A sitting duck

Sittin' in the Mornin' Sun (c)2018 11.5x10.25 graphite pencil

A few years ago my sister and one of my best friends flew to WI to attend Barbara Jaenicke's pastel workshop at the beautiful Dillman's Bay Resort in Northern WI!

While slowly making my way to class one morning from our cute little log cabin I spotted a funny looking duck out on the pier in front of the classrooms. I had never seen a duck like this before, so my attention quickly diverted over towards her and with camera in hand I sat with her for quite awhile, missing out on part of the morning session...leaving my friend and sister wondering what had happened to me in such a short distance!

At the very end of December 2017 I started to draw Myrtle the female Merganser from WI, trying to get her complete in between commissions with a deadline in my head of April 15th. Not for tax day of course...but to enter her in the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum's Birds in Art Exhibition. 

You see, I use to live about half an hour away in Plover WI so this was a pretty big deal even then. In 1994 I was even invited by a friend who's air brush painting juried into the show, to the closed artist reception, meeting in person Robert Bateman, Carl Brenders, Richard Sloan, just to name a few of the master artists there! Ever since that exhibition, I had always wanted to enter a piece of art in it but was too intimidated to even try. That is until now!!

Now I feel I am skilled enough, experienced enough, and feel worthy enough to be in the same exhibition as the great wildlife masters I have admired and been SO inspired by through the years. So I tried, and if I don't get in I am ok with that as at least I finally mustered up the courage to go for it this year. Next year I will be even more confident and ready to enter again!!

**stay tuned for my next post about how I designed and composed my drawing of Myrtle**

But these are days...

...we dream about, when the sunlight paints us gold. 

~Bright Eyes-The Difference in the Shades~

I took a really good and fun pastel workshop with Barbara Jaenicke at Dillman's Bay Resort in Northern Wisconsin with my sister and dearest girlfriend. Despite the lack of pastels absolutely needed for the class, which caused me a lot of frustration, I just really learned soo much!! For now I am not going to pursue pastel landscape painting but I can apply a lot of what I learned to my colored pencil drawings. And maybe down the road I can dive deeper into pastels when I have more time. But the workshop wasn't the only aspect of this trip I was looking forward to, Dillman's was just SO beautiful and the owners super nice and accommodating...a really old fashion enjoyable place!! I was also there to be with my family and friends as well. A super memorable vacation that included all my favorite things. I will definitely go back again!!