Suddenly Spring

After an exceptionally long winter – it is SPRING! It came on us in a hurry with the ground warm enough to plant in almost on the same day as the ice went out from our area lakes! And we celebrated with the Earth Arts Spring Art Tour this past weekend. It was a first endeavor in opening my “studio” as such to the public and it was an energizing and fun weekend! Beginning on Thursday morning, Paul and I worked with artists Doug Berg and Joyce Staley of Lakeside Studio to set up our displays in the Lamar Community Center, in the countryside near St. Croix Falls, WI, and the show ran from Friday through Sunday. It was a joy to work with such amazingly talented and seasoned artists, and given the amount of work, we quickly realized that we wouldn’t have been able to do this show without their expertise and help! The Lamar space is beautiful with the original wood floors, soaring windows, and the surrounding farmland still being tilled and planted this very weekend. Thank you, thank you to all! We so appreciate all the dear family, friends and visitors who took the time to come out and visit with us, enjoy the space and generously support our efforts!  

Today, I’m on to the next adventure! I’m delivering paintings for display at the Amery Medical Center in Amery, WI, where my artwork will be featured along with artists Bonnie Hagen and Chris Brylski. And this afternoon, Paul and I will be setting up my member space in the artZ Gallery in Amery, too. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop in at either of these places to see fine art!

Boat House

In spite of the current view from our windows – deep snow in all directions – we are getting ready to celebrate Spring! The first weekend of May, May 4-6, marks the annual Spring Art Tour, and it will be my first time of participating in this wonderful event. Hosted by the Earth Arts of the Upper St. Croix, this group is comprised of 60 artists displaying their art in 33 locations along the tour route. For this event, I’ll be joining two well-recognized artists, Doug Berg (oils) and Joyce Staley (oils and jewelry) at the Lamar Community Center near St. Croix Falls, WI. The historic, two-room schoolhouse has been recently renovated and provides beautiful light-filled spaces.

This will be an adventure as I’m preparing to display in a kind of art fair atmosphere. We’ve purchased some stand-alone display panels and Doug is helping Paul with the details of hanging paintings on the wooden racks along the walls of the center. In addition to my framed originals, I’ve also created a supply of cards, giclée prints and prints for display and sale. All in all, it has been a fun process of getting ready for this new endeavor.

This week’s painting, “Boat House” 7”x9” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, offers a secluded retreat on a quiet lakeshore.

Making Memories

We are in the thick of a stubborn winter! Over the past two weeks, we’ve accumulated another couple of FEET of snow and because the temps remain cold, nothing seems to be melting. It’s currently higher than our decks (I'm shoveling snow UP!) and the forecast is for another 10” of snow this weekend. While morale may be temporarily low at the Kinsley household, we are people of Hope! Even if the weather doesn’t cooperate, we continue to see wonderful glimpses of spring. A Purple Finch scout arrived at the feeder the other morning and when I went to record his appearance in my much-loved bird book, I found that it was the exact same day as last year for the first sighting of a Purple Finch – March 30. Isn’t that incredible? Despite the fluctuations in the weather, they are totally in tune with the rhythms of the light. And we’ve had such fun welcoming the Sandhill Cranes and Red-wing Blackbirds back and hearing their loud cacophony of calls across the lake and wetlands.

I’ve got fishing on my mind, and this week’s painting, Making Memories, 6.5”x15” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, recalls the joy of “fishing buddies” spending special times together at the lake.

 

 

 

Casting Deep

The warmer weather and increasing light are inspiring for me this week! It’s been a long winter, but these are clear signs that spring is on the way. Today, for example, is the Maple Syrup day at the Lee Warner Center near Marine on St. Croix with maple sugaring demonstrations.  We’re a bit farther north than that community, but soon the taps will be running in the big Maple trees in our area.

This week’s painting, Casting Deep, 7” x 12” on 300 lb. Watercolor paper, reminds me of spring and calls the viewer to experience the thrill of standing hip-deep in a cold, fast-running river casting for elusive fish!

 

Road to Carimona

Every year, a weekend in July is devoted to traveling to family reunions. It just happens that both of my parent’s families get together on the same weekend – one in Preston, Minnesota, and the other in Marshalltown, Iowa. On the designated Saturday, we gather in the city park in Preston, with my mom’s family – the descendants of the Pickett brothers – five brothers and their families who homesteaded in a beautiful valley in this region in the 1860’s and named the settlement, Carimona. Although the town no longer exists, we still carry the stories within us and take time to visit the family cemetery. On Sunday, we are in Iowa with my dad’s relatives and the Norman family reunion to celebrate the life of my Great Grandma Bertha Williams. It’s a lovely time of reconnecting with dear family and getting to meet new arrivals – spouses and babies!

This week’s painting reflects a familiar sight – Road to Carimona, 8” x 10” on 300 lb. Watercolor paper, captures the sense of traveling the country roads through the beautiful landscape of southern Minnesota.

To view the gallery, visit my website: www.wildriverarts.com

Practicing Gratitude

Our schedule has seemed incredibly busy lately and often because of personal and family commitments, we don’t make it to church on Sunday morning. So, we’ve been listening to Greg Boyd’s sermons online. Greg is the senior pastor at Woodland Hills Church – a growing church with a strong outreach ministry on the eastside of St. Paul, Minnesota. This week, his message focused on developing a daily habit of practicing gratitude. There are so many things that happen in our lives every day, and in the busyness of the moment, we may overlook opportunities to reflect and be grateful. Studies indicates that it takes about 8 weeks to effectively incorporate a new habit into our lives and integrating a practice of gratitude can have a dramatic impact on our lives – oftentimes it may lead us to nurture a sense of contentment as well as help ignite more energy and embrace a more optimistic attitude. By keeping a daily journal and taking time to jot down the positive moments, we create a tangible record of good things happening in our lives.

In the midst of the doldrums of February – even longtimers in this neck of the woods agree this has been a very long winter – this exercise has been extremely helpful for me. in just the past week, we’ve been "surprised by joy" by so many good things: good health of our family and the successful heart surgery and recovery of our dear brother-in-law; being able to get together and celebrate Valentine’s Day with lifelong friends; for my husband who continues to expand his talents (in his free time, he’s learning to frame!) and loves the challenges of his work; for a sturdy home that shelters us in the midst of winter snowstorms; and for the arrival of our newly adopted beautiful baby granddaughter from India. Magnolia (Mia) Carimona Suganna is God’s answer to two years of praying for a special child, and she joins her new mom and dad and three older brothers in her loving, forever family. Throughout the entire process, we have been in awe at the many ways God has gone ahead, opened doors, prepared hearts, and made straight the path. We are so thankful.

 

This week’s painting continues my theme of rural barns in winter. Weathered Grey, 8”x10” on 300 lb. Watercolor paper, captures the scene at the end of a quiet, snow-lined lane.

 

 

First Light

In spite of the cold and snowy weather, it’s been a productive January. I’ve really enjoyed this season of “hibernating” and having time in my studio to paint. Now as we cruise into February, my husband and I are already astonished at how fast the calendar hanging in our kitchen is filling up! Over the past few years, I’ve saved many of these calendars – I love to peruse through them for possible painting subjects, and they often act like a journal and sweet reminder of the major events that have happened during the course of each year.

And after months of planning and preparing, my first gallery show will begin tomorrow, February 1. For the month of February, I’m honored to be one of the guest artists at artZ Gallery in Amery, Wisconsin. I’m so looking forward to this new adventure and thankful to so many – overwhelming support from my dear family and friends as well as an incredible band of fellow artists who have helped to walk me through this whole creative process. It’s been a year since I started painting full-time, and I’m grateful to be part of such an energetic, encouraging community.

This week’s painting, Early Morn, 8” x 12” on 300 lb. Watercolor paper, captures the wonderful light of an early winter morning on the big lake.