Crossing the Mississippi in Dubuque

I found this bluff top view strictly by accident while looking over another house for a commission.  When I came around the curve and saw this - of course I had to stop for a quick watercolor!  I was on my way out of town, so this ink and watercolor has not been seen.  I will definitely return to this spot next year to paint this beauty in oil!  Painting number 2651 in 2651 days.

Lock and Dam II

When asked by a patron for any Dubuque pieces I might have left, I searched and found this one of the iconic Lock and Dam II, drawn off a bluff at the Eagle Point Park.  I pre-sketch almost every painting in the field before I start in the destined medium, which was the case here.  I painted a large, long painting, changing the format after completing this ink study.  I had run out of frames, so this one was not framed for the show, and came back home in my paper tote.   Such a unique place!  Painting number 2645 in 2645 days.

Mississippi River Overlook

SOLD

The sky color reflecting off the water of this Mississippi River changes with every cloud bank.  What started as slate blue, turned icy, then warm as the sun peaked through.  The current looks rather swift, as movement is continuous on the surface. The trees are just starting to show their fall color, and the temps are certainly dropping!  It always takes me a few days to acclimate, and yes, I'm missing those 90 degree days!  Painting number 2492 in 2492 days. 

Bridge over the Mississippi

Arriving in Dubuque rather late in the day, I got checked in and headed in search of a painting location.  Without enough daylight left for scouting, I went straight to the Mississippi River.  This happened to be the Riverwalk, and two of our missouri painting friends were there painting, too!  No time for chit chat, we jumped in painting.  As you can see, it was almost dark by the time we finished this first painting in Dubuque!   Painting number 1389 in 1389 days  :)

oil on panel, 12x9
purchase here

Fall over the Mississippi River

After turning in our work for judging this morning, it was time for a large Chai late at Charlotte's Coffee House and a little plein air at Eagle Point.  The leaves are turning even more than a couple days ago, and this place on the bluff called out to me.  The Mississippi River flows in the background, and the foreground yellow foliage was magnificent.   It has been such a joy to capture the beauty of Dubuque in oils.   This is painting number 1376 in 1376 days :)

Lover's Leap Landslide

Landslide at Lover's Leap
Oil on panel, 6x12

Trying to get my work done with a new puppy is like having a baby around again!  Everything I do must be done in little spurts - with lots of interruptions.  Today, I am capturing another of Missouri's little known events in history - the Landslide at Lover's Leap in Hannibal, Missouri.  Wanting to show the height of this landmark, I am painting on a tall vertical panel for this scene.  Using an orange primed surface, I've allowed little pops of color to show through here and there for added energy.  Painting number 453 in 453 days.  Following - the story of the event.

Terrific Landslide near Hannibal, Mo

Jan 13, 1859

The Hannibal MO Messenger states that a great landslide took place a few days since at Lover’s Leap, near that city. From the top of the bluff, for some four hundred years, the entire mass of earth has slid some forty or fifty feet, carrying in its wake trees, stumps, and everything in fact that offered any impediment to its wild career. It must, indeed, have been a grand sight to witness this awful avalanche of upwards of 100,000 square yards, whirling down the steep descent with the speed of a hurricane, and a rumbling almost to that of thunder. From ten to twelve dirt cars were smashed to pieces, and many of their axles (four inches in diameter, and of solid iron) were snapped like so many reeds, others were bent completely double, and the bodies of the cars scattered hither and yon.

Millerites Await the Second Coming

Millerites Await the Second Coming
Oil on panel, 10x8

Another slice of Missouri's history, this painting depicts the October 22, 1844 event where the followers of William Miller came together on Lover's Leap in Hannibal, Missouri.  I had to do a little research for this painting, as I had never heard of Millerites before.  These people left their fields and crops, donned white robes and climbed to the top of Lover's Leap to look east across the Mississippi for the Second Coming of Christ.  They were disappointed.  It is a curious thing to look back in history and see the events that took place, and link them with specific locations.  It seems to breathe life into the history.  Painting number 452 in as many days.

Indian Maiden at Lover's Leap

Indian Maiden at Lover's Leap
Graphite on bristol, 11x14

Plague in Hannibal, Missouri

Today's work is a tribute to the legend of the star-crossed indian lovers at Lover's Leap in Hannibal, Missouri.  This one is drawn in graphite on bristol. When I was doing so much graphite work while my dad was in the hospital, I had chosen my very favorite tools - putting them all in a narrow little zip-up bag I could keep in a tote with my bristol pad.  Having my supplies with me, I could then work whenever the opportunity presented itself.  Well, I have since unloaded that tote, and I can not find my little bag of supplies!  While it is true, I have many supplies......I totally miss my favs!  One thing I must replace is a black inktense watersoluable pencil for those absolutely black details that simply can't be attained with only graphite.  And, there is nothing like well-worn tortillions already loaded with gaphite for that great shading.  I know they will turn up somewhere......I probably unpacked and repacked that tote for a school field trip, laying the bag aside in a remote place!  This piece makes 451 in as many days.....now on to the next with only a little time before the kids come home!