Winter

Since my last entry we've finally had a dose of "real winter," and I couldn't be happier. We had our first significant snowfall (About 10 inches) within a week of my last posting, and this was the largest amount of snow that we've had since we moved here almost three years ago. And we got a real cold snap with temperatures down into the single digits! Yippee! No, really, yippee! Without these things, I was really getting homesick for a midwestern winter.

Now I have my bearings again. In fact, a friend recently asked me if the cloudy days in Pennsylvania slow me down. While I would prefer to see the sun more, I have to say that there's nothing that I enjoy more than taking a hot chai latte to my studio and digging in on some work during these gentle grey days. It seems to bring a sense of balance to me.

Detail of Andrew and Matthew in Black Moshannon State Park, a recent commissioned painting.

I've used this new equilibrium to focus on a few ambitious paintings in my studio. This past month I've been really busy with commission work, everything from portraits to landscapes. The piece pictured here represents a wonderful hybrid of these two distinct categories, landscape and portrait. My clients approached me with an idea to do a portrait of their sons, but they didn't want a standard, formal portrait with the boys being the sole focal point. So we worked together and came up with an idea to place the boys into a distinctive Pennsylvania landscape: Black Moshannon State Park. I thoroughly enjoyed working on this piece as it combined my favorite venue with their portrait idea. I especially enjoy their reflections in the bog, kind of a nice metaphor for two youngsters who are growing up each day.

In between commission work I've made some progress on a couple of my own pet projects. I'm focusing a bit more on creating larger works and upon some ideas that I've had percolating in my mind for cityscapes. Stay tuned for the fruits of these labors within the coming weeks.

November, Heading into Winter

I'm settling down into a quieter time of year. I'm done with my outdoor art shows for this year and I'm wrapping up the teaching of my color class for the Art Alliance of Central Pennsylvania. I'm looking forward to spending a lot of time in my studio. During this winter I plan to explore my ideas in larger formats. I have some cool ideas for cityscapes from things I observed in Washington, DC. In addition, you'll continue to see skies as a dominant theme in my landscape pieces.

To that end, I'm currently working on a couple of large central Pennsylvania landscape paintings. The first is a roadside scene that I caught last month near highway 550, just north of my home and south of Bellefonte. It's a gorgeous late afternoon view of the autumn fields and trees as the sun begins to set.

The second piece is a once-in-a-lifetime view of a rainbow over Black Moshannon Bog. I dragged my husband and my dog up there at the start of last month because I wanted to do some field work during the height of the fall colors. It was kind of a "choppy" afternoon with gusty winds and intermittent clouds, but I took the chance on making the 20 minute drive up to the park from our home. Well, as soon as we arrived in the park, it poured rain. And there's nothing quite like having an exuberant dog, who's poised to go out in the woods, stuck in your car and panting while you're forced to keep the windows closed in a heavy rain. As our windows fogged in, I grew a bit discouraged and thought it best to return home, but my husband -- always more patient than I -- thought we could wait it out. Sure enough, within about 15 minutes the rain diminished and the most amazing full rainbow emerged over the bog. I think the last time that I saw a rainbow from end to end was when I was a kid in southern Wisconsin, where the flatter landscape there is more conducive to that kind of a vista.

After these pieces I'm planning to work on some cityscape ideas that I've had brewing for several months since my last trip to Washington, DC. Although these pieces will capture autumn and summer settings, the temperatures here in central Pennsylvania are already pretty cool and light snow is in the forecast for this evening. As we get into winter, there's nothing that I enjoy more than taking a steaming mug of tea up to my studio, turning on some music, and immersing myself in new ideas. And I'm hopeful that we'll get a real winter this season....Lots of snow!

Farmland Preservation Artists

From Spackman Lane, a plein air painting

About a year ago, I joined together with eleven other artists to form the "Farmland Preservation Artists" of Central Pennsylvania. The artist members of this group represent a diverse sampling of media (Photography, oil painting, watercolor, etc.), but we share a common interest in highlighting land use issues that affect central Pennsylvania. Our exhibitions are made possible through our partnership with the Art Alliance of Central Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association, and the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture.

The benefits of family-owned farms and locally grown produce are important to me because my maternal grandfather was a dairy farmer and I grew up surrounded by the corn fields, soybean crops, and tobacco fields that dominated the south central region of Wisconsin. I became involved with this group because it provides a chance to use my artistic talents to raise awareness about the beauty and importance of central Pennsylvania's farms. It's also afforded some wonderful opportunities to work on the land of generous Centre County farmers who've given their permission for us to come out and work en plein air on their properites. I am especially grateful for the generosity of Mr. Don Spackman of Port Matilda, whose beautiful property has been in his family since the late 1700's. If you've ever traveled west out of State College toward Port Matilda on 322 West / 220 South, then you may recognize his red-roofed farm buildings that sit in the valley at the base of Sky Top Mountain as you make the sweeping turn on the highway to continue south to Port Matilda.

This fall our group will exhibit our recent works at the Gamble Mill in Bellefonte. Entitled "The Fields, The Farms, The Food," the show's opening reception will be October 3, 7:30-9:30pm. Check it out and try one of the restaurant's excellent desserts while you're there.