Paint The Town: Kingston’s School Of Art Annual Plein Air event!

Every time I check out the Kingston School of Art (KSOA) and its many programs, I am blown away by how much there is to do there for all ages.

I’ve often thought about registering for a course (maybe this spring?). They offer a range of courses, but the life drawing one grabs my attention. A few years ago, I did a series of life drawing classes with Diane Black at ArtNoise Kingston (not KSOA!). I really enjoyed it!

Anyway, KSOA offers youth and adult classes, including life drawing, illustration, oil painting, and so much more! This blog is all about one of their awesome community events - Paint the Town!

Last Fall, I had the pleasure of familiarizing myself with this event. I was asked by Moira Demorest - executive director of KSOA and an awesome human and friend of mine) to capture photographs from this event, to help show people what it’s all about! It was a multi-day event, and although I could only go for one of the sessions, it gave me a glimpse into what Paint the Town is all about. And I loved it!

Paint the Town is a plein air event.

According to the KSOA website, “En plein air is a French expression that means “in the open air.” It is used by artists to describe the art of outdoor painting, capturing landscapes and views in natural light.”

This plein air event allows artists from all walks of life, and levels of experience to come together and paint, draw, and be creative right in the heart of Kingston - no studio required!

I was happy to read that during last year’s event 50 artists of “all ages and stages” came to Kingston's historic Portsmouth Village for the event. There was a lot to get inspired by: “beautiful houses, historic taverns, whimsical gardens, and renowned Waterfront,” All of this beauty offered the perfect muse for the artists. The day I dropped by for one of the particular sessions, a number of ballerinas from the local dance school were posing beautifully.

I wanted to capture the artists drawing and painting the ballerinas, but I also just got mesmerised by the stances of the ballerinas themselves.

I don't know much about ballet, or dance in general, so watching these perfectly-posed women was very interesting for me.

Not only that, but being so still allowed me to take photographs from all different vantage points. Is it difficult to maintain those poses for so long? When I did life drawing, some of our models had to hold a pose for up to 45 minutes! I can only imagine the aches and stiffness that would come with that. So I have a lot of respect for models and dancers like this, who have the patience and discipline to maintain difficult poses for a long time, so others can draw them. Thank you KSOA for a lovely experience.

I hope you make your way out to Kingston’s Paint the Town this year (2022). I’m not sure where it will be held, but I’m sure it will be inspiring!