The Trail to the Cedarburg Plein Air Event

Full Circle. In 2014 my friend Nancy and I left the Interurban Bike Trail to find facilities and coffee and rode into Cedarburg, WI. There were people at easels everywhere, painting the town, so to speak. I remember being fascinated by a guy painting a Vienna Beef umbrella, someone else doing a door of an iconic mill, and people along the river. I turned to Nancy and said, “I want to do that.”  Reading a banner over the main street, it was the first time, I learned the words, plein air, as in Plein Air Festival.

Retirement looming and the hours it brings, might have been the biggest catalyst, but I think the brightest sparks offered the opportunity to be outside, as long as I wanted,  doing something creative, alone with people.  I knew nothing about paints, painting or perspectivehat, but that didn’t deter me. I’d watched my friend Lynn go from knowing her sign to digging in and not only learning astrology, but becoming the Astrologer to Oprah’s astrologer.  My friend Veronica took a pastel class and within a couple years exhibited work. I knew I needed to buy a lot of paper, a few good brushes, some paint, and get humble. The learning curve would be steep.

Within a week or two, I found a one day class at Lill Street Art Center in Chicago, registered for a week-long class with watercolorist Tom Schaller at Madeline Island School of Art in the Apostle Islands. That's where I met Steve Puttich and learned that there was a group called the Plein Air Painters of Chicago. The first Saturday I could, I went to one of their paint outs to see the equipment used. It just happened to be at Montrose Harbor and Carl Judson, The Guerilla Painter was visiting with his truck of wares. Stephanie Wiedner introduced herself and encouraged me to meet people. I did and I was hooked.

Since then I’ve taken loads of other workshops at the Palette and Chisel and elsewhere. I've learned from Errol Jacobson and Stuart Fullerton. I've painted and painted and painted. I have more than 30 paintings and sketches of one single scene, in every season, at Fort Sheridan… none are good.  After a couple years of interminable humbleness and frustration with watercolors, a well respected artist, Tim Clark told me I needed basics. I didn't understand exactly what he meant, but I started back at the beginning.  Figure drawing to understand what I’m seeing, fundamentals to understand pigments and washes and lines. I switched to oils and a 7-week perspective class. Who knew there were algorithms to shadows? It's all helped.

I registered for the plein air event in Cedarburg as soon as the 2017 event was open. Two months prior, I called the event-runner to understand the consequences of quitting. At that time, I could’ve gotten my $60 entry fee back. I didn’t quit then. Twice, in the last month, in spite of losing my fee,  I made plans to do something instead of going to Cedarburg, but I rescheduled. A week or two back, I put in a sizable order for paint supplies but left the box unopened in the kitchen. Yesterday, I unwrapped them and added them to my working kit.

My car is packed to leave for Cedarburg Plein Air Event and I will leave in a little while. I wanted to take a couple minutes to reflect on getting to this point. I’m doing a lot of self talk and internal wheelin and dealin… you don’t have to submit anything, go have fun, no one has a masterpiece every time, meet people, there will be artists of all skill levels, the weather is going to be beautiful. Mostly, I’m eager to be there. I know someone will walk by me and say, “I wish I could do that” and I will assure them they can.