In Transition

 After 10 years in this beautiful place in northwestern Wisconsin, we are preparing to transition to a new home. This has been a wonderful space for us – plenty of projects (rejuvenating a neglected cabin into our full-time home) with room for family gatherings, creating gardens edged with awesome rocks, and lovely days spent on the lake with family and friends puttering around in my Dad’s beloved pontoon. However, there is a time and season for everything, and to our surprise, this is the time to move on. Through all the years of caring for my Mom and driving almost daily the 150-mile round trip to Stillwater, we looked for something closer, but nothing opened up for us. And we were throwing straws up in all directions to no avail. But we are firm believers that things happen in God’s time, not ours. My dear Mom died in July and the immediate urgency to move passed. So we were totally caught off-guard when unexpected events led us to the open door of our new place.  And we continue to be amazed at how quickly things are moving forward in this adventure. I’m reminded again, “God has a plan for good.”

This week’s painting is one of my new favorites -– Sheep at Rest, is an 11” x 15” on 300 lb. hot press watercolor paper. I love the way the paint fused with the paper and a wash of New Gamboge gave it a wonderful sense of vintage texture.

Argyle Zebra Community Gallery

I’m honored to be accepted as an artist for the upcoming exhibit, Collective ALCHEMY l, at the Argyle Zebra Community Gallery in St. Paul, Minnesota. The exhibit opens on Saturday, January 13 and runs through Saturday, March 24, 2024. My juried artwork, “Moonlight Birches,” 9” x 13” watercolor, will be on display throughout the exhibit. An Artists Reception is scheduled for Saturday, February 24, 2024, from 5-8 p.m. For more information, see www.theazgallery.org.

The Big Lake

It seemed the perfect day to paint a “liltie” and this week’s painting is Hollow Rock, 4” x 6” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, I love the energy of the sky and the reflections in the water. 

New Year Reflections

Sometimes “traditions” need to be put aside in order to meet and greet what’s ahead in our lives. As our grown children move into new phases with their own children, we’ve found it’s essential to be flexible and try to meet them where they are. At least for our family, it’s not realistic for us to assume that we can all gather on one day, in one house around a big table.  This year, Christmas came several times for us – one on Christmas Eve, with two of our families, after a lovely church service and with a delicious meal of take-out Chinese; another  at a halfway-point restaurant in St. Coud to enjoy a meal with our family in from Arizona;  and then  on  December 30 with tacos and fixings and the opening of presents at our daughter’s  boyfriend’s home.  And we’ll have one more celebration this weekend with our dear family who just came home after two weeks in the hospital with their oldest daughter. Life is dynamic and we are just so thankful for the joyous times when we can be together.

This week’s painting is back to the sheep – these three came charging around a stone wall and I just had to paint them. “Sheep on the Run” – 9” x 9” on 300 lb. hot prese watercolor paper. I enjoy painting on this “smoother” paper – the paint is absorbed differently and it really encourages a looser  brush style (not my usual MO) and results in softer edges.