Spring Studies

Spring, or its lookalike, came early this year. The snow was missed by those of us who love winter, and in any case its lack was disorienting, like a whole season of the year had disappeared.

Still, there was beauty to be found even in the prolonged season of mud. I didn't get out painting as much as I'd hoped and would have liked, dealing with a particularly exhausting and painful bout of illness; when I could, it did my heart good, focusing on the light and the slowly awakening landscape.

February 15,16, 2024. 10 x 10" plein air oil on linen/birch.

Evening light in a birch grove. Patchy snow lingered between the tree trunks, and the sky was clear and bright. When I came back the next evening to make minor adjustments, the snow had already all but disappeared.

February 20, 2024. 8 x 6" plein air oil on linen/birch.

February's moon is called the "snow moon", but there was more mud than snow this year. I painted this small study one evening standing in a pasture, as the waxing moon rose in the eastern sky and the afterglow of sunset cast a soft warm light on the landscape.

February 24, 2024. 7 x 10" plein air oil on linen/birch.

Snow! If only a dusting of it. It settled on the dirt field-road and between the stalks of corn and stems of the dry grasses in the frozen fields. The moon sank towards the western horizon, fading in glory as the sun rose in the east.

February 24, 2024. 7 x 10" plein air oil on linen/birch.

In the evening I watched the eastern sky, anticipating the reappearance of the moon. A bank of clouds hid it for awhile, as the light faded and the colors of the landscape began to change in the dusk. I worked quickly, trying to catch the subtle hues and the lines of the fields curving along the hillside. And then a patch of pink above the clouds and there it was, the glowing face of the moon.

February 28,29 2024. 12 x 16" oil on linen/birch.

Buds and blossoms of very early spring. The flowers of Silver Maple, buds of elm and poplar, and twigs of birch showing that winter was coming to a close.

March 13, 2024. 7 x 5" plein air oil on linen/birch. Sold.

A warm day in mid-March, the air filled with the songs of blackbirds and robins, and a hint of green under the dry grass and weeds of the fields and pasture.

March 15, 2024. 8 x 10" plein air oil on linen/birch.

I had begun a large studio painting from a sketch I had done in this place a few weeks prior. Wanting some more information I came back with my paints to take some more time to study the light and color that had first captured my attention and admiration.

March 19, 2024. 5 x 7" plein air oil on linen/birch.

More studying of that beautiful March light! The shadow of the hill stretched out and began to envelop the trees of the woods, as a few clouds to the east turned purple and pink in the light of the setting sun.

March 22, 2024. 8 x 10" plein air oil on linen/birch.

Winter makes a flying visit once more, blanketing the landscape in snow. The dark clouds began to break up as the day drew to a close, the low sun peeked through and illuminated the hilltop.

April 4, 2024. 5 x 7" plein air oil on linen/birch.

A small study just after sunset. One more ode to snow. The landscape looked wintry, but sounded anything but, the dark trees of the woods filled with birdsong at the end of the day.

April 9, 23, 2024. 11 x 14" plein air oil on linen/birch.

The view from Mount Charity, along the Mississippi River in southeastern Minnesota.

Sometimes it does me good to climb the many steps to this spot, to sit on the rocks, sort out my thoughts, pour out my heart to my Maker, and watch the clouds over the river while eagles and vultures wheel and glide above and below me, riding the air currents around the bluffs.

 I started this one in early April, and returned once again later on, when the trees were beginning to bud, to bring the painting a little closer to what I wanted to share.

April 18, 2024. 8 x 10" plein air oil on linen/birch.

A rough little study overlooking the valley, with trees budding on the hills and clouds moving across the spring sky.

April 24, 2024. 10 x 10" plein air oil on linen/birch.

On this afternoon I walked out to the orchard, sat in the grass in the warm sunshine, and feasted my eyes on the scene: twisting and draping branches festooned in flowers, the pear trees in full bloom.

April 30, 2024. 8 x 10" plein air oil on linen/birch.

Another study of pear blossoms, this time under a sky heavy with clouds. The grass was growing lush and a few dandelions showed their faces among the green.

May 1, 2024. 8 x 10" plein air oil on linen/birch.

A return to a favorite spot. The trees were budding, and below the spring greens were beginning to grow up through last year's collection of oak and maple leaves, winter-bleached, that carpeted the forest floor.

Early May, 2024, 11 x 14" oil on linen/birch.

A collection of blooms that graced my kitchen shelf. I pecked away at this one over a few days, until the flowers drooped and faded. Dandelions, wild plum and crabapple twigs, violets from the yard, and one pink tulip.

May 8, 14, 2024. 7 x 10" plein air oil on linen/birch.

After the pears come the apple blossoms. Glorious! Walking out towards the orchard, the air became more and more fragrant. This one started out as a quick study of the blooming branches as the late light fell on them. I returned again nearly a week later to work on the grass and tree trunks, neglected while I rushed to capture the flowers and too soon encompassed by the shadows of evening. I love this place.

May 8, 2024. 10 x 12" plein air oil on linen/birch.

O Dandelions. There's nothing like that time in May when they reign supreme in the yard, gardens, and fields. I plopped myself down among them one afternoon and took it all in, with the leaning figure of the old summer kitchen as a backdrop.

May 11, 2024. 5 x 7" plein air oil on linen/birch.

This happy little cluster of dandelions was growing on the grounds of the Bell Museum in Saint Paul, Minnesota. I joined a great group of painters from the Outdoor Painters of Minnesota, and whomever else cared to drop in, and painted the morning. I got stuck in traffic on my way and dropped in with only 30 minutes to paint! But it was a happy half hour with my little yellow sweet-smelling models at my feet.

May 11, 2024. 8 x 10" plein air oil on linen/birch.

It was a day for looking down, I guess! Wandering through the woods in Willow River State Park I decided to study this small clump of violets. I never realize how much flowers and leaves move until I try to paint them and they don't hold still. Whether the painting turns out or not, I have a greater appreciation for the form and design of these small wonders.

May 13, 2024. 8 x 10" plein air oil on linen/birch.

Pasture study. I spent time this evening wandering - checking on all the growing things from the funny little mayapples to mushrooms, battling my way through the thorns of invasive roses, and finally stopping to study green and light on this hazy night, happy to be feeling well enough to be out in it.

May 14, 15, 2024. 12 x 10" plein air oil on linen/birch.

A clump of dandelions snatched before the mower could cut them down. I probably should have taken a moment to arrange them, but I didn't think of it. I just admired their brightness as the sunshine from the window hit the blooms, and the wild unruliness of the leaves and stems unceremoniously stuffed into a jar of water.

May 15, 2024. 5 x 7" plein air oil on linen/birch.

A little study from the woods. These north-facing hillsides take a little longer to wake up from their winter sleep, and I love walking there with the thick leaf-litter underfoot and the tall trees around me.

May 18, 2024. 8 x 10" plein air oil on linen/birch.

Cloud-watching. Just a quiet evening, sitting on the ground along the hay fields, the grasses all astir with the chatter of blackbirds and bobolinks sorting out their personal affairs.

May 20, 2024. 9 x 12" plein air oil on linen/birch.

Dandelions, once again. How I love them all going to seed, catching the light, sending out a small cloud of seeds with every gust of wind. I knew this was my last chance to capture them in all their glory; the rain and wind were on the way and would not wait. I loved the shifts of color in the clouds, and the sunshine and shadow took turns transforming the scene as I worked.

May 22, 2024. 5 x 7" plein air oil on linen/birch.

The light on this evening was so rich and delicious, I just wanted to drink it in. The trees of the woods caught its warmth and cast their shadows, and the tall grass glowed.

May 22, 2024. 5 x 7" plein air oil on linen/birch.

And then, the moon. A dash to catch the soft colors of the farmstead in the afterglow of sunset with the moon rising beyond it.

May 22,23, 2024. 14 x 18" plein air oil on linen/birch.

Marking the season, I kept my tradition of gathering in some of the blossom-filled branches of my grandma's Bridal Wreath spirea bushes. I first painted them by her bedside, keeping her company and caring for her, and I've painted them every year since she went Home. Much love is bound up with these works.

May 27, 2024. 6 x 8" plein air oil on linen/birch.

Another just-after-sunset study. The fields were so green, and even the weeds are beautiful in May.

May 28, 2024. 10 x 10" plein air oil on linen/birch.

This was a day of changing weather, sunshine and showers alternating throughout. I thought the rain had finished and walked out into the fields in my rubber boots looking for clouds. They did not disappoint. The grasses of the hay fields were rich in their variety of subtle color, and I loved the glimpse of the bluffs beyond the trees of the woods. I glanced behind me and saw a dark mass of clouds moving in again. The birdsongs quieted and the dogs looked at me reproachfully as the drops began to fall once more. But it didn't last long, and the reward was a show of rainbows that I would have missed if I'd stayed indoors.

So long, Spring! I'm glad to have known you.