Kiting the Wind, Oil on Linen, 12x16 (Sold)

People think we're land locked here in Minnesota, but it's really not true, with all it's rivers and lakes including the worlds largest—Lake Superior. Lake Pepin is a widening in the Mississippi River where it is joined by the St. Croix River and dozens of smaller rivers. I love to paint the bluffs that border both sides of this incredible waterway.

Are there Fish in There?, Oil 9x12

Yes there are fish in there. Little Sunnies. They were fun to watch as they watched me paint.

Wild Garden, Oil on Linen, 12x16 (Sold)

Moon over the Marina, 10x20, Oil (SOLD)

Old Blue Bonnet, 12x16, Oil

We went to the docks the other day in hopes of finding some cool old boats to paint. When we got there we were sadly disappointed in the selection of boats but fell in love with this old grader. I don't know how many years it's been since it saw any action but we noticed that it had been repaired many times with jury-rigged parts including the blue tarp that was unceremoniously duct-taped to the roof, I suppose, to keep out the rain.

Rain, 12x9, Oil

It's supposed to rain this weekend so I'm putting together quite a pile of mostly finished paintings from this Spring that need a touch here and there. When I came across this one from a month ago I couldn't think of anything to do to it but post it. I prefer to finish paintings in one sitting. Rarely does that happen. I was quite sure this one needed work when I put it away a month ago. I don't know what I thought it needed. This is definitely the day I remember.

High Water, Oil, 16x12

We painted these boathouses on a day when the Mississippi was flooding it's banks. But how would you know by our subject matter? The boathouses float on pontoons and and are attached to their moorings with oversized sleeves that allow them to rise and fall with the river. So unless you are a local, you would not know that normally you look down on the roofs from where we were standing. It's ironic that on a day when water was everywhere it should not be, we chose a subject that was barely affected by the flood.

Another Vento Morning, Oil, 12x16

The lessons are starting to take. Thanks Joe and Richard.

Our Grotto, Oil, 9x12

I love a sunny day any time of the year.

Superior Fog, Oil, 18x24

Fall Birch and Oak, Oil, 12x9

It's been a beautiful week in November with sunshine and temps in the mid fifties. It almost makes up for the grey cold October we just had. I paint outside as much as I can when it's like this. As a result this blog may seem kind of neglected as I am saving the studio fine-tuning for bad weather days.

This was painted en plen air in about an hour and a half. I could touch it up and improve the anatomy of the trees but why? It feels like the day.

Harriet Island Docks, oil, 12x16 (sold)

Posted a bit out of sequence, I painted this about a month ago. I sold it yesterday at the St Paul Art Crawl. Thanks Steve and Sue. Enjoy!

Caribou Ranch Park, Oil, 12x16 (Sold)

Westside Pride, Oil, 11x14

Cannon River Hideaway, Oil, 11x14

You can't get here by car. We biked to this location hauling our painting gear in my bike trailer. We had this little stretch of river to ourselves for the entire afternoon.

Schultz Lake, Oil, 10x20 SOLD

The Flying Dynamo, Oil, 11x14 

This old classic bike was saved from a dumpster in downtown Saint Paul. This is my first attempt at painting it, but probably not my last. I tried my hand at using a much reduced palette of blue, red, yellow and white. I just wanted to see if I could capture all the nuances. I did and I was happy to have so much room on my palette. Thanks for the tip Don.

House with a View, Oil, 9x12

After several weeks of not blogging, I'm back. This time of year I get kind of busy with graphic design deadlines and preparation for the Semi-annual Saint Paul Art Crawl, and as a result, haven't had time to blog lately. Well, I'm back and will try to post on a much more regular basis.

If you've never been to the Saint Paul Art Crawl, you really should try to make it. Hundreds of artists in Lowertown Saint Paul open their studio spaces to thousands of visitors twice a year. The dates for the 2009 spring crawl are April 24-26. Go to http://www.artcrawl.org for details.

Anticipating Spring Thaw, Oil, 12x16 (sold)

Bessie, Oil, 6x8

The Cathedral, Oil, 12x16

Sheyenne Valley Quiet, Oil on Canvas, 20x30 (Sold)

Monarchs, Oil on Canvas, 36x24