Niebrugge Studio Website Niebrugge Studio Blog
This spectacular original painting, titled “Parting Clouds”, was painted with thousands of tiny dots a technique called pointillism. It is one of a kind, a perfect focal point for a large room or lobby. “Parting Clouds” can be seen on my web site at Original Paintings - Parting Clouds.
The Tree Swallow activity level increased today, and both mates became aggressive whenever we came near the nesting box. The house painter working from the roof reported being dive bombed by swallows, and we had swallows flying at high speed straight toward our faces only to divert inches before hitting….. (more…)
Wow! I can see fresh new paint on the exterior of the building now that the protective window covers have been removed. It looks great. Today the trim will be painted. I can’t wait to see the finished product. We have been living in the studio/residence since January, and have grown accustomed to the look and color of primer and crack sealer. The new siding paint color is a rich tan and is very nice. I will post photos on my website News page once the job is complete.
Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Artist
All winter I worked on five original paintings commissioned by the State of Alaska Per Cent for Art Program, to be installed in the Teeland Middle School Library, Wasilla. The theme for the school is landscape, I chose different aspects of thel local landscape to include wildlife, flowers, historic structures, and the famous local mountain Pioneer Peak. (more…)
House painters arrived early this morning and have sealed the windows of our house and my studio with opaque plastic wrap. Tape is everywhere. The guys said that it would take three hours to spray the house, and two more days to complete the trim. I guess I will be working inside this sealed box for three days. If the weather turns hot I think I might suffocate! (more…)
Once the perennial garden is complete we saw the need to create a path from the front walk to the side yard. We began building the path by outlining the edges in rock and laying weed barrier cloth as a base. For a nice stable, yet rustic surface we spread loads and loads of a combination of gravel and sand. The path is 5′ wide, big enough for the ATV (four wheeler) to traverse. (more…)
My landscaping plan is a design-as-you-build concept. As we began to implement my careful design, everything changed. It is interesting to see how we viewed the yard as we began to use it. (more…)
After a visit to the tree farm, we chose four small White Spruce trees to plant in the front yard. They are about 4′ tall, and represent about eight years of growth. These are native Alaska trees, very hearty, and will withstand wind very well. We considered planting Colorado Blue Spruce, they are thick, full, and gorgeous, but won’t thrive as well in the wind. And our front yard gets some good wind. (more…)
This morning I’m giggling to myself as I think about my newly seeded lawn. Soft, pale green shoots of new grass are showing, and they are forming very distinct rows! On closer inspection, the rows appear snake like and are not straight, it has occurred to me that they are following old paths from garden hoses. (more…)
Most of my collectors are familiar with my technique of pointillism (painting with small dots), but for those of you who are new to my website or those who want more insight, I’ll share information about this method. But first, let me give you a little background. (more…)
People often ask if they can visit my studio. The answer is yes! If you are interested in seeing original paintings, or artist proofs of sold out limited editions, or if you are interested in seeing how I work to create a painting, call me and arrange a visit. Many galleries and gift shops in Alaska sell my work, and can order anything for you any time. If you want to see something that the gallery doesn’t have, just call and arrange a visit to my studio.
See you soon!
Alaska Artist, Gail Niebrugge
Last evening two Rednecked Grebe strangers showed up in the cove noisily squawking and calling. The resident grebe stopped diving and with its neck stretched out flat in the water, headed quickly toward the strangers. He alternately charged them by flapping wings on top of the water or diving swiftly under water. Strangely, he never approached closer than a few feet, but the noise and activity were quite impressive. (more…)
Sounds of engines roaring, cement pouring, equipment digging, dump trucks dumping, banging, clanging, noise fills the air this morning. Our cul de sac is the hub for four driveways, and three of those driveways serve as access for construction projects. Parked in the cul de sac are a carpet cleaning van, two pick up trucks, and a landscaping truck with an equipment trailer. (more…)
Last evening we sat on the dock watching the nesting grebes with binoculars. Their is a rhythmic quality to their daily routine. While one grebe incubates the eggs, barely moving other than occasionally turning its head from side to side, the mate is swimming and diving nearby. (more…)
We woke to the sound of rain, blessed rain, and the gift of a free day from lawn duty! Free from monitoring sprinklers on newly seeded topsoil. Nature is finally working for us. Now, hopefully light rain will continue dampening the soil and not become a washout downpour. (more…)
The Tree Swallows are taking turns sitting on eggs in the nest box. One flies in and the other flies out. The sky is full of swallows buzzing around, zapping insects on the fly. Oh, to be able to navigate with such precision….sharp turns, steep dives and climbs, they are aeronautical wonders. (more…)
It has been too windy to seed the lawn all week. The first minute it was calm, early Friday morning, we quickly grabbed the chance and started sowing seed. Our luck didn’t hold, within two hours the winds were blowing harder than any other time during the week! We were horrified to see seed and topsoil become airborne! (more…)
As I quietly worked raking new topsoil along the edge of the lake yesterday, the mama Mallard swam out from under water lilies with a string of new ducklings lined up behind! The baby chicks are adorable, so fat and fuzzy. I stopped work and watched them for quite awhile as they floated in and out of the lilies and lake grasses until they were out of sight. What a pleasant interruption. The vision of those baby ducks stayed in my mind throughout the day as I continued my work raking the soil.
Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Artist
No seed sown yesterday, it was too windy and the seed would have landed in the lake. Hopefully we can broadcast lawn seed today, right now winds are blowing lightly. (more…)
Monday, Jake, our landscaper spent the entire day carefully redistributing the soil in our back yard. He graded a gradual ramp down to the dock and took out all the unnecessary humps, hills and valleys so that a smooth sloping lawn can be planted. Eight loads of rich loam/peat/sand topsoil topped the job, and one extra load was delivered to the front yard for future use. (more…)
This artist journal blog is about daily life in Alaska with professional artist Gail Niebrugge and her business partner husband Bob, and will discuss shows and exhibits, research in the field, the creation of original paintings, and art prints. See Gail's fine art here.
