Sunlit Seaside Rocks

From parkour to poetry, perching upon to painting, rocks make good sculptural companions.

6" x 8"  oil on linen panel   $440   Art in the Morning Special

Incoming Tide

I come from the land of 10,000 lakes and the big clear blue up in the Sierra, where water knows how to hold still. Tides are a whole new (and cool) other world.

Just when I get to painting the rock I like, or the penninsula of shoreline that catches the sun... Hey! Poof! The penninsula is now an island and the rock is nowhere to be found.

Still, I like that tides remind me I am on a big round planet, influenced by the moon, as we orbit around the sun.

8" x 10"  oil on linen panel   $730   Art in the Morning Special

Fresh Snow & Grasshoppers

I've never seen the Sierra look like this. The air sparkled with ice crystals creating an atmosphere of silvery light. The mountains, covered in fresh snow, had a soft-focus glow like something the Romantics would wax on about.

 As I set up in the shade of a pine, it became clear I'd chosen to paint in a bit of a wind tunnel. Donning all the clothes in my pack, I focused on trying to capture the light and freshness of the day.

By mid-afternoon the grasshoppers were jumping in the sunlight on the meadow grass.

I felt like joining them.

8" x 10"  oil on linen panel   $640   Art in the Morning Special

The Muse at Dusk

Much is made about the muse in art.

Sometimes it's an idea or an atmosphere that evokes a metaphor that leads to a painting. It can be music, of course. Sometimes it's the tools that allow us to create.

Other times, it's the remarkably kind and good people we meet in our work, for which I am so grateful. 

6" x 8"  oil on linen panel       sold   

'46 Chevy & Airstream

Sometimes life provides. This town is the perfect period-piece backdrop for a car and trailer... the atmospheric skies, the light rain, the buildings of a certain time, ready to be captured by paint and brush with the gear on my back.

 How lucky is that! 

But not just any car and trailer. We have a smooth-riding Airstream and what looks to be a '35 Chevy Master panel truck. But is it?

Everything fits on the Chevy but the horizontal section of the grill. Wrong year? Custom Grill? I'm hoping one of you classic car buffs out there can solve the mystery.

11" x 14"  oil on panel     $1180   Art in the Morning Special

Coastal Blue

October 1 , 2025

When I'm not painting in the Sierra, plein air can be kind of high impact. Balanced on a spit of dirt alongside a highway, planted next to a sign post in an intersection, perched on a bluff above lobster trucks barreling along to the sound of boat horns, a place of quiet green becomes a fantasy.

 I could have called this painting 'The Kindness of Strangers.'

 Inviting us to paint on her land and spend a peaceful day looking at light upon the water, ships cruising the horizon, and listening to gulls out beyond and crickets in the grass, was a gift greater than one could hope for.

9" x 12"  oil on panel       sold  

Catching the Glow

Sometimes it's the simple things that are the best things.

8" x 10"  oil on linen panel   $580   Art in the Morning Special

Queen to Play

I like how changing the context can help us see things fresh.

As is usually the case with my still life set-ups, these cherries were sitting upon white. This leaves color choices open.

Adding squares totally changed space. I love the play of abstraction and depth.

Sometimes a bit of nonsense is a good way to start the day.

6" x 6"  oil on panel     NFS   Art in the Morning Special

Licorice Jazz, too

September 10, 2025

I painted this listening to the soundtrack of 'Finding Forrester,' one of my favorite movies.

No wonder I like the music, it combines moods of Miles Davis, and Ornette Coleman, with more playful and contemplative Bill Frisell on guitar.

The movie perfectly pairs Sean Connery and Rob Brown. It's hip, smart, and funny... generous, and wise.

We enjoy the cracks about writing and authors and some aspects of academia.

The rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow makes one wish for more dreams to come true.

6" x 6"  oil on panel     $360   Art in the Morning Special

Morning Light

Up early to go paint, I step out into a silent world. The night sky shines brilliant, with Orion just overhead and a bit south-east.

Up against the side of the woods along the shore, I pick a spot that will keep me in shade through the morning, the better to see my colors.

By the time I have my gear set up, the day begins to wash transparent.

Egrets come like sails, soaring down this runway.

8" x 10"  oil on linen panel    NFS, yet

Glow, Slice, Reflect

Occassionally, we meet a person, place, or thing, that knows exactly what it's about.

Isn't it wonderful!

8" x 8"  oil on panel    $480 sold 

'56 Bel Air rear view

August 20, 2025

Cars provide an easy portal to the past. This time, it's a ride following a trip upon the Soo Line railroad.

Rolling down the window to let the sound of grasshoppers in, we whisk past the tassled tops of golden corn under a clean, blue, soaring sky.

Occasionally, a farm appears with its crisp outlines of geometric shapes in white, black, gray, and red.

I imagine that life as we cruise on by.

9" x 12"  oil on linen panel  $790  Art in the Morning Special

Ciao, Bella

Dotted with clay-tiled roofs upon stone cottages, and vineyards full of promise,

the golden hills are alive with the scent of... basil, anyone?

6" x 8"  oil on linen panel  $320   Art in the Morning Special

'56 Bel Air

A classic beauty from a time with class.

9" x 12"  oil on linen panel  $840 sold

Tulip Joy

July 30, 2025

Looking for joy in all the right places.

Twyla Tharp meets tulips.

11" x 14"  oil on linen panel    $840 sold

Radiant

I love finessing color until it creates its own light.

8" x 8"  oil on panel    $480 sold

Seville, Alcazar sketch

Art and art history motivated the trip.

The light, the textures, the architecture, and the choice of graphite as the medium, all shape the story.

And, the memory!

 Nice that 'history' includes the word 'story.'

5.5" x 5.5"   ink in sketchbook   nfs

Checkers

It's a puzzle.

It's a game.

Wait... It's a food group!

Working on my neuroplasticity.

6 x 6"   oil on panel   $360  sold  

Golden Pears

The green of spring turns

Golden summer sun rises

Shadows pool and climb

8" x 8"  oil on panel    $480 sold

Morning Walk Wonder

About a year ago I added something to my morning walk, the idea of taking notice of at least three 'wonders' along the way.

It gives me the chance to savor and appreciate. And I can come home and report somethig fun or beautiful or surprising or cool that I come upon in nature.

 It might be noticing the track a snake or lizard leaves in the dirt. Or aspens backlit by the morning sun. Or these wonderful tepee-like sculptures built by someone who spent time in the woods, collecting sticks and evaluating their shape. Propping and re-arranging them. Imagining.

Yup. Morning Walk Wonders.

6" x 8"   oil on linen panel   $380   Art in the Morning Special

Licorice Jazz

Sweet stuff gives me a chance to play with vivid colors that make people feel good.

Jazz is how I listen to vivid notes that make me feel good.

I painted this listening to Chick Corea's 'Trilogy': Chick on piano, Christian McBride on bass, Brian Blade on drums. Masters, all. These guys are in improvisational sync. And, smokin'!

 I like to learn from musicians whenever I can. This trio has me asking how I can apply their rich variety of sound to my brush strokes.

I love how interesting and endless that is.

6 x 6"   oil on panel     $360    sold

Morning Sun Rose

Blazed by morning sun,

The coral breaks into light.

Sweet of scent, nature.

8" x 10"  oil on linen panel   $480 sold

Villa Tuscany - sketch

June 4, 2025

Architecture in Italy is like character actors in a play or movie. Distinct, quirky, full of charm or style, often with that hand-hewn look.

There is a story to tell.

So much stone. So many arches. Timeless.  

5.5" x 5.5"   ink in sketchbook   nfs

Most Likely to Succeed

May 28, 2025

A creative thinker. 

Well groomed, self-sufficient, knows how to walk into a room.

8" x 10"  oil on linen panel   $480 sold

Water & Glow

May 21, 2025

Every day in the studio, I'm always looking at the painting on my easel, as I work or mix my paint or eat or ride my bike and evaluate. Sometimes my painting is upside down so I can see it fresh.

When I determine a painting is done, I remove it from the easel to keep it safe.

As I clean up and move about the studio, preparing for my next painting, my eye automatically goes to the easel.

It's always a bit of a shock when my gaze lands on nothing. An empty easel. The room feels lifeless.

Without thinking of it consciously, I regularly experience the power of painting, the power of art, to affect our lives. I'm reminded of the serenity, or the drama, or the unexpected, but always the presence, that a painting brings to a room. It's absence always lands like a small punch of loss.

Better get back to work.

Peony & Fog

Every painting is a process of discovery and surprise. I love that.

As I painted these beautiful, and beautifully scented! peonies, the opportunity for creating atmosphere presented itself. This brought a greater sense of stillness and intimacy.

A moment of quiet.

11" x 14"   oil on linen panel      $680 sold

Oh, Goodie!

What a treat! A glowing confection of color that brings happiness.

6 x 6"   oil on panel    $380 sold  

Sunny Harbor

Nature can provide the most amazing color massage. Serene turquoise and ultramarine dazzle with scintillating overlays of transparent color.

Queue the rhythmic lapping of the waves.

Mama mallard and her fuzzy golden chicks come motoring along. All are fanned out, equi-distant from mom, being good students.

One little guy has his face down, beak and eyes submerged, checking out what's down below.

He strays to the left. Mom and crew head right, around a big rock. She beeps. He's clueless. Life is so interesting!

They cruise out of sight as he pops up. Hey! Where'd everbody go? He runs up on a flat rock and scurries off on a short cut around it. Aha! He spies the group and falls into line.

You can just tell what mom is thinking.This kid will be the dreamer, the creator. Oh, oh.

15" x 30" x 1.5"  oil on canvas    $1620  sold      

North Wind Firewater

With winds of 35 miles an hour, and gusts to 45, the river was a whipping, wild, alive thing.

I put on all the clothing that was in my pack and filled the pack with rocks, hanging it from my easel for ballast. It was a giddy challenge to hold on to hat, easel, and painting.

If the wind gusted from the south, the river became hot orange, turquoise, and gold.

Here, the wind was blasting in from the north, coloring the river in rich blues, with a shimmer of reflected gold.

 Nature makes an impression!

30" x 36" x 1.5"  oil on canvas   $3890   Art in the Morning Special

Hillside Tuscany - sketch

April 16, 2025

When I was teaching in Tuscany, prior to the workshop, we stayed in a small lodging of assorted stone buildings on shaded grounds run by a woman and her vintner husband. Across the hillside we looked to Pienza.

Every late afternoon a sheep herder came out and dotted the green hills with white sheep under a blue sky. He would spend hours in solitude walking the land with his sheep as the light moved into the golden hour. They came running  when he called at end of day. Very peaceful.

I decided that's what I want to be when I grow up, a wool-growing sheep herder in Tuscany.

5.5" x 7"   ink in sketchbook   nfs

Tulips Aflame

April 9, 2025

Clear and starry night,

Snow lies quiet in the woods,

Morning aflame in red.

6" x 8"   oil on linen panel   $380 sold

Peony Rain

The music of the rain pattering upon the leaves is so calming.

 The scent of the peony perfumes the air as it rises.

The wet earth smells rich and clean.... the coming of spring.

Meanwhile, outside, it's snowing. Yay!

8" x 10"   oil on linen panel   $490 sold

Glow Red

March 26, 2025

Like a glowing ember, subtle color shifts within a field of orange-red give off scintillating light.

I bet we could warm our hands by that painting.

10" x 10"   oil on panel   $665  sold

Pop Goes the Tulip

Since my beautiful model Tulipery Splendora was in the studio, I painted a new piece a few days later.

It is so cool the way every aspect of a painting makes such a difference. From the tiniest brush stroke to the smallest color relationship, everything affects everything else.

I love the surprise of this field of luminous blue. Juicy!

6" x 8"   oil on linen panel   $360   Art in the Morning Special

Painted Peonies

March 12, 2025

Dipping into the colorful end of nature's palette and finding beauty...

Not to mention, aroma therapy.

Have you smelled a peony?!

6" x 8"   oil on linen panel   $360  sold

Tulipery Splendora

March 5, 2025

And the Oscar for Best Dressed goes to...

6" x 8"   oil on linen panel   $360  sold

Abacus

Exploring different ways of seeing, blurred and focused, flat and receding, I find surprise in where it leads.

Like improv in music or theater, the unexpected is part of the aliveness of painting.

Very cool.

9" x 9"   oil on wood   $620   Art in the Morning Special

Sunflower Power

Sunlight in winter

Golden wash upon the walls

Nuthatch trumpets day.

8" x 10"   oil on linen panel   $450 sold  

Interior -  San Giovanni d'Asso

February 12, 2025

A day of pouring rain during one of my Italy workshops found me sketching this interior.

Balancing a sketchbook while one draws brings its own challenges. But it's worth the effort.

The act of focused looking, trying to capture angles and textures and the telling details that might reveal you are in Italy, puts one solidly in the moment.

A beautiful room that one normally passes through becomes a clear memory. And with it comes the weather and movements of an entire day.

5.5" x 5.5"   ink in sketchbook   nfs

Luminous Kiss

If you've ever sat across from someone who loves enjoying chocolate, you've seen the effects of the brain awash in 'happy chemicals.'

Their nostrils flare in anticipation. Their pulse slows and their breathing almost becomes a sigh.The air around them seems to hum a bit.

That's how some of us respond to luminous color.

When looking for moments of joy, maybe put a chocolate by someone's coffee.

4" x 4"   oil on wood block  $230  sold   

Undersea Music

Humid atmosphere, the air dense with exotic birdsong, plants with leaves bigger than me... it's good to leave the familiar behind.

Something calm, spatial and a little mysterious, something like the music of Estonian composer Arvo Part, would make a nice soundtrack.

56" x 61" x 1.5" oil on canvas       $11,400 sold

Buoys - sketch     Lake Garda, Italy

January 22, 2025

I like the idea of buoys as a metaphor.

To keep someone afloat. To warn of hazards ahead. Or below the surface. An aid in navigating unknown waters.

The GoFundMe campaigns popping up for those who lost their homes and communities, their musical instruments and livelihoods, in the LA fires, is heartening.

Volunteers coming to the fore with shelter, food, a place for one's pet.

People are willing to do something tangible to help others in tragedy. Even people they don't know.

People say they feel buoyed by doing this.

Tonight I will dream of a world populated by buoys.

5.5" x 5.5"   ink in sketchbook   nfs

Cookies 'n Cream

I figure we could all use a bit of cheer right now.

12" x 18"   oil on canvas  $790    sold

Hula

No wonder people start dancing!

6" x 6"   oil on panel   $360 sold

Sandalwood

 January 1, 2025

Tranquility.

The hum of color. The scent of warmth, a hint of spice.

Another land.

9" x 9"   oil on wood   $620   Art in the Morning Special

Twilight, Starry Night

December 25, 2024

Wishing everyone peace and beauty,

randon acts of kindness,

quality time spent in the silence of nature,

and good will toward all.

 4" x 4"   oil on wood block   $230  sold

Previous - Art in the Morning 2023 & 2024

Please Enjoy My PBS Interview!

"A Conversation with Kit Night..." Painting on location at Sand Harbor, while I talk with Brent Boynton of PBS

The Book!

"Art in the Morning" is my way to greet the day. What began in 2011 as an attempt to make the world a kinder place through art, has turned into thirteen years, and running, of weekly paintings accompanied by my musings on nature, painting, life, and jazz. 

Once a week I send out an email with a painting, hot off my easel, for you to enjoy with your morning cup of coffee/ tea/ chocolate before you dive in to your work day. It's just a moment to relax. 

It's my attempt to make art a part of our every day lives. All of the arts should get out of the cloisters and into the moment. Any moment.

Share it with a friend. If they want to receive it regularly, they can just send me an email with "Please Add" in the subject line. I never share your address.

Email me: Kit@KitNight.com  (this is not a link)

Night has no "K".

Thanks and enjoy!

- Kit

Thanks for all of the great sales of my Art in the Morning book. After many printings it is now sold out.

Birthday, Anniversary, Wedding, just -  life!... Paintings make a great celebration. (You give two gifts at once.) Thank you for supporting the arts!... Especially now, when we need even more beauty in our lives.

Easy. Just send me an email. 

Thank you for adding art to your life!