good. I kind of liked the way they looked hanging together. There seemed to be a cohesiveness in the collection.

As every Texas artist knows, tis the season for bluebonnets (if I had been organized and posted this when I finished the painting it would of been when the bluebonnets were blooming but I am about a month late) I would not of seen this less traveled trail if I had not pulled over to take a picture of something else.

Dancing Cypress on Frio River

20x24 oil on stretched cotton canvas
$600 (email me if interested)
I really wanted to emphasize the cypress roots in the water so I thought by putting the horizon in the top part of the painting I could use majority of the space on the water's edge. I am really pleased with the outcome using this composition. I have been preparing to hang some of my paintings at Magnolia Cafe in Austin the first of June. I am making my own floater frames. This is very time consuming with cutting, assembling, painting and sanding. I am ready to be finished so I can get back to painting. I have some ideas for paintings in my head I am anxious to get started (hopefully soon).

Black Cows

20x24 oil on stretched cotton canvas
NFS
I finally finished my parents Christmas present. I couldn't post it until I delivered it to their house, because my Mom looks at my blog. We ordered a frame from King of Frames. She received the frame a few days ago and said it looks really nice. I have personally never seen a King of Frames frame but have heard only good things about them. We decided on a distressed black frame with hints of green and red and a gold trim on the inside edge. I will have to wait a while before I get to see the painting framed. I am still painting daily but working on larger pieces so I do not have anything to post as often.

Michaelis Ranch sheds

8x10 oil on stretched cotton canvas
$75 (email me if interested)
Another plein aire outing with the Austin group. The Michaelis Ranch in Kyle, Texas is on the U.S. Department of the Interior's list of National Register of Historic Places. There were so many wonderful painting ops. Being new at this plein aire thing, I think my biggest obstacle is composition. I am so used to painting from photos that I can crop to set my own boundaries. When painting on location I see all around. As on this painting I feel as if the shed in the foreground is too dominate on one side which to me throws of the balance of my composition. On a positive note I do feel as though plein aire painting is going to help me paint only the important details. I have alot to learn but I am enjoying every minute of it.

Alley no.1

18x24 oil on stretched cotton canvas
$600 (email me if interested)SOLD
Any time I visit a new town I like to explore the heart of the town-back alleys, neighborhoods, local restaurants (no chains), no tourist traps for me. This painting is for my collection of Austin works that will hang at Magnolia Cafe in June.

Rio Vista Park

8x10 oil on stretched cotton canvas
$75 (email me if interested)

I recently joined Plein Aire Austin a group from Austin, Texas and surrounding areas. My first outing with them was this past Saturday at a park in San Marcos, Texas. To get me out there painting I knew I would have to follow some established veterans of plein aire. I confess, I am a sheep. I loved it! They are a bunch of wonderful painters and it was so nice being out in the fresh air, it was a beautiful day. The colors! After I got home and compared what I had painted and the photo I took, I was amazed at the intensity of colors that was lost in the photo. I WILL be painting plein aire more!

Barton Springs Hike

16x20 oil on stretched cotton canvas
$600 (email me if interested)
I am adding a few larger pieces to my Austin series. I have been invited to hang some works at the Magnolia Cafe on S.Congress Ave. in Austin in June.

Longhorn Calf

8x10 oil on cotton canvas panelSOLD
It's been awhile since I have posted anything. The holidays rolled around and I was pretty busy enjoying my family, cooking and just over all good spirits. I have been painting though. I have been working on a larger painting to be a gift to my Mom and Dad. My Mom requested black cows. It is now finished but I can not post it just yet because they have not seen it. Mom looks at my blog. Meanwhile here is a small Longhorn calf I just finished today. I enjoyed painting the black cows so much I wanted to paint another cow.

Prickly Pear Blossom

8x6 oil on cotton covered panel
$120 (email me if interested)SOLD
I enjoy painting cactus pads. I can achieve their green color by using cerulean blue, ultramarine blue, viridian, yellow ochre and/or cad yellow. It just depends on how the light hits the pad on which I use.

First Snow

6x8 oil on cotton canvas panel
$75 (email me if interested)

My first plein aire using my new "Cigar Box" by Guerrilla. Jim and I took our first RV trip to Taos, New Mexico this past week. We woke up to an early snow. This is what was left by the afternoon.

Mission Gardens

8x10 oil on cotton canvas panel
$250 (email me if interested)
The next best thing to painting plein aire is coming home and being able to paint from your photos. It takes me back to being at that location and what a good time I had with my Mom and daughter.