"Ferry Road 7/27/10" -- plein air field study -- oil on canvas panel 8x10" -- Margie Guyot

I've been in love with painting shady farm roads.  And if I'm able to find a shady spot to stand in while painting one, so much the better!  This one is at the corner of US31 and Ferry Road, south of Charlevoix, Michigan.  We've had a heatwave lately.  Down towards Detroit, they've had 100 degree temperatures.  80's up here.  We're all used to cooler weather and some of us start complaining if it gets above 75!

Ferry Road

"Ferry Road" -- plein air field study -- oil on canvas -- 8x16" -- Margie Guyot

I'd been wanting to come paint this view ever since I saw it a few weeks back.  Finally I made the effort to get over there today.  It's east of US 31, in between Charlevoix and Ellsworth, Michigan.  I'm such a sucker for rolling hills, gravel roads and trees casting shade!  Kind of a scorcher here: up near 80 degrees.  Well, that's HOT for here.  Lots of us are complaining.  Tomorrow's supposed to be even hotter.  Darn!

Up until fairly recently, I had only done plein air in 8x10, 11x14" formats.  A friend suggested trying 8x16's.  I tried it once and became hooked!  They're also great for painting seascapes.

I was fortunate to find a shady tree to paint under!  I'm not a fan of sunburns and heat.  Two farm dogs woofed at me initially, but soon got bored and left.  They took turns chasing each other out in the fields.

I'm at home now, recharging with a salami & mustard sandwich.  Would like to drive down to Rex Beach and paint a sunset tonight.  Clouds look like they'd be interesting.  And I couldn't paint at the beach last month -- too many swarms of bugs.  They would dive into wet paint -- either on my palette or onto the canvas.  Thought I should make the most of today -- tomorrow's supposed to be sweltering, in the upper 80's.  I'll be holed up inside my studio, working on a new still life (where it's cooler).

Love Shack

"Love Shack" -- plein air field study -- oil on canvas panel -- Margie Guyot

I painted this yesterday afternoon over in back of The Cycling Salamander, an art gallery on US 31, south of Charlevoix. Rebecca Glotfelty, the owner, let me have the roam of the place. And what a great place it is: rolling hills, flowers, a little pond, fruit trees -- all perfumed by the autumn olive shrubs that are in bloom.

When looking for a spot to paint, I walk around with my little plastic viewfinder, framing potential views. Clyde Aspevig taught me to use a view finder back in 1987. I use it faithfully.

Rebecca's got this little building out back, next to a pond. I call it the "Love Shack". I loved the way the shadow fell across the side. And the green and red combination of paint. Rebecca's got quite a knack for choosing paint colors.

And I always love to show what's going on with window reflections. Sometimes you can see through the windows; sometimes you just see what they're reflecting.

There was the loveliest willow tree next to the building. It had some hanging branches that I couldn't resist throwing in the painting.

And, it being spring in Michigan, there were loads of hungry mosquitoes bedeviling me. Bullfrogs croaked. Birdies sang. Gentle breezes. Sunny skies. Ah, it was grand!

"9 Mile Point - 3/06/10" -- plein air field study -- oil on stretched canvas -- 10x20" -- Margie Guyot

Spring is coming. The ice out on Lake Michigan is starting to break up and pile along the shoreline. This spot is south of Bay Harbor, between Charlevoix and Petoskey. There's a pull-off area along US 31 for parking. I was thankf...ul for my snow boots and heavy down jacket. Although it was about 40 degrees, the wind howling off the lake made it feel a lot cooler. I was struck by the patterns of jagged ice that ran diagonally along the shore. As I painted, big chunks of "icebergs" floated in. It was getting to be late afternoon and I just loved the blue shadows. Painting snow colors is quite interesting. If you've never had to paint them, snow colors are surprising. Snow isn't white, but ranges from lilacs to blues to yellowish-grays. Mesmerizing.