Sunrise, BWCA

Oil on canvas, 16 x 40 in

This painting was inspired by an early morning at our campsite on lake #2 in the Boundary Waters.  The shoreline you see on the horizon, was affected by the Pagami Creek Fire that consumed parts of the BWCA just weeks after our trip in August and September.

I am drawn to the play of light and the reflection on the water's surface, creating some interesting horizontal shapes.  This piece has inspired me to work on simplifying some of the abstract shape in my works.

The Wedge

This is the first painting that entered my subconscious and haunted my sleep.  The night I started painting this piece I had a dream I was trying frantically to seek shelter from a looming tornado...okay, so maybe it was more of a nightmare:)

This is the second painting in my skyscape series inspired by one of the storm chasing logs from my cousin and meteorologist, Brad Nelson.  To learn more about this wedge tornado from 2010 near Bowdle, South Dakota go to Eye on the Twister!  I continue to be drawn to the dynamic movement of the clouds fueling the storm and the abstract forms they create.    

Oil on cradled canvas panel, 16 x 20 in

The Forecast

Oil on canvas panel, 16 x 20 in.

We talk about it daily with strangers, we dress and make plans around it, we are happier when its good, yet we know the devastation it can cause....the weather.  

I remember as a kid, I'd stay up just long enough to watch the forecast on the local news station before going to bed.  I just needed to know the weather forecast in order to fall asleep...and now as an adult, I plan my camping and hiking trips around it.  Today, checking the weather is probably the most used app on my phone.  Its true, I have always had a small fear for what that summer storm is capable of given the right conditions...yet I always desire to watch it. 

My cousin is a meteorologist who not only covers the weather but seeks to experience it up close.  He spends his spare time chasing storms with his wife.  He shares his adventures via facebook, and I am always in awe of the storms they capture in photo and video.  Its pretty impressive to watch the home video of a tornado forming, with MaryLynn asking Brad in the background,  "Should we pull over here?"

This piece is inspired by and in respect for the volatile and sometimes beautiful storm.  It is the backside of wall cloud as it reflects the light of the sun setting.  Thank you Brad for the photo references!  

I recommend checking out Brad's website of his storm chase logs and photos! 

Eye on the Twister

But be of good cheer

On my first day back from summer vacation, I was asked to create some artwork for this year's scriptural theme for the school.  I worked out two different images using india ink, pen, and acrylic paint on watercolor paper.  These two pieces are different from my usual artistic pursuits, however I really enjoyed working on this assignment.  It also helped me to get refocused as I return to the art room!

"These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer.  I have overcome the world."  
John 16:33

I reflected quite a bit on these three sentences, and I like promising and positive message it holds.  I think the school will go with the tree image...which is fitting as the tree can be considered a symbol of the cross.  The words come from Jesus as he tries to comfort his disciples in the days leading to the Passion.  I see the tree as withstanding the storm and tribulations of life to bloom in a place of peace and calm.

Daddy's daughter

I've never seen two words bring bigger smiles to people's faces in conversations about the great outdoors than the "BOUNDARY WATERS."  If you've ever been, you know exactly what I'm talking about, that region of northern Minnesota where the loon calls, the mosquito bites, and the paddle is your guide.

I've always been my daddy's daughter...and that probably why these lakes are close to my heart.  Perhaps one of the greatest gifts my dad shared with us kids was this place.  My dad started coming up to the boundary waters when he was 16 years old.  In fact I believe he had to complete a forestry project of planting numerous trees to earn his trip!  Over the years he would find a way to annually escape to those lakes, bringing his wife, brother, nephews, co-workers, boy scouts, and children with him.  We would all be schooled in the ways of paddling, bear proofing, fire building, and fishing!  Four months before my dad lost his battle to cancer, us three kids made one final trip with him.  I remember one night, fireside, dad saying, "Its a place like this that reminds you that God exists."  I think he was right.

Earlier this month, we made our annual pilgrimage to the BWCA.  And this painting is inspired by a sunset on lake #2.  I'm hoping to get a few more waterscapes on canvas before the school year begins!


This one's for you, Dad.

Lake #2- 16x40 in

And like a boat out on the ocean
I'm rocking you to sleep
The water's dark and deep 
Inside this ancient heart
You'll always be a part of me 
 -Billy Joel

THE SEQUEL:

Backside of Checkboard Mesa

STILL looking for the way... 

Where there is one...there must be more?  Right?  I can't help it, there is something about these cairns that inspires me.  I continue to reflect on the symbolism behind discovering one or many of these human made markers in the desolate desert.  So here is my take on cairn #2.   I like applying the layers of zinc white paint, creating a thick frosting like texture to these rocks.

Cairn #2- 12 x 24 in

CAIRN

noun  \'kern\

- a mound of stones piled up as a memorial or to mark a boundary or path

The Hike:

In pursuit of a slot canyon on the backside of Checkerboard Mesa in Zion National Park, we hiked the valley along side and the desert behind the Mesa.  There are no signs or heavily worn foot trails to guide you on this remote hike.  Which keeps you wondering, am I'm going the right way and will I ever reach the canyon?   Don't fear, there are cairns left behind by those who have gone before you to guide the way on this rock and sand terrain....  and if you are passing a fallen cairn, just know it is trail etiquette to fix it for those to come!

The Painting:
I really like the concept of cairns.  Not only do they reflect a sense of unity among the hiking breed, but they are symbolic of the signs that we look for in our lives on a daily basis.  When we think we are lost we search for our cairns for direction, these type of cairns take many forms from our religious beliefs to mentors to family and friends.  We are all searching for validation.


I really enjoyed painting each stone as part of a whole.  I started by blocking out the highlights and the shadows first.  As I built the layers of paint, each stone began to take on its own personality and sometimes face.

My palette: 
yellow ochre, burnt sienna, burnt umber, cerulean blue, prussian blue, zinc white
Oil on canvas (12 x 24 inches)


p.s. This painting will always remind me of painting in warm weather with bronchitis.


p.s.s. I really liked my friend Marty's response to the piece, 

"I didn't truly bond with any of those inukshuk things until I traveled solo in the wilderness. Then they became my intimates whenever I found them, or they found me. They have at times brought me to tearful floods of recognition, starved as we both were for companionship. Solitude can sneak up on you like that."

The Narrows Trio

 As part of my 20 paintings in 20 days painting challenge, I completed a trio of paintings inspired by a hike I did last October in southern Utah.  

The Hike:  

I fell in love with backpacking on this two-day hike of the Narrows.  Starting at Chamberlain's Ranch, you hike 18 miles and watch the landscape change from a cattle field with a stream to soaring walls of rock with you in the Virgin river.  The hike ends in the heart of Zion National Park at the Temple of Sinawava.  Yes, most of the hike is in the river with slippery rocks...and in my case, a few deep areas where I swam.  Your boots will be wet the entire hike, but it is worth it!  

(Please check with the park for the weather forecast and water flow before beginning this  awesome adventure.)  

The Paintings: 

Being from the fairly flat midwest, I am in awe of the slot canyon landscape.  Every bend in the river presents a new vista. (Just ask my trail-mate how often I had to stop to take pictures:)  When I look at the walls of the canyon I am struck by the contrast of two things.  The first contrast is that of the warm and cool colors created by the make-up of the rocks and the dramatic lighting created by the position of the sun.  Secondly, I am fascinated by the contrast in the texture of the canyon walls.  At some points the walls are worn smooth and exhibit these more feminine cured coves, while other areas are rough and sheer verticals.  When I look at these paintings, I begin to see not just a canyon-scape, but a landscape of figures and faces.

The canvases are intentionally 2 by 4 feet in size.  I want the viewer to feel the pull of the vertical lines and the grandeur of the height of the canyon walls.  I limited my palette to burnt umber, burnt sienna, persian blue, yellow ochre and mixable white.

(See the page on Zion Works for closer views of the paintings.)

The Narrows #3- The trio is complete!

 I officially finished the last of the three oil paintings of The Narrows.  When I started the 2 by 4 feet canvases, I had underestimated the time it would take me to cover the surface area.  

The evolution of a slot canyon on canvas:

20 paintings in 20 days

I never was one of those people to freak out about birthdays...until this past year.  Some call it a mid-life crisis...for me, just the label created chest pain.   I decided to do something productive with this anxiety and energy about some haunting date.  I decided to put it to canvas.  You may call it a crisis-on-canvas...but the goal was to complete 20 paintings in 20 days before March 20th.

Perhaps the best part of the challenge was the work that evolved and the new focus I have found in my work.  Giving myself a deadline, did not allow me the liberty to linger with ideas I thought were weak, I had to execute.  The result left me with a variety of pieces, but a body of work I feel pretty good about.  Even with a deadline, I did not constrain the size of my pieces...five of the paintings are larger than 2 by 4 feet.  The three paintings of the Narrows in Zion National Park are my favorite.  Thank you to all my family and friends that continue to support my artistic endeavors!

I created a facebook page halfway through the challenge to keep my self accountable to my goal.  To see the documentation of the works go to the following link:

20 PAINTINGS in 20 DAYS before 30