This week's painting is a second study of a photo taken by Don Davison, and with his permission it’s such an enjoyable scene to paint in watercolor. Supper’s On, 9” x 12” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, captures a moment of paddling across a quiet lake – returning home in time for supper.
A few years ago, we traveled with my mom to celebrate life milestones with family friends in The Netherlands and then took a few days to visit Ireland. It was such a wonderful time of relaxing and catching up with dear ones in beautiful Nijmegen, Holland, and then seeing new places along the Irish coast. Mom had discovered that she had family roots in Finney, Ireland, so we spent a day navigating the lanes to this village and having a lovely lunch in the Larches Bar of Finney. The trip actually was a nerve-wracking, exhilarating adventure with Paul driving on the wrong side of the car, on the wrong side of the road, my mom trying to read the map in the front seat and me jumping out of the back seat at every stop to take photos of the amazing scenery. And most of these photos were of the free-grazers – those rugged bands of sheep roaming along the side of the road, running down a lonely track to the sea or just spun out across the green hills. At one point, when we were forced to stop for a huge tour bus navigating a narrow rural bridge (by taking in all of their mirrors), I hopped out for one more picture and my mom turned to ask: “Deb, don’t you have enough pictures of sheep?” And of course, I had to reply: “Can you ever have enough sheep, Mom?”
So here’s another one. This week’s painting, Hill and Dale Sheep, 9” x 9” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, captures a band of free-grazers roaming along a patch of rocky hillside.
It’s been an odd Valentine’s Day – it poured rain here all day . . . today . . . in February . . . in northern Wisconsin. But we are thankful – that it’s rain and not more snow, our menagerie of animals is thriving and a beautiful bouquet of rosy orange roses Paul brought home the other day is gracing our table. So much to be grateful for!
This week’s painting, Lake Breezes, 4” x 6” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, seems to capture the soft breezes and waves lapping along a rocky shoreline. You're invited to see more art at wildriverarts.com
It may seem like a long way off, but June will be here before we know it. And this year, I’m honored to be the featured artist chosen by the Phipps Center for the Arts of Hudson for an exhibit at the Westfield’s Hospital & Clinic Gallery in New Richmond, WI. The exhibit is slated for June through September 2023, and I’m preparing to have 20 fresh paintings ready to go for the event. And of course, it’s vital to have most of these paintings completed by the end of this LONG winter! When the warm weather arrives, for at least a few weeks, my whole focus moves to digging in the dirt and getting my gardens planted. Today, I ordered my cosmos seeds and already have most of my annual garden plans drawn up. And you know that Paul is totally energized by the thought of Spring! Haha! With 13 gardens, there always seems to be a never-ending list of to-do projects!
This week’s painting, Moody Blue, 4” x 6” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, captures the evening light on a remote lake island.
So much appreciation to those who support original art and grateful for galleries such as Plum Bottom Gallery in Door County. These four watercolors are now moving to new homes: November Fury; Sunlit Current; Stormy Light; and Resolute One. Thank you!
When you drive into Door County, WI, you have two choices – the road splits and runs in arcs up both sides of the peninsula, meeting at the top in Gills Rock. The western side of this strip of land is the “main drag” with picturesque villages filled with beautiful shops, while the eastern side is just as scenic but less traveled and feels more remote. One of our favorite stops on the eastern side is Bailey’s Harbor – jutting out into the amazing blue-green waters of Lake Michigan. And it's the location of a pair of lighthouses, the Front and Rear (aka Lower and Upper) Range Lights. In all my years of lighthouse-spotting, it was a surprise to hear the incredible story of these two structures. While the front light is an octagonal, 21” high structure, the rear structure resembles a typical pioneer schoolhouse. However, it’s their purpose and function that is so astonishing. When lit, the lighthouses produce two beams of light – one exactly 17 feet higher than the other. Captains seeking to come into Bailey’s Harbor line their boats up with these two vertical lights and then it’s safe for them to enter the harbor. Isn’t that amazing engineering?
This week’s painting, Bailey’s Range Light, 8” x 12” watercolor, captures the beautiful Rear/Upper lighthouse. Tucked off the road, in a secluded woods at the end of a long boardwalk, sits this integral structure, situated exactly 17’ higher than its partner light.
