We were only 2 hours from home and still had not stopped to get pumpkins.  I was driving when I saw a line of wagons filled with pumpkins and gourds.  I made a quick right turn, came around the long circle of driveway and finally we had our pumpkins!  Only 3 dollars each which is cheaper than Walmart!

Autumn in the Driftless Area

10 hours, 450 miles, beautiful scenery, a short visit with a friend, apple cider donuts, pumpkin pie and a beautiful autumn day well spent crossing Wisconsin from East to West and home again inspired this painting. This year the yellows seemed brighter and the reds seemed redder!  We saw whooping cranes in a field and a red fox running across the road and then running away through the field only his back and tail showing above the crops (soy beans, I think).

She was worried about getting her clothes wet. I promised to wash and dry them when we got home so she left her shoes on the beach, rolled up her pant legs and went for a walk, dug holes in the sand, and threw rocks in the water.   

Path to South Beach after the Storm, acrylic on stretched canvas

The hillside along the road to South Beach in Port Washington has been covered with clover for several weeks now and every time I ride my bike there I think how beautiful that hillside of flowers is.  We have been having some quick storms coming through in the past couple of days.  Here by the lake we can see the dark storm clouds racing toward us and wonder if they will pass us by on the North or the South or if we will actually get the rain we need.  My friend, Sally, is an ardent red hatter so I decided to add the woman with her red hat heading around the corner for her walk on the beach.  Her dog has to take one more sniff before following her.  So my inspiration comes from bits and pieces of my life and experiences here in Port Washington next to Lake Michigan. 

 

Path to the Lake at Sunrise.

As you can see I am still exploring the Path to the Lake theme.  This one is inspired by a photo my friend Mary took before sunrise, which is WAY too early for me in July.  I am a winter sunrise photographer.  In this piece the sky is still dark enough for some stars to show.  Please do not lecture me on constellations that are visible in the east at Dawn.  This is a work of imagination, not documentation. 

Fireworks!

I am always interested in the way the smoke drifts across the sky during and after the fireworks.  After watching the fireworks on Fish Day evening, I kept thinking about it and picturing it in my mind and finally I decided to try to capture the experience.  Can you hear the oohs and aahs as each new burst of color fills the sky?

Path to the Lake, Acrylic 07182014

I have done several versions of this piece in pastels and acrylics.  This is the first one with flowers and seagulls.  Each one adds more details.