The Outdoor Art Club

In June I traveled to the bay area for the wedding of my friends Chris and Jessie. They married at the Outdoor Art Club, a beautiful venue in quaint downtown Mill Valley. The private, nonprofit women's organization was formed in 1902 and their stated mission is “To preserve the natural scenery of Mill Valley and the surrounding country, to beautify the grounds around public buildings, to work against the wanton destruction of birds and game, to encourage the development of outdoor art and to engage in other civic, literary and charitable work." 

It was a relaxed celebration in a idyllic setting. The reception was colored with delightful teal accents, wild flowers, and a main course of delicious pizza! I was so pleased to be able to celebrate the marriage of an old friend and to visit a Mill Valley and the Outdoor Art Club. I made this painting for the couple to mark the occasion. This is the charming entrance to the Art Club, in June the foliage was lush and I felt as I was passing through the gate into an enchanted garden. Congratulations to Chris and Jessie!

The South Shores of Lake Michigan

In August I had the pleasure of joining in the celebration of the marriage of my friends Helen and Tom. They married at the south shore of Lake Michigan in the beautiful Gary Aquatorium. The Aquatorium was built in 1921 as a bathhouse and for years was the focal point of Miller Beach. It was a delightful celebration complete with good company, beautiful scenery, and fantastic music. 

The setting was rich with the opportunities to document the occasion with a painting. I made this painting of the lake as seen from the second story wedding location. I enjoyed painting the unique column capitals of the building, the rich tones of the native grasses, and steely lake beyond. Congratulations to Helen and Tom!

Sailboat at Promontory Point

After spending a longer while making a larger painting of the lake and the billowing clouds, i made this smaller vignette of one of the passing sail boats. The boats move too quickly to capture the whole scene before they are gone, but it was a good exercise in making a simple painting and focusing on the essential relationships between lights and darks.

Painting at Promontory Point

I wonder if I will ever tire of painting Lake Michigan. I made this painting while sitting at Promontory Point, one of my favorite parks in Chicago. It was the late afternoon and the billowing clouds were "sitting" along the skyline as I began the painting, as I the afternoon progressed they clouds climbed higher in the sky and the painting evolved with them. As the season changes, and I look upon the seeming endlessness of the lake, I feel aware of the possibilities which lie ahead and curious about what the coming months will bring.

Return to Manistee

In late September I had the delight of returning to a friend's family cottage in Manistee, Michigan. It was a cool weekend, so our activities included walking on the beach through the brisk fall breezes, shuffle board play, outdoor and indoor fires, and evening board games. It was a delight o make this painting of the cottage with gratitude to the generosity of it's owners. 

Painting at Ghost Ranch

 

I really enjoy the boldness and the subtle abstraction of Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings. So, it was a special delight to visit the landscapes in which she spend much of her life drawing and painting. What delight it was to sit at Ghost Ranch and be able to clearly identify the bluffs that appear in O'Keeffe's paintings and in driving down the highway to see the cloudscapes that were frequently abstracted in her work. It was a pleasure to sit and make this painting in the place that inspired O'Keeffe. It was a challenge to paint a terrain which is unfamiliar to me and a delight to take in the richness of the colors of the place.

Spruce House at Mesa Verde

I was recently delighted to travel to Mesa Verde National Park to visit both the Cliff Palace and Spruce House sites. I was taken by both the preservation of the dwellings and the beauty of the natural surroundings. I also really enjoyed the story our park ranger told us about the discovery of the Mesa Verde ruins, by Richard Wetherill and his brother-in-law as they searched for some stray cattle in 1888. As I made this painting, I was imagining that experience of two cowboys stumbling upon these ancient dwellings as they rode through the isolated canyons of southwest Colorado.