Moovelously Lynden

Last night, I enjoyed a wonderful evening of plein air painting at Lynden Sculpture Garden's annual educational fundraiser.  My animal theme continued since I painted the Bremen musicians sculpture last year, I decided on the cows this year. 
This is the first time cows have ever stood still for me!  And they came in an assortment of unique colors.  It was a ton of fun and I met so many wonderful people.  (Stu, I am planning to see you painting the streets of Cedarburg next year!).
While painting, I was visited by a cedar waxwing that would sometime land within inches of my easel.  And, a massive frog also kept a close eye on all the comings and goings.
My photo of the painting is not so great as I was rushing to get this framed and to the auction table.  Thank you to the collector!  Here's a recap of the evening.

The very friendly Cedar Waxwing

Frog watched all afternoon

"Moovelously Lynden"  11 x 14, oil

Cedarburg Main Event Entries

Whew!  It's over. More than a week of painting outside and in the elements.  I was able to get out and paint this year more than in the past and learned so much in the process.  While I enjoy painting downtown Cedarburg, I really LOVE the countryside and the wide open spaces.  My feet are best suited in boots and stuck in the mud (or manure).  Thank you to the farmers who allowed me to paint on their properties and trusted me to shut their gates right!  I will post more about my experiences in the days ahead.  These are the two paintings exhibited in the main event and I'm thrilled to say both are SOLD.

 "Cheryl's Chickens"  11 x 14

 Painting in progress

 "Mike's Vista"  12 x 12

Quick Paint

It's been a busy week.  I'm involved in a Plein Air painting event in Cedarburg, Wisconsin.  Last Saturday we held our "quick paint" where you are allowed 2.5 hours to start, paint, finish and frame a painting.  I always enter this part of the competition with some anxiety, as the weather is a big unknown.  I was lucky to find a quiet spot where I found some cows.  Suddenly, the cows were gone...in for morning milking.  But luckily they returned before the time was up.  I chose to include just one cow under the old tree.  It turned out to be a morning of "Solitude" for me in spite of the hurried feeling of the Quick Paint and dodging the raindrops. 

Snow Globe

Posting this painting that I completed back in August, as much of Wisconsin has been hit with a blizzard.  Thinking especially this morning of my brother and Dad as they dig out from the storm and get food to all the animals.  My brother and his wife have cows to milk as well.  Hoping all the equipment is in good working condition this morning to get the job done.
In the meantime, enjoy my interpretation of "Snow Globe."

Beans and Barley Exhibit

The walls at Beans and Barley are decked out in bold colors for the Christmas season.  Former Pfister artist in residence Shelby Keefe has more than 10 paintings in the main dining room area that include both her performance paintings and studio/plein air work.  My work runs along the wall where restaurants guests gather before they are seated.  It includes many of my feathered and furry subjects.  Beans and Barley is located at the corner of Farwell and North Avenue in downtown Milwaukee.  Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and a wonderful place to shop for Christmas gifts!

The Chorus Line

When I saw these cows coming towards me, I felt like they were about to start dancing and singing in a chorus line.  But instead they are chomping the grass like a giant lawnmower.  As I continue painting cows, my goal is to focus on simplifying shapes to become more painterly.  All these legs of the Chorus Line can make my head spin!

Dozing Dames

Living in Wisconsin, it's hard to avoid these beautiful bovines.  Can't you just hear them chewing their cud on a beautiful summer day?