2018 Laguna Plein Air Painting Invitational

We are looking forward to spending some time in the Southwest again on our way to the 20th annual Laguna Plein Air Invitational next month. 

Our last trip to Taos, New Mexico in 2014 resulted in some lovely photos, paintings, and painting studies.

Patrick Saunders - Southwest Art Magazine September 2018 Cover

I found a link to Southwest Art Magazine's September 2001 '21 under 31' list, a roster that Patrick Saunders shared with such talented artists as Jeremy Lipking and Jennifer Diehl.

http://bit.ly/Patrick-Saunders-21-Under-31

Reading this again after so many years was like stepping back in time. Patrick's journey as an artist hasn't been linear, but it prepared him to be the painter and teacher he is now.

What strikes me most after reading his ’21 under 31’ comments, and then his feature for the September 2018 cover, is how important it is to never give up. Life gets in the way, and your passion may not always be your living, but the only way you really lose is if you give up on whatever it is that makes life worthing living to you.

This is a big milestone for Patrick, and I am so proud for him, and of how hard he works at what he loves. I look forward to seeing the artist that Patrick will be next month, next year, and in the next decade. This is a path he’s been on since childhood, and he’ll be on it, one way or another, for the rest of his life. - Kimberly

Patrick Saunders' "A Window on Bentley's Backyard" (oil on linen, 18"x24" Private Collection)
on the cover of the September 2018 issue of Southwest Art Magazine

SWA's September 2001 '21 under 31' issue

Patrick Saunders' "Don't Step in the Light" (oil on canvas, 24"x30" Private Collection) in Southwest Art magazine's September  2001 '21 under 31' issue

September 2001

Southwest Art Magazine '21 under 31'

Patrick Saunders 



Kansas



Born: St. Louis, MO, 1971. 

Art education: Bachelor of fine arts from the Kansas City Art Institute; workshops with Richard Schmid, Burt Silverman, Skip Liepke, and others. 

Style of work: Figurative and landscape. 

First art sale: “In college I sold a piece to the Kemper family, a banking family in Kansas City.” 

First artwork: “As a kid I drew Star Wars action figures.” 

Second-choice career: Musician. “I play punk rock guitar and sing.” 

Favorite artist: Nicolai Fechin. 

Favorite subject: Children, especially outdoors in the summertime. 

Other passions: “I play a lot of guitar; I’m a self-taught Web designer; and my wife and I just bought an old farm house that we’re restoring.” 

Fantasy trip: “To go back to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.” 

Favorite studio music: “Really loud, fast punk rock. It stops you from thinking, and it’s better not to think when you’re painting.” 

Pet peeve: “People who aren’t painting subject matter that they’re emotionally attached to, because it really comes across.” 

Favorite artwork: John Singer Sargent’s The Fountain: Villa Torlonia. 

Best advice received: Paint what you know. 

Creative spark: “The feeling, when a painting is done or halfway done, that I can’t remember making the marks. It’s exciting to see these things come together and not fully understand how it happens.” 

Next big goal: “To market myself on the Web.” 



Price range: $800-$10,000. 



Galleries: Eva Reynolds Fine Art Gallery, Overland Park, KS.


TBT - Pet Portrait of Onyx the Pit Bull Terrier

For throwback Thursday, one of our favorite pet portraits. 

Onyx the Pit Bull Terrier is the most gentle soul you will ever meet. Her piglet plush toy was her version of a teddy bear, looking a bit worse for wear because she carried it everywhere, even sleeping with it. 

Onyx was a rescue from a backyard breeder. Her piglet gave her comfort, perhaps representing a pup she undoubtedly lost while being overbred. It is always very humbling to meet dogs like Onyx who, despite what they have been through, have nothing but love for everyone.

International Cat Day

Today is International Cat Day? That would be pretty much EVERY day, because cats rule.

Saunders Fine Arts POTD - Busy Bumblebee

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Saunders Fine Arts, 2018. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.