O' Victoria!

A few weeks ago we got to spend two days on the Island of Victoria, off the shore from Vancouver, British Columbia, and I was totally captured by the beautiful Butchart Gardens. It was a perfect day for being in the gardens – a bit of cloud cover so you didn’t have that bright, washed-out look on the flowers and landscape, and the photos that Paul took turned out great! With 56 acres and 10 gardens to explore, I think I could have spent a full four days wandering around the grounds and getting inspirations for painting. One of the most beautiful views was from the main house down to the inlet to the sea. In Jenni Butchart’s day, it would have been a clear, panoramic view of the water and mountain in the distance. Today, you have to peek between the mature trees, but the view is still incredibly rewarding.

This week’s painting, The Cove, 10” x 15” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, features the spectacular scene viewed from the Wedding Garden near the Main House down to the sheltered harbor. To see more of my art, visit www.wildriverarts.com

 

 

Getting ready for plein air!

Next week is the 2018 Port Wing Plein Air event, and I’m so looking forward to it. In the past, I’ve had some difficulty painting plein air – it’s hard for me to narrow my focus to the subject instead of being overwhelmed by the gorgeous panoramic picture in front of me. So Paul decided we should drive to Port Wing and find some possible locations for painting. It was a wonderful day – we both love roadtrips and the scenery on the south shore of Lake Superior never disappoints. The area is a magnet for artists, so a plus side is that we got to meet and visit incredibly creative people. For this event, the competition radius is 6 miles from the center of town, so we had a glorious time exploring the roads and back lanes surrounding the Port Wing community.

Around the corner of one gravel road, we found this small flock of sheep feeding in a grassy meadow. This week’s painting is titled, Sheep on the Hill, and is 8”x10” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, reflects this wonderfully pastoral scene.

Great Egret!

In the summertime, one of my favorite sights on ponds and lakes in this area is the Great Egret. Snowy white, it’s easy to spot – even from a distance – and it signals to me that the waterway is healthy and the fishing is good! This was painted with permission from the photographer, Lonnie Lovness. She takes amazing pictures, and I believe this one was shot while kayaking on the Upper St. Croix River. Designated as a National Scenic River, the St. Croix provides incredible scenery and a rich habitat for a wide variety of wildlife and birds.

 

This week’s painting, Snowy Egret, 8”x13” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, captures an egret in all its splendor focused on catching its next meal. For more information on purchasing or commissioning a painting as well as upcoming events and exhibits, check out my website at www.wildriverarts.com

 

 

Summer Morn, PEI

When my daughters were young, we had such a great time watching the Prairie Public TV series, Anne of Green Gables. The story captured all of our imaginations – an unloved orphan finding her true home with Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert of Green Gables farm on Prince Edward Island. It was a wonderful series set in the beautiful scenery of this crescent-shaped island off the eastern coast of Canada.  

This week’s painting, Summer Morn, PEI, 10”x15” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, ignites memories of the picturesque farms, abundant wildflowers, and lush fields stretching down to the sea.

It’s all about barns

Recently we got back from a weekend roadtrip to Upper Michigan. With the heat index running high here in Wisconsin, it was a treat to be on the shores of Lake Superior and feel the cool breezes. We love traveling north, and the Keweenaw Peninsula is one of our favorite destinations. As you leave Ontonagon and the deep woods of the spectacular Porcupine Mountains, the land gives way to forgotten mining communities, thriving towns, and sandy beaches along the shore of Lake Superior. The traffic is usually not an issue, primarily because we follow the “blue line” roads. By taking these lesser traveled roads we have made so many wonderful discoveries – hidden lakes, rolling farms and meadowlands, grand log-cabin lodges, and lovely cafes and inns.

This week’s painting, the “Back Forty,” 7”x10” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, reflects one of the beautiful sights often found on these blue-line trips.  

 

Wedding Wishes

This week, we flew to the Seattle-Tacoma area to gather with friends and family for the wedding of Paul’s great-nephew, Derek, and his bride, Heidi. In addition to the wedding celebration, we went out a few days ahead to spend time with our life-long friends, Pat and Steve, from Bismarck, ND. They had driven to Seattle and then planned to take the long and scenic trip home via the Canadian Rockies. We took the hydrofoil, Victoria Clipper, across the Straits of Juan de Fuca to Victoria, British Columbia. The weather was perfect and from the ferry, we traveled by bus to The Butchart Gardens. I had dreamed of visiting these gardens for almost 20 years but was totally unprepared for the beauty and sheer magnitude of Jenni Butchart’s gardens. Constructed over 11 years as a reclaiming of their limestone gravel pit, the grounds encompass a total of 10 magnificent gardens, including the three we were able to see in our 4-hour time limit: the Rose, Japanese and Sunken Gardens. The incredible variety of flora was overwhelming and smell of roses and blooming flowers was everywhere. We stayed overnight at the Fairmont Empress hotel, opened in 1907 under the guidance of Queen Victoria, and of course, participated in their famous High Tea event.

Saying goodbye to dear friends, we drove to Tacoma to be with the Kinsley-Hirsh families and help prepare for the big event. After a week of sunshine, we had our first drizzle of rain as we walked across the lawn at Hillside Farms for the outdoor ceremony! The rain didn’t last long, though, and it turned out to be a glorious evening in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains near Olympia, WA. For the special event, I painted a picture as a gift for the couple. The painting, Hillside Barn, 7”x10” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, features an evening – quite like the one when we were there – with the wedding pagoda and barn lights beaming on a special occasion.