Art and Earth Trail

A view of the front of our gallery as it will appear in late spring!

We are thrilled to have been invited to be part of  the Northern Indiana Art and Earth Trails.  This is a planned "drive yourself" tour with suggestions for destinations - easy, free, and fun to follow.  The photo on the left is included both in the  current brochure printed by that group and on their wonderful website.  There are seven Northern Indiana loops in this trail, and we are in the Marshall County segment, known as Time to Unwind loop.  The web address is

Inside view of Gallery - spring, 2011

http://artandearthtrail.com/trails/index.htm   Go there to find out more about these trails, and when you visit our gallery, be sure to tell us that you are following this trail.  When you get on the web site,  click on "stories" - we are honored to be featured on our loop -  (TIME TO UNWIND).  


Milestones in our lives like special reunions, weddings, graduations, etc. inspire us to undertake major and minor changes - in our bodies and in our homes.    Well!  Being included on this tour is a similar catalyst for us.  The prospect of opening our gallery, our studio and a section of our home to visitors from this tour - has encouraged us to freshen up our gallery - we've bought some spacious baskets to hold most of our prints, rearranged some of our space, and hung more of our personal collection of my  originals in our home for easy viewing.  And we've gone high tech, with a wifi radio, and will have wonderful music in the gallery when I can figure out how to program the sucker. 


Our kitchen has just been repainted- cabinets inside and out - utter chaos.   In about a week, I hope to finish pitching and sorting - in preparation for a few minor furniture moves in the studio (the final step in readying our home/studio/gallery)  Then, I myself will be planted - painting in the studio.  Which reminds me - in front of a south window are twelve little glass jars containing healthy starts from our beloved old Christmas cactus.  Earlier this week, we bought clay pots and saucers.  And as soon as we get the right potting soil mix, I'll plant them. 


Have finished proof reading our family cookbooks, and will print a short new edition.  Will keep you posted on that.


Remember we have definite gallery hours on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 till 5, and other times whenever the sign is out, by chance or appointment.  Call us at 574-842-8888 for an appointment and we'll do our best to be open when it is convenient for you.   


Remember to check us out at our web site;  www.painterandpoet.com 

"Winter Wonderland" -almost spring....

It's good to be back blogging and I'm pleased to present this new painting.  It's my watercolor of  the wonderful view from our front door looking east across the street, and I was enthralled by this winter scene.  Worked on it cautiously - putting it aside frequently to "think hard" about the next brush stroke.  Watercolors are not as forgiving as most other mediums - so, enough said- I hope you enjoy it.  Kay, the owner, is purchasing this original and we will be making some prints for her family, and I will enjoy mailing cards with this image.

Have been feeling below par (lingering shingles symptoms) but better now and "rarin" to go.  We've had our kitchen cabinets painted inside and out and only some of the contents are in place.  Soon we won't have any good excuse for eating out.

Most of our snow is melted, but a few packed piles linger in shaded areas.  And our Lake Maxinkuckee is still covered with thin ice.  

Here's the image from one of my most successful spring flower paintings.  - "Crocus, the Butterfly Flower" thus    named because my quirky artist brain saw the petals of these flowers resembling the wings of tiny butterflies, and it's fun to  think about both of them together.

This small watercolor is in our dining room, and prints are available on our web  site: httm/www.painterandpoet.com/ 

All for now - I'm alternating between studio time and organizing cabinets time, and  always happy to pause to answer the buzzer when any of you enter our gallery door. I'll be back soon to share paintings and news of our artistic journey.         

Yesterday's Blog-What happened to the turtles?

Maxinkuckee cottage watercolor - the turtles must have jumped in the water.  Seriously, they are still in the painting, but my attempt to add close up views of the turtles failed.  A good friend of mine emailed to say she didn't know where to click to look at the turtles.  The culprit is my limited computer skill.  I don't dare even think about pulling off something like that!  Sorry I goofed - here's my alibi - "my little close up photos of turtle 1 and turtle 2 decided they didn't want to be in the blog."

Now it's almost 4 on Sunday afternoon, and I'm going to peel potatoes to go with our pork loin roast which is on the menu (that means thawed out) for tonight's meal.  And when it's in the oven, I'll wander back to my little studio and work on the winter scene of "the house with candles in the windows."  How's that for a plan?

We have serious winter weather here.  South Bend - about 40 miles north of us - has had 30 inches of snow within the last day or so - that's a record!  We're fortunate to have much less snow here, but one must still be very careful walking and driving.  Stay warm!

Remember, comments are welcomed. I hope to have a new blog ready for you by next weekend.    from  Esther


Web site:  http://www.painterandpoet.com/
 

Family Fun on Lake Maxinkuckee

Am posting my most recent finally completed "house portrait." This family has many wonderful memories of time spent in this Lake Maxinkuckee cottage.  The elevation from the water is ideal.  Such an appealing spot with extensive porches, a yard with a large fire pit and plenty of seating for all.  Welcome!

The patriarch of this family is a thoughtful man who follows his dreams with action.  Admirable respect for the environment is evidenced by  this  fieldstone sea wall that provides easy turtle access back and forth between land and lake.   It was fun for me to plant two of these critters  on the sea wall.  I've cropped two turtles from this watercolor, and enlarged them so you can view each of them " up close."

From our studio - After the huge Thanksgiving crash of the "Grandmother Christmas Cactus",  the baby cacti  are looking healthier each day.  About a dozen of them are in glass jars, with their  roots in the water and on a table in the south window of my studio where natural lighting is ideal. 


Today, we put away Christmas ornaments, and I worked for several hours on a snow scene of another inviting home with candles glowing in its windows - which I hope to be able to finish and photograph  for the next blog.  We plan to use this watercolor for our belated 2010 "holiday" card.  Am sorry it is emerging late, but grateful that I'm still able to share my art with you.  Ward and I thank you  for your many thoughtful holiday messages, and we wish you continuing peace and joy in 2011!

Winter hours:  Fridays and Saturdays from 10 till 5, and whenever the open sign is out, or by appointment.
Esther Powers Miller and K. Ward Miller
Painter and Poet Gallery, 307 N.. Main St., Culver, IN  46511
Phone:  574-842-8888
email:  info@painterandpoet.net

Web site:  http//:www.painterandpoet.com/
Most of our prints are available on this web site.  Paypal and free shipping within US.

Happy New Year!

Sixteen years ago, I painted this  watercolor  of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, of Wilmette, Illinois.  This was a gift for the New Year's Eve marriage of a young couple - John Anella,  (son of our good friends - the Steve Anellas of South Bend) and his fiance,  Margie Pelton (her family is very active in this Wilmette  church).  John and Margie and their five children now live in South Bend.


Each New Year's Eve, I think about that wedding, and remember the trip several weeks before the wedding, when Ward and I drove over 100 miles from our home - then in Plymouth - to Wilmette, to search out this church, and photograph so I could use the pictures for reference while working on this painting.    It was early December and we were fortunate to find that an early snow had recently fallen blanketing the ground white and leaving a fluffy snow trim on nearby trees and roofs - a simple classic scene. 

On New Year's day in 1994, carrying the completed watercolor with us, we again drove to this church in Wilmette and found the wintry scene almost identical to our photos.  We attended the wedding and Ward and I had fun presenting  this painting to the happy couple.

The hustle and bustle of  the holidays is subsiding, and now we are shifting gears and thinking about the year to come.  I'm still working on the yearly holiday note card, and when we are ready to mail it, I'll post it here for all to see. 

Greetings to all!  May you have a joyful, peaceful and healthy new year!   from Esther and Ward

Remember, many of our Painter and Poet prints  (including Wilmette Church) are available on our web site: http://www.painterandpoet.com/ 

Winter gallery hours:  Fridays and Saturdays, from 10 till 5, by appointment, or whenever the open sign is out.   
Phone: 574-842-8888.  Address:  307 N. Main St., Culver, IN 46511
Email:  info@painterandpoet.com

Remember - it's easy to subscribe to this blog, and also easy to unsubscribe.  Follow the directions here.  And if you have comments, I'd enjoy hearing them.  -  Esther

A Christmas Cactus "Child" survives!

Hooray!  My son Terry just sent me a photo of a thriving cactus "child" in the same bucket I put it in after the cactus crash! He and Dani transported it in their car when they drove back to New Orleans.   I predict it will root in its water and be safely growing in dirt sometime around Easter.  There are some healthy buds on many of its branches, and it is likely that it will bloom again next year.  I am delighted at its recovery  and congratulate Terry and Dani on their care of the "old lady cactus" survivor.   

Photo emailed by Terry

We have about a dozen small starts on a table in my studio, and I am also hopeful that they will thrive.  A good friend of mine gave me (for Christmas) the  perfect ceramic planter for a much smaller version of this now famous cactus, and I hope to have a newer and sleeker model growing in it before summer.

"Raggedy Family"  ©2000

This image of a Raggedy Ann Family
is available in numbered, signed prints
and as note cards.  Check this out on
our web site in the  "Christmas series" and the "Children's series"of prints.


I'm quite sentimental about this little
grouping.  About ten years ago, we moved from a log cabin located on a
small fishing lake near Plymouth.  We
loved the serenity and beauty of the 
location and the cabin suited us perfectly 
until......Father Time began to catch up with us, and the multiple steps became worrisome and potentially dangerous, so we moved, and are content now in our snug brick bungalow - all on one floor, with our little gallery attached. 


A delightful couple, David and Janet Burke, bought our log cabin and we have the joy of visiting them in this home.  David is a man of many talents, among them - making stick furniture and growing bonsai trees.  The Raggedy dolls in my watercolor were made by his mother, Evelyn Chandler, and David made the chair.  If interested, you can look at this print on our web site, http://www.painterandpoet.com/


Thank you for your encouragement and support.  We enjoy our small gallery, and are pleased to be able to share our painting and poetry with you.  


Am still working on my 2010 Christmas painting, which will be considered a New Year's card, and will be sent out soon.  In the meantime, peace and joy to all of you in 2011.

 

A warm and friendly Christmas from Culver, Indiana!

This wonderful small park is located in Culver's downtown historic district  - our town's post office is just behind this park and a variety of small to medium sized shops, a CVS pharmacy,  offices,  condos, a B & B,and other rentals, two small museums, a bustling library, a bank - across the street.  A  hardware store, a florist, several good restaurants and real estate sales and rental offices are all in close proximity.  Our Painter and Poet Gallery is two and a half blocks north on this same Main Street of Culver, Indiana  - a small town with a huge warm heart!!   Welcome visitors! 


Memorial bricks comprise the walkways inside this park - and benches and flowering bushes create a welcoming atmosphere in the summer and  this park is a fairyland in the Christmas season.  My watercolor of this scene is an attempt to capture some of the winter magic.  Small matted 8" x 10" prints are available in our gallery and on our web site http://www.painterandpoet.com


Ward and I have been slow in getting our Christmas organized - it seems like Thanksgiving was yesterday and Christmas is almost tomorrow.  An almost spooky and freaky incident occurred on Thanksgiving day in my studio - Our huge Christmas cactus, pictured and discussed in an earlier blog  on our website -  flew off its perch on a sturdy table, landed in a heap upside down on the floor, with its shattered branches underneath and its unbroken large ceramic pot bottom-up atop the fractured plant.  I had admired the emerging Christmas buds several days earlier!  (Maybe there's a moral here - "enjoy today"?)


This plant - almost a century old was almost three  feet across - thus trapped in our home and  too large to go through any of our exterior doors !!  My first reaction was shock and sadness.  Then I started to giggle.  "Well, I guess I won't have to worry about that cactus anymore!"


My older son and his family were here visiting when this unusual event happened, and after everybody else was in bed,  I  sat there mulling over what to do with the "remains".  Decided the damage too drastic for repotting,  I settled on hauling out three large empty plastic ice cream "buckets", and cut the intact branches apart, and placed them root side first and down into water.  Ward put some bricks on top of the cactus table to stabilize the weight, and I'm keeping  them watered and in a south window, and attempting  to get some new starts going.  If any of you would like to have  a cutting off this plant, just stop in with your  small water container, and we'll give you a piece of that wonderful old plant!  But in this frigid season, you'll have to keep the fragile branch warm so we'll  need to bundle it up for you! 


Here's a copy of my painting of Mother's Christmas Cactus.  Prints and cards of this also available in our little shop and on our web site. 

Our pleasant memories of this plant live on, and we wish you a merry, merry Christmas with happiness that will extend throughout the coming new year! 


We welcome your emails and comments.  Winter hours:  10 till 5 on Fridays and Saturdays, and whenever the open sign is out.  Or call for an appointment  574-842-8888.   
email:  info@painterandpoet.com
web site:  http://www.painterandpoet.com

A NEW START! November is behind us.

Ward and I are back in our comfortable routine. Shortly before Halloween, Ward suffered with a
large kidney stone, and endured 2 surgeries for treatment. Everything else went on hold while we worked for his recovery. He is now almost back to normal, and we are most grateful - to his excellent doctor, and the concern and generous help from family and kind friends.

Cook Book Mode has been my computer life for the last several weeks, and 22 new spiffy spiral bound cook books - "COOKING, PAINTING & POETRY - from Painter and Poet" are piled on our dining room table. Some of these have been pre-ordered, and the master file for reprinting them is safe on our trusty Mac, and on backup files.

For background on these books - Four years ago, I composed a family cook book preserving only our very favorite recipes for family and close friends - a project I very much wanted to complete. Since then, a few more exceptional recipes have expanded our selective list of favorites , and these are also included in this new book. This cook book centers around three of Ward's and my favorite activities - cooking (and eating), painting, and poetry, so here you have it - "COOKING, PAINTING & POETRY from Painter and Poet."

Contents of this book: over 100 favorite recipes - breads, appetizers, desserts, main dishes, salads, soups and sandwiches, veggies, and turkey dinner basics; almost 90 full color illustrations of Esther's most popular watercolor prints and note cards; and a nice sampling of Ward's poetry. Along with the recipes, the poems and the watercolor illustrations are indexed, and some of the collectors are named. Where possible, we give credit to the generous people who shared their super recipes with us.

This "family" collection is dedicated to our seven children and our grandchildren (+ 2 "grands" for Ward), and the cover image is "Uncle John's Barn", named to honor my dad, John Henry Scobie, who was a fantastic father and a true "gentle man".

We've kept our cook book pricing as low as possible, but cost escalated because of all the full color print illustrations. We're holding the introductory offer price at $49.00 - boxed, autographed if you wish, and including a note card (possibly one of those included in the book's illustrations). When we sell out of our initial printing, orders will be taken, and the price then will be $59.00.

It's fun communicating with you again, and I leave to go back into the living room and into "Christmas Tree Decorating Mode."

P. S. To order our new cook book, call us. Cook book not yet added to our web site. Wide selection of prints and many note cards available on our web site.


For easy ordering, and free shipping, go to our web site: www.painterandpoet.com And for up to date Culver community info, visit www.maxinkuckee.com and www.culverchamber.com










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Magic - Utah Mountains and Stephen Quiller Gallery

WOW Look at these huge rock formations! We were overwhelmed by the majestic beauty. What an awesome sight - our first view of Utah's Arches National Park. We spent several hours driving through a small portion of this huge park, and proceeded on into Colorado, and through more gorgeous mountains, some covered with dark evergreens and others sprinkled with trees frosted in golden fall colors - an irresistible source of wonderful inspiration for a great water media artist, like Stephen Quiller. (and a great temptation to an enthusiastic lesser painter, like me).

And what a grand thrill to finally arrive at the Quiller Gallery in Creede, Colorado! Such terrific paintings! I have admired his work for years, and this was such a very special treat - and I'm most grateful to Ward for navigating all the elevations and curves in this tough by gorgeous terrain.

We were fortunate to be able to visit Quiller Gallery - scheduled to close for the season only several days after our arrival. Burdette Knous was a delightful hostess and Ward and I were thrilled to view so many of Stephen Quiller's marvelous paintings. My absolute favorite is pictured here. It is called "Sojourn with Red Wing Blackbirds" and my photo does not do it justice but does gives you an idea of what it looks like. Check www.quillergallery.com to learn more about him and to view this painting and many others.

Studio Update: All of this gadding around has been stimulating, but also exhausting, and I'll admit to sleeping some long hours to try to regain my energy. Am now putting the final finishing touches on my large watercolor of a Lake Maxinkuckee Home. So will sign off for now and get busy on it.

For easy ordering, and free shipping, go to our web site: www.painterandpoet.com And for up to date Culver community info, visit www.maxinkuckee.com and www.culverchamber.com

Family Ties and Inspiration

We've been home now long enough to have mail opened and laundry almost finished.
Had a delightful journey to Utah where we enjoyed the warm hospitality of Ward's daughter Michelle, her husband Justin and their wonderful family - Elizabeth, Amy, Allison and Daniel.

Ward planned our travel route and navigated with precision and we enjoyed a brief visit to the campus of Kansas City Art Institute, where I studied 60 years ago. Vanderslice Hall looks almost as it did then, and we were pleased and surprised to discover that Lee Piechocki, who greeted us at the front desk, is a South Bend native transplanted in Kansas City. Check out his web site: www.leepiechocki.com

My two+ years there is a distant but very pleasant memory. I remember appreciating my freshman year where I had the opportunity to sample many art forms. Lee told us this format was abandoned for many years with a change for freshman to a simpler study program without the variety I enjoyed. The pendulum has swung back and today's first year students are enjoying the introduction to a wider variety of art forms, much like those that I appreciated long ago. Now students also are introduced to many computer applications - so many innovations with technology! I'm thrilled and challenged to be able to work with some of this wonderful new STUFF!

Will post this with several photos - a lop-sided view of Vanderslice Hall and one with a typical pose of Ward in front of it - (Take a look at the cowboy hat and the suede vest - quite the dude!). Am having a glitch downloading some of our photos from the camera to our computer, and hope we get this solved. Hopefully, I will share more trip details including a wonderful visit to Stephen Quiller's Gallery in the mountains of southern Colorado.

Ill sign off for now and be back in a few days with a photo of my latest large watercolor. Check out our web site - www.painterandpoet.com.