As I write this, I am waking up on my first day at the Jentel residency in Banner, WY. I’m here for a month to work on one of my six foot wide prairie paintings, and I’m looking forward to turning off my phone, unplugging from the internet, and taking a digital detox while I focus on this amazing opportunity to paint with no distractions. Before I go, I wanted to post a quick update and share my work from the past month. I’ll post again at the end of the month before I go to the American Prairie Reserve for a week of plein air painting and research in September.
APPLETON FARMS COMMISSION, IPSWICH, MASSACHUSETTS
This is the final painting for the Appleton Farms commission I wrote about in several of my earlier posts. The painting is 18″x11″
This is a drawing I did on location at the farms, which provided all the detailed information I needed to complete the commission.
PLUM ISLAND COMMISSION, NEWBURYPORT, MASSACHUSETTS
I spent three days on Plum Island making studies for a commission. This is a hidden gem on the North Shore of Boston. Thirteen miles of protected sand dunes, beaches, forest, and marshes provide an important habitat for many species of migratory birds and other wildlife. There are also public beaches for surfing, swimming, and fishing. The painting I am working on depicts a sand dune in the foreground of the view from my client’s house. Below are three of the studies I made while researching different options for the commission idea. We settled on the sand dune in the end.
Plein air study for commission on Plum Island
plein air study on Plum Island
plein air study on Plum Island
HUDSON RIVER FELLOWSHIP, WHITE MOUNTAINS, NEW HAMPSHIRE
After visiting Plum Island and delivering the Appleton Farm’s commission in Ipswich, I drove north to drop in on the Hudson River Fellowship. For five years in a row, I participated in this month-long painting residency, and for three years following that, I’ve tried to drop in for a few days. During these summers, I really honed my landscape painting technique, made new friends, and felt challenged by the motivated and skilled artists that this fellowship brings together. This summer, I could only manage one day, but I was grateful for that.
Painting at Jackson Falls was pure bliss during one day with the Hudson River Fellowship. There’s nothing like taking a break from painting to jump in the cold water and pick wild blueberries!
It was a treat to paint with my friends Leeana Chipana and Mary Jane Ward atop Cathedral Ledge.
I spent many years obsessed with climbing this impressive granite cliff in North Conway. When I was 15 I climbed my first multi-pitch route here, and afterwards made a series of wood-block prints inspired by the experience. I always think of this place as one of the important creative forces in my life.
RABBIT ISLAND, LAKE SUPERIOR, UPPER PENINSULA MICHIGAN
On July 20th I went to Rabbit Island, an artist residency in Michigan’s U.P. Each year, 3-5 artists are selected to spend several weeks creating work on the 90 acre island, which is located in Lake Superior, 4.5 miles from the mainland Keweenaw Peninsula. (The deadline for 2016 applications is August 26th, by the way!) Artists live in a simple lean-to structure, cook over a coleman stove or a campfire, and create work in the outdoors. There is no running water or electricity. While I was there, I overlapped for one or more days with three of the artists – Beau Carey, a painter from New Mexico, Noam Enbar, a musican from Tel Aviv, and Josephina Munoz, an installation artist from Chile. We also did a lot of fishing, painting, projects around camp, and spent time exploring the mainland.
I was thrilled that Beau Carey took the time to pose for me on the last day of his residency.
On this day, I was so excited because after 8 days of hot sun and no wind, we finally got a bit of a storm!
This is one of my favorite spots to hang out and paint along the shore. Photo by Ports Bishop.
I love the challenge of painting these waves and the striking transparency of Lake Superior’s water.
Gouache and graphite on watercolor paper toned with graphite powder and shellac.
Amit Goldstein posed for me while she meditated in the shade. Painting with a live model is a form of shared meditation, and this morning was so soothing, listening to the water lap against the rocks and trying to interpret the dappled light.
I knew that after Rabbit Island, I wouldn’t have time to work on commissions until November, so I brought one with me. I spent a few days working on it in the outdoors setting on the island, and antother 5 days working on it in a house on the mainland.
A detail from a finished section of the Plum Island commission. I will finish this in November, so stay tuned!
Rob and I spent a day orienting artist Josephina Munoz before leaving her alone for three weeks of total isolation.
Catching Lake Trout out by the Huron Islands, at some points during this trip the water was 800 feet deep!
EMILIE LEE 