To the Big Lake!

This week, we were supposed to be traveling to Seattle/Tacoma, WA, for a family gathering. It's Paul's hometown, and his older sisters and their families still live there. His sister, Mavis, had flown in earlier from Phoenix to see her daughter and his other sister, Marilyn, was celebrating her birthday. So it seemed the perfect time to see them and to visit with our son, Jack. We missed seeing him at Thanksgiving when he flew into Minneapolis and then spent his whole vacation at his brother’s Keith’s house near the airport because of a huge snowstorm in the entire region. We never did get to see him! Even though we had the tickets purchased and a rental house secured, the trip was not to be. Two weeks before our scheduled flight, it became clear that Seattle was at the epicenter of the Coronavirus outbreak in US. It was an agonizing decision to make, but the day before we were to leave, we canceled our plans. It just seemed too risky to potentially expose elderly relatives in Seattle as well our family members here to this disease. Since we already had a safe place for Maddie to stay (Lupine Kennels!), we decided to take a two-day trip to the South Shore of Lake Superior. March is typically a quiet time around the lake which makes it a favorite time for us to be there! This was no different – we were the only guests staying in the Lumberman’s Inn in Iron River, WI! The trails and beaches were open, but most of the time, our car was the only one in the parking lots. Although there were still big ice chunks in the lake and the wind blew frosty off the lake, it was the perfect remedy for a long winter indoors and a wonderful time to take pictures and collect new images for future paintings. My “painting” for this week are photos from a couple of our favorite spots – a rustic cabin in the woods near the marina at Port Wing, WI, and huge sailboats in the winter boatyard at Cornucopia, WI.

Looking ahead to April!

I’m preparing for two exhibits beginning April 1 – and that’s no April Fool! 😊 I’m honored to be one of the featured artists at the artZ Gallery in Amery for the April show, “Transcending Seasons.” The month-long show will also feature the artwork of Colleen Cosgrove (plein air oil painting) and Edna Grotjahn Early (jewelry). You are especially invited to attend the Artists’ Reception on Friday, April 10, from 5-8 p.m.

And at the same time, I’m honored to have several of my watercolor paintings displayed at the Gallery in the Osceola Medical Center from April through June 2020. As you can imagine, it’s been a busy time at our house – me having a wonderful time painting and Paul doing a terrific job of framing!  

This week’s painting, Nordic Stuga, 9” x 13” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, celebrates all those ancient, small cottages, called stugas, that dot the landscape across the rural Scandianvian countryside.

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Geese on parade!

In a recent workshop with Artist Paul Oman, he made painting geese look like so much fun. I love painting old barns, and this picture of geese on parade along the side of a rustic barn seemed like the perfect opportunity to paint a small flock of geese.

This week’s painting, Free-Range Scouts, 7” x 12” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, reflects the purpose of geese on the farm. They are a farm’s security guards – scouring the perimeter, checking for intruders (or just tasty bugs), and generally causing a ruckus with their loud honking! If you have a favorite photo that you'd like me to paint, just send me an email at dstullkinsley@gmail.com. And see more art on my website at www.wildriverarts.com

A Hint of Spring

I just stepped out the front door and was met by a lovely sight. Even though the woods is still covered with snow, it’s mid-February and you can feel a difference.  The light has changed, the crows are making raucous sounds, and with the sun shining, the air holds so much more warmth. I’m filled with thankfulness – and already the plans for upcoming gardens are beginning to fuel my days.  

On one of our trips to Ireland, we stayed at a cottage by the sea in Roundstone, Co. Galway. From this house, we explored the amazing landscapes of the Connemara region. It was a memorable vacation – made even more special because we were there in November. The days were shorter and the light and weather changed, seemingly from hour to hour – from sunshine, to rain, to hail and light snow, and back to warm sunshine. This week’s painting, Sluice Keeper – Connemara, is 9” x 13” and captures the quickly changing light on an ancient keeper’s cottage along a sluice gate. These sluices have been regulating the waterways across the peat bogs of Connemara for centuries. 

Back to the trees!

There’s a new lightness in the woods these days. With February, comes longer days and we’ve been enjoying light until after 6 p.m. the last few days. And after a month of cloudy and overcast days in January, we’ve had a couple of days of blue skies and sunshine! It makes such a difference!

I’m preparing for a busy Spring season! In April, I’ll be one of the featured artists at artZ Gallery in Amery for a month-long exhibit along with talented plein air painter, Colleen Cosgrove. Also in April, I’ll be the featured artist at The Gallery in the Osceola Medical Center – this exhibit will be on display in the medical center from April through June. And the first weekend in May – May 1-3 – I’ll be celebrating my third Earth Arts Spring Tour with an exhibit in the beautifully renovated barn at the Amery Ale Works near Amery. As you can guess, I’m having such a good time painting and Paul is keeping busy framing!

This week’s painting, Riverbank Birch, 11” x 15” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, captures the morning light along an snowy riverbank. See more art on my website at www.wildriverarts.com

In the Mist

Sometimes it takes a long time to figure out how to paint a picture. This photo has been in my collection of images for a long time, but wasn’t really sure how to start. But this week, two new-to-me watercolor books arrived packed full of great images, ideas and new techniques . . . and I’m inspired to PAINT! Armed with a new understanding of values, patterns and color, it felt like the right time to paint these two silhouetted figures paddling a canoe.

This week’s 2^nd painting, In the Mist, 9” x 13” on 300 lb. watercolor, captures the elusive morning light beginning to burn through a foggy river valley.

Yooper (UP, Michigan) Light

It’s been a few weeks of incredible learning attending workshops facilitated by Artist Paul Oman.  The class meets from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Thursdays at the artZ Gallery in Amery, WI. This past week, we focused on the 2-Against-1 Approach – it sounds complicated and it feels complicated, but I’m beginning to understand that this is a key to really moving your painting to the next level. Paul's using the book “Painting Light and Shadow in Watercolor” by Skip Lawrence as a resource – it’s a beautiful book (and now part of my watercolor library!) and it emphasizes again that really the only way to improve your abilities is to . . . just keep painting!

This week’s painting was my attempt to incorporate the concept of Middle and Dark values against Light values. Octonagon Light, 9” x 9” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, focuses on developing color while preserving the light.