Remembering Barns

In the July 19 storm of tornadoes and straight-line winds that hit our area, I rode out the storm in my car. It was 5:30 p.m. and I was on my way home from working that day at the art gallery. When I turned north off the main highway, it started to spatter rain, and as I came to a clearing in the woods, I could see the sky had changed dramatically. A black arch of clouds stretched across the northern sky and under this dark band, the sky was a weird teal color. It was too late to turn back and by the time I crossed the Apple River, the winds were whipping trees around and it was raining so hard that I could only see the center line of the road. I intended to pull into one of my favorite farms – they had a beautiful 3 -story barn and were in the process of remodeling their farm home. Unfortunately, it was raining so hard I couldn’t see their driveway, so I continued on for about 1/8 of a mile and pulled in behind another stopped vehicle. It was a surreal experience – sitting in my parked car, praying out loud, listening to the wind and watching the fury of the storm through the windshield wipers. Unbelievably, I sent a couple of texts to Paul and he, from the basement at home with our terrified critters, responded. I sat on that road for about 40 minutes while the storm raged. At one point the winds were so strong, I felt all four wheels of the car lift off the ground for a few seconds and then gently settle back down on the roadway. Thanks be to God! When the storm finally eased, I backed the car up to turn around in the farm driveway and saw a horrifying sight. The roof of the farmhouse was torn off and all that was left of the barn were remnants of the first-floor block foundation. One of the two concrete silos that stood next to the barn was also gone with concrete rubble strewn in a broad path all the way up to the road. It was a long journey home that evening. With downed powerlines and huge trees on the road, it took a tremendous effort by friends and neighbors with chainsaws and another three hours to go the last few miles to home. And it is with a grateful heart that I share this - knowing that, despite the overwhelming and widespread damage, no lives were lost and we were all brought through safely. 

We lost several classic and round barns in our area this summer due to storms. This week’s painting, Before the Storm, 9” x 12” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, offers a tribute to the loss of these wonderfully built barns. 

Let’s paint a barn!

You are invited to join me for a watercolor class at the Frederic Arts Center, Frederic, WI, on Saturday, October 19, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. The class will be held  in the wonderfully restored one-room schoolhouse located near the lake in this beautiful town. With the arrival of Fall weather, I thought it would be perfect time to paint a barn! This week’s painting, Harvest Barn, 8" x 10" will be the template we use for the class. 

The class fee is $40 plus $10 for materials, and you can plan to bring your painting home ready to frame! For more information or to register for the class, see the Frederic Arts Center website. Hope you can join me for a day of celebrating fall and playing with color!  

International Dog Day!

There are so many celebratory days during the year, but a day dedicated to recognizing the value that dogs add to our lives just makes me happy! International Dog Day was August 26 this year, and the raising and keeping of dogs has been an important part of my life. Currently we share our home with Maddie, a 12-year-old, black Cocker Spaniel dog who has such a gentle spirit and is generous with us most of the time. She enjoys having her food in her bowl for breakfast and then another half portion at 5 p.m. Yes, it needs to be 5 p.m. – otherwise, she’s following us around the kitchen, making snuffle-y noises and generally being a pest. She hates thunderstorms and fireworks, and loves sleeping on the bed, taking car rides and rolling down the car windows by herself, going for walks and occasional “pup cup”treats at the local Dairy Queen.  

This week’s painting, Dog Day!, 9” x 12” watercolor painting, celebrates the joyous nature of dogs and captures a young woman walking her dog off leash across the subdued tapestry of an Irish landscape on an overcast day.

Starting Over

The carefree days of summer really ended for us on July 19. The storm that roared through our area that night left a path of devastation and the resulting clean-up process has consumed a lot of our days. Our entire place is under construction – from already moving the boat to repair/winter storage, repairing decks and submerged boat dock, repainting, roof and siding replacement and rebuilding the stonework and landscaping in the front yard. It’s been a month since I’ve ventured out the back gardens for a good weeding – simply because there was no place to even move rescued plants and it seemed overwhelming to try to rebuild the framework. But now the days are cooler – fall is here and I’m more energized to get busy. We are so grateful for good insurance coverage (and a terrific agent) and for the health and energy to start over!

And we are so thankful for supportive family and friends. When we were faced with no electricity – it was off for 8 days while crews struggled to repair the lines – wonderful friends offered the use of their son and his wife’s cabin. We are so glad we accepted their generous offer – the cabin became a special haven of peace and quiet after the noise of chain saws all day. This week’s painting, Welcoming Cottage, 9” x 12” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, features this special place surrounded by a lovely handmade picket fence.

Revisiting the Lake!

I’ve been asked to teach a watercolor class this fall at the Frederic Arts Center in Frederic, WI. The details are still working out, but it looks like Saturday, October 19, will work. It’s a wonderful space and I’m so looking forward to sharing this time with others who are interested in learning about watercolor painting. Watch for more details coming soon!

This week’s painting is one of my favorite scenes, but wanted to see if it might fit the format and timeframe of this class. R & R, 9” x 11” captures what this oft-used expression means to me!

Summer, Interrupted!

It’s been two weeks since I’ve painted. Two weeks ago, a derecho – a weather system boasting 80 mph straight-line winds mixed with tornados - went through our area. The system traveled across Central Minnesota and wrecked havoc all the way to Green Bay, Wisconsin. In our little lake community, power lines were scattered, boats were overturned and sunk on the lake, and we lost over 500 mature trees – with 12 of them falling on both sides of our house. Fortunately, except for minor damage to the house, vehicles and yard, we are all o.k. We were thankful Gov. Evers declared a state of emergency – electricity was out for 8 days in our area so the call alerted power and tree crews in the region who came with equipment to clean up the mess.

This week’s painting, Summer Fleet, 9” x 11” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, reflects wonderful days of summer on the water.

In Stillwater!

We spent the afternoon hanging art and creating a display space in the beautiful Stillwater Art Guild Gallery in Historic Downtown Stillwater. It is an honor to be one of the 22 new members in this creative gallery! If you’re in the area, plan to join us for the Opening Reception in the Gallery on Friday, August 9, 5-8 p.m. located on the north end of Main Street, Stillwater.