The Delicatessen

 The Delicatessen 8x8 acrylic on a cradled archival panel

I found a photograph of an old Milwaukee deli in my box of  “inspirations”. When I looked at the photograph I could almost smell the pastrami, cheeses and earthy spices that filled the market. When I was growing up we had corner markets in almost every larger neighborhood. The market owners were colorful, hard working characters who often lived above their shops. A trip to the corner market was a trip to the home country of  an immigrant family. Bratwurst, summer sausage, kraut, ring bologna, head cheese, farmers cheese...these were the items one such merchant sold, Chappie was an institution in his shop.

 In other communities the goods might be Italian, or Jewish, Middle Eastern or Soul food , they were  always a reflection of the community they served.

We are a melting pot here in America. I treasure the unique heritage and gifts that each part of that “pot” brings to our collective culture. Food, unites us and educates us. Briney pickles, sour cabbage, hot pastrami and sharp cheese in a deli sandwich is more than a good bite to eat, it’s a taste of the American immigrant experience. It’s a delicious trip around our world. 

Mending the Nets

Mending the Nets 8x8 Acrylic on a cradled archival panel

Waterfront, seascape, fishing, harbor, landscape, impressionist

For as long as I can recall, I’ve had a love affair with the small  harbor towns along the Great Lakes. Untouched and ungentrified waterfront communities are getting harder and harder to find. Over the years fishing ports such as Port Washington, Gills Rock, Baileys Harbor, Grand Marais, and many more have succumbed to real estate “improvements”. If  I’m not painting my impression of a straight landscape I tend to seek nitty gritty and behind the scene places that are authentic to the history of a community.
I’ve had the privilege of teaching several  plein air painting workshops in the quirky, touristy harbor town of Grand Marais, Minnesota. You get a feeling for the place as you drive into town and along the way see moose crossing signs! Behind the local fish shop, right on the man drag leading into  town there still is  a somewhat ramshackle fishing dock.   This is my impression of that spot. I often use the reality of a scene to tap into the feeling of the place as it might have been years ago. The essence of a place is sometimes best summed up by it’s past.

Sante Fe Suns

Sante Fe Suns, 8x8 acrylic on a cradled archival panel

Sunflowers, Southwest, landscape, flowers , historic, adobe

The grasses here are brown and our trees are bare with the slightest touch of red ( predicting the budding of springtime).  Often  the sky is the peculiar color of a March river - gray. So, this is the time of year when I get hungry for color, particularly the warm notes of summer.
Yesterday I picked over some of the photographs I keep in a shoe box. They are a motley group. I’ve used them for many workshops that are waylaid to the art studio when the weather does not cooperate during a plein air workshop. The photos aren’t particularly stunning either. But they do each hold a memory of a place or time that is etched in my mind.
This painting is a portrait of a tangled plot of sunflowers and hollyhocks that I photographed on a trip to Sante Fe. It was a behind the scene kind of spot away from the tourist traps and the overly “done’ areas along Canyon Road.  My recollection is of a brilliant day,  a warm patch of  sunshine and of a spectacular meal at a towny diner. All of this was triggered by a snap shot.

Egg Cetera!

Egg Cetera! 8x8 acrylic on an archival panel

Eggs, still life Impressionism, rural life

I have been an oil painter for most of my career. I love the mediums’ translucency and malleability. However, the linseed oil component of many oil paints and the solvents and traditional oil mediums have become irritants triggering some problems for me. So, I’ve been on a mission to find alternatives. Acylic  paints have most of the qualities I’ve been looking for. I appreciate the nontoxic mediums, the easy water clean up and the opportunities that acrylics provide in terms of layering and quick drying times. There is a “ but” though , painted hard and soft edges and transparency have been difficult characteristics of oil paint to translate to acrylics.
I’ve been experimenting with absorbent and resistant grounds, many acrylic mediums and  quite a few different manufacturers paints. This small painting has the painterly qualities that I enjoy.  For me , It is always the why of a painting that surpasses the how. So, I am learning to appreciate acrylic paints for what they are; exciting, frustrating at times, graphic, and often sensitive.
The subject of this daily painting came in a quiet moment,when I was thinking about Easter and the new grandchild that we will be welcoming this summer. It’s a celebration and a tribute to life.

The Music of Spring

The Music of Spring

Landscape, Impressionist, winter , snow, water,

We recently spent a few days “north of Highway 64” at our small up north cottage. The amount of snow remaining was a huge surprise. The spring melt brought the sound of running, dripping and splashing water everywhere. When we drove into town for supplies we explored the countryside in the state forest.  I admired the small openings in the woods where ephemeral streams gurgled and flowed midst the slushy banks of snow. I took a photo and stored the image in my minds eye for another day.
Whenever I work from a photograph as a reference for a painting I use it for basic shapes and values. Then, when my subject is loosely blocked in, I put the photo away. The photograph is nothing more than a starting point, it’s the idea that matters. Here’s to Spring!

The Green House

The Green House 8x8 acrylic on a cradled panel

Landscape, cityscape, architecture,winter

I went to my studio today and I wondered at the lack of snow. In Green Bay we’ve moved from snow mountains, to river flooding, to puddles and now to spring!  This painting, however, is not about springtime. It’s about a neighborhood and its resilience.
This winter I often admired this quaint street and it’s older homes. The neighborhood itself surrounds old downtown De Pere and is located very close to my studio. It reminds me of some of the established neighborhoods in my hometown. The bungalows, four-square and story-and a-half -homes  speak to me.  I have a few photographs of this Superior Street view. It's the small teal-green house that always catches my eye. Even tho the snow has melted, today I was inspired to paint the story of this little green house in winter.
When I paint, I exaggerate, I minimize, I change colors, I do what it seems the painting and I need to do to get the job done. My job or goal is to find meaning in the small pleasures that life provides and to tell a short story in paint for you , the viewer to finish.

The Bridge

Cityscape,     The Bridge , size 12 x16 ,  medium oil on gesso board panel

I’ve been drawn to the subject of bridges throughout my career. They serve as metaphor for connections  and passages and change. This bridge over the Fox River in Green Bay connects east and west sides of the city. It’s a busy hub of traffic and commerce. The River it rises above has it’s own connection to the history of this city from a time long before white settlers and French trappers discovered it’s nature and flow. As it has happened in many big cities, industry has used and abused the River. Slowly, slowly the Fox is regaining her health. This field study painting is about the movement of time (and the River)  from here to there.
The Bridge 12x16 oil

In the Pink -Olay!

In the Pink - Olay! 8x8 acrylic on an archival panel

Whimsical, impressionist, still-life, pink , mom

When I think of my mom, I remember a beautiful woman who cared about her family and her appearance til her dying day. We were a family of huggers. I never throughout my childhood went to bed without hearing “I love you” from my parents. The nighttime hugs always carried a scent as well. Mom’s pink beauty fluid, smelled of perfume, or  perhaps flowers.
Like music, or color,  a scent can trigger a profound memory.
Yesterday we stopped in our local drug store and the red lipsticks and rows of moisturizers lead to a purchase. Mom loved red lipstick. As she aged she went through them like crazy and I remember being grateful that a small  gift of “cherry bomb”, “ravishing red” or “truly rose” could ease her day and mine.
Like most paintings, mine tell stories. This is my valentine to mom. Ole, sweet Irene!

Yellow Sky

Yellow Sky 8x8 acrylic on an archival panel

Landscape, farm, rural, Wisconsin, yellow

I went out chasing a painting the other day. I loaded up my small painting gear, brought water, warm clothes and a desire to paint outside. It didn’t happen. Everywhere we travelled we were met by huge snow piles, ice, pot holes the size of manhole overs and nowhere to park !  Catching a painting on location is sometimes like fishing -lots of bites no catch.
Frustrating as it was, it was also fun and inspiring to soak in the sights along our route. At one point, the sky above us took on a yellow cast and a memory was set in place. Memory is often my best resource for a painting - the absolute essentials stick and the “small stuff” slips away.
I like the effect of an unusual light in the sky. In this case it seemed to foretell the rain and melting event that began much later that night.
This little study seems to be a harbinger of spring -coming in surprising ways this season. www.bonnieparuch.com  on Daily Paintworks.

Feeling Peachy!

Feeling Peachy! 8x8 acrylic on an archival panel

Still life, flowers, interior, impressionist

I love to bring fresh flowers into the house, especially during these dreary winter months when beautiful color is at a premium. The peach colored roses were a surprise in the market display of flowers. That surprising color simply made me feel happy. The orangey-red of the blossoms also set the Tone for the color harmony in the painting. Greeny-blues and orangey-reds do like to dance with each other. The vase is actually a solid pottery one, but the bouquet seemed to need a different lighter support. Choosing to paint what I want to see often takes priority when I paint from life or memory or photographs. The truth is that the first marks on the “canvas” will influence those that come next. A willingness to “let go” and to work with a feeling of openness is essential.

The Purves

The Purves Fireboat  12x12 oil on archival panel

Maritime, Boats, lake shore, impressionist

The old fishing and working boats along Lake Michigan never fail to inspire me with their unique histories and personalities. A trip to the Maritime Museum in  Sturgeon Bay was enhanced by the old fire boat anchored nearby. I happened upon it on on stormy day, characteristic of the moods of Lake Michigan in November.
I was intrigued by the abstract shapes that the wheel house and massive bow presented against a stormy evening sky. The light in the boat seemed to be the only warmth to be found. I enjoyed placing the suggestion of figures working on  the boat within the lit spaces.
I would characterize this painted as a portrait of both the boat and the folks whose lives have been connected to it. It is my desire to tell a story when I paint along the lakeshore. This old boat is an old friend.

The Summer of Roses

The Summer of Roses 8x8 oil on archival panel

Garden, landscape, floral, flowers , red, impressionist

My aunt Johanna never called me by my given name. Instead she called me Rose. My aunt Rosie, was a big influence in my dad’s life  and I believe she was the reason my middle name is Rose. My sister Judy, loved roses and following her death one in her yard bloomed beautifully.
Roses are often  a subject approached by artists. They signify love, fragility, the lushness of nature, bereavement and life among many other sentiments.
This little daily painting came to me in the middle of winter. It came like a little prayer for warmth, and family and love.
Artwork is really not about technical skill it’s about life. Available www.bonnieparuch  www.Daily Paintworks.com

Foggy Day

Foggy Day 8x8 oil on archival panel

Landscape,seashore,mood,impressionist

There are times when the subject of one of my paintings is the atmosphere of a day verses the reality of the day itself. Memory will definitely become the driving force in a painting such as this. Color and edges become the vehicle for suggestion and it is the suggestion of reality that often interests me the most.  Impressionism laid a foundation for exploring light, weather, and the variety of interiors, exteriors and experiences that enliven our lives. This painting explores the idea of a foggy day at the seaside. The figures add a sense of life and scale , anchoring an almost totally abstract piece.
Available www.bonnieparuch.com on Daily Paintworks.

The Tale of the Wayward Tangent

The Little Red Coop. 8x8 oil on a archival panel

We used to raise chickens and sheep on the six acres we once owned in Northern Door County. Some folks buy a car as their mid-life crisis. I built a coop.
This little painting is my nod to that past adventure. When we got our flock of twelve chickens, they came in the mail. I remember picking up a box at the post office that was peeping, much to the surprise of the postal worker behind the counter! Our neighbors were enlisted to help name the little fuzz balls and we were then immersed in the trials and tribulations of chicken keeping. We have no regrets it was a great learning experience.
A few days ago, I ran across a photo of a small home-made coop and hens free ranging which prompted this rough and ready homage to a coop.
I posted the painting on social media and a friend pointed out that the pine tree appeared to be growing out of the roof! It was actually a misbegotten pipe coming out of the roof which lined up directly with the tree...a tangent was formed.
I fixed it and was reminded how in the heat of the painting moment stuff happens. Unanticipated surprises can be wonderful or annoying. My note to self, let the Daily paintings “cool off “ at least a day or two before sending them out there. I’ve never been shy about sharing a mistake. In fact, in almost every workshop I’ve taught I let my students see me sweat out a problem as a painting is resolved. Over the years I’ve seen students almost paralyzed by the fear of imperfection. In creating a painting there are no mistakes, only opportunities to grow.

Near Newport

“Near Newport”  8 x8 oil on an archival Raymar panel

Landscape, impressionist, nature, rural , trees

I often tuck away small studies that for one reason or another fail to measure up to my original intention. Yesterday, I was ruminating in my studio and I found an incomplete sketch I had begun on a quiet country road in northern Door County. It lacked  freshness and color interest, so I had another go at it.
I am enjoying the opportunity that daily painting presents. On the one hand,  there is a bit of pressure to create even when the muse is absent. On the other hand, I’m reminded that the work itself has value whether the final result is successful or not. Defining success is the tricky and very personal aspect of creating. When I can express an idea in painted form that is true to my original goal, then I feel I’m on the right (if somewhat rocky) path.
This little painting is a celebration of a quiet place and the colors of nature. Available www.bonnieparuch.com at auction

Waiting for spring!

Waitng for Spring  8x8 acrylic on archival Raymar panel

stilllife floral flowers impressionist

My son made this small black vase when he was in high school. He gave it to me as a gift and it is one of my favorite things. It shows  up fairly often in my interior and still life paintings. Mainly, it does so because it still brings me feelings of love and joy. I find  that I do my most personally satisfying work when I have an emotional attachment to the subject. Then, my memories combine with reality to create something more than a postcard or a pretty picture.
This little study is an example of manipulating my subject by connecting dark and light values. Also, by placing  a dark shape against a light one , a hard edge against a soft edge, I can create counter-change, an interesting rhythm in the painting.
I hope this little floral brings you a scent of springtime. It’s coming. This painting soon to be on Daily Paintworks.com  www.bonnieparuch.com