Autumn Is Good!

 "Autumn on Yellow Avenue in SE O'Brien County, IA"

(photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison)

The days are shortening and the color is good...the air is crisp, yet the sun is warm; this is a neat time of year and as with the harvest, there is much to be thankful for.  

 "High Water Color on the Des Moines in northern Webster County, IA"

(photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison)

We don't live in New England or where colors are breathtaking with reds, yellows and oranges shared among hardwoods like hard maples, but we can occasionally get lucky with autumn when all the cards fall just right, and this was such a year!

 "Electric Blues on the North Raccoon in southern Sac County, IA"

(photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison)

 Georgie and I drove the back roads here and in this corner of the state. taking in the transient scenery - a chance to get away from the daily tasks and reflect.

 "Below the Rapids on the North Raccoon in northern Sac County, IA"

(photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison)

We miss the river roads and streams of past journeys - they were dressed in colorful attire, preparing for a good rest from the past year.

 "Quiet Color near the Washta Access in southern Cherokee County, IA"

(photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison)

Some places were bright and noisily passing the day away, while others more somber and reflective.  It's been another year of new experiences, of life's sorrows and joy; it's now a time to rest and regain one's bearings, and to be grateful for those blessings that have come our way

Have a great Autumn season and be good to one another!

Heading Into The Solstice

"Winter Dawn - Little Sioux at Burnt Bridge"

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

(click on image for a larger view) 

Well we're sliding into the Winter Solstice tomorrow on the 21st - its hard to believe isn't it!  My mind's still stuck in August!

The thing I always look forward to come this day - the days gradually begin getting longer - which means more sunshine and "eventually" warmer days!!!  But I know that's not a very appreciative opinion of winter is it...sorry about that (fingers crossed behind my back).

The Winter Solstice is officially here Monday, December 21, 2015 at 10:49 PM CST; at least if you live in Sioux Falls, SD...but that's certainly near enough to us to make it count as "close enough"!

Like many other people, I hear reports of odd weather for this time of the year; we're no different.  The image above was 2 1/2 weeks ago south of the studio and the snow is GONE...hasn't even been cold enough for frost to enter the ground yet - and its nearly Christmas!  But we have had 18+ inches of snow at the studio since late November, so that at least sounds right for the eve of the solstice!

Either way - enjoy the new season, and get out there if you get a chance.  After all, the Winter Solstice only comes 'round once a year!

  

Breaking Out

"September Dawn, Little Sioux River"

12X16" oil painting - © Bruce A. Morrison

(click on image for a larger view) 
SOLD

Time to bust outta this place!  The "studio" I mean!  Been working on all sorts of things a person must, but the prairie, birds and the landscape in general are shouting at me out the windows surrounding my chair and I need to start focusing out there!

The last piece I just finished up this afternoon is actually from a plein air study I did not too terribly far from the studio about 3 years back.  The piece was started outside on the site, but had to be finished that day in the studio because the conditions changed so quickly.  The study can be seen here (below) and can be read about from that original blog from September 17, 2009 - http://prairiepainter.blogspot.com/2009/09/summer-still.html

 The original plein air study

"September Dawn, Little Sioux River"
Oil on mounted canvas - 6X8"

(click on image for a larger view)

Plein air studies are a natural step for a painter...first you do small color studies (paintings) on location, and these serve as guides for further work in a larger "finished" painting - done later in the studio.

I sold the original plein air study of this painting just a couple months after I did it in 2009 so I had to work from an image file I scanned of the original 6X8" plein air study.  That still worked just fine...I wasn't trying to laboriously duplicate the small original, but instead work off of the "impression" the original piece offered as far as lighting, color and composition.  The finished piece is unmistakably done from the original, yet is more refined to reflect my interpretation of that morning...the fog or haze rising off of the river as the early morning, late summer sun, breaks through the atmosphere upstream.

I'm spending what time the Good Lord is granting me, celebrating the landscape surrounding our valley and area of the tallgrass prairie here...celebrating in my paintings, drawings and photography - but its high time to break out of here and get into the summer outside!

Hope you can get out and enjoy this summer!

Summer Green...Thinking Ahead!

Late July Mid Afternoon 

9X12" - oil painting on mounted canvas

© Bruce A. Morrison

(click on image for a larger view) 
 SOLD 
 

I just finished a small painting in the studio this afternoon; it was of a summer day Georgie and I went exploring along the Little Sioux River down in Cherokee County, south of us.  I remember it being a fairly hot and humid day...a typical "dog days of summer" kind of day.  Those were the days I remember most as a kid out of school for the summer.  Loved those times!

The area depicted was down near the Silver Sioux Recreation Area...a pretty neat place.  This exact location was nearby in the Stiles Woodland ...I believe it is a private preserve overseen by a nonprofit group...could be mistaken about that but it is open to casual visitors at times...there is signage there at its entrance giving information about it. 

What I remember about the preserve is the high sun of the day creating stark contrast and shadow...the distant hillside looked hazy in the mid day humidity.  These impressions give me fodder later on when working from the memory of the place and photos I took. I have heard the saying from many sources that the greens of spring and summer are the most difficult to paint.  Since these are the times of year I really enjoy, I have to tackle these issues head on.  Keeping interest and movement or flow through a painting can be challenging with so much green!  There was a small barn along a small creek there that I painted red (it was no longer showing paint) to add a complimentary color, giving relief and a focal point.  I knew the barn would help visually when I spotted it there that afternoon.

Studio work is getting difficult!  It is finally trying to be spring out there and all that comes with it make for more time outside.  Hope you're enjoying some outside time as well!

In The Neighborhood

"Little Sioux Autumn Sunrise"

5X16" color pencil rendering © Bruce A. Morrison

(click on image to see a larger view)

Chilly gray November days have kept me in the studio, and that's a good thing as I've been busy with several projects and some commissioned works.

One piece I've been working on was just finished and framed this week; its another color pencil and is in a panoramic format.  Not a large piece, but slightly bigger than most of my recent color pencil pieces - approximately 5X16". All my color pencil work is done from my own photographs, and its not hard to see that photographic influence on these pieces.  I do "edit" in my head while working on these pieces, but the original influence is still evident.  This is an early autumn landscape; the corn is still in the fields and the trees are only just beginning to turn.  The view is "in the neighborhood", as I like to say...probably 10 miles from the studio "as the Crow flies".

As I've said in the past, I see many things out here on the prairie in panoramic terms...it's not hard, most landscapes out here are sweeping. I could isolate the elements that make up these vistas, and often times I do; this is part of a view I enjoy again and again, and has much significance to it.

The vantage point I am standing on for this scene is on the old "O'Brien No.1" site.  In the early 1940's, state botanist Ada Hayden was given a grant of $100 to travel the state and find existing prairie remnants "of importance".  This location, now part of the Waterman Prairie complex, was one such location Ada recommended for preservation; she designated it as O'Brien No.1.  The site was finally preserved in the mid 1990's; took long enough (!) but thankfully we finally got it right!

This view is also of geological significance.  This is the view from above a 10-15 thousand year old remnant "Hanging Valley", the former river bed of the river flowing below (Little Sioux River). 

The area was also home to the Mill Creek Culture, which inhabited the valley as late as around 1150 AD; there are over 80 village sites along this valley and up to where our studio is!

AND this is also the location of our earliest settler (pioneer) homesteads...a lot of natural, cultural and geological heritage happening here!

This original piece is hanging in the studio here and can be viewed any time I'm here...just give me a call or stop by and chance your luck of me being around!  All my information, address and phone number can be found on our web site at http://www.morrisons-studio.com .

Tallgrass prairie, glaciers, native americans and pioneers - does it get any better than this?!?!  Gotta' love it!

Mmmmmmmm!

Wild Plum
(Prunus americana)

There is a wonderful fragrance in the air here at the Prairie Hill Farm Studio - intoxicating! There are Wild Plum thickets all over the acreage that we planted in 2003. One clump is behind the studio, another on the west end of the south side and another just across the drive near the barn. I can see the barn clump as I type...the combination of these small thickets cause an olfactory delight!


Wild Plums put on the most beautiful show here in early spring - up and down the valley. But their show is too short lived, and if the weather turns wet and windy (as it has now), the show is soon finished for the year.

This past Thursday I managed to steal time in the early morning to run down along the Little Sioux valley again - this time for my "annual" Wild Plum celebration. I chase the plum bloom each year as a right of spring I guess...something fleeting like the spring wildflowers.

The plums are spread through the tallgrass prairie and the woodland edges...and the early light of day treats them well photographically.

I started a Wild Plum painting last year and got stuck. These things happen...all I can do is keep the fire going and maybe attempt another. The thickets I saw this past week have brought new inspiration...maybe there's hope yet?!

Now that they are mostly waning, I'll think more of the fruits late this coming summer! Gotta love those Wild Plums!

Easter Afternoon

Snow Trillium
(Trillium nivale)

Georgie and I had a nice Easter weekend with family; the weather was a bit windy but perfect otherwise. Sunday afternoon when we were winding down I decided we should go check on the first wildflowers of spring in the area.

There are two wildflowers in our area I always look forward to. The first one to bloom is the Snow Trillium. Its a beautiful small spring ephemeral found along the timbered edges of Waterman Creek and the Little Sioux River valley here. This is our smallest trillium here and is very indicative of the health of a woodland. You won't find it where grazing is allowed or herbicides are in use...hence it's increasing scarcity. I'm not sure if White-tailed Deer are a factor with trillium populations, however the soil compaction caused in woodlands by allowing livestock grazing is a huge factor for all woodland wildflowers. It's sad because woodlands are not prime grazing ground...when used for such they become trashed habitats, their inherent diversity being seriously damaged or altered.

Pasque Flower

(Pulsatilla patens)

The second wildflower to bloom in our area is the Pasque Flower...it's the first to bloom on the tallgrass prairie. I have seen Pasques and Snow Trillium in close proximaty to one another...where the prairie and woodland meet and mingle at the edge, but this is not so common any more.

I went looking for Pasques a week ago today, getting anxious to see what I consider the beginning of the prairie season, but bombed...none to be found anywhere that I usually could count on them. Not to get too impatient, I decided that it was just too soon. I looked back to my image files from last year and found that it was the 14th of April last year when I photographed them, but bloom time can vary by a week or more from year to year; I figured I'd try again on Easter and there they were! Georgie and I did a little more driving around and found even more locations - it appears to be a good Pasque Flower year!

Now that I've had my bit of assurance that life on the tallgrass and the woodland edges is off to another great start - another season begins and hope rides high! Enjoy!

Summer Still

September Dawn, Little Sioux River
Oil on mounted canvas - 6X8"
Sold

This morning was a nice replay of many mornings this summer, particularly this month. A nice morning haze or low lying fog along the valleys and streams. It is something I like to try and chase on occasion, for the effect it plays upon the landscape.

I did a painting today and the fog on the Little Sioux River was fleeting, it was gone when the work began, but there was a very light transparent veil over the water as the sun burned through the trees upstream.

This was a difficult effect I've never tried to tackle before and very transient. The inception of the piece was begun on site and the painting finished here in the studio. I tried a smaller canvas in hopes I could do justice to the fleeting impression I had of the river at dawn...but even so it is something I'd like to try more of in the future.

I don't know if I can get in any more painting before the Artisans Road Trip in two weeks, but I'll try if possible. My to-do list for A.R.T. is getting longer!

5 days till summer's end!

Remembering Summer...No It's Not Over Yet!

Mid Summer, Prairie Stream
Oil on mounted canvas - 9X12"

I spent the day remembering summer, and occasionally leaving the studio to enjoy it as well. I worked on a new painting of my favorite small prairie river - the Little Sioux River.

It's along this stream that remains the last important unprotected and protected vestiges of the Tallgrass Prairie in NW Iowa. It's also an unruly and surprising stream...it can take you for a great ride or break your heart. I can't think of many other "rivers" in this state that are so quick to flood or constantly "banging bottom" from drought. But it's a true prairie stream, meandering through the tallgrass and hills. A pretty river, but not without it's scars. About 65-75 miles south of here it was straightened into a channel by the enterprising and ignorant minds of men many years ago, and losses it's true wildness and beauty.

Painting or photographing the Little Sioux is a great way to remember summer...it's not over yet but close. Get out and enjoy it while you can!

Exploring The River

Leaving Ranney Knob - Little Sioux River
Oil on mounted canvas - 9X12"

A week ago last Saturday I spent some time down on the Little Sioux River in the morning. I was taking pictures and video taping the first annual Prairie Heritage Center's Inkpaduta Canoe Race. It started a bit foggy but turned into a beautiful day. Race participants seemed to have had a great time too.

I scouted around a bit for picture ideas and think I may have some nice things tucked away for this winter or some other studio time...or revisit for plein air. Today though I took time to paint the Little Sioux River at Ranney Knob...a park Georgie and I first visited in Cherokee County a few weeks ago in mid summer. I revisited the river in the studio today...I liked the material I had from this summer and wanted to strike while the iron was hot. I hate mulling things over too long...the embers in my mind go cold and that's that.

The pressure is on around here and I'm scrambling to get things ready for the upcoming Artisans Road Trip up here in NW Iowa. I hope if you have any time during the first weekend in October free, that you'll stop in and say hello!

Have a great last 3 weeks of Summer!

Yesterday's Effort

"Little Sioux Sand Bar"
oil on mounted canvas, 9X12"

Yesterday was a new painting day and the Little Sioux River over by Linn Grove (Iowa) was the location of choice. This area is below the dam there and there are many spots to walk along or even park on both sides, but this view was from the north side looking across stream.

I think I'm trying to do things I'm comfortable with because I feel out of touch and "shape" with the canvas at the present time - having spent so many months in front of my monitor working on websites and educational presentations, and such. I spent so much time on the rivers and creeks when I was growing up that I find them both mentally and physically intriguing and well as relaxing and visually exciting. It's a bit less of a stretch, I guess, to make an image of a stream look inviting.

The painting wasn't finished until this morning though...I just had to work on the water more; fine tune things if-you-will.

Enjoy this October "like" weather while it lasts!

Break...

("Soo Landing in Early Spring" 6X8" plein air oil painting)

We've been getting some very cool damp days lately. Seemed to slow things down as far as the spring wildflowers and flowering trees. Our Wild Plums outside the studio have been swollen and waiting for a warm cue the past few days...now I think we have a break coming!

I decided to take advantage of this break in the scheme of things to get in some short painting practice. I feel very bad to let so much time pass in between paintings, but I need to take care of living issues like most everyone else. I have a couple big jobs taking all my efforts at the moment but decided I needed to be true to myself and scratch that itch today.

I drive by this location several times a year and on driving by last week, I thought this would be a nice location for plein air painting. The trees are still trying to shed the sheaths of their buds and some are just breaking into leaf...just starting to green up the river valley. This is the Little Sioux River a few miles south of here and what is called "Soo Landing". The river wasn't high like it should be this time of year but we're a little short on rain so far this spring.

The landing isn't in the best of shape but affords a nice river bend view to the northeast...you wouldn't even have to get out of your vehicle...which would be my preference come Black fly season! (This is a great river for them.)

Well...back to work I guess...nice to take a break though!