Mississippi River Summer

This recent painting by me speaks to peace and beauty in nature, in a moment of solitude. I show the Mississippi River and its surrounding bluffs before humans came to this lovely area of the world. The little pathway is for the animals who moved along the river, foraging for food and partaking of its generous waters. Birds are in the picture. You can't see them, but they are there, the birds who thrived before the influx of imported and invasive birds.

This painting is in oil, measuring 16 X 20" unframed. Copyright 2011 by Dolores Marusarz.

A cloud portrait. Over the Mississippi River sloughs we see some magnificent cloud structures. It appears that people everywhere share in common a joy in seeing colorful, or strange, or frightening, or comical clouds. I do too, and I enjoy painting them.

Photo and writing copyright 2011 by Dolores Marusarz.

Aurora over Split Rock Lighthouse

This painting was my donation for the 2010 Wisconsin Public Television Annual Auction. It too garnered a large donation by way of being auctioned. I attempted to reproduce the glow of the aurora in the lighter areas. This weather phenomena causes viewers to stare in hushed awe at its ever-changing shapes and colors. Its silence while seeming to be alive is eerie yet fascinating. Every autumn and winter I check the night sky for a view of the aurora but seldom see one.

This aurora is over Split Rock Lighthouse, an often-visited lighthouse located on the north shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota.

Writing and painting copyright 2011 by Dolores Marusarz.

A Stunning Weather Phenomenon

This is the Aurora Borealis over Northern Wisconsin. I donated it to Wisconsin Public Television's annual auction in 2009 as the first in my series of auroras painted exclusively for the auctions. It sold for a much higher than average price for a painting, I'm happy to say. I believe other citizens of this beautiful state agree with me that when we look at the night sky and see this absolutely stunning sight, we feel the awesomeness of the whole package we call life and all that supports it.

Painting and writing copyright 2011 by Dolores Marusarz.

It's been a long time. . .

Just checking in to say hello. When I made my last post, I did so from the workplace. It was a very special workplace--and the greatest job I ever had in my life. It lasted just nine months before I was laid off.

I was the only person at the workplace. Yes, just me in a quiet, humid, windowless basement office, doing--no work at all. I was hired just to be there in case the FCC checked to see if my employer, a radio station, had an employer at the office.

I filled my hours with watching tv, surfing the net, writing email, napping, exercising, and, best of all, painting pictures. I set up my second studio in that office. I completed two pictures a week. I use oils, and they dried slowly in the basement environment, so I usually had 3-5 paintings going at a time. I was never lonely and did not mind the quietness or humidity. As I said, it was the greatest job I've ever had. I long for another exactly like it!