Painting Papel - Door County Plein Air Festival

Painting Papel, 12 x 16, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2013

SOLD

Well, I said I wouldn't have time to post, but here I am. This is my first painting of the Door County Plein Air Festival 2013! I had a great time painting this little paper shop, named "Papel", in Egg Harbor, Wisconsin. It's pretty in pink exterior and bountiful flowers were impossible to pass up. I also met many wonderful art aficionados who came by to check on us artists. Thanks to all who said hello and gave me a kind word of encouragement! :)

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Broken Barns, 8 x 16, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2012

Emmanuel... God is with us!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all.

Thank you all for your support this year...

for following my work and for sending me messages of encouragement. 

I wish you abundant hope and fullness of life in 2013!

Garden Color - Door County Plein Air

Garden Color (Quick Draw), 9 x 12, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2012, SOLD

The Door County Plein Air Festival ends with a "Quick Draw" event. This is where all the artists paint for two hours in one public, advertised location (about a 6 block radius). It starts and ends with a blow horn (imagine brushes poised in hands at the beginning and a mad dash to frame wet paintings in the back of cars at the end). A live auction of all the work immediately follows, right there, on the spot. Nerve-racking? Yes! But quite a finale it is! And most importantly, this auction and the whole festival raises funding for the Peninsula School of Art which offers fabulous art classes all year round. It's a very worthy cause. 

My week in Door County was wonderful... I was so, so honored to meet and paint with each of the incredible artists who participated. It was truly inspiring. Many thanks to everyone at the school who made it all come together!

Here I am, concentrating during the quick paint...

Bidders and Auctioneer getting ready for the live auction.

My amazingly supportive husband, Bill, came for the final weekend festivities

and our high school friends, Terri and Steve, joined us on Saturday.

Thanks for your support, guys! :)

Weathered Bluff and Stormy Lake - Door County Plein Air

Weathered Bluff, 12 x 9, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2012

Available at the Peninsula School of Art, Guenzel Gallery

These two paintings from the Door County Plein Air Festival are completely connected, story-wise, so I am posting them together...

I got up very early one morning to paint the rocky cove above. I was sure that the morning light would be just gorgeous, but about 20 minutes after I started, it began to rain. Clearly a big storm was coming so I had to quit. Packing up my car, I noticed the "Stormy Lake" view below and determined that I could paint that scene under the tailgate of my rental car. The storm got louder and wilder. Eventually, I was completely inside the car, cross-legged, and finished the painting with my easel practically in my lap. 

I did go back the next day for the "Weathered Bluff" painting - I was committed! It was overcast again, but still beautiful. I do want to go back again sometime when it's sunny! Hopefully next year?? :) 

(Again, please forgive the blurry photos, I did not have the right equipment with me to get good images. Still kicking myself.)

Stormy Lake, 12 x 9, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2012, NFS

Broken Barns - Door County Plein Air

Broken Barns, 8 x 16, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2012

Available at the Peninsula School of Art, Guenzel Gallery

Another piece from the Door County Plein Air Festival...
These dilapidated old barns were in a hidden field on the north end of the Door County peninsula. I didn't see any "No Trespassing" signs and no one lived nearby, so I helped myself to a delightfully quiet morning. I even got ambitious and decided to take some process pictures as I painted, but promptly forgot after shooting the block-in and location pictures below. I guess I was having too much fun. You know what they say about good intentions! Below is the beginning and above is the finished painting.

Broken Barns Block-in, 8 x 16

Line and mass underdrawing

Using French ultramarine and burnt sienna

Broken Barns - location shot 

Block-in complete, ready for color

Sorry, I forgot to take pictures during the process...

Day's End - Door County Plein Air

Day's End, 9 x 12, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2012

Available at the Peninsula School of Art, Guenzel Gallery

On Wednesday night of the Door County Plein Air Festival, all of the 40 featured artists gathered at the waterfront in Sister Bay to paint the sunset. This was one of the highly publicized events of the week, and crowds of people came out to watch us in action. All were very respectful and encouraging but it was intimidating nonetheless! :) After a full day of rain and drizzle, the sun came out on cue and gave us a beautiful display. 


At the VERY end of this day, a few of us went bowling at the local bowling alley. It was great to pull away mid-week and do something completely different... to just hang out a bit together and socialize. :)

Front l-r: Me, Scott Lloyd Anderson, Aaron Schuerr, Mark Horton, Shelby Keefe, Richard Lindenberg

Back l-r: Tom Maakestad, Chuck Marshall, Frank Gardner, Stuart Fullerton (Golden Pin winner), Marc Hanson

Summer Meadow - Door County Plein Air

Summer Meadow, 12 x 9, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2012, SOLD

When I stumbled upon this golden meadow, I couldn't pass up the glorious color with the young birch-ling standing in the middle of it. I have always loved trees and birch trees were my childhood favorite when my family went camping in Northern Wisconsin. My sisters and I would peel off sheets of the papery bark, and write letters on them (don't worry, I didn't peel this one). Occasionally, we'd hit the jackpot and find large chunks of hollowed out birch bark from a fallen tree. These made great receptacles for all of our "stuff" (which consisted of rock, feather and driftwood treasures we were also collecting.)

Painted at the Door County Plein Air Festival 2012. 

One of the highlights of being in Wisconsin was reconnecting with dear family friends from my hometown of Racine. I didn't manage to get pictures with everyone, but here are some of the friends who surprised me mid-week...

Thank you Carl and Carolyn for the much needed break,

the sweet visit and the refreshing root beer float! :)

I heard Marilyn and Bernie talking behind me at a paintout 

and actually still recognized their voices after 30 years!

Farmstead - Door County Plein Air

Farmstead, 8 x 16, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2012, SOLD

I am just now catching my breath after a most fabulous week in Wisconsin at the Door County Plein Air Festival! My heart overflows, truly. I would love to give you the blow by blow, but suffice it to say, it was an intense time of painting from sun up to sun down every day. Some of my painting happened in very public, advertised settings with many spectators; and some happened on quiet back roads, completely private and off the beaten track. This piece is in the latter category.


"Farmstead" came about on my last afternoon. I was tired and not sure I had one more painting in me as I drove down a deserted country road. This farm, all aglow with the afternoon light, completely reinvigorated me. It turned out to be my favorite piece of the week, and was the first to sell at the Friday night gala. Sometimes pushing through the exhaustion is a really good thing. :)


Side note: I left my good camera at home because it was too much to carry with all my other equipment. Consequently, the photos of my work are not the best. I had to shoot them with a tiny, hand-held camera in my hotel room. Lesson learned.