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 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.

Nearly finished with the first of the Minneopa work.

There were quite a few people at the state park on Independence day this year.  I drew quite a crowd at times.  The sun wasn't shining as brightly as I would have liked, but there was no wind and it was relatively bright.  I am looking forward to the next painting and picking away to finish this one.

Destination: Minneopa State Park

William Bukowski

Minneopa I

oil on linen- in progress

The painting has been going well, the paint flies off the brush and lands in just the right places.  I can see 3 or 4 more paintings from where I am standing and can imagine working larger.  Painting from life in such a place is really a joy and a privilege.

Reality and Illusion

This is a picture of day 3 at Minneopa State Park. The image blends into the landscape.  My painting is done in a diagonal fashion without thinking about it to much.  There are three secrets to this kind of painting.  1. you have to find the rhythm of the image and 2. you have to find the mark you want to make.  3.  you have to study the light and pick the combination of effects that work. 

 It is compressing the 2-3 hour experience into one image.  It implies light and movement and wind but that is the illusion.  

The most fun part of this painting is painting the waterfall.  It seems like a cliche, but it is hypnotic when stare at moving water. 

Painting "En Plein Air"

William Bukowski

oil on linen      40" X 30"

Minneopa I

This is the evidence of one afternoon of painting at Minneopa State Park.  The waterfall is really exciting to paint.  The noise is soothing and I am totally in the shade while painting.  The light changes but I take a lot of mental notes and will adjust the light as I get further along.  The time in the painting will probably be 3:30 pm.  Rocks and water......ahhh

Finally........ summer painting!

Summer finally arrived for me.  I started painting from life a day ago.  This summer I have decided to split time with Minneopa State Park right outside of Mankato and the gardens of Sibley Park right in Mankato.  Minneopa has two falls and some very cool rock formations.  Here is a shot of my set up.  There are 2 days of paintings represented on canvas in this photo. 

 There was a slight breeze so there were almost no bugs.  The paint is going on very easily.  I think there are some great possibilities here.

Looking for Inspiration

I have been wandering around looking for new subjects and took a group of drawing students to the local state park.  The waterfall looks a little weak, but I am very interested in coming to this park to see what I can see. 

 I like the idea of water and rock as very basic elements of life and earth and I think I can produce some interesting images.   Minneopa State Park near Mankato, Minnesota, could be a pilgrimage site for me, like Sibley Park in Mankato.

The water could become a very Turner-like image for me.  We'll see.....