Yes, I was just itching to get out and do a plein air! It’s been a very long winter here. Big ice storm at the end knocked out power to much of northern Michigan for days. Winter is a great time to paint still lifes in a nice, warm studio, but there’s nothing like going outside to paint on location! This afternoon I set up my easel along the section of Guyer Creek that runs in back of my studio. Lots of trees down, but it’s a swamp — and many of them were already dead from the emerald ash borer. Pretty quiet and peaceful out there. I heard a few robins, chickadees and an occasional sandhill crane. No frogs yet. A big fish rushed past, heading upstream. A trout, maybe? And beavers have been moving in this past year, much to everybody’s annoyance.
Using profits from art sales last year, I had some wood walkways constructed and a couple decks overlooking the stream. The ground out there is quite soupy and uneven, littered with countless fallen logs. The grass grows 6 – 7 feet high out there in the summer! If it wasn’t for the walkway, I’d find it next to impossible to get out there. I’ve also been planting native wetland shrubs, flowers and trees as much as possible.
This deck has really come in handy!
And here’s today’s finished piece:
Margie Guyot Art 