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The weather is warm late this year, with the exception of a one week cold snap in early October daytime temperatures were still 40˚ fahrenheit until the first of November. The first thin sheet of ice covered the lake on November 3 but with temperatures back to 38˚ on November 5, most of the lake is open again. Our cove is frozen all the way to the west shore, but open water starts about 200′ south of our dock all the way across the lake to the south shore.

Dozens of Mallard ducks fly in and fly out, sometimes skidding on the ice. Traditionally Thanksgiving marks the time when people can safely play on the ice, but I’m beginning to think that might not happen. We won’t know for sure if the ice is safe until an auger hole is drilled to verify the thickness. At the end of last winter the ice pack was 3 feet thick! I look forward to winter, skating and skiing on the lake.
Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Artist

At this stage in the development of a painting I let it rest for awhile, and think. It looks almost finished, but it is not. This is the time for some serious evaluation. I will turn the painting upside down and sideways, looking for compositional flaws. I haven’t added finished detail yet and save that for the very last. My first quick impression is that the seated figure needs some work, as does the garage door area of the house where the tree shadows seem weak. I’ll think on this while the painting is upside down. I’ll probably do some more work on the rock trim of the house as well, it looks a little strange at the moment. It is a little bland and does not read as rocks but more like multi-colored paint. Odd. I can become too familiar with what I’m painting and not see objectively. Let it rest, and think. I remind myself not to get caught up in the rush to finish.
More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Pointillism Artist

At this stage of the painting the house and background are partially finished, the foreground flower garden is barely roughed in. I’m establishing depth in the scene with color, and carefully choosing values. The seated figure is not painted at this time, and the rock borders are unpainted. I will work on those areas next, and further develop the foreground flowers.
More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Pointillism Artist

Again, I like to save time while painting. So, instead of taking down all of my photo references so that I can have an uncluttered background to evaluate the painting, I keep a bunch of empty mats in a variety of sizes handy to create a temporary mat around the artwork. This working mat helps separate the artwork from the busyness of the surroundings and makes it easier to evaluate the composition.

More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Pointillism Artist

Through the years I’ve used many, many different kinds of palettes.  Some are made from molded plastic, wood, and glass, I’ve even tried using pie plates, and muffin tins. Acrylic paint dries fast.  In order to eliminate the job of cleaning the surface of the palette each time it is used I’ve settled into using disposable palettes.  I just peel the used sheet from the pad and toss it in the trash.  The same goes for brushes.  Acrylic paint destroys brushes, so I purchase cheap white sable by the dozen and throw them away when they quit holding a point and begin to resemble a fan. Cheap and easy, that’s my style. I hate wasting time setting up and cleaning up, I just want to paint. So, the easier the better for me. I have, however, used the same jar for water for nearly 30 years. It is like an old friend. I just rinse it out at the end of the day and let it air dry.  You will not find any special magic painting tools in my kit, just hard work!
More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Pointillism Artist

Last summer a client commissioned me to create an original painting featuring her house and flower gardens. Here are the steps I use to create a painting with specific subject matter. (more…)

Hannigita Heaven original pen/ink/watercolor by Gail Niebrugge. Sold.

A plein air drawing of my Hannigita Lake retreat. I brought watercolor, pencils, pen and ink and gesso prepared masonite panels to use during my week at the lake. Inside we felt secure and safe from bears that roamed the area. Each window had a stout rusty saw blade mounted across the opening, a definite deterrent. The door could be barred shut by a heavy plank that slid across its width, secured by a latch. On a nice warm night it got very stuffy and hot inside, so sometimes we took a risk and cracked the door open for ventilation. In the crisp, cool air of morning we pre-warmed our clothes by the wood stove. At night I was always wide-eyed and alert for wildlife as I crept across the rickety plank trail to the outhouse with heart beating wildly, and raced back to the safety of the cabin. It would take awhile to settle down and fall asleep again. We were wonderfully scared, brave, and in love with Hannigita, and Alaska.

More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Artist

Abundant Browse original acrylic painting by Gail Niebrugge. Sold.

Another favorite lake in the Chugiak mountains is Hannigita, where a small private cabin serves as a retreat. Each morning we were greeted by the splashing sounds of a big bull moose browsing. We cooked fresh caught trout over a campfire and watched the landscape constantly change its mood, from the erie morning mists, glorious rainbows, placid reflections, choppy grey wind-driven waves, to my favorite time; flat calm water reflecting brilliant sunsets. We never saw another soul or airplane during our week-long stay. Nature’s paradise.

More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Artist of Alaska

Blackburn Through the Notch original acrylic painting by Gail Niebrugge. Prints sold out.

The notch is pilot talk and refers to the gap between the mountains at Tebay Lake, a place where a small airplane can navigate when clouds obscure visibility. I’m sure some pilots have used the notch in an emergency, but I always played it safe when piloting my own airplane and waited for the clouds to lift before flying. This painting is inspired by the scene that emerged while we were sitting around the camp fire watching the clouds rise late one evening. Mt. Blackburn in the distant Wrangell Mountains is revealed, bathed in alpen glow from last rays of the summer sun at midnight. It is a sight to behold. Patience has its rewards. This painting was made into a limited edition print simply titled Blackburn, and 900 copies were sold by the Soroptimists of Cook Inlet in 1986 to raise funds for that very worthy organization.
More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Artist

Tebay Camp original acrylic painting by Gail Niebrugge. Sold.

The Chugiak mountain range extends across the Bagley Ice fields to Yakutat in the coastal region of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Access to this huge, beautiful, and extremely remote area is by air. I like to stay several days during summer at Tebay Lake, high in the Curgiak mountains, to enjoy excellent fishing and opportunities for research with sketch book and photography. One year we discovered this completely thrashed, abandoned cabin and decided to stay there, but first we had to make it habitable. Clearing the inside of trash and broken fixtures we built a jerry-rigged wood stove out of empty AvGas cans using a rusty stove pipe scrounged from the dump pile. With our home-made stove it was cozy and warm inside at night. This peaceful location is at its best when spending time around a campfire, a scene that I recreated in the painting Tebay Camp.
More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Artist of Alaska