Ewe Betcha!

A few years ago, we traveled with my mom to visit with our dear friends, the Jordan family, in Holland and then went on to spend four days in Ireland. It was a wonderful time of re-connecting with these friends who have become family to us and seeing amazing sights. It was especially fun to show her some of our favorite places along the western coast of Ireland.  However, after a day of seemingly endless stops to take “one more” photo of sheep, she asked: “Deb, how many sheep pictures do you need?” And my response was: “Can you ever have enough pictures of sheep?”

So here we are again! This week’s painting, Ewe Betcha, 9” x 13” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, bears a creative name by my husband, Paul, and features a favorite black-faced sheep on a rocky hillside in the Connemara region of Ireland.

Celebrating Songbirds!

This is our 5^th summer in our “lake” home and it has been a wonderful summer of watching birds, butterflies, and even Luna Moths flit around the yard! After a long winter of watching Monty Don’s BBC gardening shows, Paul and I dug up the back yard and created a perennial and vegetable garden. It’s been a labor of love – well, for one of us! Paul says he’s not a gardener, but he is a patient enabler of my gardening habit and a willing participant in planting trees, hauling in rocks (yes, we are crazy!) for garden edging, building “bug hotels” with the grandkids, and planting plants and trees to attract bees and butterflies. The result is that the garden is thriving in spite of frequent visits by two yearling deer, our birdhouses are full and the feeders are busy!

I’ve been having a good time painting some of these favorite visitors. The two-month long Natural Heritage Project: Migratory Birds exhibit closed today at the Watershed Café in Osceola, WI. And a very special thanks to the folks who purchased my painting that was displayed in this exhibit, Rose-breasted Grosbeak. It’s so nice to know it’s going to a good home.

This week’s painting, Flash of Color, 9” x 13” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, captures a male Cardinal pausing for a moment in a deep woods.  A beautiful photograph, taken by my friend Ruth Ronning, was my inspiration and this was such fun picture to paint! For more information or to purchase paintings, see www.wildriverarts.com

Light and Shadows II

Last night I attended a lecture/demo by Lynn Maderich at the Stillwater Art Guild Gallery. I'll be joining the Stillwater Gallery as a member in August 2019, and this was a great opportunity to meet members of the community and learn new techniques in art. Lynn is a graduate of the Atelier School of Art and an accomplished painter and teacher. She talked about the Atelier method of realism drawing and demonstrated her incredible talent in making her horses come alive through the effective use of shapes, edges and shadows in her paintings. The focus of all paintings is FINDING THE LIGHT and her demonstration on how to bring more light into our paintings was so insightful.

This week’s painting, Fox Light, 6” x 12” watercolor painting, explores that wonderful intense light that often occurs just before sunset – highlighting the contours of the landscape and casting dark shadows on the evening sky.

Sunsets and Irish potatoes

Summer is here, the pontoon is on the lake, and gardens are finally beginning to flourish! Even though I lived on a potato-growing farm for many years, I've never known how to grow potatoes in a family garden. For the first time this year, I have a garden big enough to grow potatoes! And after diligently reading the directions that came with the bag of Red Norland seed, we now have 75 plants growing in our backyard. It's such fun and made more special because 30+ years ago, I remember that we helped Dr. Robert Johanneson, noted Plant Pathology researcher at NDSU who developed the Red Norland potato. As we rented his family land, we tested them on his family potato fields near Edinburg, ND. So glad to see that they have continued as a favorite plant for growers!

And as a tribute to generations of potato growers, I’m back to painting Irish landscapes this week! Galway Bay, 9” x 13” watercolor, captures the reflections of beautiful sunset on a placid sea along the Wild Atlantic Way of Ireland.  

Play Ball!

With summer’s arrival, it’s time for packing our lawn chairs in the truck and heading out to watch grandchildren play ball! It’s such fun and the perfect way to spend a couple of hours outdoors. And we may be a bit biased, but we are totally amazed at how much they improve from season to season.

This week’s painting is a portrait study on the full-sheet paper. Put me in, coach!, 19” x 22” on 300 lb. Hot Press watercolor paper, celebrates the famous John Fogarty song recalling moments of anticipation waiting to get in the game and perhaps getting to play . . . Centerfield!

Faces & Figures Watercolor

Last week, I attended a Faces & Figures workshop in Springfield, Missouri. Led by Watercolor Artist Alicia Farris, the class was inspiring! Even though I brought the wrong size paper – I painted on full sheets while most of the rest of the class used quarter sheets – it was a liberating experience of playing with transparent colors and using BIG brushes! Working from a photograph, Alicia taught us a new technique involving laying on the paint in layers, primarily with cool colors in shadows and warmer colors in light. Here are the two paintings I finished during the class – both “Beachcombers” and “Nana” are 22” x 30” on 300 lb. Hot Press watercolor paper.

As I move forward in my painting, my goal is to enhance my style with these new skills and techniques. This week’s painting, “Mountain Meadow, 8” x 12” on 300 lb. Cold Press watercolor paper, features some of my favorite characters – two of those wildly independent Donegal ewes guarding their young.

Returning Home: Rural Landscapes

"Returning Home: Rural Landscapes" is a new art exhibit happening soon at the Farm Table Foundation Gallery in Amery, WI. This collaborative exhibit, featuring the impressionistic photography of Tin Cat Studio (just across Fox Creek from our house) and my watercolor paintings, will run from June 14 through August 6, 2019, and opens with the Artists’ Reception on Friday evening, June 14, from 5:30-8 p.m. Plan to stop in that evening if you’re in the area!

Through a focus on community, conservation, craft and culture, the Farm Table Foundation is dedicated to the mission of growing local food culture through education, research, and training. In choosing the title for this exhibit, all of us – Mike Schut, Senior Director of Programs and Community Partnerships at the Farm Table; Randy and Lisa Lee of Tin Cat Studio; and myself of Wild River Art – brainstormed together to define the blending of our artwork as an alignment with the mission of the Foundation. “Returning Home: Rural Landscapes” strives to evoke the emotions within each us for that special place we call home. While home is surely different for all of us, the term may strongly identify a specific place, or it may be a time of remembered beginnings, or it may simply recall a sense of refuge and a deep calming of spirit. It’s an honor for me to be part of this thoughtfully planned and inspirational exhibit.

This week’s painting, “Still Standing” 7” x 12” watercolor painting, celebrates the tremendous workmanship of the builders of these historic barns. Even in century-old and older barns, the integrity, framework and foundation of most of these structures are still strong and true. In driving across our beautiful rural spaces, I’m grateful for the many farm families who are taking the time and making the investment to preserve these iconic structures. See more paintings on my website at www.wildriverarts.com