A Superior View - Lake Superior Landscape painting

A Superior View

12 x 9 Oil 

©2016 Deb Kirkeeide

Mother Superior Called … and I answered.

Lake Superior that is. Each time she called, her voice offered a promise of comfort and nurturing.

I finally answered.

The last few months (years?) have been a bit stressful. I hadn’t realized how much of that I was carrying but I knew I needed to get away to the shores of the big lake.

Armed with journal, sketchbook, paints and absolutely no agenda other than to just be, I headed north to the Grand Marais area, just 60 miles from the Canadian border.

“Be still and the Earth speaks to you”  ~ Navaho Proverb

I watched, listened and let her speak.

She spoke through the mournful call of the loons and the playful antics of the crows that visited each day. Through the gentle fall of rain and the occasional roll of thunder. The lake sang her songs, the pulse of her heart repeating in the waves. Breezes whispered to the trees, their answers in the rustling of the leaves. Love showed up in heart shaped stones I found along the shore. Majesty came in the form of a russet colored buck crossing the road in front of me. Delight came in the thousands of wildflowers lining the roads. So delightful, that I just wanted to give the Earth a big old hug!

Not being completely cut off from civilization, I explored the galleries, discovered new artists, checked out the art fair in Grand Marais, read articles and stories each leading me to a little more clarity and inspiration. I was led to the overreaching theme of nature, her healing and our connections to all of her lessons. 

This painting was my view while I was up there. It was glorious!

A Superior View                                                                                                                9x12 Oil  $435 purchase here 

Winter Shadows Abstract Winter Landscape Deb Kirkeeide

Winter Shadows

8x6 Oil on panel

©2016 Deb Kirkeeide

Does it count as plein air when it is painted from my window?
How about if I paint with the windows thrown wide open?

This was painted from my studio window during one our recent plunges into the deep freeze this winter. I admit it, I am not a hardy, do or die for my art, type of plein air painter. But I sure do admire those who are dedicated to painting in our Minnesota winters.

This is a bit different in style for me and I like this one.

I was painting at my easel and the winter shadows caught my eye, so I quickly tried to lay down the foundations as the light changed faster than I could mix the paint. I decided I liked the simplicity and spontaneity of it and let it be.

Purchase

Please visit my website and blog for more!

Hill Crest - Landscape Southern MN Plein Air - Deb Kirkeeide

Hill Crest

6x8 oil on linen panel

$165 purchase here

©2015 Deb Kirkeeide

This is another painting from my outing in July. As you can see Minnesota is very green in the summer! I sometimes long for the colors of the west with it's multitude of colors but I confess after spending time in Utah recently with it's dry and very hot conditions, I was happy to see the greens and the multitude of lakes and trees  as we descended into Minneapolis. 

I do love this state.

For more please visit my blog or website 

Plein Air-ing it

"Alexandria"

10 x 8 in

Oil on Canvas

I love long weekends especially at the cabin with family and friends. Sleeping was the number one thing in the agenda and I am happy to say that I succeeded. Second to sleeping was continuing my journey with plein air paintings. As I mentioned in previous post landscapes are not my strong suit, but I do have an admiration for them and enjoy painting them any chance I can. I wanted to try to capture the time of day as fast as I can without having the distraction of putting every hair on a dog.  My goals were to capture the time of day, mood in the painting, and edit my process.

Similar to my previous post, I started with the top left picture with just a quick gesture of the landscape. I only want to capture the essence of the scene and its perspective. The top right picture shows my next step, this stage I only ad the overall tones for each section of the painting. This stage I like to call the "rough" in stage, still going quick to capture the type of light I want, similar to doing gestures but with color. This stage allows me to see how the overall color and mood that will be in the final painting. I want to try to keep close to this palette the further I move away from this stage and closer to the final. The bottom left picture I start to zero in on a section and take it to a finish. I first start with the darker values and move to the lighter values. In this stage I am taking the tree's in the foreground and the tree's in the background to a close finish. Then on the bottom right picture I complete the lake and sky, repeating the same process in working from dark to lighter values.  When all the shapes and values are stated in the painting and close to a finish I can then go around and put the finishing touches. 

Painting on location.

Here is another painting I did when the sun was starting to set the previous day. This was a really quick painting as the clouds were going in and out. The size of this painting is 5 x7 inches, being restricted to that size allows you to go much quicker.

Thank you again for stopping by and viewing. I hope you enjoyed this post and the paintings. Till next time, cheers!

Plein Air Painting

 

Email me if interested in purchasing
"Dust"

9 x 12 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I went up north to Park Rapids, Minnesota for vacation. Every year I go up I always leave saying "I wish I brought my paints with me!", finally I did! I am the first to tell you that painting landscapes have always been a weakness of mine. I do love them I just do not do them enough, maybe once or twice a year I'll get out and paint a landscape. Going to Park Rapids I wanted to change that and at least do a couple landscapes.

Experiencing nature when you're outdoors painting is something that I truly enjoyed. I would recommend everyone to do it as much as they can. With this process I wanted to lay down the tone or mood of the painting right away. After the initial drawing I painted each section with their general tones, not worrying about details just laying in the overall tones. Doing this allows me to see a "rough' draft of how the final will look, it also lets me get the tones down quicker especially for plein air painting. As I stated in my previous post the "rough" in stage does not mean scumbling paint everywhere in a messy way. I am still thinking of smooth transitions, edges and paint quality. At this stage I also keep the paints thin as I will be adding more layers when putting in the smaller forms or "details". Once the "rough" in stage is complete I start section by section in completing the painting, going from darker to lighter forms. I like to make sure each section is to a close finish as I can take it before moving onto the next section. Once all sections are completed I look at the painting as a whole and put the final touches so the painting can be cohesive.

Till next time, cheers!

Lavender Fields Forever - Landscape painting, Deb Kirkeeide

Lavender Fields Forever

12 x 16 Oil
Purchase Here

©2013 Deb Kirkeeide

On my recent trip to San Juan Island, WA we visited a lavender farm. It was beautiful. A nice relaxing spot to enjoy and explore a bit. The fragrant air, the slight buzz from all the bees doing what they do best and the color of the fields. I reaaallly wanted to set up my easel and paint but I didn't have it with me - nor did we have the time to stay. So I took lots of pictures and painted this. I love the colors and the textures in this one.

"Springtime Arrives" encaustic painting by Minnesota Mixed Media Artist Terry Honstead

This 6 x 12 encaustic painting is my forth attempt at using this challenging medium.  I like it, but I do have a lot to learn!  It is totally different from anything I have done before!  I find that a lot of the time, things bleed that I do not want to bleed!  I will keep trying!  I have learned that it is much easier to do when the weather is warm.  On cold days, the wax hardens very quickly!  To see more, check out my website  terry-honstead.artistwebsites.com or send me an email at  honstead@paulbunyan.net

Encaustic #1 landscape painting by Minnesota Mixed Media artist Terry Honstead

This little 5 x 5 encaustic artwork is my very first encaustic painting.  For those of you that do not know what encaustic is, it is painting with a mixture of beeswax and damar resin.  You cook the mixture until it melts and then you get the clear medium.  I also made my own colors out of dry powdered pigment.  That is just one of the ways that you can make the colored wax.  I really enjoyed making it all myself!  This is actually an ancient way of painting that is permanent enough to still have some of it around that was done over 2000 years ago.  If you are interested, look up Fayum Portraits online.  It is all quite fascinating!  Anyway, I am hoping that this is the beginning of something I will really love doing!  If you have any questions, feel free to email me at honstead@paulbunyan.net.

"View From Above", abstract landscape by Minnesota mixed media artist Terry Honstead

This was an abstract landscape painting ( 5 x 7 )that I finished today.  It is from a study that I did from a picture of the Grand Canyon.  It was a new technique influenced by Gustav Klimt.  It was lots of fun to do!  I may do several of these in the near future!  To see more of my work or to purchase, you can go to terry-honstead.artistwebsites.com or email me at honstead@paulbunyan.net.

The Dawning of a New Day Watercolor Landscape by Minnesota Mixed Media artist Terry Honstead

I thought I should post this one more time before I finish it since I had one posted already!  I am still having some trouble with the taking of a lighter picture, but I guess it will be good enough for a work in progress!  I do have a name now and I am happy with it.  The snowshoes will not stay the color that they are right now.  It is just an undercoat. I am hoping that this turns out ok because I plan on putting it in the Artists of Minnesota Spring Show which is held toward the end of April.  It is in St. Cloud this year, and I am looking forward to it.  Since I am president, I will be there and am really looking forward to it!  I still have close to a month before I have to have this done.  If I keep working on it every day, it should be done by then!  Hopefully, I won't mess up because this is it!!  I have already had some problems on the lacing of the snowshoes.  It is just confusing to try to draw what I see, even though I do know what I need to do, it is easy to get messed up!  I am also not very happy with the gold in the snow, but it is pretty hard to get rid of even though it is a transparent color.

Untitled Landscape Watercolor Painting by Minnesota Mixed Media Artist Terry Honstead

Why is it that when you try to photograph a light picture, especially with light blues and grays, it always comes out dull and dingy looking?  I like this painting so far, and I have a long way to go, but I am liking the way the sunrise just glows and the trees look like they were hit by the rising sun.  It is another tribute to my life and family, and is a common sight at my house!  Especially this winter.  Snow is deep here and everyone is getting tired of the cold weather.  Spring cannot come soon enough!  One more thing I should probably say about this painting is that the beige color on the snowshoes is not from painting, but is from a resist that I used to keep those areas from being painted as I did the background.  Instead of a masking fluid from and art store, I used "Tear Mender" which is a lot cheaper and actually lasts longer than the traditional ones.

Apple Lane By Joni Finnegan Minnesota Representational Oil Painter

Title: Apple Lane

this is the time of the year when garden catalogs arrive and we order our seeds and plants for the gardens. We plant them and nourish them with great hopes for the future Years disappear and suddenly they are grown. Apple Lane, years ago this was planted with great care and now it's a lovely apple orchard planted in the valley along side the river against a great rocky outcropping. The road to apple lane is sunkissed as the light travels across the grasses and wildflowers that aline the road. 24 x 30 Studio oil painting on linen created from reference my plein air painting. to view more of my art go to my website for information about this original or canvas giclees in varying sizes contact me directly

"Stormy Night" Landscape by Minnesota Contemporary Mixed Media artist Terry Honstead

This 22 x 28 landscape (or seascape) painting called "Stormy Night"  was an experiment in using black as the background.  I have never painted on black before and this was fun.  A lot different than I expected!  I used a lot of iridescent and interference paints with this and it really made the colors pop on the black background!  You can find more of my work at:http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/terry-honstead.html or email me at:  honstead@paulbunyan.net.

Tuscan Garden Home By Joni Finnegan MN oil Painting Artist

Joni Finnegan Minnesota Representational Oil Paintings Saturday Painting

Blooming flowers and Shrubs create a delightful Garden view of a Tuscan Home. Size 8x10 Oil painting on Artist Panel. To view more of my art visit www.Jonifinnegan.com"> or contact me directly at jfinnridge@gmail.com

"Fall Festival" contemporary landscape painting by Minnesota Mixed Media artist Terry Honstead

I finished it!  I am pretty happy with how it turned out.  I feel that this 30 x 40 landscape painting is bright and colorful and fun which is exactly what I was going for!  I put some shading in today by the bottom of the red layer and to push the front trees closer to the front while pushing the other tress back. I also added some red to the ground and more tree branches.  If you are interested in purchasing this original or as a print, you can go to:  http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/terry-honstead.html or email me at:  honstead@paulbunyan.net.

Oak On The Hill

Oak On The Hill

12 x 12 Oil on Panel
SOLD

©2012 Deb Kirkeeide

This is a painting I did this summer at one of our plein air events. I just have never posted it. I think

I've forgotten to post a few, so there may be more showing up.

For more paintings please visit my website and blog!

"Majestic Beauty" by Terry Honstead

This is a 11 x 14 mixed media piece that was lots of fun to do.  I started with washes and spray painted doilies and it looked so much like branches from a distance that I went with that.  I used tissue paper that I had painted with watercolor on the bottom for a layered look.  I finished off with black acrylic paint which I used to draw the tree.  You can see more at:  http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/terry-honstead.html  or email me at:honstead@paulbunyan.net.

O'Connor House - MN River Arts Plein Air

The O'Connor House

9 x 12 Oil

©2012 Deb Kirkeeide

Another view of the previous house but from the front. I was really drawn to this house and I'm pretty sure it was the color that pulled me in. What with all the green we tend to have all summer, it's nice to see some nice warm color against it.

$350.00 Purchase Here. 

Please visit my blog and website for more paintings.

On the Sunny Side - Minnesota River Arts Plein Air

On The Sunny Side

9 x 12 Oil

©2012 Deb Kirkeeide

Saturday was the culmination of the plein air event at the first annual Minnesota River Arts Fair. This painting is one of two that I entered into the culminating show and competition. It was a brutal

week with the weather being horrendously hot and there were some dedicated painters out there

every day. I admit it, I'm a wimp when it comes to hot weather but I managed to get in 2.25 days during the week. This was painted at the end of the first day. 

The event was held at The Landing – Minnesota River Heritage Park, in Shakopee, MN. This 88-acre living history museum depicts life in the Lower Minnesota River Valley from the 1840s–1890s with authentic 19th-century buildings, demonstrations and a scenic river trail and overlook. It was my first time visiting the park - and I only live 15 miles away! Funny how you never get out to 'site-see' in your own area!

More paintings coming up!

"On The Sunny Side"

$350.00 Purchase Here

Please visit my blog or website for more paintings. 

Sail Away by Terry Honstead

This is a painting that I started a long time ago.  I was not sure how to finish it so it just sat there.  I think I am done with it now.  I added some golds to the sky and water and finished up with my collage leaves.  The land was done before.  I used paint that I had painted on parchment paper and then pealed off to use after it had dried.  It was fun putting the many colors together to form rocks, dirt, and tree stump.  If you are interested, you may reach me at:   honstead@paulbunyan.net.