September - Grand Marais, Driftless, Between-the-Bluffs

September brought my first trip up to Grand Marais, Minnesota, to participate in Plein Air Grand Marais. I'd heard about this gathering for years, and this year brought an unexpected opportunity to join in.

September 8, 2018:

I spent the morning exploring Cascade River State Park. The sunshine was warm, and I was not prepared for how cool the wind would be later on when I returned to paint, stepping across the stones in the river to set up my easel on a little island midstream.

Stepping Stones, 12 x 9" plein air oil on linen/birch. sold

September 9, 2018: More exploring, this time mostly from the car. I passed this barn a couple of times before deciding to stop and ask if I could paint it. The barn, about 100 years old, was awaiting a new roof. A couple of pigeons flew over my head, returning to the peak of the roof where they were clearly at home.

Pigeon Roost, 10 x 12" plein air oil on linen/birch. sold

September 10, 2018: The sun peeked out every now and then, but the clouds took the day.

I spent more time exploring, driving and stopping anywhere that looked interesting. I walked some ski trails until I remembered the existence of bears and scared myself.

I ended up at Sugarloaf Cove and painted on the rocks. The light and color of the water changed quickly as the rain passed by in the distance.

Watching, 9 x 12" plein air oil on linen/birch. sold

After nightfall, I joined artist Naomi Tiry-Salgado to paint in downtown Grand Marais. Despite the wet weather there were other painters out around town, too. I set up in a doorway to partially shelter my easel from the rain, accompanied by an umbrella and hot tea, across from the "World's Best Donuts" (unfortunately closed at night!) The wet street made for some great reflections, and a street light glared off the back of a stop sign. The tall white building was once the Light Keeper's house, built in 1896, and is now a museum. I returned a couple of nights later to tighten up a few things on the painting before calling it finished.

The Light Keeper's Place, 8 x 10" plein air oil on linen/birch. sold

September 11, 2018: Back at Cascade River State Park, at a place I'd found while hiking around on the first day. It's a beautiful spot, with deep shade, thick moss, and rich color; but the painting was a fight. I returned the next day to work on it again, and in the end I brought it home with me. There are lessons in this one, I think, but it may take some time to really learn them.

12 x 9" plein air oil on linen/birch.

Later I painting along Highway 61, a few miles outside of Grand Marais. I was taken with how the evening sunshine brought out the shapes of the trees and all the roadside color.

September on 61, 11 x 14" plein air oil on linen/birch.

Thursday, September 13, was the 2 hour quick paint event in Grand Marais. It was the last painting I'd be doing, and the last part of Plein Air Grand Marais I'd be participating in. I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off, framing and dropping off paintings and thinking about all that I needed to do before and after my long drive home.

I was late to set up painting, but at that point I didn't really mind. This was the icing on the cake; I wanted to give it my best but also just enjoy it. It was time to be still, to be quiet, to learn and to rejoice.

After the fight of my other woods painting I almost didn't attempt this one. But there was just something about these backlit boulders, their edges and moss-covered angles, that caught my eye and held it. Beautiful.

Letting the Moss Grow, 10 x 8" plein air oil on linen/birch. sold

A quick dinner with friends and then it was time to hit the road. I left grateful for the opportunity I had to participate in this event, time spent with acquaintances new and old, all the people from Outdoor Painters of Minnesota who were involved and worked so hard to pull it all together, as well as those from the Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery, which held the show from the 14th through October 7th. I didn't get to be there for the opening, but I got a wonderful surprise when I heard that "The Light-Keeper's Place" had received the 1st place award for the Night Paint category! A big thanks to judge Jeffrey T. Larson.

*****

 Friday found me home again packing up for the Driftless Area Art Festival, which took place on Saturday and Sunday. Severe damage from recent flooding caused the festival to be moved from its usual location to the fairgrounds in Gays Mills, Wisconsin. The volunteers did such a great job in organizing this last minute change! For me, this is always a special event, in the middle of a special part of the Midwest. 

Apple cider doughnuts :) They treat us well!

Tiny watercolors - 2.5 x 3.5" each.

Dandelion Clouds  and October Harmony - sold

Hope, 18 x 36" oil on linen/birch. 2018. sold

The weekend was unusually warm for September, but I think we were all glad for the sunshine and lack of rain. A huge thank-you to everyone who showed up and made it memorable, interesting, and so enjoyable.

Saturday afternoon.

*****

Monday, September 17th.

The sixth annual Plein Air Between the Bluffs outdoor painting event had begun on the 7th in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and I was glad to get a few days to join in. As I set up to paint, the afternoon's sunshine gave way to storm clouds. I'd nearly finished painting when the wind whipped up and it was time to bail. I was able to return a while later, between the first storm ending and the second beginning, to put the final touches on the piece and watch the distant lightning.

Quiet Thunder, 11 x 14" plein air oil on linen/birch. sold

 Tuesday, September 18th, in Dresbach, Minnesota down by the Mississippi River. It was a mostly grey day, but a little bit of blue sky showed above the river and soft light shone on the trees in the late afternoon.

Cloud Reflections, 9 x 12" plein air oil on linen/birch.

Wednesday, September 19th. A soft rain fell in the woods below the orchard on the farm, where the cow paths converge and split as they wend their way through the aspen trees. The greens of summer were beginning to give way to the coming colors of fall.

A little damp, but happy.

Easing into Autumn, 12 x 9" plein air oil on linen/birch sold

The public opening for the show was held at the SG1311 gallery in La Crosse. It was great to get to see all the new work, and talk with the other artists and people who came to the show.  Beth Bathe, who judged the show this year, gave a talk, and the gallery dog made his way around the room, hoping for a dropped hors d'oeuvre. I was very happy to receive a Merit Award for my "Quiet Thunder" painting, and even happier that two pieces found new homes.

*****

P.S. Pasture Studies: closing out the month with some quiet painting on the farm.

September 26: 6 x 8" plein air oil on linen/birch.

September 26, 28, 11 x 14" plein air oil on linen/birch.

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/

Respite

At the close of January I left winter for summer, traveling from southeast Minnesota to southeast Queensland, Australia. I spent the next two months there, living with my sister's family, sweltering in the heat and humidity, resting, reading, letting my big sister take care of me, spending time with my growing niece and nephews, getting better acquainted with the place they call home, and, of course, painting.

People:

 I wanted to take this opportunity to work on drawing and painting figures and portraits, especially my niece and nephews.

5 x 7" oil on linen/hardboard. February 1, 2018

 Tired from travel, and settling in, I did a quick study of my niece, who was reading a Calvin & Hobbes book.

 This pencil sketch is the closest I got to getting a likeness of my elusive eldest nephew. Someday I'll get to paint him. :)

7 x 5" oil on linen/hardboard. February 5, 2018

 My niece and I did a lot of drawing and painting together. Here I painted her profile while she worked on an excellent little painting of her dog.

 An allergy discovered: A quick little sketch done for my nephew, who gave us a scare and was spending half the night at the hospital under observation after reacting to eating a prawn.

10 x 8" oil on linen/hardboard. February 12, 2018

A better day, attempting a painting of my youngest nephew. Nothing like being asked to sit still to remind a person of how much he likes to move and all the things he'd like to be doing. (But he kind of tried!)

10 x 8" oil on linen/hardboard.

 Painted over a couple of days, another portrait of my (very patient!) niece reading. Sometimes she read aloud to me, which was just lovely.

Asleep on the train after a long, eventful day. Graphite.

Still life:

 Studies of local flora.

9 x 12" oil on gessoed hardboard. February 3, 2018

 Lilly Pilly. This was painted on a rainy day; a sprig plucked from a shrub by the house with its glossy green leaves and bright pink berries.

10 x 8" oil on linen/hardboard. February 19, 2018

 Though not native, frangipani or plumeria are a common sight, and their fragrance often fills the humid evening air.

10 x 8" oil on linen/hardboard. February 21, 2018

 Eucalyptus leaves and gumnuts, picked up off the path of the neighborhood forest after a rainstorm.

10 x 8" oil on linen/hardboard. March 1, 2018

 Gumnuts again. A different kind of eucalyptus tree with very different shaped leaves and fruit than the first one.

10 x 8" oil on linen/hardboard. March 5, 2018

 Banksia, in a Bundaberg lemonade bottle. I often saw this particular species - I think it's a swamp banksia - with its reddish-brown bottlebrush-like flower stalk and leathery leaves and I knew I wanted to try to paint it.

8 x 10" oil on linen/hardboard. March 9, 2018

 One more gumnut study, this time from a flowering gum tree. The fruit of this one were heavy and ridged, the flowers a lovely pink, slightly bedraggled after heavy rain, and the leaves long and narrow.

10 x 8" oil on linen/hardboard. March 13, 2018

Beach Hibiscus. These grow to be large trees, which my niece and nephews liked to climb. Its bright yellow blossoms only last a day, then fade and fall. Handed to me after a conversation while I was painting one windy day by the bay, I took this flower back to the house with me and painted it that night before it wilted.

Forest:

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

This was the first plein air painting of my visit. My niece and I trekked down to an area in the neighborhood forest and painted in the evening. The trunk of a strangler fig along a small stream. The light didn't last long, however, the mosquitoes began to hum, and the crows in the treetops sounded as though they were laughing at us.

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

 Painted in Point Halloran Conservation Area: a study of midday greens and blues.

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

On Mount Tamborine, downstream from Curtis Falls, upstream from where a colony of fruit bats was hanging out. The light grew dim early down amongst the trees, and a little rain fell in this little bit of rainforest while I painted.

By the bay:

 Tides, mud and sand, wind and rain and sunshine.

7 x 5" plein air oil on linen/birch. February 10, 2018

 Raby Bay. I was all set up to paint when I discovered my brushes were not in with my gear - not one! This little painting of the water was done mostly with pieces of dried leaves off a nearby plant. A rough little color study.

6 x 12" plein air oil on linen/hardboard. February 16, 2018

 Point Halloran, painting while watching the tide go out. In the hot and humid weather it made such a difference to get down to the shore and feel the wind off the water.

9 x 12" plein air oil on linen/hardboard. February 25, 2018

 HMQS Gayundah. Appropriately, perhaps, my time painting this old gunboat "said to be named after an Aboriginal word for lightning" was interrupted by a sudden crack of thunder and lightning as a storm broke overhead. I was happy to get a chance to go back and finish it later in the afternoon as the tide came in.

9 x 12" plein air oil on linen/birch. February 27, 2018

 Wellington Point. Low tide and cloudy skies, looking out towards King Island.

Two 5 x 7" plein air oil paintings on linen/hardboard. February 27, 2018

 Later, as the skies cleared and the wind picked up and blew hard, I walked around the point and painted this one (two) of the red rocks and mangrove tree, as the tide began to come back in. The sunshine brought out such color on the ground and water.

16 x 8" plein air oil on linen/hardboard. February 28, 2018

 Victoria Point. A beautiful old gumtree by the footpath. The water was high, covering the trunks and roots of the mangroves, and the morning shadows dappled the ground.

6 x 12" plein air oil on linen/hardboard. March 2, 2018

 Also at Victoria Point, painting amongst the mangroves. An overcast sky made the colors of the landscape a bit more subdued.

5 x 7" plein air oil on linen/birch. March 4, 2018

 Raby Bay. A little sky and water study. A cloud overhead gave shade and a little rain, and cloud shadows moved across the bay.

6 x 8" plein air oil on linen/birch. March 7, 2018

 Victoria Point: Sky drama and mangroves at the bay. Glimpses of sunshine between rain showers.

Trying to take in and capture something of the colors and textures of sky and sea.

Listening to the wind, the little crabs crawling around the rocks, and the incoming tide.

5 x 7" plein air oil on linen/hardboard. March 13, 2018

 Thompson's Beach, Victoria Point. A little painting done in the wind and an occasional downpour. A beautiful old boat and the fantastic shapes of the mangroves.

9 x 12" plein air oil on linen/hardboard. March 16, 2018

Redland Bay. A quick study of the evening light at the bay; shadows falling across the mangroves and the sand and mud of low tide.

7 x 5" oil on linen/hardboard. March 2018 sold

Point Halloran Conservation Area. I really liked the feel of this place, tidal wetlands where salt and fresh water mix. There was a beautiful harmony in the colors of the wet landscape and sky and the delicate branches of the she-oaks. I would have liked to paint on location there, but the mosquitoes won the battle that day; I took a few photos and waded out. I began this little painting that night while the memory was fresh in my mind.

Mountains, skyscrapers, and ocean waves:

6 x 12" plein air oil on linen/hardboard. March 11, 2018

 Boonah, Queensland, along Mount French Road, looking across pastures towards Moogerah Peaks. The weather passing through alternatingly obscuring and revealing the mountains in the distance.

8 x 16" plein air oil on linen/hardboard. March 12, 2018 sold

 Peak Crossing, Queensland. Sunshine and mountains, and farmland that made me feel a little more at home.

6 x 12" plein air oil on linen/hardboard. March 17, 2018

 The Spit, Goldcoast. A quick study. The waves rolled in and washed around the legs of my easel and retreated again, pulling the sand back to the sea. I held on to make sure my easel didn't go out with the water. My little niece and nephew appointed themselves my protectors, digging trenches and lying on the sand to attempt to block the waves! Such good little buddies. :)

6 x 12" plein air oil on linen/hardboard. March 19, 2018

Mt. Coot-tha: We went up early to the lookout hoping to catch the sunrise over the city of Brisbane. Instead we looked out into fog. I painted this as the sun rose higher in the sky and the fog began to clear.

5 x 7" plein air oil on linen/hardboard. March 19, 2018

The morning sun grew hot and the fog lifted, bringing the city into view. 

6 x 12" plein air oil on linen/hardboard. March 24, 2018

Where the Noosa River meets the sea.

We spent the last weekend of my visit at the Sunshine Coast. I painted with my feet in the sand and the sound of the ocean in my ears.

8 x 10" plein air oil on linen/hardboard. March 24, 2018

 Sunshine Beach. Sand and sea and clouds at dusk.

6 x 8" plein air oil on linen/birch. March 25, 2018

My last painting in Australia: A little study of the water, watching the waves roll in and trying to take in all the color and form and movement. Beautiful day.