The animals weren't so accomondating. I think with less car activity the deer have moved in. I saw more than 50 deer from Two Harbors to Grand Marais. Most off to the side but some that thought they owned the road. On my way back last night, on 35 heading south out of Duluth, I meet a black bear in my lane. Fortunately I saw its black silhouette early enough to slow down ad swerve to miss it.
It has been a while since I spend some time plein air painting. It felt good to shake off the cobwebs and spend some time outside.
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| Black Beach, Acrylic 9"x12", $150 |
Black Beach
The rock on the north shore has distinctive colors from the red of the rhyolite to the gray of the basalt. The variations are subtle and pretty consistent all along the shore. What struck me in this view was the orange of the distant rock. Orange colored lichen grow where the gulls sit and poop. A little disgusting but adds for some great color.
Many times, when painting, I meet interesting people or see something I wouldn't expect. It was a cool and overcast day at Black Beach Park in Silver Bay. There were a couple of people on the beach. One guy stopped to see my progress and mentioned he hadn't been up to the north shore in a while and really missed it. In the parking lot I noticed a car with a large rack meant for kayaks. While painting a man pulled nt the bay in a kayak and walked towards me. He stopped to take a look at the painting and I noticed he was cradling a bird. He told me it was a dead Peregrin falcon he found in the lake. He was going to take it to be autopsied to determine why it died. They nest just up the coast from where I was on Palisade Head. It was interesting seeing it up so close.
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| Grandview Shore, Acrylic 9"x12", $150 |
Grandview Shore
In Lutsen is a little park called Grandveiw, located just past the ski area. From the highway it looks like and small town's park it it has a small shoreline where the rock layers slope down into the lake. It is not a very big spot but the rocks are quite picturesque. I have stopped here many times to do a quick painting. Typically I aim my gaze a bit higher to include the horizon but was struck by the ripples and reflections on the water. This type of scene is always a tough one to pull off in a painting. I would only attempt it if I am feeling confident and want a challenge. I would never paint this at the end of a long day of painting. Reflections and ripples are always changing unlike the rock formations. To paint them I try to watch for patterns and paint the patterns since it is impossible to paint exactly what I see. It was overcast so the light wasn't changing making this a little easier to complete.
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| Cascade Bridge, Acrylic, 9"x12", $150 |
Cascade Bridge
The sun can be an artist's nemesis while also being the creator of contrast and beauty in a scene. This was my first painting of the day. I started it around 9 am. The sun was still a bit lower in the sky, in front of me and off to my left slightly. Looking into the sun can make it difficult to see the scene correctly. I positioned myself under some low trees and had shade on my palette. With the brim from my hat I was able to shield my eyes directly from the sun. Usually that is enough to be able to paint into the sun but white hot reflections of the sun off the water were blinding. I constantly had to step off to the side of my easel to see the painting without all the glare behind it. Looking in to the sun has an effect on the way you see colors and values. I think what happens id your pupils close to let less light in so as not to damage the eye. This makes you see things darker than they really are. Many times I have done a painting where the values (lights and darks) look correct when I am painting them, only to look at it later, after my eyes have adjusted back to see that it is too light overall. I know now to trust the values of the paints rather than what I think they look like. I wasn't sure how this painting came out when I finished it. It was later that I saw the worked out pretty well. The bridge is the Hwy 61 bridge over the Cascade River. The blue looking through it is Lake Superior.
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| Cascade Shore, Acrylic, 9"x12", $150 |
Cascade Shore
Typically when I finish a painting I head to another location. This is probably because I have so many spots I would like to visit that I move on to the next one. This morning I decided to stay at the Cascade State Park and find another scene. This is pretty much on the other side of the Hwy 61 bridge I just painted. If I pivoted 90° to the left I could see the current of the river flowing far into the lake. The water wetting the shoreline rocks turn the a striking deep purple with reflected blue highlights from the sky. The wind was strong off the lake causing the waves to break on the rocks and my easel to blow over before I started painting. Hanging my backpack under it stabilized it and I had no more incidents. The air and the colors of the lake were crisp and clear.
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| Black Beach Overlook, 8"x12", Acrylic, $150 |
Overlooking Black Beach.
Back to Black Beach. This is a spot in Silver Bay, Mn that used to be owned by the Taconite Plant next to it. A few years ago I was driving around looking for painting sites and came across this location. There were a couple of Bald Eagles on the rocks waiting for lunch. I noticed "no trespassing" signs warning to stay out. There was a phone number that went to the plant. I figured if I call and explained that I wanted to do a quick painting of the location they would surely let me. No luck, they sternly sent me packing. I am glad to report that Black Beach has been opened up to the public and is quite popular. You have to know it is there as there are no signs pointing it out on the highway.
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| Split Rock Last Light, 8"x12", Acrylic, $150 |
Not sure if I have ever painted this iconic North Shore spot. I'm sure I must have. Because of it's popularity I usually avoid the spot. I was good at social distancing before it was cool. No one was at the "Selfie Spot" at the pull out on Hwy 61 when I started. I couple of cars stopped while I was working on it. A couple from New Ulm said it was their first time visiting the North Shore. They picked a good day to be their first. When heading south down 61 I had this spot in mind and knew the light would be perfect when I arrived. The sun was setting behind me casting a warm light on the light house. I worked quickly to get the colors and values right before the sun went away.
These paintings are all for sale for $150 each. This is a little new for me. I typically have a studio open house every couple of years to sell. Not sure when that would be able to happen so I am making them available here. If you are interested email me. They are all Acrylic paint on hard board so they can be framed without glass. They could be picked up at my studio or I could ship them to you for a small additional cost.
greg@preslickastudio.com
