Indian Lake and Birds in Art

Landscape with ducks in permanent collection

Plein air watercolor by Lars Jonsson - Peregrine Falcon

Pastel on watercolor paper

Last week I painted at Indian Lake in the afternoon and the above a pastel I did on watercolor paper.  The technique was supposed to be pastel used to augment a watercolor painting but it eventually turned into all pastel.  The paper was really too rough for this technique and I will try it again on a less rough cold press paper like Arches.

Saturday I drove up to Wausau for the annual Birds in Art exhibit at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum.  The landscape with ducks is part of their permanent collection (sorry I forget the painter!).  Many of the paintings are also landscapes with birds in them but most focus on the birds as the one above by Lars Jonsson a great contemporary Swedish artist.  This painting is on a full sheet of Arches 300 lb cold press and was done in the field which amazes me.  He mentioned that this female Peregrine did hold still for quite awhile as he sketched her.  Those are just 2 examples of the wonderful art they have in the show and their permanent collection.  There are paintings by all 3 generations of Wyeths including a really nice landscape by N.C. Wyeth.  It is a free show and well worth the drive.  I saw a few maples starting to turn and in another week or so there will probably be lots of color up there.  https://www.lywam.org/birds-in-art/

DCPAPA's Robert Tarrell's Upcoming Show in October

Robert Tarrell will exhibit his paintings at the Whitewater Cultural Arts Center, 402 West Main Street, Whitewater, WI.  The exhibit runs from Thursday, October 6 through Sunday, October 30.  The gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday, noon to 5 pm.  There will be an opening reception on Sunday, October 9 from 1 - 3 pm.

Cancelled due to rain!! - Evening Painting Sept. 21 at Holy Wisdom Monastery in Middleton

We will meet here at 4pm on Wednesday Sept. 21st for a plein air painting session until sunset.  This view of the pond is a popular subject  on the west side of the grounds but there are some good views on the east side of the property, too and the monastery building is very interesting.  There is also a garden and small orchard on the north side as well as a large prairie parcel but it is a bit of a hike to the prairie.

Morning at Warner Park

Oil on linen board, 10"x16"

Yahara River Painting

Here's another Tenny Park painting.  Seeing the other posts, it looks like we had some inspired painters yesterday.  I had to repair this one at home this morning.  Yesterday I wasn't sure about it but then I realized I had painted the bridge too large.   So I fixed that, repainted most of the water, added some details, and now I think it works.  Getting objects the right scale seems like such an easy fundamental but I have admit when I'm on location and painting a long view, I've had my share of difficulty with it.  There seems to be a tendency to make distance objects too large.

Tom

Tenny Park

Nice overcast day this morning at Tenny Park. I painted this on a gray 9 x 12 Ampersand pastelboard. I brought it home and tweaked it a bit in the upper left. Overall, I think it is done.

Tenney Park, September 8, 2016

Tenney Park Bridge, September 8, 2016 by Jan Norsetter

What a beautiful morning at Tenney Park. Overcast and windy so bugs were not an issue:-) For those of you who watched this painting develop I did scrape off and even out the gobs of dark green water. The paint was just too thick for my tastes.

Warner Park Lake Shore

We painted yesterday in Warner Park along the lake front.  The weather wasn't as bad as expected because of a nice lake breeze and plenty of shady painting spots.  But we did get rain clouds coming in about 11 am and had to rush our nearly completed paintings into cover.  We then had a nice lunch at Kung's house with some rather spectacular views of huge culmulas clouds over Lake Mendota.

Here's my painting that started out with the sunlit tree as my focal area.  Then some guy started fishing, just long enough for me to include him in the painting and the focal point changed.  Or maybe now it has two focal areas?  That's twice the value ... right?

Tom

I'd like to have suggestions on great plein air umbrellas.  I have one with a goose neck + clamp that holds on to my Julian when I want/need it.  Looking to step up a notch to a better one.
I would post a painting but I see I'm not accustomed to the blogger system yet & the routes to get it from my computer files to this post.  :))  See ya Tues I hope.  John Mix

Pheasant Branch August 22nd

9"x 9" pastel on Colorfix paper

I went to Pheasant Branch this evening for a walk but it was so nice out I decided get out the pastels instead.  The trees are actually still green but the setting sun was warming them up.  It won't be long before they really are this color.  Cranes were flying over.  Just a beautiful evening.

Mariner's Cove

Although still hot and humid we had a nice evening painting at Mariner's Cove.  I'm hoping this is the turning point in the weather and we'll soon see an end to the heat and humidity.  Here's Joan and Reisa painting from a shady spot.  You can see how the cluster of boats makes for a bit of a challenging subject.

Tom

Plein Air Painting Events

I just returned from participating in Mineral Point's "Paint the Point" plein air painting event.  Really enjoyed this year. As always, plenty of great painting scenes / subjects.  And we should congratulate Diane Washa and Jan Norsetter who both produced outstanding paintings that received an award.

I also met a painter there named John Preston, from Iowa, who's a great painter and a good guy.  He ended up winning first prize.  I'm attaching an image of one of his smaller paintings (8x10) that wasn't entered for the judging, but I think it's a real gem of a painting.  That's the Mineral Point water tower in the distance of his painting.

John also told me about another plein air event called "Bluff Strokes" that will occur this coming October 9-15 at Dubuque, Iowa.  It sounds like an interesting event (in the prime fall color season) and if anyone wants to check it out just go to bluffstrokes.org.

Finally, I'm attaching a photo of my painting buddy that I acquired as I was painting by the side of the road in the countryside.  This border collie came up and watched me paint, then laid under my easel to rest.  Every time I walked from my easel to my car he would follow me step for step.  When I left, he tried to get into my car.  And as I drove away I saw him in my mirror running full speed along the side of the road after me.  I guess I have at least one loyal fan.

Tom

"Thunder over Pheasant Branch Creek"

Here's the result of my sticking out the storm at Pheasant Branch. I moved under the shelter after the winds and rains came, but I still  had to dry up the puddles of water in my pochade box before I left. It was intense!

My attempt to capture the changing light at Pheasant Branch.

Eaten alive by mosquitoes and chased away by the storm, here's last night's effort at the Pheasant Branch.

Oil, 11"x14"

Pheasant Branch August 4th

Tracy and a very nice view of the prairie and hill

Joan painting despite pesky insects

Elizabeth and Darya packing up

Siraj on the edge of the prairie

Doug sketching

Gouache in my new sketchbook painted the evening after

Tom and Queen Anne's Lace

We had a great turnout for our most recent paint date but not such great weather. I think I counted 9 painters and one was new to the group (Welcome Noel!). A thunderstorm cut the painting time short but there were some dramatic stormy skies to paint and the prairies are in bloom. I went back this evening to try out a new sketchbook with gouache.  It was recommended on James Gurney's blog and I loved painting on this paper.  It's a Strathmore 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 inch hardbound journal with 400 series 140lb watercolor paper. It lays nice and flat so it's easy to do a 2 page spread.  Dick Blick offers a substantial discount.  I have the Strathmore wirebound Artist Journal with 140 lb watercolor paper and did not care much for that paper but this is totally different and very nice for gouache or watercolor. Just after I finished the painting there was the spectacular sunset that we had wished for yesterday.

The approaching storm

Plein Air Exhibit by Doug Haynes

August 3 - October 30, 2016 
UW Health at The American Center
4602 Eastpark Blvd
Madison, WI 
Take the American parkway exit from Hwy. 151. Then follow the H signs to the Hospital. 
At the main entrance go up the stairs or take the elevator to the second floor. the exhibit will be right there in the cafeteria.

I posted a map on my site (http://emeraldstudio.com).

There are 22 works ranging in size from 40 x 30 to 10 x 8

Siraj Hull: Watercolors and Collages

One of our DCPAPA watercolorists will have a show at the UW Health Sciences Learning Center on the 2nd floor lobby in August.  The Center is adjacent to UW Hospital.

Title:  Paintings and Collages by Siraj Hull

Where: UW Health Sciences Learning Center, 2nd Floor Lobby

750 Highland Avenue

Madison, WI 53705

When: 08/02/2016 – 08/30/2016

“I am a retired school psychologist who has enjoyed art throughout my life. I worked in Jacksonville, Illinois for Four Rivers Special Education school districts for 15 years and taught at Spoon River Community college in Macomb, Illinois for 9 years before taking a position in Taipei American school in Taiwan for a year. My husband Bob and I have traveled and lived in many interesting parts of the world. We spent ten winters in the South Pacific, living in Fiji, Marshal Islands, Cook Islands and Tonga. While in Tonga, I studied Tapa cloth art from a noted artist of Tonga. We've traveled to over 97 countries. In every place we've traveled, I make it a point to visit art galleries and pick up some new ideas.

I am a member of both Dane County Plein Air and Macomb Plein Air in Macomb, Illinois.” – Siraj Hull

- See more at: http://isthmus.com/events/siraj-hull/#sthash.DivwIkME.dpuf

Cherokee Park, Pastel, 8.5" x 11.5"

Here is my completed painting from our outing last week. 

Cherokee Park, Pastel, 8.5" x 11.5" 

Cherokee Marsh sketch finished in the studio

Cherokee Marsh. Morning. Oil on linen board, 12"x16"