Thoughts of the River!

We’ve had record snowfall this February – the woods are beautiful outside my door, but I’m weary of moving snow off the driveway, sidewalk, decks and roof! And with the piles towering above my head, there’s no easy place to put the new stuff! In spite of this, there is a sort of survivor camaraderie among our neighbors and friends – they are willing to help, give advice, and remind each other that there’s only four weeks of this left! Ha – I remember last May when a late season snowstorm hit us!

Today I’m especially thankful for a warm house, healthy families, increasing daylight, and full birdfeeders! Indoors, I’m working on new techniques and having a wonderful time painting summer waterscapes. This week’s painting, Rounding the Bend, 11” x 15” watercolor painting, captures a canoeist coming around the bend of a river.

Rocky Point

I must be craving green, so this week’s painting reflects an absolutely summer scene. And with record snowfall and cold, it was the perfect week to stay indoors, set up my easel on the kitchen island, paint something warm, and enjoy a wonderful view from the dining room windows. The heavy snowfall matched with no wind created a magical setting in the woods around our house – the landscape and trees are beautifully softened in white. My friend, Pam, reminded me that this weekend is the annual Book Across the Bay event held in Ashland and Washburn, WI. For many years, a group of us dedicated girlfriends and one year, brave soul Paul even took up the challenge and participated in this adventure – cross-country skiing the 10-K race across the ice of the Chequamegon Bay of Lake Superior in the dark! The race starts at 6 p.m. from Ashland and the up to 3,500 skiers, snowshoers and hikers follow a course lighted by ice lights and bonfires on the lake all the way to Washburn. If you’ve never tried this before – it’s well worth putting this on your bucket list!

This week's painting, Rocky Point, 9” x 12” on 300 lb. water paper, captures a summer scene at a secluded, northern lake.

Artists Receptions and Galway Bay

I’m feeling especially blessed this morning. Thank you to all the dear friends who braved extreme temps last night to be at the Artists Reception at the artZ Gallery in Amery. It was such a fun time of gathering with artists and art lovers in the community and being able to share about what inspires me in my paintings. And it was exciting to learn that there were art receptions in all THREE of the Amery galleries last night! That’s a pretty amazing accomplishment - especially for a small town!

My mom is a great supporter of my efforts and recently asked if I could paint a picture of the sun setting on Galway Bay. She remembered a song about it from her high school years. There are lots of pictures of sunsets on the bay, but I found one that focused on the reflected light of the sun going down on the picturesque buildings of the Claddagh community overlooking Galway Bay. This row of buildings is built on an ancient fishing village – one of the first settlements in Ireland. It’s also the home of the original Claddagh ring made by a jeweler in this village. This week’s painting, Sunset on Claddagh, 10” x 15” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, also features the Corrib River which runs through Galway town and into the sea.