Plein Air Season - Let The Games Begin!

It has been a year since I last posted. I have had several people state that they miss the blog, so I think I'll give it another whirl. This weekend my summer plein air season begins. I have been juried into several competitions that will take me through to the end of October.

Below are all the competitions that I have been juried into. Two of the events in () I will not be participating in because events overlapped, or I am an alternate

Paint Annapolis • May 30 - June 5
Mountain Maryland • June 7 - June 11
(Bucks County, PA) same week as Mountain Maryland
(Easels of Frederick, Frederick MD • June 13 - June 18 ALTERNATE)
Richmond Plein Air, Richmond VA • June 19 - June 26
Ellicott City, Ellicott City, MD • July 7 - July 11
Paint the Peninsula, Port Angeles WA • August 21 - 27
Solomons Island Plein Air, Solomons MD • September 12-18

Plein Air Competitions are usually a week long event. Artists apply to these events by submitting 3-5 images of their current plein air paintings and sometimes a bio. 25 - 35 artists are then selected(or juried in) by a judge. Most events, artists will stay with a host family. When the event begins, artists have their blank canvases stamped proving that all paintings are done during the week long competition. Artists then spend the week painting within a geographical boundry established by the competition. At the end of a very long week (sometimes painting up to three paintings in a day), after all types of painting conditions, rain, heat, fog, clouds, dark nights and beautiful sun, the artists will frame their paintings for a show. The paintings are judged for awards. All the paintings, sometimes a show of 300 to 500 paintings, are for sale and it always amazes me, that they were all painted within a week. The event usually ends on a Saturday or Sunday with a Quick Paint or Quick Draw. All the juried artists and often community artists, all join within a couple of blocks and paint a painting within a two hour window. Those paintings are then framed and judged for additional awards.

These week competitions are very competitive, exhausting, and stressful. But, yes they are also so much FUN!!!! The juried artists that I have had the pleasure of working with for the past two years are a great group of painters. A lot of the same painters will be in the same events. Sometimes feels like we are Carnival workers or "Carnies" moving from show to show...

So, time to get this blog up and running. Let the games begin!

Plein Air Mountain Maryland....a great week

Right after finishing my week at Plein Air Camp Hill, I headed for Plein Air Mountain Maryland for another week of competition. Thirty artists from all over the country joined in Allegany and Garrett Counties to paint the mountains, historic cumberland railroad and architecture. It was a another wonderful competition, with all kinds of weather conditions, rain to heavy fog, to periods of sun. Made for some very atmospheric paintings. I sold all of my paintings and my quickdraw and was honored to receive 2nd place in the competition for my painting "Double Truss Bridge #1765". Now I leave today for my third competition, Paint Annapolis!

Plein Air Season 2015!

It was a long hard winter here in PA. Now that it is Spring/early summer it is time to paint outdoors! Two weeks ago I participated in Camp Hill Plein Air 2015.  A beautiful week, wonderful weather and great painting.  Here are my two competition pieces

Watering Can, 9 x 12, oil on panel, Artist's Choice Award in Quickdraw

Plein Air Easton! It's a Wrap!

Plein Air Easton! X 2014
13 days, a fantastic competition and experience. 12 paintings painted, 10 paintings entered into the show, 8 paintings SOLD! Thank you to all of the wonderful artists, volunteers, staff, host family and all of the Easton MD community. Can't wait till next year!

Plein Air Easton!

So I am here in Easton MD, one of the largest plein air festivals in the country. Today is Wednesday, only two more days of painting! So far it has been very very exciting, I am bone tired, but am painting, painting, painting. I feel so honored to part of such a fantastic group of artists, really are the best of the best. I am with the "rock stars' of plein air! I will post more pictures of my paintings as soon as I can upload the pics!

"My Kind of Summer Camp",  6 x 8, oil on panel. SOLD

Camp Hill Plein Air Entries

My first plein air festival of the year, Plein Air Camp Hill is almost completed. Four paintings in three days...now time to frame and pick just two for tonights competition and awards ceremony. So which two will make the cut? I thought I had made up my mind last night, but now I keep changing my mind. Anyway, I will frame all four and go with my intuition. Here are the four...

"Susquehanna's Mystery", 9 x 12, plein air, oil on panel

"Julie's Gingerbread", 6 x 8, plein air, oil on panel

"Yellow Breeches Fishin' Hole", 12 x 16, plein air, oil on panel

"Good Morning Camp Hill", 9 x 12, plein air oil on panel

Plein Air Easton!!!

Holy Moly!
Opened my email today to find out that I had been juried into Plein Air Easton, one of the biggest and best know Plein Air Events in the Country!

So...time to practice painting sailboats...YIPPEEE!!!!!

"Grand Red Roof" by Beth Bathe

"Grand Red Roof", 9 x 12, oil on panel, en plein air

Sunday I went in search of some of the last snow in the fields. This grand barn with it's red roof is a wonderful example of the beautiful Amish farms here in Lancaster County. It was a cold brisk day, but very peaceful. While painting the only sound I cold hear was the sound of the whistling wind and the clip clop of the hooves from Amish buggies, so peaceful.

"Late Winter View of Rockville Bridge" by Beth Bathe

"Late Winter View of Rockville Bridge", 8 x 10 oil on panel, en plein air

Saturday I ventured out into the slightly above freezing temps to paint outdoors. The Rockville Bridge, north of Harrisburg PA, at the time of its completion in 1902, was, and remains, the longest stone masonry arch rail viaduct in the world. This view of the bridge shows the mighty Susquehanna River still covered in ice. This will probably be the last weekend of so much ice and snow with temps climbing above the 50s by mid week.

"Hen Party" by Beth Bathe

"Hen Party" 6 x 8, oil on panel

I have several requests for more CHICKENS! I feel like the Colonel Sanders of chicken paintings! Here are three pretty gals, a "Hen Party"!

"Guilin Pink Parasol" by Beth Bathe

"Guilin Pink Parasol", 6 x 8, oil on panel

This past September I had the privilege of traveling to China with artist Qiang Huang.
While visiting the city of Guilin, we noticed how many of the people on the street shielded the sun with bright colored umbrellas. The street was a type of stone which looked wet and picked up all the fantastic colorful reflections! I have so many wonderful photos and memories, and look forward to many new paintings.

"Obie's Siesta" by Beth Bathe

"Obie's Siesta", 6" x 8", oil on panel

This is my dog, Obie. Here he is taking a siesta in a very colorful armchair, at the lakehouse we visited in South Carolina. The sun was starting to set and a strong light was streaming into the window behind him. I loved all the oranges and reds. I only had about three hours to paint today and I think it turned out pretty well.

"Lotus Rest" by Beth Bathe

"Lotus Rest", 8" x 10", oil on panel

I think we are all getting cabin fever and dreaming of warmer weather. This lovely flower and his restful friend, was captured in a photo that I took at "Hillwood", Marjorie Merriwether Post's estate in Washington DC. I just happened to get a great shot of this dragonfly as he basked in the warm August sun.

"Morning Ride" by Beth Bathe

"Morning Ride", 8" x 10", oil on panel

Enough of the snow already! How about a beach scene? This is a shot I took at dawn at Huntington State Park in South Carolina in August. I love the refections of the sky in the water left on the beach after high tide. I can almost hear the waves...

"My Valentines" by Beth Bathe

"My Valentines", 6" x 6", oil on panel

Happy Valentines Day! Here is a painting of Bill's grandbabies, Madeline and Audrey.
We wish we were with you today, we miss our tiny "Valentines".

"Oranges For You" by Beth Bathe

"Oranges For You", 6" x 8", oil on panel

So today was the perfect studio day. 14 new inches of new snow, and we're still waiting for the tail end of the storm and maybe another 3 to 5 inches!

I have painted a lot of landscapes and snow scenes lately, so today was a great time to paint a cheery still life! I decided to paint the "Daily Paintworks Challenge" for the week, which is "citrus". I always like when orange is painted with it's complementary blue!

"Barn at Brandywine" by Beth Bathe

"Barn at Brandywine" 8" x 10", oil on panel

Tired of the snow...wanted to practice something green and inviting!!! This little barn at Brandywine Battlefield.

"Brandywine Brook" by Beth Bathe

"Brandywine Brook", 9" x 12", oil on panel

In preparation of the Chaddsford Historical Society Plein Air Paint Out this coming weekend, I decided I need to get out and paint snow, bare trees and water. Here is all three, on yes and some geese too!

So what did I learn...
Baby it's cold outside. Snow is harder than you think. Have to consider warm and cool shadows. Bare trees are HARD...get enough detail without going crazy. And of course water, I think I am getting the hang of that one!

Just found out I'm a winner!

Just found one of my paintings had won a contest, click link below!

"Blue Doors" by Beth Bathe

"Blue Doors", 9" x 12", oil on panel

I have a lot of interest in old abandoned buildings. Here is a set a doors from an old factory. The patina on the blue doors with a touch of warm orange showing was a photographer and painters dream! Also had fun with the palette knife on the concrete walls