Solo Show

I'm having a show!

I've been working so hard these last months getting ready. Lots of painting, figuring out new framing sources, more painting, varnishing, framing, turning screws, twisting wire, late nights.
 On Monday I delivered my work to the Depot Gallery in Red Wing, MN, and they took it from there. The show is now hung and open to the public. Some paintings have already found news homes!
 Here are a few new pieces that are in the show:

Sprouting Grass Moon, 18 x 24", oil on linen/birch

Crib and Kitchen, 20 x 16", oil on linen/birch

Poplars at Dusk, 18 x 24", oil on linen/birch

Lined Faces

It's hard to remember to dress for this weather after we've had a warmer spell; it's so easy to leave the wool coat and mittens at home. But though the calendar may say it's spring, and the longer days, higher sun, and melted snow may say the same, let me tell you, it is COLD. After shivering through a painting this evening I had the red, stiff hands to prove it.

Lined Faces. Plein air, 9 x 12" oil on linen/hardboard.

One thing I like about old barns is their character.

 These two - just look at those faces! 

 Today started out sunny, but by the time I set up to paint, the sun had disappeared behind clouds, leaving the March landscape looking a bit dull. When it finally peeked out for more than a minute, I rushed to paint in the shadows. The sunshine really lit up the land, and made the clouds look dark and blue.

La Isla Del Encanto

As much as I love Minnesota, every once in awhile it's nice to get away for a bit. This month I was privileged to spend a week in Puerto Rico with a group of my favorite artists and their better halves, painting and soaking up the sunshine.

 There wasn't much of the latter at the beginning of the week. The first day out, after it started pouring, we all ended up under shelter, painting some of the local buildings.

 I'm told this building was a movie theater once. I loved its old face, and all the color on and around it.

El Cine, 8 x 10" oil on linen. Sold

 Later there was a hint of blue sky, as I tried my hand at a beach painting.

Beach Walk, 8 x 10" oil on linen.

 Monday was another cloudy and windy day. We painted in Las Croabas. My eye was drawn to this one boat, set a little apart from all the others.

Loner, 10 x 8" oil on linen.

 Tuesday we painted in Old San Juan. I was glad to get a chance to explore this place a little more. It's a beautiful town, old and full of history and character. And we had sunshine!

Puerta De San Juan, 12 x 9" oil on linen.

 This one had to be done quickly, we were short on time, but it was such a great view. The light was amazing- but constantly changing as the clouds blew across the sky.

Afternoon in Old San Juan, 9 x 12" oil on linen.

 Wednesday we had a day trip to the little island of Culebra. Beaches, wildlife, jeeps and golfcarts. Flamenco beach was pretty quiet when we first arrived. I found a spot with some shade and, importantly, a little out of the wind. By the time I finished, the beach was full, and nearly every spot of shade was occupied.

Playa Flamenco, 10 x 8" oil on linen.

 Later some of us visited another beach, which was a calmer area and better for snorkeling. I failed at snorkeling, however, and gasped and floundered back to shore, just missing out on seeing sea turtles! But hey, it was nice to sit on a sunny beach and paint too.

En Isla Culebra, 10 x 8" oil on linen.

 Thursday was a much quieter day, and I painted the first one on the beach just by the house.

Coconuts on the Sand, 12 x 9" oil on linen.

 Later I revisited these rocks, which I painted a couple of times on my last visit. This time I climbed up on top and painted looking out to sea. It was so windy! But I had a nice vantage point and really enjoyed doing this one.

Near La Pared, 9 x 12" oil on linen.

Friday, I stayed put. I was feeling worn down even before the trip, and it was catching up with me. This was painted from the balcony of the house, looking down the street. I wanted to paint some of the local houses, their interesting shapes and colors, and that big palm blowing in the wind. A dog came out on a balcony a few houses down and I put him in too.

Un Perro de Luquillo, 12 x 9" oil on linen.

Saturday: time to put actual shoes on again and go home. :)

My easel and nifty panel boxes to keep my wet paintings safe while traveling.

The group this time had two oil painters and five watercolor artists. Check out some of their work!

 danwiemer.com

 mikerada.com

andyevansen.com

riverpainter.com

January Plein Air Painting

The latest and greatest way to haul painting gear in the snow:

 Also the cutest.

 After not getting out to paint for two months, I started January feeling mighty rusty. But it was great to get out in the snow, and I hope to get some more painting time in before the winter ends.

I always manage to come here on the grayest days, for some reason.

A wet heavy-sky day. My boots leaked!

I loved the shadows on the snow drifts.

I had some trouble with the sky and stayed out too long. Had to run around for awhile just to warm my hands up enough to clean up, and then dropped the painting face down!

Late-Night Painting

As a care-giver I keep some strange hours. It can be hard to get work done, hard to start something that will take a lot of time, knowing that at any moment I could be called away. Learning how to manage time, when that time is irregular and unpredictable, is a continuing process. Broken sleep is the norm.
 I find it easier to stay awake than to wake up. If I'll be serving chocolate pudding and coffee at midnight, or we'll be belting out Christmas songs at 2am, I'd rather still be up than try to clear a half-asleep mind. So sometimes when I know it's going to be a late night, and because it's hard to stop once I start, I paint in the wee sma's.

Work-in-progress... at 3 o' clock am.

Produce Prints

Ew, not very nice looking at this point!

 Every now and then I try my hand at screen printing. My screens are whatever fabric I had on hand, painted with screen filler, in embroidery hoops. I recently got a set of colored inks (had only used black and red before) and tried them out for the first time today, printing on muslin produce bags. The colors look pretty garish right out of the jar, but I had some fun mixing them together on the screens.

I'm happy with how the red and blue mixed and came through onto the fabric.

Progression: The colors mixed to a pretty uniform purplish color, and I added a bit more red to the center each time.

 I used some of the muddy color left from the first ones together with more blue, some yellow and white for the next design.

Grayish garlic.

 I like how the first print almost has a watercolor-like look. After that the color gets pretty uniform.

Garlic progression.

Yellow, blue, and white to make a good pea-green.

Pea vine!

Two off the Easel

 A couple of recent paintings:

Wind Across the Fields, 16 x 20" oil on linen/birch panel.

 Love the feeling of the wind blowing across the fields as the weather moves in from the west. A few birds take flight.

 

Anvil Cloud at Sunset, 18 x 14" oil on linen/hardboard panel.

 Crazy skies again. I saw a cloud like this one night and did some quick sketching. The sun has just disappeared, but still illuminates this towering cloud, and the lights of farms across the valley begin to show.

 

These two paintings are hanging out at the local library for awhile.

It's been a cold and snowy month, and my painting has mostly been indoors. But I have a lot to work on- a bunch of new pieces started, and a sketchbook full of potential ones.

Happy Thanksgiving!