Spring on its way!

After the long slog of winter, we are so enjoying a spring thaw. Right now, it is mud, mud, mud, but we are grateful that the flooding in our area has so far been minimal. Our hearts go out to the people, cities and farms across Nebraska and the Central Midwest as they continue to battle the rising waters. The best signal of spring is that the birds are returning! Instead of the quiet woods of winter, we are now met with riotous noise outside our door. The Trumpeter Swans are loudly claiming their nesting spots, and yesterday, with blue skies and perfect temps, we heard the first of the Sandhill Cranes returning from their migration. It was such a joy to see a huge Sandhill circling over the house and getting the lay of the land along the Fox Creek waterway behind our house.  

This week’s painting “Copper Harbor Light,” 9” x 12” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, reflects one of our favorite spots. This picturesque historic lighthouse, located on the very tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula in Upper Michigan, was first lit in 1866.

Natural Heritage Project

I’ve been accepted as an artist in the 2019 Natural Heritage: Migratory Bird Project! The Watershed Café of Osceola, WI, will host this exhibit during the months of April through June 2019, and I’ve chosen to focus my painting and research on the Rose-breasted Grosbeak. The project involves submission of a painting and a 500-word narrative about the importance of this specific migratory bird within our river valley environment. Each Spring, it's thrill to welcome this beautifully marked bird to our feeders, but through this artistic challenge, I'm looking forward to learning much more about the habits, migratory patterns and habitats of Grosbeaks. 

This week’s painting, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, is 9” x 13” on 3oo lb. watercolor paper and captures this splendid bird resting on a hollow tree in a deep woods.

Checkerboard sighting: Red-Headed Woodpecker

Special thanks to a dear friend, Lee Ann Overman, who gave me the “heads up” notice about the upcoming deadline for the Natural Heritage Project. This Project is focused on showcasing art that reflects the significance of migratory birds along the St. Croix River Valley. Five years ago, my husband, Paul, and I moved to a lake community near Balsam Lake, WI, to renovate a neglected cabin. With our house nestled in a mature maple forest, we were elated one day to discover a surprise visitor at our birdfeeder. When I called my mom to tell her the news, her response was: “I thought the Red-Headed Woodpecker was extinct!” We’re so thankful it’s not and over the subsequent summers, we’ve hosted both parents and fledglings of this beautiful bird family at our feeders. This week’s painting, Red Headed, 9” x 13” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, captures the endangered Red-Headed Woodpecker with its distinctive, checkerboard markings. 

Capturing Waves!

With the coming of March, I’m beginning to feel recharged. The days are longer and the first of the gardening catalogs arrived so that surely means that Spring is on the way! Paul is already weary of hearing my ideas for digging up new garden spaces when the snow melts!

He and “The Boys” – our grown sons/son-in-law, Keith, Jack, Luke and grandson, Andrew – returned last week from a fabulous time (did I capitalize that?) in Alaska! It was truly the trip of a lifetime for all of them – snow-covered mountains against a backdrop of blue skies, abundant wildlife within camera range, riding the Alaska train, snowboarding at Alyeska, seeing Denali on a clear day, and all the wonderful activities that surround the wild and wooly annual Fur Rendezvous in Anchorage. And after four snowstorms swept through Minnesota and Wisconsin while they were gone, the women in our family were ready for them to come back and share in the shoveling!

This week, I’m working to capture the elusive attributes of waves! Titled, Rocks and Waves, this week’s painting is 8” x 13” and seeks to capture waves rolling into the shoreline and splashing on a rock wall out to a lighthouse. 

Thoughts of the River!

We’ve had record snowfall this February – the woods are beautiful outside my door, but I’m weary of moving snow off the driveway, sidewalk, decks and roof! And with the piles towering above my head, there’s no easy place to put the new stuff! In spite of this, there is a sort of survivor camaraderie among our neighbors and friends – they are willing to help, give advice, and remind each other that there’s only four weeks of this left! Ha – I remember last May when a late season snowstorm hit us!

Today I’m especially thankful for a warm house, healthy families, increasing daylight, and full birdfeeders! Indoors, I’m working on new techniques and having a wonderful time painting summer waterscapes. This week’s painting, Rounding the Bend, 11” x 15” watercolor painting, captures a canoeist coming around the bend of a river.

Rocky Point

I must be craving green, so this week’s painting reflects an absolutely summer scene. And with record snowfall and cold, it was the perfect week to stay indoors, set up my easel on the kitchen island, paint something warm, and enjoy a wonderful view from the dining room windows. The heavy snowfall matched with no wind created a magical setting in the woods around our house – the landscape and trees are beautifully softened in white. My friend, Pam, reminded me that this weekend is the annual Book Across the Bay event held in Ashland and Washburn, WI. For many years, a group of us dedicated girlfriends and one year, brave soul Paul even took up the challenge and participated in this adventure – cross-country skiing the 10-K race across the ice of the Chequamegon Bay of Lake Superior in the dark! The race starts at 6 p.m. from Ashland and the up to 3,500 skiers, snowshoers and hikers follow a course lighted by ice lights and bonfires on the lake all the way to Washburn. If you’ve never tried this before – it’s well worth putting this on your bucket list!

This week's painting, Rocky Point, 9” x 12” on 300 lb. water paper, captures a summer scene at a secluded, northern lake.

Artists Receptions and Galway Bay

I’m feeling especially blessed this morning. Thank you to all the dear friends who braved extreme temps last night to be at the Artists Reception at the artZ Gallery in Amery. It was such a fun time of gathering with artists and art lovers in the community and being able to share about what inspires me in my paintings. And it was exciting to learn that there were art receptions in all THREE of the Amery galleries last night! That’s a pretty amazing accomplishment - especially for a small town!

My mom is a great supporter of my efforts and recently asked if I could paint a picture of the sun setting on Galway Bay. She remembered a song about it from her high school years. There are lots of pictures of sunsets on the bay, but I found one that focused on the reflected light of the sun going down on the picturesque buildings of the Claddagh community overlooking Galway Bay. This row of buildings is built on an ancient fishing village – one of the first settlements in Ireland. It’s also the home of the original Claddagh ring made by a jeweler in this village. This week’s painting, Sunset on Claddagh, 10” x 15” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, also features the Corrib River which runs through Galway town and into the sea.