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Goddard Bridge – Plein Air Painting

It’s a hot sunny day, but I still can’t help stopping at the picture perfect Goddard Covered bridge in Fleming County, Ky.

panoramic photo of the  historic goddard bridge in goddard kentucky

It’s been awhile since i’ve made a plein air painting. This is a perfect opportunity!

pen sketch of the historic goddard covered bridge in goddard kentucky
ive got my sktech done…let’s start painting!
plein air underpainting of the goddard bridge in goddard kentucky
underpanting…now time for color!
plein air oil painting of the goddard bridge with actual bridge in the background of the photo
Goddard Bridge – oil on panel
4 1/2″x6″
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Here, Birdy Birdy

I just finished this portrait of my cat, his name is Here. He’s a sweet cat, but unfortunately, a birder–he’s also lazy, and will try anything to keep from having to work so hard.

The original is a 24×30″ acrylic on canvas. Because of the size, If you live within 100 miles of Maysville, KY. I will hand deliver your painting. if i need to ship by USPS, there is still no charge, but the canvas will be removed from the canvas, and shipped in a tube. UPDATE: the original has found it’s forever home

Prints are also available if you or someone you love is a cat/art lover.

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Repurposing an old paintbox

My friend and neighbor gave me an old paint box that was missing a few screws.

french easel modified to hang on a wall with canvas backdrop

I decided to take the easel part from the reat of the box, then mount it on my wall… Yhat way i get adjustable easel features, without legs taking a lot of prexious space in my studio.

painting of yellow dog with bees and flowers hanging on wall by ken swinson

The easel can hold a pretty large canvas for example, this 28“ tall canvas fits with room for even larger! (pay no attention to the unfinished painting on the wall)

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Georgetown, ohio Grant’s childhood home

Today i came to Georgetown, Ohio with a goal of painting US Grant’s Childhood home.

plein air sketch of grants home in georgetown ohio
The childhood home of US Grant

After sketching the front view of the home, i decided that the light wasn’t right for a painting, so i walked around, looking for a better view.

sketch of grants home in georegetown kentucky
The back view of the house

The back of the house had much more interesting light, so i sketched it out, and was surprised that the composition wanted to be a panoramic.

plein air underpainting of grants home in georgetown ohio
The values and composition worked out for the painting

I decided to ignore the bright blue sky, and emphasize the orange bricks and yellow light bouncing off everything

plein air painting by artist ken swinson of grants home in georgetown ohio

Not only did i get a good painting, but i also met quite a few really nice people, like Vince and Bobbi Shelton, a retired couple (celebrating 50 years of marriage) who are traveling to see all the different homes of the different presidents.

two visitors from out of town visiting the grant home in georgetown ohio

They have been to all except, Obama, Ford, Reagan, Nixon, both Adams and Kennedy…isn’t that a cool project!?!

UPDATE i stayed long enough, the light is where i wanted it, so im going to make my original painting. Stay tuned for updates as they happen

plein air setup of grant's home in georgetown ohio
plein air underpainting of grant's home in georgetown kentucky by artist ken swinson
Composition and values worked out…time for color
plein air painting of grant's home in georgetown ohio by ken swinson
Finished! Us grant’s childhood 4 1/2×6″ oil on wood panel
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Plein Air Painting in Arkansas

I really love Arkansas! Once I crossed the Mississippi river and Missouri, there was a southern vibe I have never experienced. Armadillos, Cotton Fields, and miles and miles of wheat! Much of the landscape is flat, so I can see for miles and miles.

photo of grain mill in corning arkansas

For my first plein air painting, I chose a giant grain silo. Agriculture is such a big part of this area, and with the land being so flat, the grain silos tower over the towns. I decided to stop in in the town of Corning to paint their grain silo because of the muted primary colors: red, yellow and blue.

sketch of grain mill in corning arkansas
the silo is so enormous, i decided to only paint a section of the structure
plein air painting of a grain mill in corning arkansas by ken swinson
plein air painting of grain mill in corning arkansas
Corning AR, 4 1/2×6″ Oil on Wood Panel

I wanted to make a painting to capture the flat landscape of the Mississippi floodplains. Coming from the hills of Kentucky; flat earth takes a little getting used to. Once again, i tried to zoom in, and paint the little farm, far off in the distance

plein air painting of the flat lands near pigot arkansas
Wheat Fields-Arkansas 12×4 1/2″ oil on board

It was a whirlwind trip, but my first time that far west on Us Route 62-I’m looking forward to returning soon to get to know it better and make more art!

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Maysville from sutton hill

sketch of sutton hill in maysville kentucky

Ive been busy today, doing non art chores and getting ready for an upcoming trip, but i wanted to make at least one painting today, so i am at one of my favorite views of maysville. The view from sutton hill. Its cloudy, a grey day, so im going to have a lot of fun with the red roof and the whites of the buildings

plein air underpainting of sutton hill in maysville kentucky by artist ken swinson
I forgot to being my brushes!!! Good thing i am an art supply hoarder, and found a few brushes in my car. One a little too small, the other a little too big, this will be a fun challenge! Here are the values/composition
plein air painting of sutton hill in maysville kentucky with photo of church city hall and bridge in background
There were some challenges today (wrong brushes, grey day) but i enjoyed working out the problems, and i feel like i captured the moment. I really enjoyed all the color mixing. I might bring out the details of the bridge a little more when i get back in the studio
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Poppies are popping and the rain is a droppin

The weather forecast has some rain, so im spending the morning in my garden…i dont paint a lot of flowers, but these poppies are too beautiful to ignore.

underpainting of plein air poppies by artist ken swinson
The composition is worked out…time for color-this painting is going to be all about color!
plein air painting of poppies by artist ken swinson
I made it this far before the rain arrived. I decided to do something i hate: i took a photo of my subject, to use as a reference
work in progress photo of plein air painting of poppies by artist ken swinson
The rain passed after a few minutes and i avaoided disaster (having to paint from a photo) now im back in the poppy field
plein air painting of poppies by artist ken swinson
Greetibg from under the tree. Its not raining enough yo run for the porch, but do need some shelter… Still havent had to use my reference photo

I almost abandoned this painting, because the weather kept causing interruptions, and it was getting kind of wild, but i finally have it under control, and see a path to finish…its just down to the details. I have a feeling, like most of my challenging ones, it could turn out to be one of my favorites!

plein air painting of poppies with photo of bright red poppies in the background by artist ken swinson
Finished! Poppies-12″x4 1/2 oil on wood panel

Well, that’s a wrap! I stayed dry for the majority of the painting. I tried mixing colors in a way I never have before, and learned a lot with this one…I had some doubts while working, but I think the finished painting is fantastic! I like the dark, rain storm in the top right corner.

plein air painting of poppies by artist ken swinson
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The moonlight school morehead ky 8 may 2019

a sketch held beside photo of the moonlight school in morehead kentucky

To continue celebrating teacher appreciation week, im going to make a painting of this famous kentucky schoolhouse. Heres my sketch-im ready to start painting.

plein air underpainting of the moonlight school in morehead kentucky
I have my composition and colors worked out. Now time for color!
plein air painting of the moonlight school in morehead kentucky
The sun is bright today… Its all about blues and purples
photo of plein air painting of the moonlight school in morehead kentucky by artist ken swinson
plein air painting of the moonlight school in morehead kentucky by artist ken swinson
Moonlight school – morehead, ky 4 1/2 x 6″ oil on wood panel

this painting has already found it’s home. You can browse available plein air paintings by visiting my gallery, or clicking here

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Red Roof Barns near Flemingsburg, KY

The fields in Kentucky are covered with a beautiful yellow flower. My goal for today was to paint one of those fields.

While looking for fields, i came across this farm (it does have some yellow field) and decided to paint it instead. I was interested in the way the light was illuminating the red roofs of the barn, and the white of the building

photo of farm with white barn and red roofs in fleming county kentucky

once I got the thumbnail sketch worked out, it was time to paint!

sketch of farm in flemming county kentucky

i was so excited about the painting, i forgot to take a photo of the monochromatic underlayer. So here is a photo of the painting as I started to add color.

plein air underpainting of farm in flemming county kentucky

since i am painting on a regular basis, I have more opportunities to experiment and explore color. I decided to try to paint this scene without using any green.

plein air painting of farm in flemming county - first colors by ken swinson

the colors aren’t true to life, but the subject and light are. My hope is that the painting captures the ‘feeling’ of the place

plein air painting of farm scene in flemming county kentucky
Red roof barn- oil on wood panel by Ken Swinson 4 1/2×6″

I’m really pleased with how this painting turned out..AND I learned some new things about color!

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Morning painting view from covington

sketch of cincinnati skyline with photo of skyline in background

Painting the view of the city from covington. I like the cluster of old towers, and the ferris wheel in the foreground. Lots of interesting shapes. Im going to try a new pallette. Stay tuned. I will update this post as the painting progresses.

plein air underpainting of Cincinnati skylien
The composition and values are more or less worked out…time to start building up some colors
plein air painting of cincinnati's skyline with first colors being applied
Im starting to lay my colors down. I recently added brown to my palette, which is toning down my normally bright palette
Ken Swinson and Connie Sanders standing in front of the ohio river with the cincinnati skyline in the background
My friend, and photographer, Constance Sanders stopped by to visit, and make a short video of my work in progress.
Visit her website by clicking here: https://www.consanphotos.com/
plein air painting of downtown cincinnati with skyline in the background
Finished! Here it is!
plein air painting of cincinnati skyline with ferris wheel and freedom center, carew tower

this painting has already found it’s home. You can browse available plein air paintings by visiting my gallery, or clicking here