Time Is Flying!

Hi all!
I just can't believe it has been so long since I updated my blog. Forgive me. We have been on the run like many of you. Had a wonderful time on Mackinac Island for a couple of days and have also been to Elk Rapids and Sugatuck, Michigan. We are currently camping a few miles from our home. We have been here for two weeks almost a necessity to get a decent campsite. In the two weeks here, we have dodging severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. I LOVE thunder storms, but not in a motorhome! Unfortunately, last week one man was killed in a campground not far from here after his motorhome was thrown into a tree, I believe. One night while sitting here, the tornado siren went off, the wind rocked the motorhome and the power went out. I looked at my husband and said "get me out of here!!!!" Unfortunately, we only had our little ranger pickup truck with us. He threw our two golden retrievers in the front seat with us (it only seats two) and struggled to drive home as our dog kept on throwing the truck out of gear by running into the stick shift. It seems funny now, but at the time quite scary.

I have been working on several pieces, but wanted to share this one with you. It is called Blessing of the Animals. This is a ceremony that takes place once a year on Mackinac Island during Lilac Festival. I couldn't resist painting these two darling girls having their dog blessed by the minister. Notice he wears gloves. He also blessed turtles and horses.

This weekend we are having our kids and their boyfriends/girlfriends out for a cookout and fireworks show put on by the campground. Hope the weather cooperates.
Happy 4th of July to everyone and stay safe.
Till next time,

Mackinac Island Bound

My husband and I are busy packing up the motorhome for a trip to Mackinac Island. We will be camping on the mainland and day tripping to the island. I will be painting outside at Victorian Summer Gallery on Saturday from 12 noon to 4pm. If you are in the area, please stop by and say hi. Look forward to seeing you there!
Till next time,

Painting At Twisted Fish

Yesterday my husband and I took a drive up to Elk Rapids, just North of Traverse City, to paint on the porch at the Twisted Fish Gallery. Two times a year the galleries of Elk Rapids have Art Beat. This is a fun Saturday gallery crawl where everyone who visits each gallery can win some really nice prizes and meet and greet artists. Well, I hate having my picture taken, but the one above is me on the porch with Bob, the gallery owner. Bob and his staff always make us feel so welcome, it is a pleasure to visit them! I had a great time yesterday and met many collectors of my work. One group of lovely ladies took pictures with me. I felt like a rock star!
On the way home we ran into steady downpours. Later we learned there were tornado watches throughout the areas we drove through.

I just finished painting this black and white beauty today. I call it Cow Attitude. This piece is acrylic and measures 3-1/2" x 2-1/2". I don't often do animals, so this was a great break from buildings.

Later this week we will be on the road again camping in Mackinaw City and visiting Mackinac Island to paint and take photos. Ahhhhhh, the kids and dogs are staying behind. Can't wait!

Till next time,

From Freezing To Frying

Has it really been over three weeks since I checked in? The calendar doesn't lie. It is amazing how time does fly. One minute I am complaining about late season snow and the next I am frying at a campground!
Although we have been away camping, I have been painting every day. It is a bit of a challenge in the heat and wind. I have worked on several painting and completed two that I have shown in this post. Below is my husband, who was not crazy about being included in my blog. We love to have a campfire every night and as you can see, our dogs also love it! Over the weekend we had both our kids and their girlfriends/boyfriends for a cookout. I would have taken pictures but it poured with rain about the time they all showed up. Isn't that the way it goes. We had a good time anyway as we all shoved together into the RV.
The painting below is called Beyond Mission Church. Mission Church is on Mackinac Island and it is listed as the oldest church in Michigan. Many weddings take place there every year. This piece is acrylic and measures 3-1/2" x 2-1/2"

The next painting is also acrylic and the same size. This painting is of the parsonage where the minister of Little Stone Church lives. Land and privacy are at a premium on the island, and as a result many residents have privacy shrubs and gates. I have always been fascinated by this house and garden and even more so after meeting Molly, the ministers wife. She is a lovely person and we had a wonderful chat last year when I painted in front of the gallery. Hope to talk to her again this year For those in the Michigan area, I will be painting at Twisted Fish Gallery in Elk Rapids, from 3:00 PM to 5:30 pm on Saturday. If you are in the area, please stop by and say hi!

Well, I need to continue to unpack the RV as we just got home a couple of hours ago.

Till next time,

Freezing On Mackinac Island

Thought I would show one of my latest paintings that I delivered to the island on Friday. This is a well loved Indian chief who is affectionately called Duck. He is a well known figure who officiates at all the parades. This painting is 4 inches by 4 inches and is painted with acrylic on ampersand gessoboard. I had a lot of fun with this piece and am considering painting some of the reinactments at Fort Mackinac.
Friday, my husband and I made our first trip to Mackinac Island for the season. The weather was horrible. The ferry ride wasn't too bad considering the windy conditions but for some reason the coast guard was sitting outside the harbor-hmmm. We walked up to Lilacs and Lace, another store owned by Jack, the gallery owner. He has just expanded his store and gave us a tour. On the way over to Victorian Summer Gallery, about two blocks away, we observed some of the horses returning to the island.

This was the best photo I could get as these big boys were moving at a fast pace. They had just taken a ferry ride from the upper peninsula and were spooking out at every noise! Just before I took this shot we had to scatter as one horse actually jumped up onto the sidewalk and almost took out the trash container in the picture. The island in season has over a hundred horses that are used for everything from taxis, trash pick up even UPS deliveries. No cars are allowed on the island.

The gallery is not open for business yet this year and looks a little bare without all the flowers in planter boxes that will be present soon. I was so busy talking with the people in the gallery I forgot to take any pictures. I get engrossed in conversation!

After leaving the gallery we walked up to the Grand Hotel to see the tulips that are on display every spring. It was so cold that every one of them was completed closed up! I can't blame them. We quickly walked back downtown and parked ourselves in one of the restaurants for lunch. We waited as long as possible before walking down to the boat docks. The weather forecast called for 2-4 inches of snow on the island.

Hopefully it will be warmer when we return next month.

Till next time,

New Works

Just wanted to share my latest pieces completed this week. The above painting is West Bluff on Mackinac Island. The building on the right, is the Grand Hotel. The buildings on the left are some of the beautiful mansions on the bluff. This piece is acrylic and is 3-1/2" x 2-1/2"

Little Stone Church is a wonderful building with three stained glass windows in the front. I think in the future I may paint the windows from the inside! This piece is also in acrylic, same size as the first.

This final piece is greatly blown up as the original is only 1-1/4" square. I call it Pop Art Pansy.

I have several pieces partially complete and hope to post them soon.

Till next time,

Gail

Getting Ready

Been a busy week in the studio painting and getting ready to mat and frames 30 pieces to deliver to Mackinac Island! I am looking forward to our first trip to the island sometime after May 1st, when the ferry begins to run from the lower peninsula. Last year we traveled to the island on the first day of the official ferry season. It was a sunny brisk day on the island. It is always interesting to visit early in the season as the tourists don't arrive till month end. It is fun to walk around and see all the carpenters and painters busy working to get businesses reopened for the season. Sidewalks are stacked with delivery boxes and the street strewn with horse drawn wagons full of demolition materials waiting to be carted away. That time of year the Grand Hotel has all their flower beds planted in pansies, about the only flower hearty enough to withstand the cold. As you walk away from the downtown area, the streets are deserted. It is a great time to takes reference pictures as I won't have to paint the people out!!!
My latest piece, is called Garden With A View, acrylic and is 3-1/2" x 2-1/2". This garden really does have a view as the water in the background is Lake Huron and beyond is a view of the Mackinac Bridge connecting the upper and lower peninsula. It is a place on the island I photograph quite often with the changing of the seasons.
Till next time,
Gail

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