Fishing, a Rabbit, and Braking for Antiques: Painting Spring Plein Air!

Today's Painting: "White Rabbit," oil, 10"h x 8"w, ©Jill Banks 2014

Presumably my Vitamin D level must be rising ... with a lot of days and hours spent outside at my easel.  My plein air class starts on Wednesday, and I'm doing my darnedest to get rid of my outside painting rustiness.  Nothing replaces practice.

(And about that plein air class -- I'm trying to figure out great painting locations in or near Great Falls, VA. Have suggestions? Please email me.  Needs: a restroom, parking room for 13 cars, variety of subjects (outbuilding, garden, animals?, fence, etc.)

Thus, there are three new paintings to show you today!

In addition to getting ready for class, I'm also preparing for an upcoming painting trip and was inspired by a recent article in Plein Air Magazine.  An artist was ill-prepared for an upcoming, scheduled solo exhibit with nothing to hang. (Okay, I'm not going to have that problem.) His solution was to embark on a two-week road trip, two weeks before the show was to hang, painting his way to the gallery. He produced two pieces a day, knowing he had to make them work.  Sounds intriguing. Why not pick a different location each day and see what adventures unfold? 

Painted Earlier This Week: "Gone Fishing," oil, 8"h x 10"w, ©Jill Banks 2014

In a little over a week, I've painted in Augusta, GA ("Augusta Georgia Fountain"), Kidwell Farm in Herndon, VA ("King of the Roost") capturing in paint the coop escapee, Lake Fairfax in Reston, VA ("Gone Fishing" shown here), " Old Town Alexandria, VA ("Two Boats" and "Riverside"), in an antique store parking lot on the way to Frederick, MD for the reception at the Delaplaine Art Center yesterday ("Antiques" shown here) and right in my driveway this afternoon ("White Rabbit").

It's truly been a WHOLE lot of fun. I've enjoyed the rhythms of each place, talking to passersby.

Yesterday's Painting: "Antiques," oil, 10"h x 8"w, ©Jill Banks 2014

LOVE the reaction of kids.

The three shown here are all on the small side: 8" x 10" -- giving me some affordable pieces ($630 framed) to hang under my tent at the May 3 & 4 Fairfax Fine Art Festival in Fairfax Corners, Fairfax, VA. Assuming none of them hop to new homes before then.

I still intend to get out an email newsletter. If you aren't subscribed -- I hope you will. Just go to my website and click on newsletter. It should be coming out sometime tomorrow. 

Phone: 703.403.7435
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Web: www.JillBanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
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March 5 - December: Richeson75 Still Life and Floral 2014  Two of my paintings: "Honey Bunny" and "Garden Girl" were chosen as finalists in this online competition and exhibition. 75 total works were selected for this exhibition from entries/artists worldwide. See the exhibit at http://richeson75.com/stilllife/index.html
March 28 - April 18: Women Painters of the Southeast Third Annual Juried Members Exhibition  "Ballerinas I" was juried into this beautiful exhibit at Magnolia Gallery in Greensboro, GA. See my web site's Events page for more info.
April 5 - April 27: Fine Art Professionals of Northern Virginia at Delaplaine, Frederick, MD  Reception on Saturday, April 5, 3 to 5pm at the Delaplaine Art Center, 40 Carroll Street, Frederick, MD. On exhibit: "Main Street USA," "Tony" and "Ice Cold Lemonade."
May 3 & 4: Fairfax Fine Art Festival  I'll be under a tent in Fairfax Corners ... surrounded by artwork. Come visit/shop for original art. More details to come on my web site's Events page.
 
Paint with Me in Italy: August 3 to 10, 2014. For more info, itinerary and links to register, see the classes page on my web site. Great folks are signing up to join me on this wonderful adventure. I hope you can, too!