Sunday, December 23, 2012
Monday, December 17, 2012
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Friday, November 23, 2012
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Open House at Cook County Higher Education!
We chose the theme “Celebrate Our Students” because our students are so amazing! Our students have a 90% completion rate (the national average is 75%), they obtain local employment at a living wage income – with benefits – and thus contribute to the economic growth and vitality of our community. They work very hard at their studies, and sacrifice family time, personal time (and even sleep) to excel at their coursework. They deserve acknowledgement and praise for their achievements. Heart-healthy refreshments will be available.
Thank you so much for your continued support. We value your involvement with this vibrant, growing organization. If you cannot attend the Open House event, would you please consider renewing or upgrading your friendship level? We are using the friendship dollars to build our endowment to reach our $35,000 benchmark. Thanks to a generous patron of education, Dennis Rysdahl of Bluefin Bay in Tofte, we have matching funds on the table, so this is an excellent time to make your contribution count even more. Please mail your contribution, stop in and give a gift in person, or pledge online at www.northshorecampus.org.
Thank you again, and I hope we will see you at the Open House.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Upcoming events
I'll be speaking at an art opening at the Higher Education campus in Grand Marais, MN
December 15, 2012
New work opening at the Coho Cafe, Bluefin Bay, Tofte, MN
Friday, November 02, 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Secret Name
There are fish that walk on dry land, and even climb trees! In some parts of the world, they swim among mangrove roots, and in others, they climb the flood plain waters to pick fruit from high branches. Fish are sometimes dropped from trees by birds of prey, and sometimes mysteriously fall from trees in backyards to survive when put in water.
From across the room, I hope you see trees inviting and compelling enough to take a closer look, and then to be surprised by fish dancing in your swimming eyes.
I've dreamed of fish swimming through air only to duck behind furniture when I enter the room. I've dreamed of whales swimming above my bed on a cold winter night. All of these things and more influence what I paint, allowing me to share what migrates through my mind from time to time.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Wednesday, September 05, 2012
Friday, August 10, 2012
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Dragonboat Festival, Grand Marais, MN
Monday, July 23, 2012
Thank you Joan!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
Friday, April 20, 2012
NorthShore ArtScene
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Monday, April 09, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Thanks Joan!
12" x 12", Acrylic on Canvas
Joan gave me a mention in her blog, North Shore Art Scene this week.
Visit her blog at: http://northshoreartscene.com/
Monday, January 16, 2012
It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's A Fish! 45.5" x 45.5"
See Details below...
I've been showing these images to my friends, and reactions have been mixed. I think that's great. One friend told me she's up in the air about this series of paintings, and I said "so are the fish." I like doing them, and I think they'd be very entertaining in a restaurant setting. You could count fish while you wait for your dinner.
More than ten years ago, I painted a map of Lake Superior on a restaurant wall. Whenever I go in there, I see people staring at it, and it makes me feel good.
I've often wondered if there was a way to get people to look at a painting longer than a few seconds. I do it, too. A lot of times, I only give art a quick glance. But I love it when something stops me in my tracks for longer than that. It may be something poignant, or whimsical. It may be something as simple as a color or a brush stroke. I never know what will appeal to another person. Nothing appeals to everyone. I've found that trying to paint something that "people will like" is a losing proposition. I've tried to express someone else's vision for a painting before, and the results have been ugly. Both in the image and in the frustration of it all. I have to paint for me. If something is meaningful to me, perhaps it will strike a chord in someone else. Maybe you'll love this. Maybe you'll hate it. I'm happy with that.
Down in the Amazonian Flood Plain Forests, there are over a thousand species of trees that have adapted to freshwater flooding for up to 9 months out of the year.
During the high water phase, the water will rise up to 30 or 40 feet above the forest floor, and fish are able to feed on seeds from fruit bearing trees.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Two Things: 30" x 22"
1. Back when I had a little coffee shop/art gallery housed in a vintage railway caboose (there was a goldfish pond out back), I had a dream one night where I walked into the caboose, and saw a fish swimming behind the cash register. That image has stuck with me, and I'm fascinated by the thought of fish swimming behind objects in the air.
2. I was hanging a show in a beautiful little cafe one night. There was a couple there taking down their photographs of northern lights. The woman said to me "Don't you ever get tired of painting fish?" I was puzzled. I had abstracts, paintings of trees, fish, dogs... and EVERY one of their pictures was of northern lights over trees.
No, I don't get tired of painting trees or fish. When I do, I'll stop.
It occurs to me that putting these fish in the forest air is similar to, or opposite of (which is it?) the time I put all those corgis under the water...