Small is still in....

William Bukowski

Petite Garden I

oil on linen

12" X 9"

I am finding that the small works continue to intrigue me. I am on my fourth small work in this series and the miniature quality of the brushstrokes and different kind of concentration appeals to me. The image is still Sibley Park in mid summer. I can work out some ideas of light and color that would take much longer in a large scale. That is not to say I wouldn't jump at the chance to do a large work, it is just that this is what is happening right now.

Monet on my mind.

A recent trip to New York always gives me pause to reflect. One of my favorite paintings on the trip was Monet's large water lily painting at the Museum of Modern Art. This is such an amazing painting because of the surface and giant brushstrokes. It is a simple idea but put together with a sense of scale that goes far beyond the easel. The fact that he was in his 80s when he did this painting is completely astounding. Imagine working away at 80 years old in your warehouse studio on such a series. It really alters the definition of the artist in old age.

Emy Frentz Gallery Poetry Collaboration

The RiverCrossings Art Fair that took place in October also had an exhibition at the Emy Frentz Gallery in Mankato. Artists were asked to submit a painting and then poets would write their reaction or interpretation next to the painting. I showed a Sibley park painting from a few years ago. The show went on into November and just recently came down.

The poetry read like this:

Second Nature

Late September. The garden

has its daggers out-

bristle-armored moon flower pods,

the yucca's razor-edged lances,

phlox heads frizzy and brown.

The blazing dahlias elbowed out their neighbors.

Now they stretch across the cobblestones.

I remember summer's perfection,

the swirls of pink and lavender,

the pale green of new leaves unfolding.

The rose hips darken. Soon, everything

will be crisp and brown, and dry stems

will chatter in an early October wind.

Jana Bouma

Sibley Park Paintings featured at the Waseca Art Center.

The Waseca Art Center is showing 15 recent paintings in the Sibley Park series. The show opened on October 13 and will be on display until November 20th. The Waseca Art Center has supported my work with workshops and exhibitions over the years. They have at least 2 paintings and an etching in their permanent collection.

There was a reception last night in Waseca with a gallery talk.

It is always interesting to see your own work up in a public space. It can almost look like someone else's work and can make you feel a little off balance.

Small works.

William Bukowski

Petite Garden II

12" X 9" oil on linen

I don't know if it is the recession. But is seems appropriate to do smaller works. Same brushwork, same intensity but small scale. I just happened to have a few small pre-stretched canvases in the studio. Now, can I do a series?

Invitational Show at GAC.

The Winds of Change at the Hillstrom Museum at Gustavus Adolphus is up and running into November. It is really a great show and features nearly 50 artists from around the state of Minnesota. At the reception on October 6th they had a quartet of dancers performing with music.

There is also a review of the show in the Star tribune's online art section today.

My own painting kind of mimics the Monet, Sisley trio that are framed together in the Musee Orsay in Paris. I wanted to capture that fresh vision of Minnesota fields in a traditional sense with the non-traditional wind turbines in view.

For some reason I felt a little self conscious taking pictures with a lot of people around, so I waited for the crowd to thin.

RiverCrossing Art Fair in Motion

The Mankato area is having an art crawl this weekend. Bethany Lutheran College is a sponsor so I have an exhibition of garden paintings and

waterfalls. Instead of just standing around, I decided to paint, so I am putting the finishing touches on the last of my late summer paintings.

There have been some interesting people coming through even though it is cold and rainy.

Petite gardens

I have been working on some small paintings of the my favorite theme. It is interesting to compress the color and brushstrokes. I am trying to add enough details without getting too clunky with the paint. I hope to do a series.

Petite Garden

9" X 12"

oil on linen

In Memory- Robert Grilley

On September 19 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison there was a memorial for one of their great professors, Robert Grilley or "Mr. Grilley" as we called him as graduate students back in the late 1970s.

Mr. Grilley set a standard of excellence that we all strove to achieve. He was tough on his students and could prove his point on a chalk board whenever anyone doubted him. I still feel the influence of Mr. Grilley in my own teaching career after 31 years.

His studio is still set up as if he will be back later to paint.

Warm fall gives me a little more time.

The fall has been so sunny and warm you would think it was still summer. The dying plants and turning leaves kind of give it away. But I have been able to paint a few more days because of it. The palette has changed and some of the fall flowers are a bit jarring compared to the summer harmonies. The angle of the sun has changed quite a bit and prime time for my morning is closer to 11:00 am instead of 9:30 am. But, every day of painting outside is a good day.

On Location

When you look at these photos it looks like I am literally in a painting doing a painting.

Actually these photos were taken by Mankato photographer Michael Schwertfeger. He was working at the site and happened to snap a couple of extra pictures and sent them my way.

How refreshing to be on location at the garden.

One more before the frost.

William Bukowski

The Path (again).

This painting is two days old and I have hopes of getting this done from life. Some of the flowers are dying and the leaves will be falling. I have to get as far as I can given conflicts, rain, and the seasonal change.

I may be working on paper and on smaller canvases, we shall see.

Summer session is over.

With conflicts like teaching, it is time to finish the summer garden paintings. It is harder than it looks to paint consistently at a site as the season changes. Some of the greens are turning orange and yellow already. I have to decide if I want to paint a dying garden. There could be something there, but would you want to contemplate the death of a garden in your house? or in your place of business? I suppose it could be in the great tradition of death paintings. They just aren't for everyone.

Sibley Park Summer of 2009

William Bukowski

oil on linen

40" X 30

Peak

Sometimes you work so long on a painting and look at it and wonder if the hours and effort show at all. It could look like another "pretty flower" picture, when in your mind you are constantly struggling with light, weather, actual plant growth, color, composition, brushstrokes, expecting some kind of artistic breakthrough.

Does it really express the intensity of the experience? or is it just another pretty picture.

Painting from Life.

The more you look, the more you see......

You can look like the stereotype hobbyist and everyone can see your mistakes.

The light and weather can be so uncooperative that while you wait for the right light, the flowers die. 

It is easy to see why the practice of painting from life is seen as so archaic or outmoded or quaint to modern artists. 

It might take forever to feel comfortable working from nature.  And you have to actually "go outside and play" and that doesn't always fit into the concept of the angst of modernism.

The final push of the summer.

William Bukowski

Garden Edge (in progress)

oil on linen    30" X 40"

The edge of the garden looks to live for a while yet, so I am optimistic that I can finish this work from life.  Some how the summer has slipped by and school is starting.  Panic would normally be the feeling I would have with so little time left, but I can handle it.  I think I can......I think I can.......

Wind Turbines for Invitational Show at GAC.

William Bukowski

Minnesota landscape

(in progress) oil on linen canvases

The subject of this 3 paintings set is the wind turbine in the modern Minnesota landscape.  I was asked to participate in an exhibition at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota.  The show will take place this fall and there will be a program on wind energy during the semester.   The college has plans of building a wind turbine for part of their energy needs.

I set out to find some wind turbines and found some near Butterfield, Minnesota.   My first reaction was that the aliens have landed.  There is something really odd and interesting about giant wind mills on the Minnesota farm.   I decided that one view wasn't enough so I changed the perspective one each, but tried to keep them connected.  

The peak has passed.

Sibley Park

2009 

William Bukowski

oil on linen

(in progress)

Once again, painting

gardens can be a metaphor for life.  At first you are waiting eagerly for the growth  of the new beds and buds.  Then everything comes together, and blossoms in its glory and you enjoy the peak of summer.   

And eventually you realize that no matter what, the peak will pass and slowly the flowers will die.  For a few days you wouldn't notice.  Some of the flowers are quite healthy, but you know what is coming.

  I hope to finish at least two more from life before the end.

The cool summer has been great for painting.

The set up at Sibley has been very convenient.  I can have my easel and table on the new paving stone path.  It is cold when I start and hot when I finish.  The light changes as I switch between three different canvases.  My sessions usually go from 8:30- 12:30.  I treasure each day as the summer slips by.....

Today I finished the middle painting, so I will adjust tomorrow.

Painting in a flurry of brushstrokes.

My paint brush is on speed dial.  I have been trying to paint as fast as I can when the combination of light and flowers is peaking.  Every day things grow and die but the emphasis is on growth.  Each painting gets at least an hour as the light is perfect and then I switch paintings.

The garden is a metaphor for life and like the flowers, it doesn't last long.  I found out my Aunt Lorraine died today.  It seemed like only yesterday she was sending us coconut treats from Florida (we were kids and loved that candy).

The Garden is peaking.

The garden is peaking  and the weather has been fantastic.  Every day things change slightly or in some cases -things change radically(in terms of growth).  Rocks are hidden, new flowers emerge and the challenge is on...     it all ends too soon.

My main worry now is running out of canvas, out of paint and most of all, out of time.

A Perfect Day.

The last two days were finally perfect conditions to paint.  There is an intensity of light and you can almost see the plants growing.  It is 

with a little bit of panic that I try to paint the experience.  I almost hate to quit painting because I know it won't last.  

Nature is impatient.

These days I am painting at two different sites.  One is the garden at Sibley Park and the garden is peaking right now!  The energy, color and sense of growth is visible.  I have a slight panic set in as I try to capture this experience before its gone for another year.

 The other site is Minneopa State Park.  I have been working on waterfalls.  In just a few days, the water has been reduced to a trickle!  Both landscapes are changing daily!  Nature doesn't wait for me to finish paintings.  Now if I could only get a few more sunny mornings.

The changing landscape.

I found out what changes about rocks and water in a landscape painting.   After about 2 weeks of painting at the park, the amount of water that is flowing over the rocks has been cut by at least a third.  

 It does make you think about natural resources.

 I talked to a park guy and he said by August the water is just a trickle.   hmmmm....  The large waterfall of Minneopa is already almost gone.

Fighting the weather.

William Bukowski

Minneopa II (detail)

oil on linen

30" X 40"

The weather has been challenging to deal with this summer.

The days have been cloudy, rainy, windy and sometimes sunny.  I am way behind on Sibley painting because of the clouds.  When you paint from life this is the greatest problem-not being able to control the weather.  It is hard enough not to be able to control when flowers bloom and when plants grow and die.  I need light.  

I have been working in the shade and on cloudy days with the even light.   The complexity of the image makes it hard to develop light patterns.  It can be very hit and miss. 

The Growth of Art-New Gallery in Mankato

There was an opening of a new gallery in Mankato in late June.  It is in a historic building on North Broad Street-the Wesley Building.  The gallery is now called "School of Art".

They put on a show called, The Growth of Art.  I had a painting featured in the show called Full Sun, Full Garden from last summer.  The show was an interesting mix of sculpture and painting from the area.  The show also featured florists who matched real flowers with artwork.  I hope to add more pictures.   Mankato can always use another art gallery, let's hope this one can survive.

The return of Erik.

Every summer for many years, former painting student Erik S. comes back to Mankato to paint.  This year he joined me at Minneopa State Park.

 His sensibility in painting is decidedly American and especially the Luminist style of painting the unspoiled American landscape.  So he liked the place. 

 Two days isn't enough to really take it all in, but it is a great way to spend a couple of days.

Sibley with the new path.

William Bukowski

oil on linen     30" X 40"

Sibley Park(in progress)

The newest Sibley Park painting is a bit of a throwback.  The view is from a safe distance and I am relying on brushstrokes to carry the "green-ness".   The space is layered and so far the paving stones haven't caused too much trouble.  My next painting here will be closer to where I ended last summer.  

It has been cloudy in the morning so I am a little behind.

Back to Sibley Park in the morning.

For the past 5 years, Sibley Park has been part of my summer mornings.  This summer, the park decided to "improve" it with a large donation from a local company.  The improvements included paving stones on the path and a vintage street light.

Hmmmm....  The flowers beds have really improved but so far the other additions are a little distracting.

My first painting of the summer is more of a warm up.  The path, the fountain, the background trees and the new street light........I am going for lyrical....

The State Park- a popular place.

William Bukowski               Minneopa I                   oil on linen   (in progress)

I have really enjoyed painting at Minneopa State Park.  One of the aspects of painting at a State Park that I didn't anticipate was the amount of people that come by to see what is going on.

I think some people expect me to try to sell them something and some people expect me to give them an art lecture.  Who knows what they really expect.  Some sneak a picture and don't say anything.