Gunflint

In the Grand Marais area of northern Minnesota, one of our favorite things to do is drive the Gunflint Trail. It’s a narrow, winding road with miles of deep forest on both sides and small access points to Superior National Hiking Trail, moose sighting areas and glimpses of the many lakes, wetlands and rivers that run through the landscape. It is also one of the gateways to the Boundary Water Canoe Area (BWCAW) and the myriad of protected lakes and lands in that region.

I’m getting ready for the Family Friends and Neighbors exhibit to be held in July at the wonderful Balsam Arts Gallery in Balsam Lake, WI. It will be a display of a variety of art by local artists. This week’s painting is titled Gunflint, 7”x15” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, and features one of the many picturesque lakes along this scenic road.

 

 

How can it be Memorial weekend already?!

We have had an unusually cool May. With nighttime temps in the 40 to 50-degree range, plants are growing in the gardens, but they’re surely not thriving. And some of the roses refuse to even make an appearance! Yet, here we are at the end of May - the dock is in and the boat should be in the water by the weekend. And we're preparing to gather as a family this weekend and celebrate memories - of dear loved ones and brave hearts who died serving our country. We have much to be thankful for.

This past weekend, Paul and I had a wonderful daytrip to the Big Lake. Dressed for summer but armed with sweatshirts and hats, we drove north, along with Maddie, to Port Wing, WI, for the day. And sure enough – with a cold wind blowing off the lake, we quickly pulled on warmer clothes! I’ve registered for the 4-day Port Wing Plein Air event to be held in August 2018, and we wanted to make sure that there was lodging available. It’s a wonderful village right on the shore of Lake Superior and filled with kind-hearted, creative folks. We reserved the last cabin in town and so glad that they'll let us bring Maddie, too!

This week’s painting, Secluded Bay, 7”x 9” painting on 300 lb. watercolor paper, features a retreat in the woods with a wonderful view of a northern lake.

 

 

Celebrating the Order of May

My two favorite seasons are surely spring and fall. After months of looking at garden magazines– and watching my favorite show this year “Love Your Garden” which showcased building incredible gardens for deserving persons in the UK – it’s now spring! I love the energy of the light, being able to open windows, and getting the yard ready for planting. Both Paul and I have shared experiences of living on farms – he in South Dakota and me in North Dakota. He remarked this weekend that the ritual of preparing the soil and planting the crops always seems to restore a sense of order for him – that God has granted us another year, He is faithful, and we have the promise of new life.

And it is indeed a time of rejoicing. Yesterday, we gathered as a family to celebrate the dedication of our newest granddaughter, Magnolia Carimona Carlson, affectionately known to all of us as Mia. Along with her parents, Jenn and Luke and three dear brothers, Mia handled the ceremony beautifully and we are so thankful for her and all our wonderful children and grandchildren. Jenn ordered a cake for the event, and it was heavily inscribed with: Congratulations, Mia, Happy Birthday to Papa Paul, Congratulations to Tim and Krista (14^th Anniversary), and Happy Mother’s Day! Adding joy to the event were the two great-grandmothers, Nana Jan and Grandma GG. We feel tremendously blessed!

This week’s painting is a commissioned work. Overlook on the St. Croix, 7” x 10” painting on 300 lb. watercolor paper, recalls special times spent at her grandparent’s home on the beautiful St. Croix River.

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!