Zumbro Falls Impressionist

Island on Hemlock Lake

2012-02-12T17:58:00.000-08:00

Had a beautiful day paddling on Hemlock Lake in Central Wisconsin in late September. The Vacation Group, as we call our ourselves, has been together since we were in our 20s. We had a lot of fun checking out the Bunk House and reminiscing about Blue Gill weekends when the yard was full of tents and we looked good in little bathing suits.

This painting belongs to Julia Anderson and Rob Plunkett and will reside in Minneapolis until Rob's family discovers the painting and insists that it gets moved to the lovely log cabin on Hemlock Lake. I have visiting rights!

Not Just Any Apple

2012-01-23T20:36:00.000-08:00

A co-worker handed me this apple--a random selection from a bag he had purchased at an orchard he had visited. I turned it around and around admiring its color and shape. I decided to do its portrait. I discovered it to be much more challenging than I had originally thought. Its voluptuous top and delicate tapered bottom rivaled any life drawing in difficulty of execution. Next the color changes were distinct, but had lovely transitions from one color note to the next. I painted, I struggled with transition. I painted again. I scrapped the paint away and started the passage over again. After two evenings of trial and transition, I completed the apple painting. A friend who stopped over and saw it sitting on an end table declared that at first she thought it was a real apple. It is a real apple to me. It represents the apple in paint that I held in my hands and slowly turned around and around to admire its beauty. Paintings to the artist are experiences that we choose to honor and recall. That Apple, The Place, The Season.

L'Homme Du Sunset

2012-01-02T18:12:00.000-08:00

Hi. I'm back and able to post on the blog again. Apparently some glitch in the system--computer or brain--and couldn't manage to publish anything, but I persevered.

Working on a new style. More care with the finish. Maintaining a painterly look.

This painting has a new home with the John Colwell family.

Happy New Year!

Wings & Water

2011-07-26T18:03:00.000-07:00

I started this painting 6 years ago. Got it blocked in and then seized up and put it in the attic. With an additional 6 years of observation and painting experience under my belt and help from Instructor Richard I completed the 4' x 3' canvas. I hope it speaks to The Moment--sun going down, wings leveraging, water splashing, and birds about to settle into the water. A place, time, event.

Most of the decisions for this painting were with what to do with the water. Too many darks and plants on the water competed with the elegance of the birds. Once again simplicity wins out in "what to leave in"/"what to leave out."

This is my entry for the juried fine arts show at the MN State Fair. They take about 1 in 5 entries. Cross your fingers that they like this painting as much as I do.

Hotter than Blazes

2011-07-17T12:52:00.000-07:00

There is always that weird subject matter that you try your hand at and then wonder what am I going to do with this painting? Where can I put it in my house that could startle or humor someone at its discovery? This one moves around the house for my own amusement. It is the "portrait" of a Mexican good luck skeleton, which I don't understand, but local Mexican artists probably sell a number of them as objects of curiosity. Certainly could sell some toothpaste. I had to restrain myself from adding a bit of starburst sparkle to his nice set of choppers. (I posted 3 new paintings today--see more below).

Life Drawing

2011-07-17T12:43:00.000-07:00

We have had a number of rainy Saturdays, so this sketch was completed at one of them. Skye is a fabulous model and can stay motionless longer than any other human I have ever met, which makes it infinitely easier for the artists who struggle to do justice to her form and beauty.

Peonies

2011-07-17T12:32:00.000-07:00

I took time to enjoy the beautiful peonies in my yard by bringing indoors a couple of bouquets. I can't judge if it was the whiteness or the amazing fragrance that delighted me more! Their presence filled my kitchen and gave it a simple elegance. I took up the challenge of painting their white volume complete with ridges and ruffles with some success. I regret, along with lilacs, the short spring season of their blooms and fragrance adding beauty and fragrance to my outdoor living space.

Veda Flying Free

2011-06-12T20:14:00.000-07:00

My 42 year old Amazon parrot is now flying free. His time on earth is done and he has now gone on to the Place of Eternal Flight and Freedom. For him everyday was about discovery, joy and exuberance. His eyes were bright; he delighted in being part of the flock (people). He loved being social and participating in full voice, trying new foods (chicken was a favorite-irony there!), flight training and being outside his parrot mansion (very large cage). Oh, yes, and watching his parrot movie while I was at work.

I believe I learned more from him then he ever learned from me. I marveled at his iridescent feathers, wing construction and movement. He taught me about bird ways and boundaries. I taught him to fly. He taught me great respect for his intelligence and clearly voiced his daily joy and then his pain the last year as he had to be coaxed into expressing an opinion. I finally agreed to let him go.

First Snow again

2011-04-17T20:36:00.000-07:00

If this painting looks vaguely familiar, I repainted as a commission for Sandy and Mike, who are not only appreciative patrons, but, my sister and brother-in-law. A very nice combination and as long as I bring beer over, I can visit the paintings anytime I want. This particular painting has been a wonderful experience for us. They are having fun framing it and refreshing their living room by picking up some new colors in the painting. As an artist I have been dreaming of this moment.

On a technical note. I bought raw cotton canvas, sized, primed, toned and stretched it for a beautiful surface for this particular textural painting. I was happier with this panel then the pre-primed linen I have been buying and stretching myself.

Painting Outdoors

2011-02-10T19:47:00.000-08:00

I am supposed to be packing for a trip up north to ski and paint, instead of blogging. Happy to be back out in the field again. Have been spending the winter painting from photographs and doing still lifes. While both are OK and I get some valuable "brush time" there is nothing like being outdoors. You are living totally in the moment. You are observing the light, wind, shadows, clouds while making value and color choices to capture your observation before the light changes. It is quite exhilarating! Actually, very much like rolling a kayak. Relax. Tip over. Position the paddle, and slide up on the back of the boat. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. But it is always fun to keep trying and improving form.

Rafters Moves to Iowa

2011-01-30T10:12:00.000-08:00

Rafters the Giraffe is moving with his family Faith, Ben and Little Benjamin to Iowa to start a new life! He is in his second generation of watching over the Worley Family. This is a painting of Rafters that was made to honor the arrival of Little Benjamin! Best of luck Rafters and take good care of your family!

Oil and Water

2011-01-30T09:58:00.000-08:00

Oil and water are only a good combination if you are talking about salad dressing or the image in an oil painting. Here are three large format paintings that are about water and movement. They all feature the same goose moving through water at Springbrook Nature Center. The challenges were different in each painting. Reflections, balance/weight of bird in water, the color of his reflection and showing/feeling speed in movement. I have a fascination of all these elements plus birds and water. Hopefully, there will be a lot more studies when water is again in liquid form.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T08:46:00.000-08:00

I had fun growing these pumpkins. While the rest of the garden respected their boundaries, these guys were a menace to the neighborhood. I had to go out and hack the vine out of the lilac bushes and off of the garden fence. I gloried in the new orange blossoms everyday. And now, instead of being pumpkin pie, they will continue to entertain me all winter with a layer of ice and a topping of snow.

The darkness of night adds a unity to a painting...and a new degree of difficulty. Is the cast light the correct value? I can't see any orange, but will they "read" as pumpkins without it? What color of light am I casting from the headlamp over my hat?

I completed this painting about 11PM and turned to see my next door neighbor drinking wine and watching this unusual outdoor sport from the warmth of her kitchen window. I was under an umbrella pitched at an angle in the snow while sleet was watering my driveway. She is used to these observations.

Three Moods of Lake Pepin

2010-11-17T19:50:00.000-08:00

I felt good about the fact that I balanced kayaking and painting. Here are the three paintings that I completed during a beautiful fall weekend in October with Inland Sea Kayakers at Hok-Se-La campground in Red Wing.

The one on the top is early morning. The above was done in 20 minutes after dinner in rapidly fading light. I like the raw authenticity of it. Plan to do some winter night scenes with this method.

The one above was more successful before I took it home and decided to push the color. I find that my best sketches are on location without "studio work." Who needs a studio when you have the whole outdoors to play in!

Autumn

2010-10-14T16:19:00.000-07:00

Autumn is blasting in with fabulous weather and color. Here is a scene from Fort Snelling Golf Course. There was a bit of adventure with this painting that included a historic building, seeking some outdoor privacy and a police car. Yikes!

Green to Go

2010-09-24T18:26:00.000-07:00

Green is quickly being replaced by the lovely colors of Fall (I know it is out of style to Capitalize, but I think seasons warrant Capitalization), so thought it was time to post a couple of August paintings before they were totally irrelevant. This painting is special to me. It has the hand of Joe Paquet on it. View his website to see what plein aire paintings with correct values and character of line look like.

STOP

2010-07-23T19:20:00.000-07:00

I am seeing a lot to paint in my neighborhood--all the undiscovered relationships between trees, houses, and sidewalks, and even trees with stop signs. It occurred to me that the tree was not complete without its connection to the stop sign. The angle doesn't matter, these two elements are connected.

The only reason that this is important is that a couple of years ago I painted several Home Portraits and was asked to remove the big tree in the painting so the front of the house could be viewed with the glory of the front garden displayed. No one had ever witnessed this perspective of the particular house, so the painting looked wrong, despite winter reference photos and cast shadows from the aborted tree. So I guess relationship matters even to stop signs and their tree buddies. I confess that I tried to leave the stop sign out, but, well, something stopped me.

The Lightness of Being 1

2010-07-08T17:49:00.000-07:00

Oblivious

How easily
We divide and conquer the hours,
Relegating and naming them:
This, as important...that, as unimportant,
This, for the body...that, for the soul,
Believing
We have somehow become
Wise,
Self-disciplined,
Masters of our lives.

But surprisingly, at the far end
Of a long life's march,
We begin to long once more
For the days when
Time was a river, and we
But a small and insignificant leaf
Afloat on its surface,
Oblivious to all
But the flow and touch
Of the water.

Copyright Sharon K Sheppard

I thought Sharon's poem and my painting would make a good pairing. Relax, let your head roll back, close your eyes and think of floating on water....(not of multi-tasking)....Um-m-m-m-m...

Freedom

2010-07-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

I have the freedom to paint anything I want. I am not restricted by the government to certain subjects, however, I wouldn't mind if the Republic paid me to paint my comrades according to the fabulous documentation that was produced by Russian artists of the working class in the 19th and early 20th centuries. I admire their work greatly.

OK, let's say I get a letter tomorrow and I am assigned to the service sector for documenting and exalting their fine work. The paintings would be pale interiors with fluorescent lighting, my comrades would all be wearing dockers or crop pants. No lovely headscarves. No students studying by candle light. No beautiful working hands and muscular arms to show in paint. Even if I got the logging assignment in the NW, the work would largely be done by a roaring tractor with a giant claw. We have computers, and conveniences, and really nice stuff, but somewhere along the way we lost our connections (and I am not referring to social networking). My paintings of the service sector wouldn't have the same joy or passion that I see in the old Russian paintings. So now you think I am going to write a suggestion or give advice for improving sociey? I guess it's a personal choice. Spend more time in nature, find your own joy and wear a head scarf just to try it out. And paint more...

Ladies Kayak Weekend & Jay Cooke State Park

2010-07-01T18:36:00.000-07:00

What a glorious weekend combination--paddling and painting! Since experiencing Alaska's wilderness, I truly do feel "bankrupt" (see 'Comment' with Chekov writings--ThankYou Night Writer) for putting down the essence of nature--The Color! The Complexity! The Grandeur! This is the closest I can muster for now. If I showed you a photograph of this scene you would see a mass of gray rocks and water. There is so much more to see, hear, and experience.

Humility

2010-06-17T09:48:00.000-07:00

Alaska steals your very soul...and I only experienced a slice of it.

I am back from vacation. I am painting, but not ready to post anything yet. The Last Frontier experience brought with it a great sense of humility and awe for the grandeur of nature that photos and brush strokes cannot capture. Since I returned the stakes for representational painting are higher and must be more respectful of the subject--nature bathed in light. For a little insight into my process, please see the poem shared in the "comments" section in the previous post. There will be another posting soon, but on Artist Time not on calendar time.

ALASKA !!

2010-05-27T23:33:00.000-07:00

I'm going to Alaska! I signed up last July never believing that I would actually go! I have a couple of paddling excursions planned including one to Mendenhall Glacier with just 2 of us going! I am excited that I will get the views from the top of a ship and still get the wilderness experience of paddling. Hope that I will be able to paint a couple of large paintings from my sketches. This was painted from a lo-res image off a web travel site, but gives me a flavor of what I will see soon! This is Tracy Arm fjord near Juneau.

This Tree

2010-05-19T16:31:00.000-07:00

I paint this fruit tree every spring. It continues to serve as one of the most challenging scenes I paint all year based on the complexity of it--split boulevard, traffic signs, park and townhouses in the background. This year I didn't get to it until the pink blooms were gone. I have a collection of them all painted from the same vantage point.

The most interesting part of this tree and this series was when I stood up and served as the lone advocate for saving this tree (its partner got wacked) from road construction. Most of the 65 people attending were scratching their heads and quite mystified that anyone had an attachment to this particular tree. Hopefully, my testimony for saving a "tree with character" is now buried deep in public record...

Red Shoes

2010-05-10T20:01:00.000-07:00

Mom always wears these red shoes. And frankly they are beyond comfortable. I have been offering to take her shopping for new ones, while pulling various black styles out of the closet, but nothing else will do for her. I visited her unexpectedly and found her wearing sensible black sandals. I felt betrayed. I felt sad. Is this yet another stage of her life? The black shoe phase?

She advised me that painting a picture of shoes "shows desperation for subject matter" with that wry smile that curves slightly just at the corners of her mouth. It took me years to understand her irony and mischievous nature. Happy Mother's Day, dear one.

Thank You

2010-05-08T11:10:00.000-07:00

A full week has passed since my Art Show/Party and I believe I am once again tethered to the Earth. A huge thank you to all the friends and relatives who helped me get ready for this event. I wasn't able to reconstruct the house, yard, have a little lunch and frame 27 paintings single handedly. Extreme gratitude for the help and good wishes of my friends. My weekend was a huge success and now many of my paintings are brightening the walls of other homes. I also can't forget to acknowledge Instructors Joe Paquet and Richard Abraham for making this possible.

As an aside to the show, the door was flung open to my art studio upstairs and a few forgotten paintings were unearthed, such as the one posted today. It certainly represents the season now--bright green with bits of lavender, pink and white flowers. I love the fragrant air and the color mixed into the greens.

Since the show, the bird series has started and another show booked at a local cafe. I guess I now have the wings--literally and figuratively--for the next level of painting. Thanks again...

Tonalism

2010-04-24T11:21:00.000-07:00

Our world is such a wonderful spring green right now. Here is a reminder of what it looked like on Easter weekend just three weeks ago! I was excited to paint the brown tonal quality of the landscape, but wasn't ready for the shapeless bales that have been munched on all winter by my brother's horses. After 4 hours of working the bales, I finally painted from memory and achieved a believable rendition of their shape and perspective in a gently rolling landscape.

Next week, May 1 & 2, I am having an Art Show Open House, that was suggested by friends who follow this blog. They wanted to see paint on canvas, instead of digital bits. I am grateful to all who are interested in seeing the results of my years of practice and what I think about. This painting thing is involuntary. I must paint to live, like all painters, whether or not anyone else pays attention.

Awestruck

2010-04-13T18:55:00.000-07:00

While discussing this painting with Reverand Mother over lunch one day, the conversation turned to the fact that I like to show my paintings because I am awestruck and amazed that paint comes off the end of my brush like this in a relatively short time frame. This painting took about 3 hours. When I paint there is this element of self discovery and growing confidence. (But that came after years of darkness). Thanks and gratitude to Instructors Joe Paquet and Richard Abraham for making this possible.

The photography for this one was done in the excellent studio lighting of my car and the lines from a former painting add some interesting texture. NOTE TO SELF: No more car photography.

Trumpeter Swans

2010-04-02T12:45:00.000-07:00

My nephew Brett and his wife Kathy live 1/2 mile from the Mississippi River near Monticello, MN. Based on its proximity to a nuclear energy plant, which pumps gallons of warm water into the river all year, hundreds of trumpeter swans gather to winter and feed in the warm water. There is signage, designated vantage points, and photo contests to honor these magnificent birds. This was painted from one of the photos that was submitted for the photo contest in 2009.

I selected this based on the degree of difficulty and novelty. I love the rhythm of the wings and connectedness of the birds. I thought Brett & Kathy would really appreciate this as a keepsake. Hope they like their present...

Wonder Where the Flowers Is?

2010-03-31T20:51:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung,
Grass has riss,
Wonder where the flowers is?

Always wanted a place to use that little ditty. This was a great exercise in painting the entire background carefully and then integrating the trees over the top. I am too tired now to go into the drama of the day. I will only say that the mystery people in hard hats returned (from a previous post) and turned out to be great allies when my car was vandalized in the parking lot. They guarded my car and belongings while I continued painting and were very compassionate about the incident. Way to go Conservation Corp members!

Bruce Vento Morning

2010-03-21T19:45:00.000-07:00

You may look at this and think "I've seen this before," and yes, you have. This is the studio painting from the sketch in a previous post. It was fun to improvise and make up the prairie grasses effect.

I am sad that winter melted in the course of a couple of weeks. Thin strips of residual snowbank are a nice constrasting touch to the quiet landscape grayness before spring pops into citrusy yellow fringes around the treetops. The next few months will be challenging for me with the mixing of hundreds of green hues (and usually none of them are correct), but this year is my year to conquer greens!

Portrait #2

2010-03-08T16:52:00.000-08:00

After finishing Ron the Portrait in Instructor Richard's Studio Class, I brought it home looked at it for a couple of days and then spent eleven more hour working on it. Another artist asked how many of those were "good" hours...well, there was a lot of destruction in the first five (and no "undo" keys) and then some very good decisions were made in the last 3 hours. Those decisions were about simplifying the form and paying attention to plane changes as if his face was another element in the landscape. It is far more painterly than this digital rendition indicates, but then that's why we go to see original works. Original works have a quality that can't be duplicated in pixels or printed pages for that matter.

Will there be other portraits? Yes, I found painting a portrait intriguing and now have rediscovered 17th century Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer and The Girl with Red Hat, in particular, as an inspiration for another. It is not the composition or subject matter that is compelling, it is the simplicity found in all of his work. It looks complex, but is elemental in execution. Simplification sounds easy to do, but in reality it is harder than making a photographic likeness. It is the illusive bird of paradise from a painter's perspective.

Portrait #1

2010-02-28T20:03:00.000-08:00

The blog appears to have been abandoned in February. I have been feverishly working on a portrait as a portrait for paddle barter. It has consumed my painting time and even cut into my planned time as I carry the panel looking for various light sources and angles to see what changes need to be made each week.I am becoming obsessive about it. It was completed on Wednesday and then on Saturday morning I started repainting again...

As a break from Ron the Painting, I turned the easel on another elusive image--my Amazon parrot. As many times as I have tried to get "his character" in paint, I have failed pretty much every time. This is a 15 minute sketch in grey tone that shows his fluffy-slouchy-on-the-perch mode.

Make no mistake about my painting productivity. I may not have much to show for it. but there is some paint being flung around. Some version of Ron the Painting will appear in the next post...

Extreme Safety Precautions

2010-02-14T17:29:00.000-08:00

What do safety glasses and hard hats have to do with this painting? They are loosely connected if you hear me out on this thing. One November Saturday I came down the Bruce Vento Nature Sancutary path to find 4 mini-vans parked in a circle and about 20 ardent people dressed in fluorescent orange vests, safety glasses, hard hats and rubber gloves. They were moving through this grassy area in the painting and stroking the grasses with their gloved hands. My curiosity was piqued and I found the only friendly person in the group to ask what they were doing. "Collecting seed," was her curt answer. Then I asked about the gear and she retorted, "For safety purposes [idiot]." With that I backed away and left for a quiet corner of the sanctuary. So when you look at the painting above, you see a mono-culture of little blue stem (Minnesota Native Plant) in a flat perspective, and when I look at it, I am amused by the Seed Gatherer sighting (a paid position, I might add). It appeared to be a covert government operation and native seed gathering is one covert operation I could get behind.

Light and Shadow

2010-01-31T19:06:00.000-08:00

I have painted many times at Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary, but this particular January morning I saw a beautiful play of sparkling light and contrasting shadow effects that would only last for 30 minutes or so. This panel is small, but in under an hour, I captured the sparkling effect of the morning and the character of the bluff.

Painting is a lot like golf. A good passage here, a good composition there--keeps you coming back. If I knew now how much time, effort and tears it would take to get to this painting, would I do it again? Oh, probably...YES!

Pines

2010-01-21T20:04:00.000-08:00

Here is a lovely poem by friend and Isanti-ite, Sharon K. Sheppard. You will see my paintings and her poems paired again soon. She has inspired my interest in poets Mary Oliver and James Wright. And without further ado, here is why I paint pine trees in winter.

Pines

Have you noticed
How the tall pines
Cast their long blue veils
Over the pale snow, lying like
Streamers of shadow as
Still, deep, and unbroken
As a mountain lake,
But non-reflective?

It is as though
Reclining,
Bare and bereft
In the chill morning air,
they cannot afford the loss
Of even one tiny
Candle's worth
Of light.

Copyright Sharon K. Sheppard

Yellow Boat

2010-01-11T20:28:00.000-08:00

First of all, I loved paddling in the yellow boat on Lake Superior and was caught in the act of admiring the brilliant pure Cad Orange colored lichen colonies living on this outcropping. And secondly, I found equal pleasure in painting the same subject. Simplifying the rock structure and recreating the undulating blue waters of the large inland sea with color variations and little hook shapes in perspective all the while remembering the sun on my face and the movement of the boat as I looked up in amazement at this colorful cliff called Gold Point which is located a 1/2 mile north of Split Rock Lighthouse. This is my largest epic painting to date at 24"X30". Making marks to represent moving water is intoxicating...

Note to Self

2009-12-30T19:48:00.000-08:00

One cannot have enough pairs of boots or pictures of boots for that matter.

Note to self: take note of the rich color in cast shadows. This one was a lovely dark purply lavender color cast on the painted green floor.

Holy Night at the Chicken Coop

2009-12-24T16:12:00.000-08:00

Thought a Christmas post should include Holy Night at the Chicken Coop. This was painted 3 years ago on Christmas Eve by the farm porch light. Inside the little building was RooSir and his mate Girly. The wires overhead were encrusted with ice and made a nice reflection within the sphere of the yard light. The yellow lights in the distance were not the Wisemen approaching on tractors, but a hog operation.

I have always been intrigued with night paintings. Darkness solves unity problems and allows for a single brush stroke to define detail and lend complexity.

I have been thinking that this title should turn into a story about what the chickens inside are discussing on Christmas Eve. (Has proven to be a fun lunch topic with Reverand Mother already). I would love an opportunity to paint such outlandish chicken characters as demonstrated by touring the State Fair Poultry Exhibit. (Wish I had the photo of GitcheeGumeeGuy with rooster from a State Fair outing to insert here). Watch for future posts of chicken sketches and story material that is part of the 2010 goals to complete.

Merry Christmas to you and yours.

A Blessing by James Wright

2009-12-13T18:15:00.000-08:00

Just off the highway to Rochester, Minnesota,
Twilight bounds softly forth on the grass,
And the eyes of those two Indian ponies
Darken with kindness.
They have come gladly out of the willows
To welcome my friend and me.
We step over the barbed wire into the pasture
Where they have been grazing all day, alone.
They ripple tensely, they can hardly contain their happiness
That we have come.
They bow shyly as wet swans. They love each other.
There is no loneliness like theirs.
At home once more,
They begin munching the young tufts of spring in the darkness.
I would like to hold the slender one in my arms,
For she has walked over to me
And nuzzled my left hand.
She is black and white,
Her mane falls wild on her forehead,
And the light breeze moves me to caress her long ear
That is delicate as the skin over a girl's wrist.
Suddenly I realize
That if I stepped out of my body I would break
Into blossom.

Hidden Falls

2009-12-06T19:05:00.000-08:00

Hidden Falls is a favorite place to access the Mississippi River. You can drive in, park, and be "on the river" in minutes. I painted this on a warm November morning (note: tiny people & dogs suggested on the right bank) and kayaked in the late afternoon. I got carried away by the sheer beauty of the parkland on both sides, so got to experience this 1/2 mile stretch paddling upstream in the dark. Amazing to have this wild place 2 miles from my house!

Inspiration

2009-11-23T20:00:00.000-08:00

After finishing "October," I still had time to do another oil sketch before the traditional Saturday lunch at Kelly's. My inspiration was the close values in the blue distant bluff and the brown riverbank in sunlight set off by the orange crane arm. I expected to wipe it off, but was pleased with finding the color notes and close values.

October

2009-11-13T18:52:00.000-08:00

Fall is my favorite season. And I like that this one is lasting a long time. How do you depict the rich mosiac of October in Minnesota? The textures are softer and color radiates from the yellow grasses to the brilliant sky blue with wispy floating cirrus clouds.

Occasionally, after lots of "brush time" (as we call it), something new happens where the color and the brush strokes come together in a new and more confident way. "October" seems to have a new quality. I hope it is a glimspe of many more paintings to come.

Blogging Again

2009-10-19T19:38:00.000-07:00

Thanks for noticing my hiatus. With diminishing light at the end of the day, it became impossible to photograph the paintings (which is how & why the blog came to be) and so an alternative studio set-up had to come about.

A special "thanks" to John H. for being the most persistent in wondering when the next painting would be posted. He uses them as screen savers. WHAT A GOOOD IDEA! and probably his co-workers were complaining and needed a change, too. Anita G. prints them and pins them outside her cubicle along with other artwork.

Note: there are many contemporary ways to have an art exhibit, but maybe someday I will actually send postcards and announce an upcoming exhibition in a big white space where I will wear black and serve wine and crackers...or maybe I'll just send a screen saver.

2009-08-12T19:47:00.000-07:00

I started depending on Artist Mary to bring flowers for still life paintingfor Instructor Richard's Studio Class. She had other plans that night. I brought nothing to paint. Dilemma!

Instructor Richard quickly set up this cobalt pitcher on a low stand. My sunflowers at home would have been beautiful in the pitcher, but I mentioned that their highest good was to remain in the garden and serve as food for the many gold finches that were feasting on them. (There were a few editorial comments about that).

Light changed quickly and then the chair disappeared so a fellow student could sit and take in Instructor Richard's lecture.

Still life painting is not exactly what I would call "still." True to the laws of physics all light and matter is in constant motion. I just have to make faster marks for painting...

Yellow Swing

2009-07-28T17:22:00.000-07:00

It's summer and time to go up Nort' to the lake cabin. This a charming lake cabin that has been in the Jones' Family for many years. My neighbors, Paul and Anne, asked me to paint it from photos as a birthday gift.

I See the Forest

2009-07-15T19:54:00.000-07:00

For Instructor Richard's studio class Mary brought garden flowers and a lovely yellow vase to paint. While I have never gravitated to painting still life from unsuccessful attempts in the past, I am enjoying the speed and vitality of a 3 hour session. After about an hour and a half I looked at the other two painters work and discovered that they really were painting the flowers and vase as the main subject matter. Amazing! I looked at the same thing and saw the table cloth, vase, shadow composition (oh, yeah, there were flowers there, too!). I am truly a landscape painter. I see the forest and not the trees, as it seems. (Left room for lots of commentary here--be gentle).

Which brings us up to date on my painting struggles and triumphs. Based on the above composition, it is apparent that I am able to view a subject and pick out simplicity of shape and form. The next step, and this is the critical one to make an OK painting a great painting, is what to put back in. The exquisite dashes and dots and sparkles that speak to the light source and follow form. To be or not to be? Oh, what to leave in; what to leave out? That is the question.

I have to learn to see both--the forest... and the trees...

4th of July

2009-07-07T20:30:00.000-07:00

I admit it. I was a slug. Here is the only painting that I completed in 3 vacation days. Work with me on this...

Note to KK. Found the doll clothes that you made for me. Why didn't you go into fashion design? I had the MOST STYLIN' outfits for Cisette & Betsy. Sisters--S&S and I had a wonderful time reminiscing. Wish you could have been there.

Barn Bluff

2009-06-30T20:20:00.000-07:00

Artist Sharon and I took an early morning road trip and ended up in Red Wing. After a bit of deliberation we crossed over to the Wisconsin side of the river and discovered a Caribbean-like private marina and campgrounds. We set up easels on the rocks and acted like we belonged there and had a perfect morning believing that we were on vacation somewhere else...and we were. We were in Wisconsin and they not only allow themselves more fun. They have a better perspective of Barn Bluff than the folks in Red Wing. We will return. Perhaps with a tent.

Boat Trifecta

2009-06-22T17:54:00.000-07:00

We live in the Land of 10,000 Lakes and it makes sense that we all own boats of various sizes and descriptions. Here are just three (actually 4) of them commemorated in paint. I really enjoyed painting them because each painting suggests a story rather than depicting a time and

place.

Thanks to Instructor Richard these paintings were all brought to completion despite rain, cold and biting insects. Part of his job is to cajole us into staying the course when paintings go wrong and the environment gets tough. Thanks again, Richard!

Grand Marais

2009-06-18T19:42:00.000-07:00

It was glorious to spend four days thinking about nothing but painting. The spectacular inland coast of Lake Superior is quite a departure from Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary. Even though the overall effect is a series of big shapes (such as sky, lake, rocks) a successful painting depended on value relationships...or the value sandwich...as it came to be called thanks to Instructor Neil. The weather and lake was as "well behaved" as I have ever seen it, but the values were difficult to discern based on cloud shadows, glare, and special lake effects, such as white-out-fog. It was humbling to try to capture the light and beauty of this place, but most of all it was fun to experience four days of immersion with such accomplished painters.

Gone Painting

2009-06-09T21:57:00.000-07:00

Heading up to Grand Marais for a 4 day workshop with Richard Abraham and Neil Sherman. I'm taking all of my favorite gear--paint box, tent & kayak. It will be heavenly to paint without time constraints. Check back on Monday for an update.

Springbrook Nature Center

2009-06-01T20:22:00.000-07:00

Life is ironic. People, places, events that you don't take much notice of have a way of winding their way back to you. Let's take Springbrook Nature Center, for example. I was the leader of a Sierra Club outing there. I spoke at a press conference after it was saved from becoming a golf course. I almost sent my "Save Springbrook" tee shirt to the Goodwill (but something stopped me) and now I work nearby. I go there 2-3 times per week now. When I first read about it and heard about the financial plight that would turn it into a golf course, I had no idea that any personal connection would develop. Life is ironic...the mystery of life's twists and turns are wonderful.

Driving West [in my mind]

2009-05-25T10:36:00.000-07:00

Been thinking about driving west...I like the BIG SKY, the flat plains, and a long highway...probably won't happen this summer, but this painting conjured up some memories of camping and driving in the SoDak Badlands.

So Green

2009-05-18T20:52:00.000-07:00

Mother Earth has performed her magic again and has taken us [in Minnesota] from two-tone-winter and transformed into 30 shades of green in four weeks. I love this transition. I love the faint yellow fringes of emerging leaves. I watch their progress every day...I just don't know what to do with them in paint.

Shouldn't there be more colors describing "green" in the crayon box for young artists? Colors like: yellowy green, pond reflection green, cool greeny shadow green, warm greeny shadow green, not to be confused with purpley shadow green, etc. Green is very complex and deserves a description with more expression and flare then---green. It should have two syllables, at least! Perhaps Verde works better!

Let this post serve as a humble retraction of the final statement from the previous post.

Kitchenscape

2009-04-19T08:39:00.000-07:00

I love painting landscapes in oil. As long as I stay focused I can paint indoor-scapes with the same enthusiasm. Here is Instructor Richard's kitchen in the new spacious studio space. While purple is not the regular Home&Garden kitchen recommendation, it works great for a painting about a kitchen space. I vote for purple to stay...

Every single time I pick up a brush I learn something new and this one was no exception. The mantra: stay focused, on task, and think about the relationship of all elements together, is my guiding principle as learned from John Muir, the founder of the Sierra Club back in 1890s: "Tug on anything at all and you'll find it connected to everything else in the universe." This quote has carried me through Sierra Club advocacy campaigns, Grad school, painting, and life in general.

I can paint everything... including the kitchen sink...when I see the connections and simplify the complexities.

Winter is Over!

2009-04-04T07:57:00.000-07:00

Cousin KK from CA is the only one enjoying snow scenes because she is basking in relatively balmy weather. Is the garden up yet?...While Minnesotans are getting testy and are starting to "request" spring paintings with open water and blooming trees to lift their spirits. Geez! Look outdoors!... Well, here is the last winter painting. And I saved the best for last! I (personally) think that MN outdoor painters must be the best due to extreme conditions and close values. In winter, we take 2 colors and capture a light that is rarely observed from inside the car driving down the freeway, and in summer, we take "salad bowl green" and give it perspective and form. Add the ability to draw graceful lines to represent trees and the courage to use #10 brushes to add some atmosphere and you could place us anywhere....except a cityscape, perhaps.

Brown is Beautiful

2009-03-31T18:36:00.000-07:00

April is here and the white stuff is starting to get annoying. A couple of posts ago I was lamenting brown. Now I embrace it! Thank you to all for your public and private comments. And to John for reminding me that its time for another post. Sorry to report that you will have to look at one more winter scene in the post to follow and then if need be I will post paintings from Spring 08...or there may be a rebellion of sorts.

First Snow--Painting #2

2009-03-20T20:24:00.000-07:00

Sometimes a place inspires you to paint with more expression than others. There is a library of memories that play in your head. You are there with the feel of the season and time and place. The brush marks symbolize the arch of branches that form a familiar canopy of trees in summer. Such is the love of This Place. Each of the elements are parts of a bigger whole. If I were a singer, instead of a painter, I would have sang this ever so sweetly...

Bail Out

2009-03-14T18:29:00.000-07:00

Sunny Day. Temp reached 50 degrees. After changing locations 3 times, the painters were back to the Bruce Vento standard, but things were going badly...wind, ice, and a scene that was primarily raw umber + white on steroids. Instructor Richard had to put up with some whining and dispensed advice and color notes on how to persevere. The result was surprisingly pleasing and a good lesson on gravel roads. Will never see them again the same way.

What will we do next week without having bits of snow and ice glare for frosting? The world will truly be brown with a capital B. What would Wyeth do?

First Snow--Painting #1

2009-03-05T20:16:00.000-08:00

The angle of the sun is changing and the days temperatures are starting to promise the warmth of Spring. Time to publish the snow paintings before it's too late. I have a series of paintings from the first snow at the Mantorville farmstead. H-m-m-m-m. Let's call this one--Painting #1.

Finding Puffins

2009-02-24T11:15:00.000-08:00

Say the word "Puf' fin" out loud. Now say it again with more enthusiasm-PUFF-F inn-n. And visuals of Julie Andrews twirling on a mountain top come to mind...These puffin water birds defy both gravity and sentimentality. They are wise and the entertainers of the bird world. I spent an enjoyable Saturday morning painting their habitat at Como Zoo and little glimpses of them too.

At least I remember that it was overall enjoyable. Remember how I was lamenting in the last post about how human models suffer nerve damage by standing in awkward positions for extended periods of time for art? Well, I forgot to mention just how wacky plein-aire painters are: I was kneeling for 2-1/2 hours on cement with a cushion of fleece jacket under my knees and still called it great fun. The split view I painted of the exhibit tank required that I be lower than the birds. Other painters would never admit to these bouts of insanity for art. These are our secrets....

Please note instructor extraordinaire, Richard Abraham, in "Followers" section. Visit his painting a day to see how its really done.

Juxtaposition Penguins

2009-02-17T13:07:00.000-08:00

As a student of art, drawing is the basis of ALL successful results. We spend a great deal of time drawing the human figure. The class with a naked model is called something like "life drawing" and although the title is cloaked with encryption, the model is not. Now you would think that modeling for artists is an easy job. It is not! The professionals (and, yes, there are aging models who indeed make a living taking the bus around town to drawing co-ops to disrobe) suffer from a multitude of maladies including hip problems and nerve damage from standing motionless in a variety of awkward positions for up to 20 minutes for the love of art.

That brings us to plein-aire painters who cannot comfortably paint in temps below 9 degrees F. We seek an indoor experience in these sorts of temperatures and what could be better than the Como Zoo? After a tour of the zoo, it was decided that the models for the day would be penguins (puffins with wild-Einstein-hair moved too fast). At least it seemed like a good idea. They were unpredictable, they needed frequent swimming breaks, and their shape is unlike anything I have ever drawn in "quick-draw" style before. Think about it: bird skeletons in a bag. But there were no animals harmed for science and they certainly did not suffer the ills of nerve damage like their human counterparts.

First Post

2009-02-10T10:45:00.000-08:00

Decided to start putting my recent paintings on-line for family and friends to follow my painting journey. It feels a bit like wearing a bathing suit to a dinner party, but let's jump in the water and have a go at it...

I frequently paint on Saturdays at Bruce Vento Park and this is one of my favorites from last summer. My intent is to post a new painting every week.