First Spring Outing

The snow melted quickly this spring, and wildflowers were out weeks early. Cheryl and Michelle were able to take advantage of the opportunity to visit Nerstrand-Big Woods State Park for a painting outing. The weather had been forecast to be 70 degrees, but they woke up to heavy overcast and temperatures in the 40's. It wasn't going to be swimsuit weather! Plein air painters in Minnesota need to be prepared for a variety of weather on any day.

In the park, the forest floor was carpeted with many blooming wildflowers, including hepatica, bloodroot, and Dutchman's breeches. Clumps of green leaves promised more to come, with buds showing on some of the trillium and trout lily. The heavy overcast obliterated all shadows and reduced the landscape to shades of gray, with the flowers keeping themselves closed. It was great to be outside, but the painting opportunities were limited. Cheryl and Michelle set up their easels near a clump of bloodroot and worked on their paintings. It was a day to practice working in narrow value ranges and with limited color, with no paintings to show at the end of the day.

Sometimes a day painting outside, practicing, is its own reward, so that the next painting will be that much better.

We laugh at Winter!

Snow pants - check

Long underwear - check

Mukluks - check

Hats/mittens/hand warmers - check

Swimsuit - check!

Plein air painting in the winter has its own set of joys and challenges. Michelle and Cheryl went painting 30 miles up the Gunflint Trail the first week of March, when it is still winter in northern Minnesota. Fresh snow blanketed the area and presented a smorgasbord of scenes to paint. The painters chose to set up by a small river which had started to open. While they painted, it got warmer and warmer. Off with the hat...off with the jacket...off with the snow pants. Still too warm!

We laugh at winter,now you can laugh at us!

Plein Air Painting in Every Season

New paintings and some familiar will be exhibited in Grand Marais at the Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery. This beautiful log building is the perfect backdrop for scenes painted outdoors, "en plein air", in all seasons. The Grand Marais area offers plenty to do, and they have snow! Come up and enjoy the show. We look forward to seeing you!

World Wide Paintout

International Plein Air Painters Worldwide sponsored a worldwide paint out September 9-11, 2011. Painters from all over the world took part! PALS was pleased to be able to participate. Cheryl and Michelle painted Friday evening, enjoying unseasonably warm temperatures and meeting some of the local students out in the neighborhood for the evening. Lisa arranged for the group to paint the following day at a small pond in a busy shopping area. Local shoppers had a chance to see plein air artists at work! Thank you, Jay for taking the photos!

Grand Marais Plein Air Competition 2011

It was another fine evening for PALS painters Michelle Wegler, Lisa Stauffer and Cheryl LeClair Sommer at the Artists' Reception for the exhibit of paintings created during the plein air event. 44 artists submitted paintings for the show. The event was so well attended, the food was gone in 20 minutes! The crowd was enthusiastic and seemed to really enjoy seeing the art and meeting the artists.

Michelle was awarded First Place in the Night Paint category. The new owner of the painting will be able to add that to her memories of the purchase of this painting. She and her husband are also now the proud owners of not only that painting, but of Cheryl's also. Michelle and Cheryl painted together for the night paint, and the two paintings make a beautiful set.

Lisa was awarded People's Choice for her painting.

Thank you to all who attended and made the evening so enjoyable.

PALS go to the Grand Marais Plein Air Painting Competition

Come to beautiful Grand Marais and

enjoy painters while they paint outside during the Grand Marais Plein Air Painting Competition. This will be the third year for PALS, and one or more of us has won awards at the event each year. Who will it be this year?

One View, Three Visions Reception

Not knowing a soul in Wausau, it was with some anxiety that we set off for the opening reception for our most recent exhibit of One View, Three Visions at the Center for Visual Arts. It turned out to be a pleasant surprise for us! We were barely in the door of the beautiful gallery taking off our jackets and the people started coming in. All evening long we were pleased to enjoy the company of dozens of viewers. And they enjoyed the paintings! Live music, food and beverages added to the festivities.

The excitement about the paintings was evident in talking with the viewers at the reception. One of the most interesting aspects of the paintings was the fact the they are in groups of three, one by each of the PALS painters, and that we each paint the same scene at the same time. Outside. In all weather. Sometimes it is obvious that the scene was the same one in each painting, but other times the unique view of the artist comes through.

The exhibit is open for viewing through April 24, 2011. Enjoy fresh new paintings to bring new life to the new spring season.

PALS Exhibit in Wausau, WI

Plein Air Lake Superior (PALS) presents their newest exhibit of paintings:

“One View, Three Visions” includes work that focuses on working outdoors interpreting the landscape. Outdoor work produces paintings that highlight the immediate response and approach of each artist to the mood of the scene, revealing three unique perspectives.

Outdoor work is done year round throughout Minnesota, in all weather conditions! Pastel is workable in heat, cold, snow, and in rain when sheltered from direct precipitation. Studies are sometimes used to create larger studio pieces.

Exhibit reception Friday March 11, 2011 at the

Center for Visual Arts.

Best of Show

PALS is pleased to announce:

I won my first "Best of Show" at the St. Paul Winter Carnival Art Exhibit on Wednesday. There were six judges who use different mediums and one has art in the Walker. So I felt good that artists who enjoy abstract/contemporary art also picked my piece. "AA Market, Open 7 Days Week", 12" x 9", oil on linen panel, 2011.

Cheryl LeClair Sommer

Reception at the Larson Gallery

What a beautiful gallery! The Larson Gallery on the St. Paul Campus of the U of M was the most recent site for our traveling exhibit "One View, Three Visions." I had not been to the gallery before, and was most pleased. The paintings were well displayed and viewers seemed to enjoy them. We received many positive comments, and several paintings now have new homes. We look forward to painting more for our next exhibit in Wausau, WI in 2011.

Painting at the Apple Festival

As members of the Lake Country Pastel Society we painted at the Gibbs Farm Museum in August as a part of a class we were in. The farm is very interesting, with it's prairie, old buildings, and animals, giving us an abundance of subject matter. The museum director asked us to return to paint during their Apple Festival, and to exhibit finished paintings from class. We were thrilled to accept their offer! The weekend turned out to have perfect fall weather, and there was a big turn out. We painted, learned more about apples, informed people about the art of pastel painting, and were pleased to have some happy customers purchase paintings from the exhibit.

Grand Marais Plein Air Event

We were part of a group of 41 artists who painted outside all week and entered our paintings at this annual event.

One of the categories was a painting completed at night. All three of our paintings were displayed together during the show.

Lisa and Michelle won the top pastel awards! Here is Michelle with the third place award winning painting in the pastels.

Summer Exhibits

Beautiful landscape paintings celebrate the natural world around us. We are blessed with lakes and trees and PALS gets outside in all seasons to bring you these paintings.

You are invited to join me and my painting PALS (Plein Air Lake Superior) to celebrate art exhibits.

Come visit with us and enjoy the paintings.

We will be at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Sunday June 27, 1:00-4:00. The wildlife refuge is a much under-appreciated treasure nestled amongst the strip malls and hotels of Bloomington. Bring your binoculars and walking shoes! The paintings will be exhibited until August 8.

Aug 9 - Aug 27: ArtReach St Croix, artist reception Aug 20, 6:00-9:00.

An Exhibit and an Interview

Lisa and I exhibit yearly at a local coffee shop. It's a way to have our paintings easy to enjoy by people who may not otherwise get a chance to see them. And you never know who will see them. This year we were contacted by a local college student asking to do interviews about being artists. We each spent time with her, asking and answering questions. Here is the resulting article: http://www.d.umn.edu/writ/jour/lakevoice/?p=1938

Winter Paint Out Paintings

Finished paintings from the paint-out week end. Looking at them brings back the memories of a beautiful evening.

Winter Paint Out and Camp!

When the Grand Marais Art Colony announced a winter camp and paint out, we signed up! Paint all day, stay at the lovely Camp Menogyn on West Bearskin Lake, have meals prepared and served, and paint at night too, with fellow artists from the art colony! What a deal! Sadly, Lisa got sick and was unable to join us. But her husband, Jay, was able to make it, and was kind enough to be our photographer between his shoots of the landscape.

The weather was fabulous while we were there, allowing Cheryl and Michelle to stay out all day, coming inside only when the meal bell rang. Painting under the full moon was an especially memorable experience. We look forward to camp again next year.

Ancient Rocks

Artists Point rocky outcropping is a favorite place to paint, especially in summer (hence the name!). We can enjoy the warm sun plus the cool breeze off the water. There is plenty of room to set up easels, and there is an ever changing pattern of pools on the rocks. The water changes in color throughout the day, contrasting with the permanence of the rocks, adding to the challenge of painting.

Cascade State Park Trees

Cascade State park was one of our stops during the week long painting intensive last summer. The park is named after the impressive waterfalls cascading over the rocks, but equally impressive is the stand of trees at the mouth of the river as it enters Lake Superior. The deepest part of the woods is barely penetrated by sunlight and smells of cedar, openings in the canopy add sparkle to the understory, and trees stand guard along the beach: a smorgasbord of painting delights!

Long Lake Cattail Pond

This cattail pond is in a park we frequently paint at. The pond is a favorite subject and we have painted it in many seasons-it always looks different and has something exciting to interest us. Plus there are bathrooms nearby and even a picnic area for us to have our lunch in the nice weather.

Midwest Seasons Art Exhibit

Lisa and I were honored to have paintings accepted into the Midwest Seasons Art Exhibit at the Center for Visual Arts in Wausau, WI. Our paintings were well received by the viewers at the event. Many commented on how well our two pieces looked together! They would look great hanging together in someone's home or office.

Lisa's painting "Winter Birch" won an honorable mention award. I was fortunate to be able to attend the Gallery Gala on opening night, meet artists and art enthusiasts, and pick up Lisa's award for her.