A Mother's Love

During the Holiday Season, it's not uncommon to remember and cherish the memories of those longer with us.  I recently had a conversation with a fellow artist about losing a parent - who also guided and encouraged their artistic path.  The void of losing a parent seems amplified during this season and I want to take a few moments to remember my mother, Ursula, who taught me so much about art.

Looking back at my childhood, we lived in a simple farmhouse outside a very small community.  My mother immigrated here from Germany in her early 20s, married my father and they eventually settled here.

Our home farm

 

Little did I know it then, but my mother had some of her books shipped from Germany and decorated our farmhouse with pages from these publications.  Later, she purchased art prints of many great masters and soon the entire house was a mini museum.  We had prints of "Portrait of a Child" from Peter Paul Rubens.  See picture below.

About 1966?  My mother and grandmother and big brother. 

Rubens portrait to the right.

Van Gogh behind the Christmas Tree.

Some of her books from Germany she used for color plates and framed.

After a Scrabble game...Renior above the piano.

 

As the years went on, we had "The Milkmaid" print by Vermeer framed in our dining room, Renoir above the piano, Degas in the bathroom and Durer in my bedroom. 

 

As a child I had the opportunity to enjoy these prints all around our home and I had no idea the impact it would make in my life at the time.  As parents, our influence is great.  Expose your children to music and art, they need it now more than ever!  It is a great gift. 

 

In the past few weeks, I have started on new paintings - low and behold they are a mother/child theme!  It just dawned on me yesterday and this is why I'm taking the time to write.  God's whisper in my ear to paint what is in my heart.

Mother/child theme...works in progress in studio.

 

This is our family and our last group picture with our Mom before she passed away. 

In her Bible, she underlined a passage and wrote my name next to it.  It is now on my easel and a reminder for my daily living.  She knew my love of the sunsets. 

 

Psalms 19:  1-4...How clearly the sky reveals God's glory!  How plainly it shows what he has done!  Each day announces it to the following day; each night repeats it to the next.  No speech or words are used, no sound is heard; yet their message goes out to all the world and is heard to the ends of the earth.  God made a home in the sky for the sun.

 

Now I would be remiss if I didn't thank my Dad who has also made a big impact on my life by sharing his love of the land.  My heart sings when I can be out exploring, hiking and painting in that farm country and I'm forever grateful to being a simple farm kid. 

 

Thankful for the beauty you shared!

And as my mother so beautifully ended every correspondence....Love and Peace. 

 

 

 

When Seasons Collide

Before the deep freeze of winter sets in, Wisconsinites are accustomed to the variations of weather this time of year.  We had one of those odd "earlier than normal" snowfalls on Halloween.  It was no trick, but instead a treat for avid winter plein air painters.  So while beautiful autumn leaves were still on the trees, we painted them falling on a bed of snow instead of white.  This is a true collision of seasons. 

Our annual "first" outing winter selfie on Nov. 1

Painting the colors of autumn with snow on the ground.

 

Since then, we have only been able to paint one other time as the snow has disappeared close to Lake Michigan.  During one of our adventures, we found a beautiful farm and the owner allowed us to paint there. 

Painting late in the day near Holy Hill.

 

Of course, we had to take a break for a Brandy Old Fashioned to warm up. Here's my painting partner Lynn Rix on the right.  Cheers!

 

It truly feels like yesterday when I was painting in a field of sunflowers.  But I love all the Wisconsin seasons and will now settle into the quiet season.