Fall Art Tour 2017

Please plan to join us this weekend for the Fall Art Tour! 

Autumn Birches, 9x12"

Over 46 artist's studios will open their doors, starting Friday at 10 am.

The fall foliage will be at it's peak color, and the weather looks

beautiful, so grab your camera and make the trip to see some great new

work from your favorite Wisconsin artists. 

The best part of the tour is that you get the 

experience of viewing the studios and spaces where the work is 

created. My chicken coop was built in the 1930's from a

design created at the University of Wisconsin. The coop originally

housed hundreds of laying hens, and in 2011 it was

converted into my painting studio. 

This year, I will show over 100 new framed paintings from

my adventures as a landscape painter over the year. I have 

had so many memorable moments of painting over the past

12 months, and it has been fun to choose which paintings to

frame, and get them on the wall in the coop. If you cannot make

the tour, keep in touch, my work will be hanging at a new location,

The Vault in Reedsburg. 

We hope to see you this weekend!

painting in the field

Amish Farm 30 x 40"

Fall Art Tour - October 20, 21, 22

Over the next couple of weeks, I will be getting ready for the Fall Art Tour. I'm cleaning up the farm, and my Chicken Coop studio and am excited to see everyone who comes to visit.
Every year, I take everything out of my studio, paint the floor, and then bring things back in, one by one.

I work steadily all year getting ready for the tour, and this is the time to get everything framed up and on the wall. I didn't have a solo show this year, so the coop will be filled with my paintings. If you would like a brochure, that features all of the artists on the tour, please email me at kylemartinfineart@gmail.com

fallarttour.com

Cedarburg Plein Air 2017

Cedarburg Birches 14x14"  

By The Light We Have To Work 12x12" 

The Lions Den 16x16" 

It's been a busy couple of months. The Milwaukee Museum Mile plein air festival was my first plein air event of the year. I stayed in Shorewood, and rode my bike to paint in Downtown Milwaukee every day that I was there. I was honored with a first place award for my quickpaint submission, which was painted on Prospect Street.

I dropped off my painting submissions for the show, which was held at the Museum of Wisconsin Art, and drove straight to Ohio, to teach a workshop. I had 7 great student's in the workshop. We covered a lot of ground in our 3 days together. The main idea of the workshop was controlling our tonal values to create a feeling of light. I think that the students did a great job with these concepts. The weather was not cooperative with us, but we were flexible, and ended up painting indoors for two of the three days. 

Then, I headed to Cedarburg to paint in their Plein Air Festival. This is a great event, with over 160 painters in town, creating work on location. I look forward to going to Cedarburg every year because it's a chance to catch up with friends and talk painting. I stayed with Matt Holt for a couple of nights, and we painted at some great locations including the Lions Den Gorge natural area. Matt and I both received an honorable mention award for our submissions and I also received an artist's choice award. It was a successful event for everyone involved, and I'm looking forward to next year.

After Cedarburg, I taught a drawing and painting workshop to students age 11 - 14 through the Reedsburg Recreation Department. When I teach to teens, I demo as quickly as possible, and then get out of the way, because they have so much motivation and they can produce work very quickly. I enjoy seeing their results and their fresh paintings inspire me.

Up next is a plein air painting event at the Painted Forest in Valton, WI. The event is put on by the Kohler Arts Center, and I will be hosting the event and handing out supplies for this free painting event. Please plan to join us on July 9 in Valton.

Thank you for the interest in my work, I have a few recent paintings at the bottom of this email. If you have any questions, or are interested in any of the work, please let me know.

Spring Workshop April 28, 29, 30

Spring Comes Alive
On the Banks of the Baraboo River
Plein Air Workshop

April 28, 29 ,30
Noon - 7PM
Workshop held at the Chicken Coop Studio
S3749 Schneider Rd. Rock Springs, WI 53961
$200
To Register, Click Here

Paypal

Submerse yourself in the experience of plein air painting in an amazing and peaceful location during the last weekend in April!

The class will start each day at my farm, in the Chicken Coop Studio. My farm is bordered by the Baraboo River. We will put on our rubber boots and hike a mile and a half past an exceptional spring marsh to a remote clearing by the river.

Besides the budding trees, we should see marsh marigolds and a variety of spring greens, pinks, and yellows contrasted by the color of the water. It is very peaceful by the river and a perfect location to loose yourself in a painting. I love it out there. During afternoons out sketching, I have been visited by beavers, cranes, ducks and the Bald eagles that have nested in the pine trees. This is the time to paint the river as it gets very overgrown during the summer.

I will share my process with you through slideshows, written notes, video's and demonstration paintings. We will focus on the essentials of observing and recording the fundamentals of value, shape, and color. This class will strengthen your relationship with color and composition and you will loosen up and have a lot of fun in the process.

I am limiting the space in the workshop to 8 participants.
To register please click the paypal link above,
Or you can pay by check by mail.
If you have any questions, please email me at kylemartinfineart@gmail.com

Once you have registered, I will email you a supplies list, and the pre class reading. I'll look forward to working with you in April!

Devils Lake from the West Bluff Trail

Devils Lake from the West Bluff Trail 16x20"

This painting was from July. There is a service trail to get up to the top of the West Bluff trail, meaning that it's possible to get to the top in 10 minutes instead of a half hour. You have to park on the side of South Shore Road, by the maintenance shop. 

When I was painting up there, I had 10 year old (going on 17) Maci with me. She was a good sport about going out painting every morning this summer. She didn't want me to do more than one a day, but I can understand that. Most people get sick of my painting habit after a while as it takes time.

When I was paining this, I was finding some fun colors. I felt like I was painting with candy. I guess that it was because of the moisture in the air, and the distance. 

Terrytown Farm 12x16"

I paint all the time on Terrytown Road. I always have. Last weekend, while I was painting in Baraboo, two different people asked me if I was painting out on Terrytown.

There's a few reasons that I like Terrytown. It's close to my place. I live on a beautiful 100 acre farm, bordered by the Baraboo River, but there isn't the opportunity for atmospheric perspective here like there is on Terrytown (not that it's featured in this piece, but you know what I mean). I know several people on Terrytown, like the Terry's and my friend Erica grew up at this farm for the first few years of her life. It's littered with beautiful farms and views of the bluffs, so I'll keep painting there.

This piece is from last October,

Bales and Barn 16x20" oil on panel

Gerald Ott owns this farm. It's out on Pleasant Valley Road, which is off of Terrytown Road. Gerald is a nice guy. He likes to grow vegetables and sell them at the Baraboo farmers Market. He has his hands full with the farm, the cattle, and he also does some mowing for one of the townships. 

I've painted out at his place a handful of times over the past year. I was even out there twice in December, after a big snow. This painting is at McFee on Main in Mount Horeb. 

Falling Barn

The old Bindl Barn 24x30" oil on panel

This monster is located between Rock Springs and Baraboo. The new owner inherited it from her father a few years ago, and she gave me the history of the place. It actually served as a chicken coop from the 50's on, this has to be one of the largest chicken coops I've seen. 

The place is falling down. I've painted it from the other side a few times over the years, and I'm glad that I have as it will probably be torn down this year. This time, I wanted to paint the lit side of the barn, so I asked permission to walk down by the field to paint. It turns out she is a substitute teacher for Baraboo schools, just like me.

While I was painting, the Baraboo Bluffs were to my back, and the owner served me vegan muffins and soup. It was very peaceful and nice to be out there painting on some nice sunny days in November.  

Spring Fever

The temperatures are rising. The past week has had temperatures in the 50's and 60's. I was out painting all weekend in Baraboo, and everyone was out walking their dogs, riding bicycles, and playing at the parks. I think everyone has a touch of spring fever.

I've had some good times painting spring in Baraboo over the past few years. In honor of the warm weather, I wanted to post some of them here. By the end of the week we will be back to the 30's. After we shake winter, there will be a couple months of mud season, but there is hope, May is coming!

East Street Plum 12x16" 2011

Platteville House and Fence 6x8" 2013

Magnolia Branch 20x16" 2012

Blossoming Branches 20x24" 2013

Baraboo Magnolia 11x14" 2016

Plum Street 16x20" 2012

Plum and Picket 9x12" 2016

Marsh Magnolias 16x12" 2012

Spring Explosion 18x18" 2012

Tulip and Fence 12x24" 2011

Baraboo Cherry Tree 24x20" 2012

Forsythia 18x18" 2016

May in Cedarburg 8x10" 2014

Flowering Branch 24x20" 2016

Flowering 12x16" 2016

East Street 12x12" 2011

Baraboo Cherry Tree 18x18" 2016