Between the Bluffs 2015 or How to Avoid the Mistakes of Last Year

I am excited to begin painting in this year's LaCrosse Plein Air event - Between the Bluffs (BtB). I had a great time painting last year. I was challenged to paint some good paintings in a limited time frame of 10 days. I participated in my first "Quick Paint" challenge (3 hours to create a painting, frame it, and submit for judging). But I made one tiny mistake... I submitted my paintings for judging a day late. Like a day after the judging had taken place. Seriously. Oops.

I'm not sure exactly how I failed to meet this deadline. I could tell you what I thought I read in the material for artists, and so on, but the truth is that since retirement I live a life where deadlines are very fluid, if they exist at all. SO -  I am stating here - to all 3 of you who actually read this - that I promise I will get my work in to be judged by the deadline this year!! Yes, I will strive to paint good works - maybe great works. And all the other stuff I have to do. And, I will get them in on time.

I painted 5 or 6 decent paintings last year and I submitted the following three a day after judging.

All 3 are 9x12 inches, pastel on sanded Uart surface, 600 grit. From top to bottom, they are: "Fishing for Happiness", "Floating Abodes", and "Rusty Bridge to the Fest". It will be a challenge to paint subjects that I love as much, but I will cross that bridge tomorrow. For now, my goal is simple - get the darn paintings - whatever they are - in on time!!

Painting at Wegner Grotto with Monroe County History Museum

Two weeks ago, on Saturday, August 22, Monroe County History Museum hosted “Art Outdoors” to explore the fascinating environment of Wegner Grotto County Park and create art.  Participants painted plein air style postcard-size works of the sculptures from the Grotto.  This is the second year of this event. 

I was pleased and honored to win the first place prize in the professional adult artist catefory with this little postcard of the Bremen ocean liner mosaic, in pastel.

I feel so proud!  Here is a photo taken while I was painting. It was a great day.

Last year, I struggled over whether to consider myself amateur or professional. I chose professional. I based this on several things, but mostly these: 1) While painting there I saw all these parents bringing their kids to paint then saying "ah, what the heck - I suppose I could give it a try" and 2) I keep pushing myself to take my art endeavor more seriously... and calling myself professional, though somewhat symbolic, sure seemed to support that effort. So last year, I won 2nd place and was surprised and encouraged. This year I knew which box to check.

Painting From Camp

There are a million reasons why I haven't blogged for over a year, but forget those and here I am. What has most revived my creative spirit and helped me paint plein air again is the cute little camper that Mary and I parked in a seasonal site. It is at Leon Valley Campground, just 7 miles from our house, which might sound crazy until you visit there and find it to be a peaceful retreat in the woods. It was our intention when we bought this second-hand gem to take it travelling until Mary found that pulling it down the highway was a terrifying experience! So there it sits, close to home where we use it often. Here are 2 of the paintings I did while there.

This is "Redneck Summer Home", 9 x 12 inches, pastel on sanded surface. This was painted before the awning and support posts were ripped off in a crazy windy thunder storm late July.

This "Camp Road Canopy", 9 x 12 inches, pastel on sanded surface. I love this road.

Prior to painting at the campground I was sort of stuck, and had not painted outdoors since last September while I was in Racine helping out while my mom was sick. Maybe tomorrow I will post something from that time... or a new painting! Thanks for visiting with me - and my art. While you are visiting, please sign up to get email update notifications!

Around the Bend

This is the road I imagine when I sing “over the river and through the woods, to grandmother’s house we go….”! or the Beatles “the long and winding road”.  The reference photo for this painting was taken on in late September 2013 after a rain. The light was amazing. I hope this painting at least partially portrays the wonder I felt looking down that road, inhaling the clean air, filled with gratitude for living in a location filled with so much simple beauty. I invite comments!

“Around the Bend”, 20x16in, pastel on Canson board

Planning my 2014 Pastel Classes

OK, so I have not posted a blog entry forever… I was busy making art, teaching pastel classes, and living life. I am now planning my next round of classes, so I have been thinking about what worked and what did not in my last classes. Below is my demo from the first day of class last session with 3 beginning students. None of the 3 students were very satisfied with their paintings.


In the past, I had students paint a single piece of fruit and they were dissatisfied at doing a simple, boring composition. I am not sure if simple of slightly more complex is more successful, but I think back to my first class and my composition was very similar to this one.


I was SOOO excited and proud of that thing, and it hangs today in our kitchen to remind me where I started. The date, October 7, 2002, reminds me of when I started. It is my hope that students new to pastel will make for themselves something that will be part of their personal art history, like my first painting is for me. Any thoughts on first pastel class compositions? what do others do for 6 or 8 week classes?

Reflections on a Mississippi Sunset

One night a few weeks ago I sat on a pier in LaCrosse and watched light dance on the river in great multicolor flashes as the sun set. I took photos during the process and came home wanting to paint the nearly abstract water close-ups of those reflections…. this is the result. The photo colors aren’t quite right – I may try to photograph again in different lighting. I nearly finished it a few days after I watched the sunset, then let it sit until yesterday, when I quickly did a few adjustments and called it done.

“Reflections on a Mississippi Sunset”, pastel on Canson board, 16x20 in.

More Barns

I painted these in the last 2 weeks, but just photographed them today. I have another exciting painting in process – I should finish it tonight or tomorrow. The other pastel-related activity for me has been to purchase a new studio box and stock it. After much comparison, I bought the largest Heilman box, and kept it divided the way it came with 8 sections. I have SOOOOO loved the baby box I bought from Heilman last spring for my trip to the IAPS convention in June, that I knew I would be satisfied with another. I’ll post photos of it all filled up – just looking at it makes me happy.

Barn on the Hill, 9x12 inches, pastel on uArt600grit

Barn around the Bend, 9x13, pastel on Pastelmat