K.Hitt Out And About: PACE13

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Grace Love Fellowship TOUR continues....


Zion's Welcome- K.Hitt - Plein Air Oil- copyrighted

Plein Air Magazine's Out Door Painter On Line Newsletter has honored me, and helped write this post too. I am Very Honored that Bob Bahr did an article titled "Hitting The Road For Four Months And Painting All The Way" on uh, yours truly. Miracles never cease One thing that came to realize on this Grace Love Fellowship Tour, is that blogging where have no cell or wi-fi is impossible. Not to mention... between the driving, painting, camping, etc... adding to that computer connections, well lets just say that I let that hat go, put on my Plein Air Hat, and enJOYed the Out Doors and kept working. Here are a few shots from along the way, and an awesome Article that shares even more... Out Door Painter- HITTing The Road...
click on any image to enlarge it

K. Hitt, Camping San Juan Mountains...

This picture perfectly illustrates why I have opted to CAMP most of the way on this now 12,000 mile journey. There is no other way to go to sleep and wake up at the top of the San Juan Mountains and immediately start painting or have a mountain blue bird come roost next to you for company... what else that was neat about this particular spot is that the Mountain now a part of, actually is in my painting painted at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon hundreds of miles away! This mountain range is over 11,000 feet high above sea level. When you live at 11 feet above sea level in Florida... well, you get the picture

This... well enough said...

K.Hitt vehicle under the arch

The next photo is of one of the paintings done while staying at Pagosa Springs. I must share, that have been trying to get to Pagosa Springs for over 7 years now I think, to paint the wildflowers. Well the Lilacs were in bloom, and many glorious flowers, the wildflowers, not quite at there peak the time spent in this area was more than a JOY! Sincerely could have just stayed, and hope to get back a little sooner this time, like this month :0) to take some of those dirt roads again, literally across the Continental Divide!" Can you say Thank you God"

Spring Elk At The Basin- K. Hitt- Plein Air Oil- copyrighted

The NEXT Painting is a painting of my childhood home and a real treat on this journey. There is nothing like returning to your birth home after 30 plus years and find it living happily ever after! On top of that an absolutely adorable newlywed couple now calling it home, invite you in to give you a tour and ask about your mom's rose bush that survived all these years. I shared with them how my big brother, once lowered my little brother down that laundry shoot! A great time was had by all...

The first image here is titled "Zion's Welcome" and was a real spirit lifter on this journey. One thing you learn on a journey like this, is that though the distance may only be sixty to a hundred miles, when you are traveling at 20 to 30 mph, it takes you awhile to get there! Well I arrived to set up camp at Zion National Park at Dark. Any of you campers out there, know that is not the ideal timing. THIS was my welcome to Zion, literally. It was almost like I could audibly here, all is well... press on! And I did. I don't know that I can pick a favorite, just like the mother of three that I am, have no favorites... Zion is definitely on the top of my list of a place NEED to spend more time painting at.

These are just a couple of the highlights a long the way, many more to come... thanks for being a part of the JOURNEY, Grace Love Fellowship Tour, culminating to the "At That Moment..." Exhibit of both plein and studio painting.

Where I Was Born- K. Hitt Plein Air Oil- copyrighted

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

GLF tour, Leg 1 Review, and 2nd day of 2nd Leg....

Writing you this from a quaint little town in Oregon, at The Beanery

2nd day of the 2nd leg of this Grace Love Fellowship Tour. Taking advantage of a little quiet on this break, and free wifi to catch up on sharing here some of the journey so far. Most of you know that all this is to culminate to an exhibit titled "At That Moment...". There are going to be some awesome moments to share.

The exhibit will consist of plein air field sketches, and paintings done along the way, along with studio pieces completed upon return. Both the Landscapes on the journey, and the faces and figures of fellowship will be a part of the "At That Moment..." Exhibit.More on the Exhibit to come. First, the GLF tour...

Shrimped - Plein Air Oil on Linen on display now at Mantatee Art Center as a part of the Paint The Town Exhibit

Seems appropriate that the LAST painting that I painted before heading out on the this journey, was painted standing on a Coast Guard Base. It is the Coast Guard that moved my family cross country from Mukilteo Washington, to Venice Florida. USCG Cortez base granted me permission to paint this great Florida working fishermen dock and boat scene during the Paint The Town Paint Out in Bradenton Named it 'Shrimped' This, first Shrimp boats. Must say, could really feel the guidance coming through from the last two workshops attended just before this event: Bill Farnsworth, and Kim English workshops. Both excellent instructors and ridiculously talented Painters. The emphasis simplifying the shapes, clarifying the values to capture the effects of light. Tried to carry their instruction through, by capturing the gesture of the scene. Literally right after turning this painting in for the exhibit, finished packing my Tahoe and was on my way to begin my 10K + jaunt... around this great land of the free. Jested with Eric Rhoads when saw him this past week that he played a significant role in this little jaunt of Venice to Upstate NY via North of Seattle WA, first big red dot, Plein Air Convention 13 More on that AWESOME AMAZING FANTASTIC FANTABULOUS EXPERIENCE to follow.... for the sake of the drive of the next leg, and to get past this here snow... let me begin first with a few details from leg one.

Well must say, the first leg of the drive, Venice Florida, to Monterrey via Big Bear Lake CA... experienced EVERY TYPE OF WEATHER known to exist!

wind and snow and rain...

The craziest part of the drive was when crossing NM & AZ I passed through my FIRST Dust storm. Think what I experienced is the deserts version of either a North Easter, or Hurricane... Jiminy To give an idea of how intense the winds were, came to find out that they shut down I40 in both directions about a half hour after I passed through. Drove through a sky of RED, NOT from the sunset, from the DUST, about zero visibility, lights on... think could call it Biblical in proportion. I am looking at this wall of red, and asked myself do I drive through this? Can't stay here, have to keep driving, so through it I went. Saw a semi in front of me, literally tip in a wind gust. Thank God not completely over, but, lets just say I drove through white knuckled, gripping steering wheel so tight. Positive effect? I was DEFINITELY wide awake now :0) Well then when I get to the other side of the dust, rain AND dust begin to blow. When I say blow, sustained 40mph, who knows the gust. By the time I get to the next exit, where decide its time to take a break and get gas whether needing it or not...
well there I am at the pump... and get whacked in the leg by a tumbleweed, THEN... at 35 miles an hour, SNOW starts to fall HARD horizontally! I am just there trying to pump my gas, and said "Are you kidding me?" Sheesh. This in the desert!
Here just a shot from that area... didn't get pictures of the dust...

getting cooler...

ok, and for now pictures, will update more with words, but have to start driving for destination number two... until we meet again, here are some of the views up until today...