Magnolia Bluff ~ Wisconsin ~ Plein Air

2018 Magnolia Bluff, Wisconsin 

My friends Larry Schultz, Clarice Green and I went to Magnolia Bluff near Evansville WI. to paint outdoors...Plein Air.
I had not painted for awhile, so thought it would be great practice to paint more impressionistic...very hard for me not to add details.
This little 6" x 6" painting was done on cardboard with acrylic paint.
It was a beautiful fall day, no humidity so a bit challenging with the acrylics...as it turned out, it's not what I expected or envisioned...so as they say, back to the drawing board.

Horse Art on the Beach

Honestly, I can not visit a place where I don't doodle or make art from whatever is available...mostly the horse image since that was my mainstream subject. I have to say this was so much fun collecting various items found on the Florida beach and placing them together to form an image. It was done hastily but none the less got it out of my system. 

It's like Plein Air painting, being outside with the fresh air, the breeze and the sun...surrounding me and making me so happy.

Wisconsin Plein Air Paintings

My Once in a while Plein Air paintings of Wisconsin

...compiled into one day of posting...

***********

"for some reason above image does not enlarge"

~Blanchardville ~ Oconomowoc ~ Beloit ~

Miniature paintings of my visit back to Germany and Austria

My Miniature Plein Air paintings of my first visit back to Germany and Austria since immigrating to America.

                                                           Nuremberg ~ Berlin ~ Austria

Garmisch carriage and horses

I found this Mini painting 2.5" x 3.5" that I painted years ago...it's a scene in Garmisch of a carriage and horses, the left side background showing the school that I went to. I believe now it's a Radio station and Casino. I might have used an old postcard for reference.

Garmisch Alps (Zugspitze)

This painting is my first attempt to do a landscape of the Garmisch Alps (Zugspitze)...it's a small 5" x 5" acrylic that was done as a fast painting.

I have not painted for a while for this blog, yep that's the artist in me, it's hard for me to always "feel" like painting, but once I get going I enjoy it...I have been painting rocks and those can be seen on my other blog.

Russian River riding with mom

Just turning 13 and horse crazy, we had gone on vacation at the Russian River in California, there my mom took me horseback riding something I had dreamt about for years. We did not have lots of money, so I knew this was an expense at $1.00 an hour for each horse.
I had always wished my mom and I could have shared doing this more often, she loved horses and knew they where my passion...when mom died she left an envelope with cash in it, including a note saying, "promise me that you will use this money to take English Horseback riding lessons"(I had been riding western) Yes, I did take lessons and it was the beginning of getting into breeding and showing horses with my daughters...I paid for some of this luxury with some of my paintings, but my loving husband made it come true as he wanted me to pursue my dream...For 15 years I had an Arabian breeding Business till we had to move to our last state, it just became too much to move all the horses again.
a Note: I will be adding other types of painting series to this blog... also check out my other art blog, it's also a continuing art blog...be sure to check out previous pages below if shown.

A NOTE:

A Note: I fractured my right "artist" wrist and have not been able to paint for this blog...I did practice with my 'left hand' and also my 'right braced-hand'...see paintings on my other blog deliapacheco.blogspot.com

Golden Gate Park Mounted Police Stable

On our 2009 Vacation to California by a coincidence we ended up at the Golden Gate Park. Being close to the Police Stable we looked for it. The roads all had changed in the Park, quite a challenge to say the least, but fate had it and we found it. It was very different, but the building still was there with the original arena. I met some very nice Policemen this day and a tour guide that was very helpful showing us pictures, and talking with us about all the old time photos. I recognized the officers and horses in some of the photos. I was so very happy to have gone there and met up with people that showed kindness as they did 50 years ago. In the photo above are a few horses tied up where the cars used to be parked...because I was so excited I did not take pictures of the officers...this to my regret.

Next door to the MPS used to be a stable for the Harness and Polo Ponies till they converted it into a Riding Academy. In my youth I spent a great deal of time there, cooling down horses...too bad they closed this facility, it was such an ideal place to ride through the Park. I believe they are trying to rebuild this site. I also found a link on Ed Lawson, who was the officer that was so kind allowing me to ride the horses, especially the horse named Bob (seen below a painted I did from a photo...me sitting astride) Ed would even drive us home because he worried it was too far to walk through the Park...a kind man indeed and someone I will never forget.

Mounted Police Horse named Bob

When I was around 12 years old we lived near the Golden Gate Park. There was a place at that time called the Golden Gate Riding Academy. I helped clean stalls and bring in the lesson horses for exchange for riding a horse. I loved going there, it was a beautiful place with lots of history, then one day they tore it down to build a Safeway grocery store. Another place I use to go to, was at the other end of the Golden Gate Park and had to walk quite a distance, it was the Polo Field and the San Francisco Mounted Police Stable. In the early 50's a child could walk through the park without something happening to them...but of course you still had to be careful. My adventures at the Polo Field will be another painting so will save the story for that. 

The Golden Gate Mounted Police Stable was where I had the best time, I was allowed to ride a retired Police Horse named Bob, supposedly a Hero saving someones life in the Ocean. Bob was a tall Bay Morgan or Morgan mix, he had swelling in his hock area, but was not lame. I would ride him around in the arena and then clean him and put him in his stall. I was even allowed to call him my horse. There I learned a great deal about horses and the care for them, the Policemen where always so nice to my sister and me...featured in this my painting of me riding Bob.

Fleishhacker Zoo

My mother liked taking us to the Fleishhacker Zoo in San Francisco, it was Free to get in, it had many things to do, a Carousel, Swimming pool and a beautiful building dedicated to a woman named Delia (Fleishhakers mother)so of course I liked going there, pretending it was my Zoo, because of the name Delia...I always felt sorry for caged animals, it just is not natural, and to this day don't like it unless they have large areas to roam.

My sister in a San Francisco Hospital

My sister Alex was Hospitalized for a long time with TB in the hip, I think we where around 11 years old...My mom and I would walk every day to the Hospital to see her, it was a long walk. I was too young and they would not allow me to go inside to visit, but her bed was next to a window and I got to see her through there. She was in a great deal of pain and that was so hard to see. I included this in my memory paintings, as it was a big part of our lives at that time. 

Union Square feeding Pigeons

This painting shows my sister and me in downtown San Francisco at the Union Square. We loved going there and feeding the pigeons, green peas bought at this huge indoor Farmers Market. We lived about a block away from the Union Square when we first moved to S.F. the hotel was a fleabag hotel, mom working across the street at KNBC Radio Station. Needless to say we did not stay there long, but what an experience! It's amazing it took so little to entertain children in those days. We learned English quite fast because mom would take us to the movies a lot...movies at the Alexandria Theater, Fox and the Coronet came to mind...maybe this is why I like watching all the old movies on TCM.

Playland Carousel 1950's

Well the German came out in me today! Stubborn as can be...I would not give up on this painting...it took three times as long to finish...all that time I could have started over, but noooo, I was determined to finish it even after I spilled paint on it. Having no plan, just painting as I went along made it even harder to repaint. I couldn't remember what and how I did it, that's because I forgot to take a preliminary photo for reference...here is the worn out version.
Mom used to take us to Playland in San Francisco, at times she would allow us to take the bus by ourselves and just spend all day there, it was after the war and filled with sailors. Doubt you could do this nowadays.
Our favorite place outside of the Fun House was the Carousel. My sister Alex and I had our favorite horses, mine being a Black and sis liking the White one. I have no memory of how exactly it looked...here is my interpretation, most likely not an outside horse, as they where standing horses.
I remember thinking while going up and down on the black steed, that someday I was going to own a black horse (which I did) and I would ride it at my favorite places, on the beach and the Golden Gate Park, galloping with the breeze hitting my face, my hair tussled in the wind. I loved my black Carousel horse, and if someone else was riding it, I would wait till that kid got off.
When the Carousel sold/auctioned off in the '70s, I seriously debated on buying one of the Black horses instead of my Arabian mare and foal...it certainly would have been cheaper and a better investment, although I would not had gotten the joy of having my Arabian horse breeding program.

San Francisco Beach

Thanks for the push Surly-Mac! the sun today put me in the mood to finish this painting.

I'm still messing around with the font colors, can't make up my mind, just want it to be easy to read...any input would be appreciated

This scene is on our Birthday, March 12th 1951, my mom took us to Playland and the San Francisco Beach. We always went there on weekends and ate at the Cliff House...mom had moved us to San Francisco where she worked at KNBC and then at Fiberboard Paper Products(my sister and I both worked at Fiberboard later on, where the image of me ended up on the SunMaid Raisin box)

First Christmas in America

I wanted to document this particular time Christmas 1950, our first Christmas in America...I do remember it because my mom asked if we could have a small tree. Of course there where no good trees to pick from a day before Xmas. All the trees left here small and dry, by the time we reached home most all the needles where gone...so now I recognize this tree to be a Charlie Brown Tree...my mom had made a couple of cutout paper ornaments and hung them.

We received a small gift box with miniature plastic furniture and we each got a Mr.Peanut filled with little candies. So making the best out of a situation we learned to appreciate everything, even the smallest of things...as a child it was an important lesson.

Our home in America

I'm getting ready to go on a vacation for 10 days...so have not had much time to think about painting...the sun came out today, so painted this.
In this scene we are in San Leandro California at our sponsors house, exhausted from our train trip, which oddly enough I can not remember...the only thing I do remember is arriving in Oakland late at night, and our sponsor picking us up and then going to a Lucky's grocery store for food (did he not think of this before?) The house he lived in was a Shaker style home, very minimal furniture, not even sheets on our beds...a very bachelor home. Needless to say my mom was not happy, I really think he was looking for a bride...but NOT my mom!
At this house he had two Cocker Spaniels, one named Blondie the other Goldie, neither really liked my sister and me. So the painting is of us sitting on the stoop with the dogs by us. I remember thinking how warm it was before Christmas, which was a week away in this image.

processing at Ellis Island

Today I wondered why in the hell I started this series, knowing well I will not have enough references for what I wanted...I had to conjure up my imagination (throwing me back to the details and nitpicking)
This painting shows the morning we arrived at Ellis Island. I had forgotten that's where we where processed, until I saw a documentary on Ellis Island and it gave me a flashback.

This scene is ingrained in my memory because of what happened there. My sister and I had my dad's cameras around our necks, however I did not question why we had to have them under our coats, and the instructions not to let anyone see them, we just followed orders. When the man came to check our baggage and cedar chest he looked at me and I immediately noticed mom looking at me in a panic, she was looking at the straps of the cameras showing. I was horrified as I knew I had done something wrong. Mom looked at the guy, he smiled at mom and then walked away, she in turn went and talked to him...I never did know why these camera's would have been an issue...but the guy chose to ignore them.

In the painting I'm sitting on mom's cedar chest, she had painted the Virgin Mary on it (we aren't even Catholic), I guess maybe they would not check the chest if that was on it...well they checked the chest anyway...no problem. Maybe the war made mom paranoid and this was the outcome.

first day of school

Yesterday was a busy day so didn't paint, then last night we where invited to a dress rehearsal comedy Musical Play, "Mid Life Crisis" where my dear friend and fellow artist Larry Schultz performed...not only does he perform in plays he also paints the stage scenery...so talented. The play was so funny and the laughing and smiling for two hours probably caused me to have more facial wrinkles...but it feels sooo good to laugh!
OK, the sun came out for an hour and I scrambled to paint...because I was in such a hurry I forgot to Gesso the board, and decided to gesso over the drawing...then completed my painting.

Here sis and I are standing in front of a Brune(water trough for the cattle) having our photo taken for the first day of school. In Germany you get this huge tube filled with candy, and a leather bag you wear on your back filled with school supplies...you can barely see it on my sister(R) the sponge rag hanging out of the pack.
I want to note, eventhough these paintings are tonal, I can remember the colors of the outfits we wore...odd cause I can barely remember what I did an hour ago...

hiking path up the mountain

This scene is of us climbing up to the side of the mountain, and along the pathway picking flowers. There where red poppies, blue cornflowers, yellow daisies and many more colorful flowers, it always made a colorful bouquet. When we reached our destination which was a quaint restaurant nestled in the side of the mountain...we would have cake and coffee. Here you could look down upon the town of Garmisch and Partenkirchen It took a better part of the day walking up this mountain. Passing cows and sheep grazing, birds singing in the fields, frogs in the tiny snow melting streams...

Now you ask, why the frilly dresses and shoes? well this was a photo op day for the photographer who made postcards of us....normally we would have pants and hiking shoes on.

Check out my webpage on the trip back to Garmisch.