Barbara with two curious art lovers at Sylvan Lake
Children are magnets for art!
Children -our present and future artists.
In October, my twin sister Beverly and I packed our watercolor equipment and headed to South Dakota. We painted, hiked, played golf, and absorbed the beauty of this paradise of forest, lake, and pine needles. We rented a cabin at Sylvan Lake- an idyllic retreat of fall colors, wonderful scenery, all subject matter for plein-air painting. Mornings and evenings were spent painting or sketching by the lake and then we hiked in the afternoons, then painted in our cabin when the sun went down and the world became quiet. The wonderful folks we met embraced our willingness to share what we do. Children loved watching us paint as we asked them about school and what they thought of the Black Hills. We met rock climbers who made it clear that climbing the rocks was about “technique” rather than strength. Still, it made us shudder to hear their tales. The blessings people gave us cannot be measured.
Have you seen the spire-style rocks along the Needles Highway? These are the strange spires that have verticality beyond words and call to rock climbers around the country. When we hiked the Cathedral Spires trail, we felt as though we were inhabitants on another planet, actors in a sci-fi film. As an artist, these rocks must be studied carefully with the eye. The sketches and paintings below are all studies are a critical part of information-gathering about “the structure of things”.
Needles Eye Rock Formation on the Needles Highway, SD
Beverly on the Sylvan Lake Hiking Trail
Today I am completing a 30″x30″ acrylic painting of a scene of bison I saw on the Wilderness Loop and a 30″x 22″ painting of a similar scene. Both were inspired by the bison watercolors below-each time I paint, the aspens glow brighter, the trees grow taller, we artists are free to exaggerate. This important process for artists from sketch to studies to final pieces is the process that works for us. Stay tuned for these studies to develop into something bigger, somewhat different, perhaps bolder in color? This journey called art has beginnings and no end. What began at Sylvan Lake will traverse through spring and beyond. Praise God for His Wonders and Creation-limitless inspiration on this earth.
Some of these artworks are currently available on the Gallery page .
Sylvan Lake Rock Sketch, Graphite pencil
Spotted on the Wilderness Loop, Watercolor Study
Sylvan Lake Rocks at Evening, Watercolor Study
Sylvan Lake Rock Reflections, Watercolor Study
Lined up Like Soldiers, Watercolor Study
Bev’s Rock Study
Black Hills Bison Study, Watercolor Study
Value Sketches at Sylvan Lake, Graphite Pencil
Beverly sketching rocks.
Black Hills Bison, 30″x22″, Watercolor
Evening at Sylvan Lake by Beverly Benda, available on Benda Twins Art Store
Aspen Glow, 10″x20″, acrylic on canvas.
Among the Aspens, Acrylic on canvas, 30″x30″
