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  • Plein Air Painting in Cincinnati

    Today, I spent the day walking and painting around cincinnati and Northern Kentucky,

    sketch of over the rhine in cincinnati by artist ken swinson
    Todays view from my office.
    underpainting of over the rhine in cincinnati ohio by artist ken swinson
    i have the composition worked out… now its time for color!!!
    painting of over the rhine in cincinnati by artist ken swinson
    City color: very different from country color. Im working it out…still some details to work out.
    painting of over the rhine by artist ken swinson in cincinnati ohio
    Im not messing with this anymore. Im happy with it.

    Time to move to the next spot…i need some exercise, so im thinking of walking to a riverview with the skyline

    photo of artist ken swinson with painting gear in downtown cincinnati ohio
    Walking downtown. Lots of shiny glass. A perfect opportunity to show off how compact my paint studio is. Everything fits on my back
    artist ken swinson at the roebling bridge in covington kentucky
    Im thinking this old bridge might make a good painting…
    sketch of the roebling bridge by artist ken swinson in covington kentucky
    Sketch is done. Time to paint…fast. im in the shade, and the riverbreeze is a little too refreshing.
    plein air underpainting of the roebling bridge and cincinnati skyline by artist ken swinson
    Composition and vales more or less figured out…time for color
    plein air painting of roebling bridge and cincinnati skyline by artist ken swinson
    I am officially a popcicle. I might have some frostbite/hypothermia, but it is totally worth it. Look at this beautiful painting!! The wavy strokes are from shivering, lol!
    plein air easel setup in front of mt adams in cincinnati ohio
    im going to try for one more. In honor of easter being right around the corner, im going to paint the immaculata church in mt adams. Theres something satisfying abiut watching commuters cross the yellow bridge at a crawl while im on the purple bridge painting.
    sketch of mt adams cincinnati by artist ken swinson
    i have my sketch done…going to try and squeeze both the church and yellow bridge into the tiny tiny painting. Lets get started!!!
    plein air underpaintingof mt adams by artist ken swinson
    I have my values and composition worked out. I like this sketch so much, id almost stop and call it finished…but no, the sun is shining on my shoulder, and there is color to add. Stay tuned!
    plein air painting of mt adams on an easel by artist ken swinson
    its getting dark, thats a wrap!

  • March 2019 sneak peek studio walkthrough

    I’m embarrassed that this presentation falls short of my original idea, but I’m trying to accept the idea that sharing my work with you all is more important than getting crippled by perfectionism.

    Even though i fell short of my goal (displaying all my paintings from Oaxaca together) I am proud of the 4 that ARE ready to show.

    This video was made in a rush with my phone, and it has some problems… BuT i hope its good enough for those of you who cant make it to the pendleton art center tonight dont feel like you missed out.

    Thanks everyone!

  • MY DIY panel carrier

    I have noticed similarities between kentucky and mexicos cultures. We both have a talent for using the materials available to create a solution for a problem. We call it appalachian engineering. They call it technologia mexicana.

    I recently made this oil panel holder; using scrap wood from printmaking/woodcut projects, nails, glue, and of course, duct tape!!

  • Plein Air Paintinting in Augusta, KY – March 2019

    Augusta, KY will always have a special place in my heart. During my formative years as an artist (my 20s), I met many amazing people, who nurtured, encouraged and supported me…their friendship and kindness played a major role in the artist I have become. Looking back, it was a magic time and place for me.

    Time has passed…and we have lost too many of those wonderful people. I haven’t been visiting Augusta like I should, and today, I decided to fix that. I paid a visit and set my paints up to make a little oil painting of the heart of Augusta — it’s library.

    Afer painting the library, i also visited Augusta Ky’s namesake church “st. augustine” and painted it too…the sky was so blue today…almost surreal. I love how the white steeple contrasted with the blue sky.

  • Barns, Bridges and buds

    Im trying to paint outside more often. Its a great way to challenge myself and grow as an artist. I *almost* didnt paint today, because its a cloudy, grey day. Then i realized that grey is one of my favorite colors…it looks great with everything! Hope you are having a great, grey day!

    sketch of suspension bridge in aberdeen ohio by artist ken swinson
    sketch and view for today’s painting #2
    plein air painting of suspension bridge across the ohio river by artist ken swinson
    Bridge over the ohio 6″x4 1/2
    plein air underpainting of yellow house in old washington kentucky by artist ken swinson
    the buds on this tree are just about ready to POP!
    plein air painting of a yellow house in old washington kentucky
    Old Washington, KY

  • Plein Air Painting a fancy old house-March 16 Downtown Maysville

    I needed to dust off my plein air painting equipment. The weather was good today, so i went to downtown maysville to give it a test run and paint one of the fancy old houses on 3rd street.

    plein air painting of an old fashioned fancy house in maysville kentucky

  • Mefford’s Fort-old Washington, KY

    sketch of meffords fort in old washington kentucky
    the sketch of Mefford’s Fort in Old Washington, KY
    plein air painting of meffords fort in old washington kentucky by artist ken swinson
    the finished painting!

  • Plein air painting in Aberdeen and Ripley, Ohio- March 18th

    I have been struggling with some of my studio work, and these little pleinairexcursions have been a great exercise in capturing a moment, color, light…and knowing when to stop…plus an added bonus of fresh air, and making art in public.

    sketch of st michaels church in ripley ohio
    photo of artist ken swinson with friends ron and betsy in Ripley ohio

     i love visiting ripley. Such a friendly little river village. Ripley artists Betsy Adams and Ron Ralston stopped by to see what i was working on (st michaels church)
    plein air painting of ripley ohio by artist ken swinson
    The finished painting- St. Michaels Church-Ripley, Ohio
    photo of artist ken swinson painting from the rankin house in ripley ohio
    Painting at the Rankin House in Ripley, Ohio

  • New color in the studio!

    What better way to show off some new paintings, than with a new color on the wall? My latest paintings are colorful. I’m hoping that navy blue is neutral enough to let the art shine!

  • A chilly day of painting in Old Washington, KY 31 March 2019

    sketch of taylors corner in old washington kentucky by artist ken swinson

    I have thawed out from this mornings painting (you can see it in my instagram or fb stories) . Now that its warmed up to 37 degrees, i thought id take my paints down the street for a second plein air painting. Todays a great day to be here because Robbin Lee Weingartner is hsving an open house in his studio–with Nicholas Denham performing live music.

    underpainting of old washingtons taylor corner by kentucky artist, ken swinson
    working out the composition and values. I love my alpaca fingerless glove/mittens…its chilly out here!
    close up photo of oil colors on a palette
    im ready to start mixing color!!! Trying to only use red yellow blue and white…to improve my mixing skills
    artist ken swinson painting with artist/singer leah frederick admining and smiling
    Our super talented Leah Frederick, stopped by!!!
    plein air painting of taylors corner in old washington by artist ken swinson
    some color on the panel…
    plein air painting of taylors corner in old washinton kentucky by artist ken swinson
    taylors corner. Old washington, ky