Original work from my time at Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center
July-August 2025
Recently I had the honor of participating in a 10-day Artist in Residency program sponsored by the Gunflint Trail Historical Society. I stayed at a private cabin overlooking a bay of Saganaga Lake near the very end of the Gunflint Trail, 57 miles from Grand Marais, Minnesota.
I was treated with such kindness and generosity by this beautiful community. There is a pride of place here accompanied by a sense of responsibility to share and preserve the ecology and history of this area.
In this post I am sharing my first series of paintings that came from my artist in residency experience. There are more images in the works currently living inside my head. As it’s the end of August now, in two days I will be diving back into my 31st year as a teacher. How lucky I have been to indulge in creative pursuits for an entire summer.
As time allows, I intend to share updated versions of each painting accompanied by the story behind it.
And without further preamble…here are the images!
blueberry hill came about from a very quickly painted plein air work at the top of the hiking trail by the same name on the Chik-Wauk land. The painting above was done in my studio at home, using my little (5×7″) plein air painting as a reference. The photos I took from that hike were not adequate as references. Nothing but the eyes (through a bug net) could process all the layers of hills through the smoky haze.
