American Impressionists - Woodson Art Museum

Edward Willis Redfield, Winter in the Valley, ca. 1905-1915, oil on canvas

The Woodson Museum in Wausau's new exhibit opens tomorrow and runs through February 21st.  Entitled "The Lure of the Artists' Colony" it features works by John Singer Sargent, William Merritt Chase, Mary Cassatt and others.  The museum also has a wonderful permanent collection so allow plenty of time to see that, too.  It hosts the world famous"Birds in Art" exhibit every fall but their permanent collection is every bit as interesting and full of beautiful paintings. It's a nice day trip but the last time I went I stayed overnight at the Jefferson Street Inn downtown which was very nice and close to the museum.  The Woodson is well worth the trip!!   www.lywam.org/

Woodson Art Museum, Wausau Wi.

First Snow Painting

Here's my painting from the Duck Pond that a few of us visited last week.  Actually, I wiped out my first effort done on site and re-painted it using a photo reference and my memory.  I didn't realize until the end that I forgot to put any ducks in the pond.

Tom

Duck Pond November 22nd

Tom Painting the Duck Pond

Four painters showed up on the first snow painting day of this season at the Duck Pond on Nakoma Rd.  I stayed in my car drawing for awhile but got out long enough to do a quick pastel.  I painted this from the parking lot with an obscured view so I sort of faked it.  I think Tom is a bit taller.  I used Colorfix pastel paper in a sort of plum shade.  I rarely use this brand of paper but for quick sketches  a dark background like this can help speed things along. Below is Nan Zimdars' oil painting of the pond.  She and Tom were brave enough to stand in the snow.

Nan Zimdars' view of the pond

Arts West 37

Tracy Wiklund brought this art show to our attention.  It is a juried show with a painting submittal date of January 5, 2016.  There's a $10 entry fee but there's also opportunity to sell your paintings plus there are four cash awards ranking from $300 to $100.  The show runs from the end of February to April 8th.  It's located in Eau Claire but is open to all Wisconsin residents and may be worth the trip.  Here's the link for more information and application:

http://www.ecpubliclibrary.info/events/

Here's my painting from Cam-Rock Park, a beautiful location.

Near Stanley Allen's Bench

CamRoc revisited

A year ago the DCPAPAs met at CamRoc Park and painted for the morning. It was green and lush and beautiful. I started this painting and finished it in the studio. I was really happy with it as it conveyed the feelings I had about the park.

CamRoc Park, Yahara River, Cambridge WI, oil on panel, 11x17

 This year I painted in the same spot but by now, November, most of the leaves were down but it was still a beautiful day and a gorgeous park. I was experimenting with the Anders Zorn palette of ivory black, cad red, yellow ochre and white. I did cheat and used a tiny bit of cad yellow. The sky and water are just black and white.

2015 CamRoc 1, 8am to 10am, oil on panel, 7x10"

2015 CamRoc 2, 10am to noon, oil on panel, 7x10"

This is my attempt at plein air painting from last Tuesday. Beautiful day for painting.

Cam-Rock Park

We took advantage of this amazing weather and had a large turnout for the last outing of the season.  And who knows, if this weather holds maybe we'll have another outing before Thanksgiving.  I promised a painting with some orange and red in it.  This will have to do.

Plein Air Painting @ Camrock Park - 8am Tuesday Nov. 3rd

Our last scheduled plein air painting outing for this year will be Nov. 3rd in the morning at Cam-Rock Park south of Cambridge (see map & details at the Events Calendar).   There are nice views at Area/Shelter 2 and 3 but we will meet at noon in the parking lot at Area 2 to go for lunch probably in Cambridge.  The weather forecast is perfect and hopefully there will still be some fall color.  (Note: This is a change of dates from the 6th due to much better forecast for the 3rd.)

Jan Norsetter & Outdoor Painter Online Article

"February 23rd on the Sugar River at Sunset Farms" by Jan Norsetter

I just got an email from the Plein Air Magazine folks with a whole feature article on DCPAPA painter Jan Norsetter.  It includes several beautiful paintings.   Click on this link for the article:  http://www.outdoorpainter.com/my-favorite-place-to-paint-jan-norsetter/

Lodi Segment of Ice Age Trail

We had our last scheduled outing this past week and had another good group attending.  If the weather holds (I'm predicting one of our warmest falls ever) I might schedule another outing in November.  I want to thank everyone who came out to paint this year.  And maybe some of us can set up some winter outings.

Regardless, feel free to post news or images of your paintings in the winter.   My last painting didn't work out so well so I'm not posting it but will leave with an enhanced digital image of today's fall foliage (from a secret location).

Tom Gilbert

 

Donald Park in October?

Another outing with good weather but isn't it October? ... so where are the colors?  Here's my green trees and grass.  I swear, the next painting will have orange and red.

Wisconsin Regional Artists Association: Annual State Awards

Tom Gilbert's painting:  "Frozen Over"

Kung's painting:  "Fall Ashes"

Tom and Kung both were (again) winners of awards at the Annual Statewide Exhibit in September at the Pyle Center.  Nan Zimdars and Trish Duren also had paintings if the exhibit.  Well done painters!!   

Painting Date - October 6th - Donald Park 3pm

We will meet at 3pm at Donald Park off Hwy. 92.  The park is open until 8pm but it will dark long before that!  There are picnic tables there and a restroom.  So far the weather forecast is perfect.

I painted this pastel last year about this time at Donald Park

McCarthy Park

We had another nice outing at McCarthy Park last week.  Here's my "end of summer" painting.

Tom Gilbert

Warner Park Ponds

The weather did clear for a few hours on Thursday and we even had some blue sky.  We had a small group painting until it started raining again around 11 am.  Here's another pond painting, started on site but finished at home.  Fall colors are coming! I'd welcome any suggestions for locations for our next outings.

Tom Gilbert

Painting at the Monastery August 26th

Here are two of the painters in action!  Tom Gilbert (our founder!) and one of the newer members Pat Freres-Stinger.  It was a beautiful evening!!

The Painter's Job

Mt. Rigi

"The job is not to describe or use local colors, but to use color combinations to create the sensuous reality of light and space."

No, we aren't going painting here this week but I came across that interesting quote by JMW Turner who famously painted this mountain near Lucerne, Switzerland in the mid-19th century.  He painted the mountain some 30 times; three of the most famous watercolor versions are below.  None of them looks realistically like the photo above.  He had the advantage of not having hyper-realistic photographic images of the scene lodged in his memory.  Even though I went to the summit many years ago in April when it was still covered with snow, when I think of the Rigi, I always see Turner's "The Blue Rigi, Sunrise" in my mind.  Plein air painting - what a great job!

The Dark Rigi

The Red Rigi

The Blue Rigi, Sunrise

Venue Changed to Warner Park For Thursday Sept.10th Plein Air Painting

Due to construction at Tenney Park we have changed the location for the Sept. 10th painting date to Warner Park.  Meet in the main parking lot at for painting from around 8am to noonish.  Maybe go out for lunch after?  (See Events Calendar for map) (Date changed to the 10th due to rainy forecast).

"Wisconsin en Plein Air" - Friday Reception

Holy Wisdom Outing

The sun came out right on cue for our outing at Holy Wisdom Monastery.  And the wisdom I received is that if you're painting a green summer scene, invent some color and throw it in.  Which is what I did with this painting after returning home.  Probably could have added even more.

Evening Painting at Holy Wisdom Monastery August 26 - 3:30pm

We will meet around 3:30 pm in the parking area near this pond on the west side of the property.  The prairies will be blooming with many native species.  Please stay on the trails or on places where the lawn is mowed as the monastery has worked very hard to restore and maintain the beautiful prairies and we don't want to damage any native plants that grow there.  The sisters are very generous to open their nature trails to visitors who want to walk and enjoy the peace of the this beautiful place.  Also we should be mindful that some hikers may be spending retreat time at the monastery and we don't want to disturb their peace and quiet.  Not that we are a rowdy bunch by any means!  I have seen deer and mink and many bird species on and around the pond and once watched a mink "collect" at least a dozen turtles in about 5 min.  Poor turtles!  

Painting from Indian Lake outing on Aug. 11, 2015 (Doug Haynes)

Indian Lake Outing

We had some good weather and good participation at our outing yesterday at Indian lake.  I suppose this view of the lake from the parking lot has been painted quite often but that's what I did again, of course, the light and clouds are always unique.  I did two paintings, the first in the evening with the sun behind the clouds and the second was painted quickly after the sun was below the horizon.

I also want to mention that Jan Norsetter won an "honorable mention" prize at the Mineral Point Paint Out last weekend.  This event attracted some exceptional painters from seven states and winning any prize there is a considerable accomplishment.  So congrats to Jan.

Memory & Painting

Many of you may be familiar with James Gurney's blog where many interesting posts about plein air painting can be found.  Mr. Gurney is the author of the famous Dinotopia books and regularly paints outdoors using watercolor, gouache and oil.  He has at least a couple DVD downloads on plein air painting with watercolor and gouache and wrote an excellent book "Color and Light - A Guide for the Realist Painter".  One recent blog post was a commentary on "Visual Memory" from Harold Speed's 1917 classic  The Practice and Science of Drawing.  I found the remarks about memory and plein air painting especially interesting and worth pondering.  You can read the post at the link below.

http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2015/08/gj-book-club-chapter-18-visual-memory.html

August 11th - Evening Painting at Indian Lake County Park

July Evening at Indian Lake

We will meet @ 4:30 pm for an evening painting session on August 11th at Indian Lake County Park (see Events Calendar).  I painted the pastel above one evening last month.  The prairie flowers are blooming and there are Great Blue Herons and Sandhill Cranes to be seen (and heard) along the lake shore.  In July I also painted the 2 pastels below near the picnic shelter that is on the left as you enter the park just before the main parking lot.

Cloudy afternoon view from the picnic shelter

Evening near the picnic shelter

Wisconsin Trails / Pope Farm

Last Wednesday a reporter from the Wisconsin Trails web site http://www.wisconsintrails.com/outdoors/sunflowers-dazzle-at-pope-farm-conservancy-b99547086z1-320291721.html was doing a story on Pope Farm and stopped to speak with some of our group and included a couple nice photos in their article. (See Below)

Doug Hayes

Tracy Wiklund and Mary McCormick

It was a very windy sunny day but at least 9 painters showed up and and 4 of us had a nice lunch at a nearby restaurant (Oliva.)  Very few sunflowers that day but they are probably gorgeous right now.  The prairie flowers were also beautiful.

Painted Forest Event

July 29th - Pope Farm Conservancy

Last year's Sunflowers at Pope Farm

We will meet for plein air painting in the morning.  (See Events Calendar for details)

 The sunflowers are planted up on the hillside again this year and hopefully will be close to peak blooming time.  

Vilas Park Follow-Up

It's been a while since we painted at Vilas but I thought I'd post how my painting that I started there ended up after additional work.  I almost tossed my (pretty rough) initial painting but am now glad I stuck with it.  And this is why I love oil paint, you can paint over and over again.

Tom Gilbert

Please Remain Seated

Plein air gear adapted for my mobility issues

Pastel studies at Cherokee Marsh

Plein air painting is challenging when you can't walk very far and have to sit to paint but this set up worked pretty well last week after our wonderful luncheon.  I used the little transport wheel chair to get the gear from my car to the site then set up the Shade Buddy Umbrella, 2 tripods with Heilman Medium Pastel Box on one and a Guerrilla Painter #17 Flex easel on the other.  It bothers my back to lean forward when I'm sitting and the Flex easel lets me get the painting surface up close.  The problem with sitting is not being able to frequently back up and see the painting from a distance but the next best thing is looking at it in a small mirror.  Kyle Martin suggested that at a workshop and he checks for errors in his composition this way.   I use an old makeup compact mirror and some painters use their cell phones.  The Flex easel is very well made and works well for pastel or watercolor.  It's attached to a ball head on the tripod so I can angle it as desired.

Painters in Action at Cherokee Park

Gretchen Twietmeyer

Jan Feyzi

Jan Norsetter

Ching Kung

Mary McCorminck and  Louise Kubista

Bystanders

Reisa Peters

Tom Gilbert

Patricia Duren and Terri Beckengle

Carol Watkins