"Cactus Heat" and "Pumpkin Patch", sold at Arte de los Brazos, art exhibition in Texas

Good news! I was privileged to be accepted into the Arte de los Brazos Art Exhibition in Possum Kingdom, Texas and sold 2 of my 3 entries. The third entry garnered 1 of 12 merit awards. The painting shown is "Cactus Heat," 12 x 16 oil on canvas. This painting has gained much interest, but I was pleasantly surprised to learn that it had a new owner. The other was "Pumpkin Patch," a 16 x 20" watercolor of a vintage Dodge pickup sitting amidst a field of pumpkins. I was out-of-state and unable to attend this show at the time. Thank you to my new collectors! I hope you have many hours of enjoyment from my work.In addition, my 3rd entry, "Bridal Veil Falls," an oil landscape of the Falls in the Yosemite National Park, won one of 12 merit awards in this prestigious show...there were at least 150 entries. I'm grateful to the judges for the recognition.

I have been participating in several plein air events and have been missing from my usual blog posts lately. I am back now & will be posting new works very soon. What an experience to be able to enjoy my daily work...painting the great outdoors!

Spanish Daggers, The Cove, Plein Air, Oil Paintings, Landscapes by Vonnie Kohn

"The Cove"

"Spanish Daggers"

May was a very busy month! Lately I've had several opportunities for painting "en plein aire"-a term which means painting in an outdoor setting. Sounds romantic, eh? In Texas, artists have to endure the elements of insects, heat, sudden spring storms, and prickly pears or cacti as they hike into remote areas to find beauty. Such was this trip. I was participating in Arte de los Brazos, a juried art competition at "Possum Kingdom" Lake, an area that survived wildfires involving hundreds of acres the previous year with a substantial loss of homes. This place has evolved into a resort community with retirees from corporate life escaping the large cities of Dallas and Ft. Worth. I was curious to see if "beauty had emerged from ashes." So it had. 

When I go on a plein air outing, I travel very light, carrying an 8 x 10" pochade box, some 9 x 12" wood panels, a set of water soluable oils, a paint thinner & a small amount of medium. Oh, yes, a couple of brushes, although my fingers have been known to "double" as a painting device. The morning had rained, delaying our party of about 15 painters. We headed out as soon as the clouds broke.

 In "The Cove", my goal was to capture the fast moving overcast clouds before blue sky completely covered the area-fifteen minutes later! There is an area of burnt ridges in the distant background. The sun was trying to break into the scene with a glow on the mesquite tree in the foreground. I had to paint quickly to capture the fleeting light.

"Spanish Daggers" was a term given to the yucca plant in the early days. It is amazing how our planet can renew itself when devastation has happened. This was originally intended to be the underpainting for additional layers, but became an impressionist painting itself as the colors emerged. The redder trees in the background behind the yucca stalks were burned-out post oak trees still standing. Juxtaposing the green yuccas in front of their red counterparts complemented the hardy plants. Yellow wildflowers completed the composition. "Beauty for Ashes," don't you agree?

These are available for inquiry...if interested, please contact me @ 

www.vonniekohn.com

Thank you for looking!

"Cactus Heat" by Vonnie Kohn, oil on canvas, landscape, desert flowers

"Cactus Heat"

12 x 16"

Gallery Wrap

(No frame needed)

I used to live in the Southwest in a dry, hot, desert area in my early years. Many do not see this as a desirable place to be, however, there is much beauty to observe during the spring and summer.

The prickly pear cactus has a time of flowering that only lasts for about a week. Often the "fruit" will nearly cover the entire cactus. I stumbled on this cactus in bloom on the way to an art class about a month ago. Fortunately my camera was with me. The day was in the triple digits, but it did not take away from the beauty of this beautiful cactus...hence, the name-"Cactus Heat"

If interested, please contact me @:

http://www.vonniekohn.com/

"Crossroads N Ranch"

This is a very large ranch that we pass by every time we take a shortcut to one of the major interstate highways in Texas. For years I wondered why it was called "Crossroads Ranch." As we passed by on one of our trips into Oklahoma, I looked back & saw the "crosses" on the top of the silos & a cross with the letter "n" beside it. This is such a lovely area. I determined for several years that I was going to paint them. Just so happens that the tenants were there the day I chose to set my easel up & paint-such willing models! The paper was slightly wrinkled when I took this picture..the framing took out those uneven areas.

Watercolor painting on 140 lb Arches..22 x 28..double matted & framed
$ 450
http://www.vonniekohn.com/

"Signs of Spring"

It's nearly the season for painting in "plein air"-a term the French used to painting outside. Here in Texas the bluebonnets are in their seed pods waiting to burst forth and announce the arrival of Spring! It is also the season designated as a sign of "new life." This beautiful Arabian, belonging to one of my friends, has just experienced a sign of new life with her son, "Prophet." Can you smell the flowers yet?

12x16..oil on canvas..available (framed)
http://www.vonniekohn.com

"Bountiful Harvest"

Anyone for pumpkin pie? This is a new technique for me. I originally intended to paint this with brushwork, but the background needed a different approach to texture, so I picked up a palette knife & started painting. It was so much fun that I just continued to cover the canvas with paint. The colors were so luminous that I couldn't stop painting! It was the old tractor combined with the surface of the pumpkins that challenged me to paint another way.

24 x 30...oil on canvas (sold)

" Bluebonnet Spring"

The state flower of Texas is the bluebonnet. In mid-late spring, these flowers grow in mass profusion in North and Central Texas. There are many places to see these fields of intense "cobalt blue" flowers and regions that host designated tours. There are many artists who focus their paintings on just this genre. I always delight to go to Fredericksburg during this time & paint these flowers in plein air. Needless to say, this is not the time of the year for this, but I hope you will enjoy this painting of an abandoned German farm whose fields were abundantly growing with Texas bluebonnets.

16 x 20..oil on canvas..(sold)

"The DeGolyer View"

This is one of 2 entries accepted into the "Paint-Out at the Arboretum" (Dallas, Tx) scheduled for the month of Sept '08. It will be showcased along with a national exhibit, "Beauty and the Brush". There will also be a "Members Only" event at the same time.

This painting is based on one of the windows at the front entrance of the DeGolyer house, built by the DeGolyer family in the early 1900's. It sits on 66 acres of lavish botanicl gardens. I was inspired by the contrast of texture between the stone masonry, the iron scrollwork and the graceful arch formed by the pale yellow roses.

Oil on Canvas-12 x 16"- $ 750

"Unscheduled Rest Stop"

This painting, an oil on canvas, 24 x 30, was inspired by a trip through the vast wilderness in West Texas. It reminded me of the history of the pioneers who traveled by stagecoach in the 1800's. The sheer raw beauty of the land contrasts with the determination of those who blazed the early trails of transportation. Because of the distance between stagecoach outposts and the heat, it was sometimes necessary to let the animals take a "breather" and rest. It also gave the passengers time to ease aching muscles from the bumps and ruts in the wagon trails, among other things.
Price: $500-glicee; original available

"Echo Canyon"

As a painter of landscapes, portraits, and wildlife, I look for inspiration in my travels. I paint "en plein air" whenever possible. "Echo Canyon" , near Chama, New Mexico, is both restful and spiritual. The calm, quiet atmosphere of this place provided a tranquil setting in which to set up my easel. And, as I began painting, the stillness provided a setting for the birds and small animals to approach and accept my presence. My father always said, "be still and let nature invade your soul..."

This is a painting done from a plein air study as an oil on canvas, 18 x 24. It has also become available as a glicee`.

Price: $ 350 (glicee`) Original is available