Reflecting On The Porch

This has been an especially busy week at our house. My husband has been dealing with a sick dog (seems she is allergic to some sort of bite) and a sick horse. The horse has cancer that is localized and the prognosis is good. It has required a couple of trips this week to Michigan State Vet Hospital, however. I have been holding down the fort and painting like crazy. How fitting that I should paint a piece having to do with reflecting. As the saying goes, a bad day in my studio is better than the best day I ever had when I worked full time. It makes all of the craziness of this week easy to put into perspective. I have the added bonus of being able to excape to a beautiful island when I paint. In my mind, I am there!!! Happy Labor Day everyone.

Mackinac Island-No Fudgies allowed

Last Wednesday my husband and I made a quick trip to the island to paint on Thursday in front of Victorian Summer Gallery. Wednesday was a gorgeous day spent taking reference pictures. Mackinac Island is a very tight knit community. The more time I spend there, the more accepted I am. That acceptance enables me to explore new areas not open to the general public,called fudgies, by the residents of the island. This trip I was invited to explore Father Tim's gorgeous lakeside garden. Father Tim is priest at St. Anne's historic church where many brides choose to be married. I also met Molly Carroll, wife of the pastor of The Little Stone Church, another historic and popular wedding site. Molly also is an avid gardener and invited me to shoot her garden whenever in town. The gardens on the island are exceptional this year due to the wetter and cooler weather in Michigan this year. I know what I will be painting when the snow comes! Thursday, I painted outside with one of my favorite artists Bill Murcko. Bill does incredible portraits in oil and I always learn something new when I am with him. Our painting was interrupted mid afternoon by showers. It really felt like a fall day in Michigan. Got a craving for chili and football games! We said our goodbyes and headed to the ferry. After a 20 minute ferry ride and 4 hour car ride, we were home.

My View

This is the view from my studio window. I am very fortunate to be able to experience the seasons and serenity on a daily basis. Most days it is quiet. Sometimes I hear the laughter of kids out on the swim platform. Before I know it, I will be seeing yellow and orange leaves, and finally snow. The only thing that doesn't change is my love of miniature art.
I began painting in miniature about 14 years ago after discovering a wonderful German woman at the Germany pavilion at Disney World painting scenes on eggs. I became fascinated with art in miniature and have been ever since. I thought it would be easy to paint in miniature, but quickly discovered it is much harder (in my humble opinion) than painting large. Not any room for error and the fatigue factor hits quite quickly. On a typical day I can paint for about 6 hours. After that point my eyes are shot.
If you are ever in my area call or e-mail me for a visit of my view.
till next time,
Gail

Up North Adventures

My husband and I left home Thursday morning to driving rain, driving in our motorhome. Traffic was horrible. Several times we had to panic stop-not an easy thing in a motorhome. Thankfully, we arrived in Elk Rapids, just north of Traverse City without any issues. As you can see from the photo, the day ended up being beautiful. Twisted Fish Gallery is a wonderful place with a beautiful garden full of sculpture. My husband collected seeds from Lupins? Charlie has a wonderful garden.


Late in the day we drove up to Mackinaw City to camp for the weekend. We had a campsite not far from Lake Huron, a beautiful site.


Friday we took the ferry over to Mackinac Island and spent the day touring stables owned by the wealthy "cottage owners" on the West Bluff. Several owners were gratious enough to give the tours personally and tell of the rich history of their houses and stables. We later sat up on the porch of the Grand Hotel and had a glass of wine and looked out over the Straits of Mackinac conecting Lake Huron with Lake Michigan. The day turned rainy, but we perservered and watched a parade of antique carriages down main street (no cars are allowed on the island).




Saturday was a special treat for my husband and I as we were invited to Bill Murcko's studio and home on the East bluff of Mackinac Island. Bill spends summer on the island and has a winter home outside of Detroit. He is very active with the Detroit Institute of Arts. Bill retired a couple of years ago and specializes in portraits in oil. He has very quickly excelled and is painting a new series for his second one-man shows in Washington D.C. One of his latest works in progress is on the easel next to Bill. Hope it wasn't a secret!!! Bill and his wife Betty were very gracious and gave us a tour of their gardens and view of Lake Huron from the bluff where their house sits. Betty, I discovered works with bats and has a huge bat house in their yard. I relayed the story of how we had to go through rabies shots because we discovered a bat in our bedroom. I know they do a lot of good getting rid of bugs, but I must admit I am a bit afraid of them!
We also visited with Mary Lou Peters who was the featured artist at Victorian Summer Gallery. Mary Lou lives in Mackinaw City and commutes quite often to the island. We had a wonderful time visiting outside while the tourists passed by.
We arrived home on Sunday and I am back to work painting.
till next time,
Gail

Heading Up North

I just completed the above painting entitled Evening on the Boardwalk. This painting is available for purchase at Victorian Summer Gallery, Mackinac Island. Next Thursday, I will be painting on the porch at The Twisted Fish Gallery, Elk Rapids, Michigan-another fine gallery in Michigan. Please join me if you are in the area-would love to meet you from 12p.m. to 4 p.m. From there, my husband and I are taking our motorhome up to Mackinaw City to camp and take day trips over to the island. Next Friday and Saturday the island 4-H group is hosting the first annual Festival of the Horse. According to the schedule, many Mackinac residences will be showing off their antique carriages and amazing horses. It is definately a photo-op. Can't wait. Till next time.

Gail

Victorian Summer Gallery

Today I shipped 3 new paintings to Victorian Summer Gallery on Mackinac Island. Mackinac is beautiful and an unending inspiration to paint. It is well worth the ferry ride to visit! Victorian Summer Gallery is located at the corner of Caddott and Market Street, on the way to the Grand Hotel, pictured in the painting above. When you stop there, say hi to Jack, owner of the gallery. He is a great guy who will take the time to educate his customers on all his artists. And tell him, Yes Jack, Gail is painting.

Happy 4th of July!

I hope everyone is having a joyful 4th of July. Please take a moment to remember what this day means to all of us!
We are taking a well deserved day off from painting and house duties. We are currently camping for a couple of days. Fireworks begin at dusk at the campground with front row seats.