The Old Road Exhibit at Healing Arts Center Viroqua

Bridge 13   Walnut Ink on paper - Susan Cushing

Bridge 13

For years Bridge 13 has 

     spanned the river,

withstanding high waters

     that sometimes rise

over its base.

A passageway on the Old Road,

     framing in rusts and grays,

in every season,

     the wildness of its surround.

Stepping forward over the bridge

     onto the Old Road,

one can become lost,

     absorbed into the all…

vital and free.

Joanne Adragna Shird

The Old Road Walking Into Beauty exhibit of my walnut ink paintings and poetry by Joanne Adragna Shird is now at the Viroqua Healing Arts Center in Viroqua through September. 

Stop in anytime during business hours to view the show. If you missed it at Viva gallery, come enjoy the journey through the Kickapoo Valley Reserve's 'Old 131' trail with us.

Each painting is paired with an original poem to tell of the beauty surrounding The Old Road.

This trail is the old highway along the Kickapoo River between Rockton and La Farge. Long before it was a white man's road, it was used by local peoples and long before that by all the animals that shared the valley. Walnut trees are long time residents here, and have shared their bounty and talents with humans for centuries. I chose walnut ink to represent that long connection between land and people, making the ink from walnuts gathered here. Each picture is framed in a hand made solid walnut wood frame, harvested from local trees. The walnut's lightfast durable ink has been used for centuries and so we have used it to note the continuities between people, land, river, plants and animals, through time and in place.

As I write this, that old river has risen again, to major flood stage. In the past few years the river has been making changes to the landscape with each rise and fall through the valley. Our expressions of what we know and see here every day is changing and so some of these pictures are becoming a record of a certain time in this place, maybe to be compared to a different scene in the future. This is an attribute we had not thought of when creating this project.

There will be an ARTIST RECEPTION on Saturday, August 10th between 11am and 1pm at the Viroqua Healing Arts Center, at 224 East Court Street.

Please join us to celebrate the Kickapoo Valley Reserve beauty, enjoy a unique display of art and poetry, and home made refreshments. 

Saturday is Farmer's Market day in Viroqua. Some fresh veggies and beautiful art are a good combination for your day in town!

An addition to the paintings and poetry, The Old Road Walking Into Beauty project includes note cards and a small book of the paintings and poetry. These are always available at the Kickapoo Valley Reserve gift shop, on etsy and at the Viroqua Healing Arts Center reception.

The Old Road Opens at the Heider Center

   The beautiful  Heider Center Art Gallery in West Salem will host our show 'The Old Road Walking Into Beauty' for the month of October.
    Please join us October 11th for a reception in the gallery. Also check out the performances at the Heider Center; they have a season of events worth attending.
     The Heider Center is just a few minutes from La Crosse.  See you there!

     The paintings and poems can be seen at VIVA Gallery in Viroqua through Saturday September 29th, so if you're in town, stop by the gallery. VIVA artists have many beautiful displays; one of the best galleries around!

Shadow Catcher - Walnut Ink on Paper

Thank You Driftless Cafe

'Deep Snow High Mountains' paintings had a great showing at the Driftless Cafe in November and December. There were a number of positive comments about the show and also several sales.

I'd like to give a warm thank you to Luke and Ruthie, who have made a beautiful place to display paintings, and their support and enthusiasm was great.  

Sunset on Highway 1 - oil on canvas 11"x14" SOLD

Parkers Ridge - oil on canvas 11"x14" SOLD

After a long break from painting, I'm now finishing several more 'mountain' paintings that didn't get finished in time for display this fall and early winter. Once those paintings are finished, ideas for other subject material are ready to be explored, which really means lots of problems to solve and hard work to do. But it is fun, and learning something is one of the best feelings there is. Each painting has a life of its own, and is a unique experience to create. When one is later sold and goes to live on someone's wall, it's an added bonus to share my experience of that mountain place with other people, through the painting.
Susan

Warner Creek Winter Reflections

   Warner Creek flows south along a rock wall that catches light only in the mornings. The low angle of winter light makes beautiful reflections along the cliff at this time of year. When the trees are leafy, the area is very shady but in winter it is bright and full of color.
   This pastel was started a while ago but I knew it had some problems. After Christmas several unfinished pastels, or ones that I was just not happy with, were taken out, set up where I could look them over and get comments from others as they walked by, and maybe finish. This was one of them.

   The dark areas need some softening. The reflections in the water and beautiful colors in the snow shadows were the reasons I was interested in the scene. The dark cliffs were distracting and the trees were a bit stark. A few careful changes brought it to a place I'm more happy with.

The trees, cliff and bridge are not competing with the water at this point. I might try this scene in oils and see what happens. The exposure on each of these photos is slightly different. Improving my photography skills is on the 'to do' list!