Kate Withers - 'Painting Space'

A few photos of our new environs in Great Basin National Park...  will post better images of this beautiful Park in the near future.. but for now.. a taste of this high elevation desert camp. .. of the fishing creeks behind camp.. lots of water here.. unusual for Nevada .. my temporary painting studio this summer... one of our smaller canvas wall tents.. will be laying out the oils very soon! .. the early morning view of one of the roads from our front door.. huge ponderosas with a dusting of snow ... 7600'

5x7      oil on canvas/panel      SOLD Here is another small colorful oil of one of my favorite plants... the ubiquitous chamisa of the West. These large bushes [also known as rabbitbush] are commonly found in the higher elevations of the desert... usually above 4000'... especially along the backroads where they are allowed to grow. The flowers of this plant in early September are worth a trip just to see them. Also at this time of year in the high desert... the cottonwoods turn golden and the skies are a crisp deep blue... so beautiful. If you haven't travelled to the Southwest at this time of year.. do try and visit... you will love it!

Just a quick note to let everyone know we made it to Great Basin National Park. middle of nowhere Nevada. SpaceCamp is located 7800' above sea-level next to a fast trout stream fed by glaciers. Hopefully my tent studio will be set up soon.. plus I also plan to paint on location.. small 5x7 and 8x10 color studies focusing on the beautiful shrubs and trees.. especially the awe-inspiring bristlecone pines. I will post photos of this park in the next few weeks.. have just started to explore our new home. Since this blog is mainly about my paintings.. here is a study of a young chamisa I did last fall. These beauties are found throughout the West and are one of my favorite plants.

As promised in my last post.. here are a few photos of SpaceCamp in the southern Arizona outback. We plan to spend next winter in the same spot.. peace and quiet and lots of desert wildlife. .. the view from my studio as the rays of the setting sun turn the world golden .. the last light on desert formations... the magic of the Southwest .. a view of SpaceCamp as I was walking back to camp.. my studio is the tent on the left .. the purples and violets of the afterglow... lots of iridescent colors SpaceCamp from the 'back'.. completely self-sufficent off-the-grid.. solar powers everything.. wind power generator for non-sunny days... hose tripods and dishes are for the satellite internet and satellite tv.. all the comforts. my studio is on the right.. buckled up for the night in case a windstorm kicks up. Quite a nomadic setup.

We are in the process of moving SpaceCamp to the high elevations of Great Basin National Park. Since I am not painting these past couple weeks.. I will post a few photos of a more personal note.. interior shots of my canvas tent studio when it was set up near the rim of the Grand Canyon for three years. Fellow artists would be interested to peruse my working space.. always good to see other art studios.. I know it always gives me energy to continue. So here they are... .. working on 'Nankoweap Noon' .. a 30x40.. still working on the comp .. how I organize my paints [spectrum layout... warm to cool of each color group.. and always way more colors than I need just in case I decide to try a different color than my usual palette..  I own over 250 oils [not all displayed here].. always room for a new color .. my computer work area and one of my small desert studies .. sold already .. working at night ... those are 5000k daylight fluorescents above the easel ...

6x6      oil on canvas     SOLD This little study is painted in an old fashioned style.. strong frontal light the subject.. lots of color. This intense lighting was one of the trademarks that made the impressionist movement so different from the preceding art styles.. and also what angered the critics. It was considered too raw.. too ugly.. and in the high years of this movement.. was best seen in Monet. Soon this type of lighting  foreshadowed the post-impressionism of Gauguin and Cezanne.. the flat colors and the strong influence of eastern design leading the way to 'modern art'.  When I teach I encourage all my students to study art history.. the past masters have influence to this day. Closely surveying their work will reveal how each art period evolved into the next. One wonders what.. from this ancient spectrum..  we are in the process of manifesting.