New Wings Exhibit Opens

Our art committee met on Weds. to set up the new exhibit titled "Working For A Living".  The exhibit will be up until July and it pays homage to those hard working people and animals in our lives.

The Farrier - pastel

The Drover - pastel

The reception is going on this evening from 5-7 pm at Wings Over Alma 

More Fall Images

Meadow Ablaze - Pastel 12 x 16

Our winter is just continuing to hang....which has been good for putting in studio time. I'm continuing to add to the fall theme by making use of the many reference photos I took.

Colors by The Tracks - pastel 12 x 16

The Minnesota bluffs in the background and the foreground is the Wisconsin side as viewed from our alfalfa field. I love the early fall colors when there is still some green to offset the gold and reds as they emerge.

As much as I love fall, I have also been working on some winter landscapes which will be coming up later! Someday it really will be spring and then the real outdoor work will begin around here.

Arts West 34

The L.E. Phillips Public Library has provided the list of participants in the annual juried show. I didn't win a prize with my "Portrait of Helga" but I do feel honored for having made it through the jurying process. The variety of art included paintings, pottery, sculpture and multi-media works. Something for everyone.

I haven't entered an art show since high school so it was a good experience to go through the process and learn the ropes. I'll try again next year!

Our Deer Stanley

We had these two characters we named Ollie and Stanley appear in 2008. Toward spring they started coming up in the evening to raid the bird feeder. It's really fun to watch them so close and I took lots of pictures through the windows as they made their way through the yard.

They even had their boyish tussles! Which is probably why Stanley ended up with a gouged right eye. The next year only one came back.....our one-eyed Stanley.

He passed by the trail cam a few times. Always distinctive because only one eye reflects. It was amazing to see he could fight off the infection and that it healed as well as it did.

This photo was taken last month. We are figuring he is about 6 years old now. His antlers are getting bigger every year, but now he has a bad left front leg! He's hobbling around on it, but he's none too quick and the hoof appears to be very overgrown since he isn't wearing it down.

His right antler is ragged and broken off, too. He's been fighting. Notice the bulging ankle. Poor Stanley.

As of last week he has reappeared sans antlers. He has also been letting the wife and kids come up and eat after he gets his fill. Sweetie that he is. Keep well, Stanley! Hope you can recuperate and be with us for another year. You are always safe from hunting as long as you stay at Catfish Corner.

And, yes. I am going looking for those antlers!

The Glowing Season

Friend Jan and I were tooling around the backroads of Pepin County in October to visit some site on the Fall Art Tour. We had played hooky from actually participating in the event and was looking forward to visiting other artists this time around. The lovely fall day presented many photo ops and inspiration was swirling around like the fall leaves.

"The Glowing Season" - oil on canvas - 20"x24"

I just finished this oil of one of the scenes I photographed. The barn roof and cupulo was peeking out and looked like it was being overtaken by the tall dry corn. The rusting barn roof had sprouted a few holes on the right side where the sun shone through onto the weathered boards. At the end of the growing season, we were treated to "The Glowing Season". 

Juried into ArtsWest

I just got word this morning that one of my entries was accepted into the ArtsWest exhibit. The Portrait of Helga will be moving to the L.E. Phillips Memorial Library in Eau Claire and will stay there until April 9th.

One of my many unofficial new year's resolutions was to enter this show. After lots of procrastination and the realization I only had TWO pieces of art I deemed show worthy that were recently completed.  I think I got my application in two days before it closed. (Almost talked myself out of it.) I had also entered the Portrait of Laddee which was declined. That piece is more abstract, so maybe this will bode well for my style of art.

Winter Watercolors

I love the quiet and solitude of January. It's been too cold and icy to do much outside other than taking care of the animals....who are doing fine, by the way.

Last winter I decided to try to learn about watercolors. I have always admired watercolor artists because I think WC is really hard! It involves letting go of illusions about how something might turn out.

Inspiration came from my favorite watercolor artist, Jody Bergsma. She is SO talented, a huge success in the commercial world, and the CEO of her own publishing and distribution company. Jody Bergsma's website and blog offers videos of her paintings in progress and offers so much educational material to help people paint. And she freely shares all of this....like, for FREE! She works from a constant source of abundance and is truly a loving and giving person on top of all that talent. And a horse girl, too!

As an artist, I would not copy anyone's work. As a student, I had to get over the fact that I AM trying to emulate her art. And not doing a very good job of it!! How full of myself I had to be to think I was going to just pick up a brush and paint like Jody!

Jody Bergma's rendering of crows

I love how she designs the composition. It's so full of images and really tells a story. She uses graphic additions that tie into the overall theme. I could spend all day studying her paintings, but now it's my turn to try.

My first watercolor ala Jody style in 2011

Too funny! But as I always like to say.....you have to start somewhere. Here are some more attempts:

This was an early one. Very loose in style. I just like big cats and slopping paint.

Flowers are fun

Trying to find my own style...

Keeping at it.....

Switched to butterflies.

That's enough for now. Next time I'll add some of the ones from 2012. No... I haven't improved but I am having some fun with new styles and techniques.

Thank you, Jody Bergsma, for your generous spirit and inspiration!