GINGKO DUET

waterbased oil on canvas

2011

on exhibit at the Peninsula School of Art Annual Winter Salon, Fish Creek WI 2013

SEPTEMBER WORKSHOP 2012

JANUARY FREEZE

The furnace at the farm house quit yesterday. This means the studio is cold, and while the sun may be shining out there, the frigid countryside is both brilliant and brutal. The oil paints are still sitting out, but they might do better inside the insulation of the oven in the kitchen until a new furnace gets installed next week.

This 100 year old farm house is a dream for me, after living in various houses by myself  since 1989,  I got used to a space of my own. Even after Steve and I got married and moved to a cabin along the  rustic road  of Glidden Drive ten years ago; we down sized, sold things, stored things and eventually lived in a 28' travel trailer in a camp ground every summer, spending winters in Australia, living in a cabin in the sub tropical bush.  This went on for about six years.

  Australians who have not been off their island probably can't imagine the challenges of a northern climate in January, and many question the sanity of our decision to stay  here rather than continue the annual migratory path down under. The  truth is I love a good snowstorm and the isolation and beauty I witness as I gaze across the frozen lake is as inspiring to me as the warmth of the Australian  holiday season. I realize we have other worries now, like pipes freezing, plants that I have nurtured these last 4 years, suddenly  exposed to the hazards of a broken down furnace.  We keep the farm house as a workspace for  me and the place is a sanctuary of  quiet, when the lake noise of summer tourists gets too  annoying.  The farm house is most of all, my space for my thoughts to ramble, to play with materials, to sort  through the odd collection of stuff,  as well as a place to display my own art and feature others during special times through the summer season.

 Workshops in painting and drawing, art critiques and other special events  that somehow find their way to me, offer a chance for us to share our love of the place, the wonderful views, the  light, the geography of the place,  all of this has enhanced my life and level of creativity. So investing in a new furnace seems like a small thing, compared to all that the place gives to me.

SO  OUT INTO THE NIGHT WE GO SNOW OR NO SNOW

Last night we attended the Peninsula School of Art  Annual Salon, floor to ceiling art work, with my friend Renee Hilgers winning the Peoples Choice Award for her massive  assemblage  of a haunted house. It was her first time to exhibit at this event and I was not surprised to hear her name called when they announced the winners for top three peoples choice awards.  There was a raging blizzard off and on outside, cars parked in every spot in the parking lot spilling out into the street; the place was packed, the food tables  looked like a plague of locusts had moved through, the live music was happening, and people were having a good time.   It would take more than a little snow and wind to keep these people home.  I have lived here a while and know a lot of people, but have to admit there were many new faces, many I did not know, in fact, I am getting old and the crowd last night, was definitely getting younger. This is a good thing.

I received some encouragement last night as I was removing my art to take it home, as we are supposed to do at the end of the evening. A young man was lingering with his companion, in front of my work, and he complimented me - said it was beautiful, and since the work was a new direction for me, abstract diptych  of gingko leaves and  earth colored forms, it was all I needed to confirm my thoughts about what to do next. A little compliment, a nice word given at the right time is often all that is needed. A sale would be ok too but just the fact that someone else enjoyed the work was good.  So Chris, if you are reading this, thanks.   That  made my night, and we loaded up and took off shortly  after 9pm, into the night, filled with worry about the furnace, and the swirling mess of snow in front of our headlights, positioning the car  somewhere in the middle of the road, in a white out blizzard, 15 minutes later, we were home safe on Kangaroo Lake Rd. Hoping that everyone else made it home too.