Spring, really?

If you never lived in the North Country, you can’t really appreciate how we celebrate warm Spring days. Only by living here can you understand how fragile and fleeting are the days of sunshine, warm breezes and the promise of new life. This week, we had three wonderful 55- to 75-degree days – and with Paul’s willing spirit and muscle, we raced outside each day to begin work on a new garden space. But now it’s the weekend and the forecast is for a high of 32 degrees with possible snow accumulation! It’s enough to trigger sinus infections in the strongest of souls! In spite of temperamental weather, though, I continue to gather new plants (there are four roses growing in pots in front of the living room windows) and faithfully bring in at night and set out in the morning the many pots of violets and pansies from the outside decks.

This week’s painting is an ode to summer! Beyond the Dock, 9” x 13” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, reminds us of peaceful, warm days and taking in the beauty just beyond the edge of the dock.

Shadows and Light

It’s that strange time of the year – between winter and false spring and winter and real spring! Last week, our yard was drying up nicely and we even celebrated by setting up the picnic table and chairs on the deck! This week, we are back in the crush of winter with 8 inches of snow/snirt (really dirty looking snow) and cold temperature again. The birds have been in “feeding frenzy” mode at the feeders for the past few days and even the recently arrived Robins are resorting to eating sunflower seeds in lieu of worms!

It seemed a good time for a study in light and shadows. This week’s painting, Evening Shadows, 8” x 12” watercolor, captures the silhouette of a sailboat moored off the shore of a darkening landscape.

Celebrating the river!

I haven’t painted for a couple of weeks, so it’s fun to get back to the easel. The first version of this seemed to be too "bright," so I added more shading to enhance the depth of colors. This new version of the painting, River Watch, 11” x 15” watercolor, seems to better capture the late afternoon light on the river. 

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.