Hay and Hudson

Three days in a row I went out to paint on a bale-strewn hillside with an excellent view of the western sky. Three days in a row the weather moved in from the northeast.

The Weather Moving In - 6 x 8" plein air oil on linen/hardboard. August 4, 2017

The weather the first day was the most dramatic and severe. I caught the last of the sunshine and the beginning dark clouds in this little quick study.

I finished up in between trips running up the hill to watch the sky and be amazed at the line of storm clouds and rain moving closer, lit dramatically by the light from the setting sun.

The next day I began a larger plein air painting - at 12 by 16 inches, it was a bit larger than I usually work outdoors. I got kind of a late start, though, and with the clouds which moved in once again it got dark sooner. I "finished" the painting, but I just wasn't satisfied.

 I went out again the next day, similar time, same spot, and worked out a few of the things that were concerning me. This is the final result:

Spoiled Hay - 12 x 16" plein air oil on linen/hardboard. August 5, 6, 2017

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When we were kids, my older sister and I sometimes had the job of pulling wild carrot (Queen Anne's Lace) out of the pastures. It has a tendency to take over, so the goal was to keep it in check. However, when roadwork was done nearby, and the mulch used to cover the bare banks and ditches was apparently full of wild carrot, the battle was officially lost. At least it's beautiful!

Wild Carrot Patch - 12 x 9" plein air oil on linen/hardboard. August 10, 2017

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August 18-20 was the annual Plein Air Hudson in Hudson, Wisconsin along the St. Croix River. This year I wanted to check out the nearby state park: Willow River State Park. I'm so happy I did! The river it's named for is lovely, and the falls are understandably popular.

Friday the 18th was an overcast and cool day - perfect for hiking, and for taking my time on this painting of a couple of the trees that grow along the falls. Moss and stone and moving water. I definitely want to go back there.

Along the Willow River - 12 x 9" plein air oil on linen/hardboard. August 18, 2017

I spent some time in the afternoon exploring without my heavy pack of gear. Up a steep bunch of steps there's a nice lookout right up above the falls, and I wanted to return later and try a painting from there. 

Willow River Overlook - 11 x 14" plein air oil on linen/hardboard. August 18, 2017

I didn't give myself much time - I used every bit of daylight, which made for a dark hike back - but the sun peeking out from the clouds and hitting the water and the colors and textures of the many trees and hazy hills was something I really wanted to capture a little of in my painting.

Saturday, August 19th. I spent the morning walking around the town of Hudson, and checking out the work of some of the other artists who were painting down by the river. I had lunch with a new painting pal, and then it was time to get to work!

I saw this old brick building last year while walking around town and I wanted to paint it. It has a lot of character, and I really like its old door with its wooden slats. The view I first wanted would have involved standing in the street, which obviously wasn't going to work. So I got as close as I could, standing on the curb in the slim shadow of a power line pole. Light and shadow, green weeds and orange brick, and a view down the alley.

Brickwork - 12 x 9" plein air oil on linen/hardboard. August 19, 2017

End-of-Day Reflections - 9 x 12" oil on linen/hardboard. August 19, 2017

In the evening I went back down by the water. The reflections on the still water were just magnificent, and I had to try to paint them.

Sunday, August 20, back at the state park. It was a much warmer day than my first visit. Those steps up the trail seemed even steeper and longer!

I don't often paint pine trees - I'm more of a deciduous tree person. But there's something so lovely about a pine grove, the ground covered in old needles, and the spicy-piney fragrance when the wind blows through it. I liked how the light caught the bare lower branches of these trees and I wanted to convey that in this painting. This painting came neither quickly nor easily; I have a lot to learn about painting pines.

Pines and Needles - 14 x 11" oil on linen/hardboard. August 20, 2017

The last painting did go quickly - both out of necessity due to the time of day, and because it's more my usual subject matter: farm and sky. The sky was just getting interesting as the sun sank behind the clouds. I set up along this road and a corn field. A new road has gone in close by, and this one ends very abruptly just behind where I was parked.

At the End of the Road - 9 x 12" oil on linen/hardboard. August 20, 2017 

 The evening of Monday, August 21st, held the opening reception. Really fun to see the whole show hung, pick out favorite paintings, and hear the stories behind some of them.
 The event judge this year was Scott Lloyd Anderson, and the top prizes went to Richard Abraham, Dan Mondloch, and Bob Upton, who well deserved them!

My three submissions to the show.

The show was on display August 21-27. Special thanks to all who stopped by, and extra special thanks to those who are giving some of my paintings new homes!

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July, in paint

Humid days and cut hay. Storms and sunshine. Thundershowers and wildflowers.

Evening Light, Northside Woods - 10 x 8" plein air oil on linen/birch.

July 1st. It gets dark much sooner down in the woods, and I didn't start as early as I would have liked. But the light was so beautiful among the trees on this north bluffside. I painted quickly, trying to capture a bit of the late light before darkness fell, and the coyotes began to howl.

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July Hay - 6 x 8" plein air oil on linen/hardboard.

July 5th. Another late evening start. The sky showed pink, reflecting the colors of the sunset to the west, and the drying hay and small square bales caught the warm light.

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Hay Day - 11 x 14" plein air oil on linen/hardboard.

July 7th. The weather looked uncertain - now dark and piling clouds, now sunshine. I set up with a good view of the sky in case it turned stormy. The patterns of the rows of hay and the contours of hillside fields are always beautiful to me, as is the fragrance of the cut grass, clover, and alfalfa drying in the heat of the day.

 As I finished up, the clouds were breaking apart, and I did this little study of the moon rising in the dusky sky.

In the Still of the Evening - 5 x 7" plein air oil on linen/birch. 

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Between Storms - 10 x 8" plein air oil on linen/birch.

 July 20th.  It was a warm, sticky evening. Patches of the long grass had been knocked over by the previous night's storm. I was surrounded by the sounds of tree frogs and the frogs from the nearby pond, and occasionally the sounds of startled deer. Everything was wet with dew as I finished up at dusk.

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Pennycress - 12 x 10" alla prima still life. Oil on linen/birch.

July 25th. Indoor painting day. I got this lovely vase from Cheesbro Pottery earlier this year, and it was perfect for holding a bunch of pennycress that I'd pulled out of the fields and that had dried, with its many seedpods arranged on its delicate stems.

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Old Gold - 6 x 8", plein air oil on linen/hardboard.

July 27th. A little study of weathered wood and yellow blooms.  I don't know what these flowers are actually named, but I always heard them called "Showers-of-Gold". They have been growing here for many, many years. The old building is the known as the summer kitchen, and has "1895" written inside the door. Old beauty.

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Poplars in the Pasture - 8 x 10", plein air oil on linen/birch.

 July 28th. Dusk in the pasture. Wild carrot and yarrow flowers, and two slender poplar trees.

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Pepin Cloud Study - 5 x 7", plein air oil on linen/birch.

 July 31st. Little studies of the sky, the bluffs, and the Mississippi River. The first was done in Pepin, Wisconsin. A warm breeze blew off the water, as the clouds shifted and made threats of rain on their way past.

 The second was done at the Garvin Heights Lookout in Winona, Minnesota. (A popular spot, it seems, for both man and mosquito!) It's a beautiful view over the city and the water. Though I'd planned to try a sunset paint, I instead faced the other direction, loving the mood and atmosphere looking downriver towards rain.

Rain Across the River - 8 x 10", plein air oil on linen/birch.

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Fieldwork

June 8, 2017

Perched on top of some round bales, overlooking the fields. Watching the clouds pile to the south and move to the east and the wind make waves in the tall grass, listening to the blackbirds and bobolinks call.

The grasses this time of year are full of texture and subtle colors as they flower and seed. The weedier parts of the fields are full of white cockle blooms and the tall flower spikes of yellow dock.

The sky was mostly clear towards the end of the first painting, but some distant clouds in the east showed pink as they caught the last light of the sunset.

Clearing Skies at Dusk, 9 x 12" plein air oil on linen/birch. 

There was just enough light, and just enough time, to paint another quick study: The moon rising above the southern-facing fields.

Moon Rising over South Fields, 6 x 8" plein air oil on linen/hardboard

A Windy Rainy Day in May

It's been so rainy and wet lately. There isn't much field work being done around the area, with the fields being muddy at best, and washed out or under water at worst. And the last few days have also been cold. It felt more like March today, instead of May, as I went out to paint.

The dandelions are going to seed, which I always find beautiful, and I wanted to paint some of them, and there's this old favorite oak tree at the corner of a field that's not quite fully leafed out yet.

Getting things started - blocking in the shapes, and painting clouds.

It was windy, and occasionally misting, and I was damp and shivering by the time I was through painting. But there were some amazing clouds out there today, the sound of the wind blowing through the grass, dandelion seeds in the air, a blackbird's nest in the hay field, and a deer passing by as I was cleaning up.

A red-winged blackbird's nest.

I call it a pretty good day to be out.

A Windy, Rainy Day in May. 12 x 9 inch, plein air, oil on linen/hardboard.

(But I hope we get some sunshine soon.)

October

Changing weather, colors, harvest, shortened days and low sunshine.

When I could, I walked over fields, and picked apples in the orchard -red and yellow fruit against blue October skies - and soaked into my memory as much of this fleeting season as I could.

 Though I seldom had the time to get out with my gear, I'm happy I was able to do a few paintings outside. 

I often had a dog or two for company.

Farm Dog, October 10, 9 x 12" plein air oil on linen/hardboard.

The season changes quickly. By the time I painted this one, only a few late-blooming wildflowers still stood amongst the brown weeds and seed heads. The aspen leaves almost glowed.

Golden Day, October 21, 12 x 9" plein air oil on linen/hardboard.

At times, the hills across the valley looked beautifully blue. On this day, the sinking sun back-lit a glory of oak leaves as the shadows grew long in the woods.

Oaks and Shadows, October 25, 9 x 12" plein air oil on linen/hardboard.

Hunter in the Hay Field

 There are difficulties and annoyances when working on location, but I get some pretty great work-spaces too. A hay bale is fairly comfortable, smells nice, and you can jab your brushes in anywhere.

And it comes with a view!

 The color of the fields looked pretty flat in the clear sunshine when I began painting, but I knew that as the sun got lower, the texture would appear. I was not disappointed.

Cat on the prowl.

As I painted the green fields I saw this cat, slowly and silently making her way through the grass and alfalfa, hunting. So I put her in.

I finished up as the shadows grew long, and put my painting away just in time - the dogs discovered me and leapt up onto the bale, nearly knocking me and my gear off and trying to lick everything in sight!

The finished painting:

Hunter in the Hayfield, 9 x 12" plein air oil on linen/hardboard. 8/1/15

July Fieldwork

After a spell of poor weather for hay-making and equipment breakdowns, it's good to see the stacks of square bales growing taller and wider, and a few herds* of round bales scattered across the fields. Here are three of them:

Three in the Field, 9 x 12" oil on linen/hardboard.

And today I worked on these two studies of a soybean field in Wisconsin. Soybeans are not something grown on my home farm, though some neighboring farms often have them. I'm not as familiar with them so this was a good opportunity to admire the green rows through a stand of poplar trees. 

Bean Field Study 1, 8 x 6" plein air oil on linen/hardboard.

There was a nice strong breeze, which rustled in the poplar leaves, rippled across the rows of bean plants, and blew occasional cloud shadows over the fields.

Bean Field Study 2, 6 x 8" plein air oil on linen/hardboard.

*Not a technical farming term. But come on, it works!

Red Wing Plein Air 2015

It's that time of year again!
 Monday: I drove up to Red Wing through pouring rain. It was good to see some familiar faces as well as some new ones at the welcome breakfast, where we were given more information about the week ahead, a schedule, maps, etc. The rain stopped, but then came the wind, whipping the trees outside the depot. It did not look like a good day for painting!

Wind and Wires, 12 x 9 inch plein air oil on linen/hardboard.

 I was also running on very little sleep. Good thing Jim Turner, my painting companion for the day, has twice the energy and enthusiasm of most people and it's a little bit contagious. We drove out toward the country, turning down a long gravel drive that led to a farm. There were a couple of views that caught my interest, but I settled on this little red building that looked like it had seen many years go by. The day was looking sunny and bright at this point, and I commented on the nice breeze to keep the mosquitoes at bay. I had to eat my words when the clouds moved in again and I had to hang onto my easel in the gusts of wind.

South of the Tracks, 8 x 10 inch plein air oil on linen/hardboard.

Later in the day, I found Jim again, this time painting near the railroad - one of the industrial working scenes he captures so well in watercolor. I looked across the tracks and had a go at the patterns of sunshine and shadow. The many lines of the structures in this area of railroad and river work are very difficult for me when painting wet into wet oils. I keep trying to figure out the best way to do it, but it's a work in progress!

Down the Dock, 12 x 9 inch plein air oil on linen/hardboard.

In the evening we had a group event, open to the public, over on the Wisconsin side of the river at the Harbor Bar. Many of us painted until I, at least, was mighty close to being a starving artist, and then we got to enjoy sandwiches or burgers at the restaurant and watch the sunset. After walking around for a while, I sat right at the corner end of this dock. I liked the perspective of the lines of the boards, and that red boat was sure eye-catching. I wonder just how many of us painted it that night!



Tuesday morning I ended up out on winding country roads, exploring. I "wasted" a lot of time and most of the nice morning light! But I found some really cool places I wouldn't have otherwise seen, and saw turkey, deer, groundhogs, and one narrow gravel road that was literally covered in tiny butterflies. Amazing.
 In the afternoon I painting this downtown street. I painted this same street a few years ago, but it's such a pretty one, and I had a different perspective this time. I love the style of these old buildings. The many windows and architectural details on their faces are so challenging to portray or imply in wet paint. Trying to accomplish this, I also appreciate those details even more.

Downtown Tuesday, 9 x 12 inch plein air oil on linen/hardboard.

 In the evening I went back to one of the places I'd discovered on my morning drive: this farm on top of the hills. Reminds me of home, and just look at the shape of that hay field!
 I'm not always successful, but I do love to paint hay. I love the smell of it, and the subtle colors of the stubble between the rows of cut grass, alfalfa, clover. Part way through painting, I saw a tractor coming over the hill. The field I was next to, and almost in, was being raked! The farmer was so kind and I was able to stay put, finish painting, and have a more interesting foreground as the hay was turned up to dry.

The Intricate Land, 11 x 14 inch plein air oil on linen/hardboard.

Wednesday the location of the day was Old Frontenac. What a find. I'd read about it previously (though my memory of the history had faded) and it was lovely to walk around the quiet streets of the historic little town on the river and see some of its wonderful old buildings and beautiful gardens. This white barn caught my eye the first time I made the rounds exploring. Its face, the grapevines that covered the near fence, all the various greens surrounding it. I painted the shadows in while the sun was out, but it didn't stay out. It came and went, and I took my time with this painting, and enjoyed it thoroughly. Met a few of the residents, which was really lovely, and heard some more anecdotes about the place.

Quiet Day on Manypenny Ave, 9 x 12 inch plein air oil on linen/hardboard.

 After a pretty laid-back Wednesday, I was anxious to get out and get painting right away on Thursday. More exploring in Old Frontenac! I ended up down by the river, watching cloud shadows on the bluffs across the river, and their reflections in the water. This is a rather "quiet" painting, but it was nice to take in the scene of the sky and clouds, the currents in the river, the shadows cast by the tree I took shelter under, and a little sand castle left on the beach.

Mississippi Moment, 12 x 9 inch plein air oil on linen/hardboard.

Just after the first one, I turned my easel and painted another looking downriver. More shadows and reflections; the fish weren't biting, but it was a good day for dogs.

Old Man River, 9 x 12 inch plein air oil on linen/hardboard.

Late in the afternoon I went back to my new favorite farm fields to check on the hay. Nice plump round bales stood in the field that had been raked while I had painted previously. The clouds were building, and I painted until I saw rain moving in and heard thunder roll. The evening was spent framing.

Hill-Valley Hay, 14 x 11 inch plein air oil on linen/hardboard.

 Friday was the day to turn in 3 of the paintings done during the week. In the evening was the annual riverfront reception- a chance to be the first to see the show, and the price of the ticket could go toward the purchase of a painting. Good food, and nice to relax a little and visit with people there, including the wonderful volunteers who put it all together. It's really nice to catch up with some of the other artists and see what they found and painted during the week. This year's judge was the talented Mike Rada. First place went to Jim Turner, second to Lisa Stauffer, third to Laura Frykman, and Best Downtown to Ivan Zassavitski. I was very happy to receive an Honorable Mention for my Manypenny Ave painting!

My corner of the gallery on Friday night.

 I had set myself a goal to complete ten paintings this week. Not to focus on cranking out a certain number, but because getting a week away to paint is such a great opportunity and I wanted to take full advantage of that, and experience and learn what I could during a pretty intense time of observation and painting. Saturday morning's 2-hour "quick-paint" met my goal.

Arrived early to scope out my spot before the 9am start time.

Wet painting framed and on display outside the Depot.

Some of the other quick paints.

There were many beautiful paintings done in the two hours allotted for the quick paint. The public and artists voted for the best one - it was hard to choose! This year's winner was Dan Mondloch who had a great little painting of the boat houses.

Ropes and Pilings, 8 x 10 inch plein air oil on linen/hardboard.

This was my fifth year doing this event, and every year I discover new places and, I hope, grow as an artist.
 The show runs through the third week of August. If you're in the Red Wing area, check it out! Info at redwingartsassociation.org.

Dandelion Field

Dandelion Field, plein air, 10 x 8 inches, oil on stretched linen.

A field full of dandelions, mostly gone to seed.

When I started this painting, the rain was just reaching the other side of the county. I stopped as the thunder started rumbling in the distance.

Even though I wasn't far from home, having a car close by is a good idea when the weather looks iffy.

 The sunlight, which had vibrantly lit the treetops and grasses when I began, had given way to a moody and more subdued light before the coming rain. I was glad I'd put the most vibrant greens and yellows on before they changed!

Lining the finished painting up with the path- just for fun.

:)