Along the Wisconsin River

The call of Sandhill Cranes is quite a distinctive sound which I had not heard in many years.  We stayed by the very section of the river near the land that Aldo Leopold loved in "Sand County Almanac".  It is now an abundant area, so we easily watched bald eagles, bluebirds, goldfinches, cedar wax wings, flickers, red bellied woodpeckers, killdeer, kingfishers, osprey: the kind of place referred to as "up north", yet close enough to Baraboo to take my grandchildren to Circus World and the International Crane Foundation, and of course, "the shack" now visited by many through the Aldo Leopold Foundation.  The documentary Green Fire describes Leopold's amazing contributions to present understanding of ecological realities.

Aldo Leopold's place and two of my grandchildren. In the thirties this area was depleted.
Today it is quite verdant and remains an example of nature's resilience, because of the hard work, patience and the data kept by the Leopold family.

Overlap of Calligraphy, Drawing and Weaving

I worked very hard on my lettering skills in an intensive workshop with Calligrapher Carrie Imai at the Midwest Art and Lettering Retreat.  She's a wonderful teacher and guide.  Meeting all the interesting people who were part of the experience was a treat!  Now I have returned for a short while before leaving again, this time to  Baraboo, WI to be with my grandchildren.

This framed colored pencil drawing was completed thirty years ago, but it was fun to line up shuttles nearby.

Image © Carrie Imai

My first attempt at using watercolors to quickly change the flow in the pen

Looking Up

"Trees seem to do their feats so effortlessly.  Every year a given tree creates absolutely from scratch ninety- nine percent of its living parts.  Water lifting up tree trunks can climb one hundred and fifty feet an hour; in full summer a tree can, and does, heave a ton of water every day.  A big elm in a single season might make as many as six million leaves, wholly intricate without budging an inch; I couldn't make one.  A tree stands there accumulating deadwood, mute and rigid as an obelisk, but secretly it seethes; it splits, sucks, and stretches; it heaves up tons and hurls them out in a green fringed fling."  Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

This painting is an attempt to convey the overhead canopy of sky and branches and the dappled delight of being outside on a cool and comfortable afternoon with no upset from bugs or heat or wind.
I did have a few challenges with a sudden breeze or two.  The page, suddenly flipping down upon a brush loaded with paint, just gives it that authentic outside character.  The Metrosketchers organized by artist Liz Carlson gathered by the Como Park Pavillion.  I was a bit late at finding the group.  This tree is just north of the waterfall and close to a shady spot that was just right for the task at hand.

Collecting C O L O R S

As I prepare to go away for a workshop on Calligraphy by Carrie Imai, I am finding all sorts of ancient materials with great patinas.  These old palettes hold the buildup of pigment from many painting sessions. My father cast them aside after being well used, even forty years ago.  Since then they've been to many places.  We'll see how this inspires the work I'll be doing.