February 2020: Field Notes

The month of February began with sunshine, and a goal to get out into it as much as I could. 

February 1, 2020, 12 x 9" plein air oil on linen/birch.

2/1: The sunshine, though brief, was extra welcome after a particularly cloudy January, and it was good to get out to the woods and paint. The early afternoon light shone on a wild apple tree, and the sun cast blue shadows across the deep snow.

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February 2, 2020, 10 x 7" plein air oil on linen/birch.

2/2: A birch tree in the woods. The sun sank behind thin clouds to the west, softening the contrasts and colors of the evening landscape.

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February 4, 2020, 7 x 5" plein air oil on linen/birch.

2/4: Trying to escape the bite of the north wind, I found myself returning to the shelter of the orchard. As usual, the deer had made themselves at home there, and the snow around the trees was crisscrossed with their tracks.

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February 5,8, 10 x 12" plein air oil on linen/birch.

2/5 (and 2/8): Further snow-study. I loved the strong blue that seemed to envelop the snow- and tree-covered slope in shadow, while the soft evening sunlight lingered on the stones and oak tree that occupy the corner of the hillside pasture. It was a bit more than I could manage in the short time I had before the sun set, and I returned to the same place a few days later to wrestle with it a little longer.

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February 6, 2020, 10 x 8" plein air oil on linen/birch.

2/6: Golden light, the moon rising over the old oak tree, and the shadow of the hill slowly climbing as the sun sets.

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February 8, 2020, 5 x 7" plein air oil on linen/birch.

2/8: Small, cold, color studies, as the sun set and the full moon rose above the tree tops.

February 8, 2020, 7 x 5" plein air oil on linen/birch.

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February 11, 2020, 10 x 7" plein air oil on linen/birch.

2/11: On a west-facing hillside, facing the sun. Hickory and oak trees, blue shadows, 

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February 15, 2020, 8 x 6" plein air oil on linen/birch.

2/15: The sun setting behind me gave so much color to the snow and the tangle of vines at the base of these trees.

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February 17, 2020, 7 x 10" plein air oil on linen/birch. Sold.

2/17: Painting in the field, watching approaching snow showers, the afternoon sun occasionally visible through the clouds.

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February 22, 2020, 11 x 14" oil on linen/hardboard.

2/22: I received a box of lemons from California in the mail and they were too pretty not to paint, their bright yellow next to the blue-tint of an old canning jar from my Grandma's kitchen.

February 22, 2020, 6 x 8" oil on linen.

And one more quick study, just for fun.

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February 24, 2020, 9 x 12" plein air oil on linen/birch.

2/24: A layer of thin clouds made for subtle light and color at dusk. Snow and scrappy trees.

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February 29, 2020, 14 x 11" plein air oil on linen/hardboard.

2/29: Leap-day painting. The day had been a persistent grey, and I began my painting with a plan to focus on the dark water and soft color shifts of a cloudy day. I had just sketched out the rough shapes of the scene when I looked up to see blue sky, and the last trace of cloud quickly disappearing. My footprints in the snow caught bright sunlight, and the creek changed from slate to deep blue.

My grey-day painting was ruined, but I can't say it was a complete loss. :)

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January 2020

Plein air work:

January Orchard, 10 x 10" plein air oil on linen/birch. Sold

January 6: Painting in the orchard. Apples that were too green for harvest froze on the trees and had turned from yellow-green to a rusty red, giving a blush of color to the tangled branches.

January 20, 2020, 10 x 8" plein air oil on linen/birch.

January 20: In the midst of a very cloudy stretch of winter, a rare day of blue sky and sunshine, and no wind. I liked how the light shone on this hickory tree along a fence line. There were few tracks in the snow, but just before I began to paint, the dogs spotted a rabbit and the chase was on. The rabbit got away, and the scene had changed.

January 28, 2020, 5 x 7" plein air oil on linen/birch.

January 28: A small study on the edge of a cornfield on another cloudy evening. There was just a hint of color at the horizon to indicate the sun was setting, and the dry leaves on the corn stalks rustled in the wind.

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From mid-January to mid-February I had a solo exhibition at Saint Mary's University in Winona, Minnesota.

I showed forty paintings, mostly oils plus a small collection of watercolors, which spanned the seasons and meandered through my beloved fields and woodlands.

 I also had a couple of opportunities to speak with groups of students, while painting these small demonstration pieces. 

Demo #1, 6 x 8" oil on linen/birch.

Demo #2, 6 x 8" oil on linen/birch. Sold

Some pictures from the exhibit:

A painting from last spring, when the fields were beginning to green up and the sky foretold a spring shower. 

An April Sky, 2019, 24 x 30" oil on linen/birch.

This piece, of two distinctive bluffs along Highway 61 in Minnesota, was done over several days on location, plus more work back indoors, as I tried to catch the late light as it hit the peaks of the bluffs. The air was cool, and the leaves of the trees were only beginning to unfurl along the highway. I painted to the sounds of the spring peepers' persistent song and an occasional passing vehicle.

King's and Queen's Bluffs, 2019, 24 x 30" oil on linen/birch.

"An Early Snowfall" was worked up from a small 5 x 7" plein air piece done in early November, when a blanket of snow fell over the still green fields and leaf-clad trees of the woods. A beautiful combination of warm evening light and cold snow underfoot.

An Early Snowfall, 2019, 24 x 30" oil on linen/birch.

Done en plein air over several evenings, as I tried to capture in paint the moments just at dusk when the north sky briefly held on to the colors of sunset before fading to the grey-blue of twilight.

December Dusk, 2019, 8 x 10" plein air oil on linen/birch. Sold

This one was done in one of my favorite places in the woods. The steep hillsides were covered in snow, with the afternoon sunlight slanting through the trees and the blue shadows on a neighboring bluff visible through the branches.

Slanting Sunlight, 2019, 10 x 10" plein air oil on linen/birch. Sold

This painting was done in late October, in the pasture, the oak trees nearly at their peak for color, and the grass still green.

The Pin Oak by the Pasture, 2019, 10 x 7" plein air oil on linen/birch. Sold

Autumn in the woods:

Towards the Valley, 2019, 24 x 24" oil on linen/birch.

Gold in the Back Pasture, 2019, 24 x 24" oil on linen/birch.

A Walk Through November, 2019, 18 x 14" oil on linen/birch.

"Stille Nacht" began as a sketch one night in December as I walked home in the dusk, the afterglow of sunset lingering, and the moon rising. I knew I wanted to paint this, and did a small watercolor study as soon as I could, and then began the oil.

Stille Nacht, 2019, 18 x 24" oil on linen/birch.

The watercolor corner.

North Wind, 2020, watercolor. Sold

Edge of the Meadow, Sunset; 2020, watercolor. Sold

Home.

Home, 2020, 18 x 24" oil on linen/birch.

Another studio piece worked up from a plein air field painting, as September eased into October.

Peace.

Peace, 2019, 18 x 36" oil on linen/birch.

Wishing you peace through this time, and always.

-April-

 April: snowstorms and thaws.

April 4: The snow was deep, but the sun was warm. I headed up toward Menomonie, Wisconsin, to take part in the Arbor Place Plein Air event. My first painting was done on the grounds of the Caddie Woodlawn Historical Park, which I enjoyed exploring before setting up to paint this old smokehouse.

The Smokehouse, 12 x 9" plein air oil on linen/birch. April 4, 2018

 Late afternoon I returned to this spot by the Red Cedar River to paint the snow and water under the bridge. I just loved the colors.

Snow on the Red Cedar, 9 x 12" plein air oil on linen/birch. April 4, 2018

 April 6th: the sun shone, but the wind was cold! My little sister joined me and we painted from the car, first in downtown Menomonie...

5 x 7" plein air oil on linen/birch. April 6, 2018

 ...and then a quick paint farther out in the countryside.

8 x 16" plein air oil on linen/hardboard. April 6, 2018

 April 11th. I went out for a walk in the afternoon. It was a cloudy day and most of the snow had melted. I cut a few twigs off of a pussy willow and brought them indoors to paint. The soft greys of the catkins, with touches of green and pink, and the bright green of the newly cut stem.

Pussy Willows, alla prima still life, 12 x 10" oil on linen/birch. April 11, 2018

 April 12: I went out to work in the orchard in the afternoon. There is some major cutting of winter damaged trees happening, as well as some regular pruning, and I've been helping to haul branches and brush out from between the rows of trees and piling up some that's been cut for firewood. On this day I brought my easel out with me and tried to paint my impression of the place under an overcast sky. It was still cold and I took breaks in painting to haul more brush and warm myself up!

8 x 16" plein air oil on linen/birch. April 12, 2018

April 17: Another snowstorm had come through, covering the land again and blowing the fallen snow into drifts. I went out one morning and painted along a fenceline on a hillside where the drifts were deep, studying all the variations in color on the snow and in the sky above.

9 x 12" plein air oil on linen/birch. April 17, 2018

 April 19: The snow was melting again, especially on the top of the hill and where the tractor had plowed through along the field road. Patches of dirt and dry stubble broke up the smooth snow. I painted quickly, trying to capture a little bit of the late light.

7 x 5" plein air oil on linen/birch. April 19, 2018

 And after the sun went down, I painted another quick study: the blue of the snow, afterglow in the sky, and the distant lights of the neighbors across the valley.

5 x 7" plein air oil on linen/birch. April 19, 2018

April 20: My last study of snow: melting drifts along the road. A little scraggly tree with a bird's nest still in its branches. Long, dry grasses, and soft evening light.

9 x 12" plein air oil on linen/birch. April 20, 2018

April 29th: This painting was started on location, at the end of a day working in the orchard, but finished later on. It's a bit of a combination of what I observed that night.

9 x 12" alla prima oil on linen/birch. April 29, 2018 sold