Door County Plein Air

The Door County plein air festival is one of the largest events for painters in the country, and is only a few hours from my home. This was my first year participating and I had a really good time overall at the event. Dan Corey came out from Maine and we stayed at a pretty unbelievable place, the By the Bay in Fish Creek. The digs were right across the street from where the paintout happened, so there were no worries of trying to get there and park etc.

The weather on the morning of the event was pretty dramatic. There was a sliver of yellow sky below some looming storm clouds. I thought it might rain. Some artists were mixing colors on their palettes or sketching on their canvas before the horn went off to open the event, but I don't know if it helped them because the sun came out about a half hour into the paintout.

I had painted around the area the day before, and the water was much calmer. One onlooker who saw my painting from the first day, and the piece pictured above said that I dropped the ball in the contest, she liked the smooth and sunny water better than the choppy stuff that I captured in the contest. Well, opinions aside, the water was pretty choppy, and dark, that morning and I'm not out there to paint postcards.

Overall a good event. I think that for Dan and I to go out there and give our best efforts added some variety to the mix of what went on display that evening. I can't wait for next year!

My Taliesin Summer part 1

16x20" oil on linen.

12x16" oil on linen

12x16" oil on linen


This summer, Taliesin Preservation hosted a group of artists to paint on the grounds of the landmark as a part of the centennial celebration.

Chris Gargan and I decided to make the most of this project, to really get to know the landscape. The summer was characterized with the challenge of finding the most interesting way to talk about the experience and attempting to organize a landscape that was not the most pleasing around. I agree with the idea that nature is perfect, but her design is not and it was good to study ways to approach this.

Chris and I had a great time attempting to figure it out. He towed his tree fort, a studio built onto a motorcycle trailer, to a farm next to the Taliesin grounds which served as our home base. We became friends with a group of bricoleurs whose workshop was also on the farm. The bricoleurs were always around helping Chris and I make the most of our time at the property and fixing our broken down easels. They let us store water in their refrigerator and drank all of our beer. These guys even let us into some places on the property that were viewpoints that have not been accessed by the public.

Door County

8x8" oil on canvas.

20x24" oil on canvas.

14x18" oil on canvas.

24x36" oil on canvas.

I am heading to Door County to paint and have fun at the dockside quickpaint.

I am looking forward to the trip. Jenny and I vacationed there in the autumn and we both enjoyed the area.

The temperatures yesterday and today bordered 100 with plenty of haze and humidity. I have been painting every morning with John Ribble and Chris Gargan at Taliesen, and today we beat the heat by painting under a tent. I'm hoping that there is some cooler air up in Door County!

ti

n

Where I'm From, Show Wrap-up

The opening for my show, "Where I'm From", went great. Most of the collectors who purchased a piece agreed to let the painting hang for a couple of weeks, so if you haven't had a chance to see the show please stop by the Blue Heron.

There is a ton of non painting work that goes into having a show, and I'd like to thank everyone who lent a hand in one way or another. We had a great jazz collective who played for pennies. Lindsey Kaney created a great vinyl display for the wall. Dana, at the Blue Heron, does everything she can to get people in the doors, and buttons up all of the sales.

On my end, the weeks leading up to the show went well. The biggest challenge for me was to sort through all of the paintings, and come up with the best pieces that would fit together for the body of work. There are always those last minute paintings that you have in mind to deal with and it's a balance to make it all line up. I had nailed it down, hung the show on a Monday, and by Wednesday came back and hung about 10 new pieces and arranged everything differently.

The only thing that didn't go smoothly was receiving 3 damaged frames in the mail. Two frames were dented and one, a 16"x20" frame, actually had one 15" side. I ordered these frames about a month in advance of the opening, but they went to back stock and didn't arrive until a week before the show. Everything worked out, and it kept me on my toes leading up to the show.

I am working on a new project, a collaboration with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. It is a pretty exciting opportunity and gives me the opportunity to paint on the grounds of his home property, Taliesin, this summer.

Where I'm From - Opening July 1

I am pleased to announce my summer show, opening on July 1st.
This show is going to focus on the change of season, from January to July.
I've been working this week getting a few last minute pieces completed, ordering frames and getting the cards ordered.
I will be giving an artist talk and slideshow on opening night, hope to see you there!

A Nice Time of Year

Painting alla prima in spring is just right. It feels great to get out, do something and leave taking with an image of the season.

Magnloia Tree. 12x16" oil on linen.

Tulips. 10x20" oil on canvas.

Sunset Studies. 8x10" oil on linen.

Magnolia Neighborhood. 12x12" oil on linen.

Spring Tree Study. 8x10" oil on linen.

St. Peters. 12x16" oil on linen.

These paintings are all available. If you are interested in a piece, please email me for a price list.

First Signs...

...Of Spring. I'm so happy that May is here, even if it feels more like March.

This was the perfect place to set up and paint on the one nice day that we had last week. You can see, there are no leaves on the trees, but we're on the verge.
Bodendeins round barn.
12x16" oil on linen.




Daffodils have to be my favorite flower. I think I like them most for their attitude. When it snows on them they dont die, they just put their head down and wait for the next sunny day.

11x14" oil on linen.



11x14" oil on linen.




I had plans to paint outdoors yesterday, but my easel blew over immediately after setting it up. I headed into the studio and painted a May Day Bouquet.


8x10" oil on linen.




By evening the winds died down and I was able to get out for the last bit of light.

8x10" oil on linen.

Finally, a wild card. This is a piece from January. It was cold and windy, so I tried to finish it as quickly as I could and took written notes about things that I would change in the studio. I pulled it out over the weekend and decided to leave it as it is, I liked the geometric shapes after all.

16x20" oil on canvas.

Sauk County Summer Art Classes

During the spring semester I taught two classes for continuing education at UW Baraboo, a drawing/watercolor class and an oil painting class. The classes went great, and several students asked if I would offer something during the summer.

This summer I am offering three different art classes, Drawing Fundamentals, Studio Oil Painting, and Plein Air Oil Painting. I am very excited about all of the classes, but especially the outdoor class. We will set up at locations like Devils Lake and Owen Park. If you would like to receive a brochure with a detailed description for each class, please email me: blksquirl85@yahoo.com
Registration is going on now, and I would like to cap each class at ten students.

Still Life

This boquet has been staring me down. Last week I spent several sessions working on a larger still life of these flowers. After battling that for awhile, I just had to set it in my studio window and attack it alla prima. I painted this right on top of a failed landscape from early this winter. There is a surface quality to this piece that I can only describe as different due to the thick impastos from the earlier painting being covered by a new layer. 16x20" oil on canvas.

11x14" oil on linen.

Fall Art Tour

I am very excited to be a part of the fall art tour for 2011. I will be hosting the event on our family farm on Schneider Road. Being a part of the tour has been a long term goal of mine as it is a very well respected and attended event. The thing that I like most about the tour is the professionalism of everyone involved as well being welcomed into a community of the area's best artists.

This year's brochure looks great, and the website will be up soon

Being a part of the tour has also lead my work to be represented by the Cornerstone Gallery which is the Baraboo headquarters for the tour. I have a collection of paintings down there now and am getting ready to stock more there as well as the Blue Heron in Reedsburg.

More about the tour, from last years website:

The third full weekend each October, some of Wisconsin's best-known artisans open their studios, allowing visitors a unique, behind-the-scenes view into how their work is created. Known as the Fall Art Tour, each year it draws visitors from all over the country to artists' studios tucked away in the scenic hills in and around Wisconsin's art communities of Baraboo, Spring Green, Dodgeville, and Mineral Point. During the three-day tour, artists will be in their studios, demonstrating and selling their work.

Many of these studios are open only for this event, providing a unique opportunity to meet the artists and purchase their work. So join us on a drive through the autumn countryside during this once-a-year event that includes a rare glimpse into the restored breweries, one-room schoolhouses, and historic storefronts where some of Wisconsin's best-known artists work.

Finally, a painting.

Fish Pond Valley, March. 18x24" oil on canvas.

Late Winter

Spring is finally here... well it is pretty close! The daffodils are up in my front lawn and there are even some buds on the trees. I cannot wait to get out there to paint the flowering trees that should be in bloom in a couple of weeks. This winter, I was painting in the studio quite a bit, and it was my first year doing so. When I look at these landscape pieces, which were painted outdoors, I see more deliberate attention to edges which must have happened because of the studio sessions. Another thing I have been working towards is designing the paintings by stating the major masses and not changing the tone too much when working into each area. While it is a fundamental idea, one I have been turned onto it for some time, it always takes a whole lot of painting to actually work it into the pieces. For me at least. I enjoy the luxary of being able to look at the subject for an extended period of time in the studio, but when it comes down to it, my first love will always be grasping the essentials and working alla prima. I guess painting in Wisconsin is perfect, half of the year is great outdoors and the studio is inviting for the colder months. It wouldn't be any fun if we had it all figured out! Hazy Farm. 16x20" oil on canvas.

The Grainery. 11x14" oil on linen

The Yellow House, not Vincent's. 8x10" oil on canvas.

On the "DL". 11x14" oil on linen.

House shadows. 8x10" oil on canvas.

Please leave a comment, and I have some big news coming in a post later this week.

Painting in the Studio

My wife and I bought our house in 2007, before I started painting. There is an outbuilding in the backyard that is about 12'x20' with a little woodburning stove. This year I have been taking advantage of some indoor painting time back there, especially when it is below 15 degrees. I'm enjoying painting things that are different for me.

Studio Window 11"x15"

Windowlit Conch Shell 9"x12"

Cloudy day conch shell 11"x14"

Thanks for stopping by, and please leave a comment.