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I’ve filled the background with dots in shades and hues of blue with a slight variation in value, and began adding color to the butterfly and parts of the flower. All of this work is very preliminary at this point, many changes will take place before I am satisfied. The background could change entirely, I won’t know until values and color have been added throughout the painting.

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska painter

Many more dots in shades and hues of blue are added to the background of the painting. At this stage the value of the blue is pretty much the same, I will begin to lighten or darken areas of the background later.

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska artist

I’ve begun to apply the first layer of dots to the background of the painting, multiple shades and hues of blue. The dots are applied very random and the values are applied equally random at this stage.

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska artist

This sketch is from my trip to New Zealand where I saw many butterflies in the botanical gardens, I’m painting a Monarch butterfly as it feeds on a flower.

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska flower artist

Unusual warm, mild temperatures this fall allowed migrating waterfowl the opportunity to spend extra time on our lake where an abundance of feed abounds. These two adult Trumpeter Swans and their five signets spent nearly a week foraging along the shoreline attracting the attention of ducks who benefited from the leftover scraps. This photo was taken from inside my studio where I spend a lot of time watching these beautiful birds swim around our dock very close to shore. It is fun to watch an excited neighbor approach for a close-up photo with camera and big lens, every time someone tries the swans swiftly swim to the middle of the pond. We all keep each other notified of the swans arrival with a telephone “Swan Watch Alert”, just one of the joys of living near the water in Alaska.

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska waterfowl artist

The day after the Governor’s Awards for the Arts, the Alaska State Council Board of Directors met in a room with an incredible view on the top floor of the hotel Captain Cook, Anchorage, Alaska. I have the pleasure to serve as Vice-Chair of the Board for the past two years and am constantly impressed with the quality of the board members and the efficiency of the hard-working staff. During our all-day meeting we discussed many issues facing arts in Alaska with particular attention to the small rural communities in our vast state. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of Alaska as part of this outstanding board.

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska artist

Thursday night I had the pleasure of attending the Alaska State Council on the Arts Governor’s Awards banquet at the Hotel Captain Cook downtown Anchorage, Alaska. I was thrilled to be seated at a table with two of the founders of the state constitution and the award winner for Lifetime Achievement in art, not to mention I sat next to my friend and fantastic artist Dot Bardarson of Seward, Alaska! It was a wonderful evening with heartfelt speeches by the winners. Pictured above left to right is Polly Lee from Petersburg, Alaska, the winner of the Lifetime Achievement award, Vic Fischer and Katie Hurley who helped write the constitution for our state of Alaska. It is an honor to be able to know people who had such an impact on our young state, we just celebrated our 50th year of statehood this year! What an awesome evening. I am humbled.

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska painter

After two seamless flights on Alaska Airlines from San Diego/Seattle, Seattle/Anchorage and Bob met me at the beautiful Anchorage International Airport for the one-hour drive to our Palmer studio. The weather here is blustery, but still in the mid 40’s during the day. No snow on the ground yet. While in San Diego I did not adjust to the humid heat, I’ve been away from that climate for so long it seems I’m a true Alaskan. I like the cool daytime temperatures of October with nighttime near freezing, relieving us from yard work until spring. The days are growing shorter, today it was dark until nearly 8:00AM and dusk arrives around 6:00PM. Winter is the time of the year that I paint, toasty warm in the studio with good light I recreate lush, bold colors in acrylic of all seasons. Landscapes, birds, flowers, and wildlife come to life on my easel. Yes, I’m looking forward to winter in Alaska.

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska landscape art

Cousin Arlene Shuster and I visited the wild animal park during my recent trip to San Diego and the Lorkeets gave me a surprise as they landed on my hand, arm, and shoulders while I fed them. This is a gorgeous park, the foliage and gardens are beautiful and I enjoyed watching the animals and waterfowl in re-created natural habitat. Sunny warm weather greeted us every day, we wore shorts and sandals summertime in October. Tomorrow I fly back to Alaska where winter is on the way. Good bye old friends and family, it was nice to see all of you again!

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska artist

Forty cousins and second cousins met for a picnic in Escondido for the annual family reunion that has convened for more than 75 years. Grandma and grandpa are gone along with our six aunts and uncles, but the third and forth generation still meet. It is wonderful to be a part of this family. Pictured above are my second cousin Noell Krueger with husband Kelly and second cousin Dennis Orsborn with wife Sally.

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska artist

Friends since grade school the four of us shared memories at the class reunion in San Diego last weekend. From left to right are myself, Karen Smith, Toni Moreno, and Phyllis Smith, good Girl Scouts all.

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska artist

Last weekend I traveled to San Diego for a class reunion and family reunion. Pictured are five of us, long-time girlfriends, outdoors in sunny warm weather lunching at Little Italy downtown San Diego. Left to right; Barbara Ohlund, me, Doree Radici, Carol Rife and Toni Moreno. We laughed and talked non-stop for two days reliving memories and old-times. Reunions are great fun!

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska artist

The lake is a mirror, calm, unmoving, a surface of glass except for a bubble here and there rising from the bottom and bursting at the top forming tiny circular ripples. The cove is ripe with weeds and fingerling fish, excellent cuisine for waterfowl. Six Trumpeter Swan arrived, four signets and two adults, to rest and feed before resuming their southerly migration. Extending long necks deep into the water they quietly foraged in the cove, then as suddenly as they arrived announcing impending departure with trumpet sounds, giant wings extended, beating the water, gaining forward momentum, the huge birds lifted off into flight creating a frenzy of noise and splashing. Within minutes the cove became silent, tranquil again, with only an occasional bubble breaking the smooth surface as if nothing had ever been there.

Gail Niebrugge, waterfowl artist

While raking leaves and preparing the yard for winter I stumbled upon several clusters of these fleshy fungi puffballs breaking through the wood chips along the driveway. Mushrooms are common in the woods during fall and by now are nothing more than blackened mounds of dead vegetation. How odd to find these new clumps sprouting long after the others have died. Is this is the product of a balmy fall?

Gail Niebrugge, Landscape artist

I can’t remember when my rose bushes were so beautiful, some are still in bloom, but the leaves take center stage now. The fall landscape is dull with bare trees, the ground littered with decaying vegetation a tan and chocolate monotone landscape, shimmering in the midst of bland the rose bushes glow as if they were lit with spotlights. They stand out like beacons in a fog. Gorgeous! Mid October and the weather is still balmy with only a hand-full of frosty mornings and many sunny days. Perhaps it is a sign of the mild season that the roses shine.

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska painter

It is amazing the things that attract my attention during an ordinary day. I saw this sky as we were waiting at the dump to unload our pick-up full of trash. Everyone else was dutifully throwing refuse in the pit while I stood in awe of the sky and shot photos of the fabulous clouds! I don’t think anyone else at the dump noticed the sky, what a shame it was so beautiful it deserved time alone to contemplate. I wondered what kind of clouds these were and what did they signify? I know some are indicative of high winds, and we certainly had wind that day. Have we lost touch with nature in our busy, scheduled, computer driven lives? I hope not.

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska painter

I’ve been waiting for a load of wood chips and they arrived while we were doing the art show in Anchorage. I was surprised to see the size of the mountain alongside the driveway. There may not be enough time to spread them in the garden before it snows, and I’m a little worried that they may be scattered during our windy season. We might have a big blue tarp in the yard this winter.

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska artist

Recently I enjoyed the pleasure of serving as a juror for an art show titled “Wild Wolves” that opened at the Madd Matters Gallery in Palmer last Saturday night, October 10, continuing through the end of the month. The show contains a varied mix of mediums from bronze sculpture, woodcut, to paintings in watercolor, acrylic and oil. Owner Pam Strahan and partner Gregory Gusse are on to something new for Palmer, monthly showings of original art following a theme. Most of the work is efforts by newly emerging artists and there are some very nice pieces. Pam discussed working in concert with other art venues across the valley to time openings so that patrons can progress from one show to another without missing an event due to a conflict with scheduling. I wish the staff and artists of Madd Matters every success in this new venture, many thanks for inviting me to participate.

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Artist

As I walked through the yard checking for chores to be completed before the first snow I noticed the reflection of bare trees in a puddle surrounded by fallen leaves. Yes, winter is on the way, but this season has a beauty all its own. I’m glad I took the time to check out the yard and observe fall from the ground up.

Gail Niebrugge, landscape artist

The sample canvas proofs for the new giclee prints of “Wing Dancing” arrived today. Comparing the full size strip to the original painting I can see that the proof needs a tiny tweak of magenta and it will be perfect. The fully stretched mirror wrapped prints should be here within the next three weeks. We already have orders for the large size (39″x49″) and the medium size (28″x35″). This is exciting! Call Niebrugge Studio at (907)746-3256 to order yours.