Red Wing Plein Air 2018

Monday, June 11th:

The week started out cloudy. I headed for the woods.

 I had decided to visit Frontenac State Park this year, never having gone before, and I'm so glad I did! I ended up doing half my paintings there. I've only just begun to get acquainted with the place, and will have a lot more exploring to do in the future. Along the Upper Bluff Trail there were a couple of places with large fern beds on the steep hillsides facing the river. I set up my easel near one of these.

The Path through the Ferns, 10 x 8" plein air oil on linen/hardboard. June 11, 2018. sold

Just the right sort of place to spend a few hours quietly, taking in my surroundings, all the colors and sounds and fragrances of the woods, occasionally flicking away a spider or an ant or being scolded by a squirrel.

My easel and gear can get pretty heavy, and are always a bit cumbersome. I carry it all on my back and plod along like an overgrown turtle. This week I tried something new and brought a small folding scooter with me to use on paved trails. It got me around a lot faster, and wasn't much to wheel along with me in the places I couldn't ride. 

I'm still a turtle, but now slightly faster and slightly more ridiculous!

The day continued cloudy, but as the sun went down the clouds broke up a bit. I had my back to the sunset, looking out over Lake Pepin at the softer colors of the sky and the patterns on the water.

Dusk on the River, 8 x 6" plein air oil on linen/birch. June 11, 2018. sold

Tuesday, June 12th:

The clouds continue.

Had a good time painting with Jim Turner, who had found and got permission to paint at this little homestead on the previous day. I spent the humid morning wrestling with roof angles and flat light.

Jim's second painting was of me still working on my first!

"Hannah at Work", watercolor by Jim Turner.

Hill Avenue Farm, 14 x 11" plein air oil on linen/birch. June 12, 2018.

In the evening there was a cookout/potluck dinner for the artists and volunteers. I was late, but was glad I showed up. A beautiful location, and some good conversation.

The sky was clearing and the clouds were getting interesting, and on leaving I made a quick decision to head out towards the country and try to capture the clouds in paint. It was a mad dash to paint them before they changed too much and before the light faded! I didn't have quite enough time. I may work on this one again and see if I can fix a few things.

Cloud study, 9 x 12" plein air oil on linen/birch. June 12, 2018.

Wednesday, June 13th: Blue sky!

I headed back to Frontenac State Park, sat on a picnic table, and painted the early day.

Joy in the Morning, 8 x 16" plein air oil on linen/birch. June 13, 2018. sold

"...Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning."

                                                   Psalm 30:5

In years past this plein air week was my time away - a break from caregiving, and a time to focus on painting. During the week I'd call home, checking in to see how my Grandma was doing, worrying, discussing her and her care. At the end of the week I'd return, exhausted. Often I'd be up with her in the night to follow - sometimes it was a battle of wills as I'd try to get her to drink more, or we'd sit together and talk or sing. I'd long for sleep, but give thanks that she was there. I miss her.

Still feeling my own loss keenly, I was perhaps extra emotional when it was announced Friday night that my painting "Joy in the Morning" had been selected for the Dan Guida Award. Dan was the longtime director of the Red Wing Arts Association and an enthusiastic force behind this plein air festival. His family created this award in his honor and memory, and I am deeply grateful.

Wednesday evening I returned to one of my favorite places: Rattlesnake Bluff Trail in Wacouta, Minnesota. Another study in greens. The trees cast shadows across the trail and grass and into the field, and the rocky face of the bluff caught the late afternoon sunshine.

Evening on the Trail, 8 x 16" plein air oil on linen/birch. June 13, 2018.

Thursday, June 14th: Back at the park, painting tree portraits.

My first painting of the day was again on the Upper Bluff Trail. A gnarled maple tree trunk, and the greens of leaves and underbrush.

Bluff Trail Maple, 12 x 9" plein air oil on linen/birch. June 14, 2018.

My last painting of the day was along the road near the park entrance. I love the shapes of these great trees, and the way they caught the late light before dusk.

Standing By, 9 x 12" plein air oil on linen/birch. June 14, 2018.

Friday, June 15th:

A hot, humid morning. Squeezing in one more painting, before framing and delivering three paintings to the gallery.

A beautiful little farm off the highway, with rich pastures, colorful cattle, and noisy guinea fowl. More greens. A little creek cutting through the pasture, and a silvery willow tree in the distance.

In Pastures Green, 10 x 8" plein air oil on linen/hardboard. June 15, 2018.

Friday evening was the special "First Glimpse" and Award Reception, a ticketed event. Judge Lisa Stauffer did a great job of speaking about the art, encouraging notice of and appreciation for technique and portrayal of atmosphere in the works. I was so happy to see Jim Turner receive Best in Show for his painting "Men at work"! Derek Davis got second place for "Back in the Saddle", and DK Palecek received third place for her painting "Late Sun". Dan Wiemer's painting "Majestic Maiden Rock" received the "Best Sense of Place" award.

Saturday, June 16th.

I awoke to the sound of thunder and rain. It had lessened somewhat by 9am, when the quick-paint competition started, but an occasional streak of lightning still flashed across the river and every so often I had to put up my umbrella as the rain blew in under the roof of the depot, where a few of us had taken shelter to paint. I did like how the rain changed the view and softened the distant trees. 

Crossing, 8 x 10" plein air oil on linen/hardboard. June 16, 2018. sold

At 11am the horn sounded and it was brushes down! Time to blow off the rain drops that still clung to the painting, and get it framed and into the gallery. Artist Greg Lecker took the award for the quick paint.

My four paintings in the show!

Now I will admit something here: early in the week, I hurt myself. I was zipping along on my scooter, scoping out painting locations (and, really, because it's fun and I'm only a kid pretending to be a grown-up) when we parted ways and I met the pavement. This incident slowed me down; I had to be more careful, couldn't hike far, had to spend more time patching myself up.  (Yes, guy at Walgreens, I am back for more bandages...) To adapt a famous quote, plein air painting is hard, and it's harder when you're stupid. But my bruises are fading and my new skin is coming in nicely. I still had a great week. Good times with painting friends, and a good dose of time alone. I met some lovely people, a dog who tried to make off with one of my shoes, sunshine and clouds and innumerable shades of green. 

 The show will be up till August 5th, and I hope you'll get a chance to stop in at the gallery to see all the work and pick out your own favorites.

 https://redwingarts.org/

The Month of May

May 4 - spring in the woods. The browns of last year's fallen leaves broken up by the greens of Dutchman's Breeches and wild ramps.

May 4, 2018, 6 x 8" plein air oil on linen/birch.

May 6 - spring paint-day at the farm. A great group of artists came out to the farm to paint. It was so fun for me to see some old painting friends and meet some new ones, and to see this place I love portrayed through the eyes and art of others.

This is the painting that I did towards the end of the day. The fields were getting so green, and the trees of the woods were leafing out.

May 6, 2018, 10 x 7" plein air oil on linen/birch.

May 9 - an attempt. Apple twigs, leaves, and blossoms in one of my favorite pieces of pottery. This was so much more difficult than I anticipated. I hope to try again next year.

May 9-10, 2018, apple blossoms. 16 x 20" oil on linen/birch.

May 11 - another attempt. These cuttings off the apple trees were still in bud stage, and I painted them in an old "Atlas" canning jar. A very fun challenge.

May 11, apple buds in an Atlas mason jar. 12 x 10" oil on linen/birch.

May 14 - A rainy Monday. The woods were turning all sorts of green, and the wet weather brought out the deeper colors of the bark of the trees.

May 14, 2018, 10 x 8" plein air oil on linen/birch.

May 15th - I always like to see how the hickory leaves unfurl from their flower-like buds in the spring.

HIckory Twigs. May 15, 2018, 8 x 8" alla prima oil on linen/birch.

In the evening I went out in the fields. The trees and the fields were becoming greener, but hadn't yet put on their summer colors. The shadows on the bluffs looked blue as the light faded. 

May 15, 2018, 5 x 7" plein air oil on linen/birch.

May 17th - I started this one late, after spending time working in the orchard clearing brush from between the rows of trees. The light was so pretty that time of day, but so fleeting! I didn't have enough time to finish and I ended up going out again a few days later, May 22, to put the finishing details in. The blooms were a bit sporadic this spring, the result of a very heavy bloom last year which was the result of a late frost that took out much of the crop the year before! By this time the grass was growing tall and green, and the air was filled with the scent of the blossoms and the buzzing of the bees hard at work.

May 17 & 22, 2018, 7 x 10" plein air oil on linen/birch.

May 19 - The weather turned unusually cool this evening as I went out to try to capture a little of the dandelion-filled fields. A north wind blew and the sky clouded over.

May 19, 2018, 12 x 9" plein air oil on linen/birch.

May 24 - Cloud study. This was one of those days when I just didn't have enough time to do what I wanted on location. But I had a start, painted in the bones so to speak, and finished it up at home that night.

May 24, 2018, 8 x 10" alla prima oil on linen/birch.

May 26 - Hot, humid weather. In the evening I went down towards the woods and set up in the shadows of the trees. The light from the sinking sun shone on the tops of the trees on the edge of the woods and lit one of the little trees that grow along the fence that separates pastures.

May 26, 2018, 6 x 8" plein air oil on linen/birch.

May 29 - Some beautiful blooms off of the bridal wreath bushes that grow by the house. I love the expressive shapes of the draping branches.

May 29, 2018, 11 x 14"  alla prima oil on linen/birch.

May 31 - One more chance to paint the dandelions. A quick little study before the darkness fell.

May 31, 2018, 5 x 7" plein air oil on linen/birch.

Autumn

Some oil paintings from October and November:

Late-blooming roses.

Autumn Roses, 9 x 7" oil on linen/birch.

A stem of sumac leaves, with the light shining through them.

Sumac Leaf, 7 x 9" oil on linen/birch.

Gathered hickory nuts from the woods.

Hickory Nuts, 8 x 8" oil on linen/birch.

A little study of autumn color, fields and pastures, and a few grazing cows.

Green and Golden, 5 x 7" plein air oil on linen/birch. October 17, 2017.

A blue-sky day along the river. Painted in Alma, Wisconsin.

6 x 8" plein air oil on linen/hardboard. October 19, 2017. Sold

Followed by a cloudy one. Painted in Brownsville, Minnesota.

On the River, 6 x 8" plein air oil on linen/hardboard. October 20, 2017.

In a week's time most of the leaves in the woods were on the forest floor instead of in the canopy.

9 x 12" plein air oil on linen/hardboard. October 25, 2017.

Falling snow and sleet softened the view of the landscape and heightened the color of the green moss and the dark trees in the woods.

10 x 8" plein air oil on linen/birch. October 27, 2017.

There is a particular row of pear trees in the orchard that always turns beautifully red in the fall. I broke off a few twigs before a hard frost robbed the leaves of their vibrant color.

Pear Leaves, 12 x 12" oil on linen/birch.

First snow. It didn't stick around long, but it was beautiful while it lasted.

First Snow, 8 x 10" plein air oil on linen/birch. November 1, 2017.

Another little still life of things gathered in the woods.

Oak Leaf and Acorn, 7 x 10" oil on linen/birch.

The last of the nasturtiums, which had been kept through a few frosts outside already.

Nasturtiums, 8 x 8" oil on linen/birch.

A quick study of the oranges and greens of a cold November evening.

7 x 10" plein air oil and linen/birch. November 9, 2017.

The old frame of a barn along a country road.

9 x 12" plein air oil on linen/hardboard. November 12, 2017.

A study of the familiar sweep of the south-side fields on the home farm. The cold weather has changed the greens, softening and dulling their hues.

Windswept Fields, 9 x 12" plein air oil on linen/birch. November 13, 2017.

 And a little study of the fields and woods to the north. The colors at dusk.

5 x 7" plein air oil on linen/birch. November 13, 2017.

 A sunshine day in a field of hay.

7 x 10" plein air oil on linen/birch. November 18, 2017.

A day to give thanks. One among many.

7 x 10" plein air oil on linen/birch. November 23, 2017.

Despite a stretch of warmer days, a little bit of ice remained on the shaded edge of the pond.

9 x 12" plein air oil on linen/birch. November 27, 2017.

 After keeping out during most of the deer hunting season, it was good to get back down amongst the trees again.

7 x 10" plein air oil on linen/birch. November 28, 2017.

One more painting for the month of November. I knew just where I wanted to paint, and went there directly, but I didn't stay there after all. The old draw of the woods kept me wandering and meandering through the trees and up and down hill until the shadows were long and there was only just enough daylight left for an attempt at capturing this little group of birch trees.

10 x 8" plein air oil on linen/birch. November 30, 2017.

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.

*****

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.

*****

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. 

*****

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.

*****

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.

*****

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.

*****

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.

*****

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.

 *****