Spring ephemeral wildflowers

Holy wildflowers, Batman!! We haven’t had a wildflower season like this in ages. Well, we haven’t had a “normal” spring in 3 years, and the wildflowers have followed suit. In roughly chronological order, here are some of the flowers that have been taking up space in my brain and my camera, waiting to make their way into a painting.

Violet

The violets have been showy, purple and yellow this year, in carpets on the forest floor. They have been growing tall to reach the sun as the leaves have been coming out very quickly this year, with both warm spring rains and sunny days. 

Bellwort

I think this one is bellwort…I love the drooping flowers. They’re very pretty to visit on a rainy day when shedding rain drops into the soil below. 

Bluebells

Ah, bluebells. Some years they hardly make an appearance, not this year though. They are out in force, and the bumblebees seem to love them. Mostly queen bumbles and just a few new workers out this early in the season. The bumblebees are just getting new nests started. 

Jack-in-the-Pulpit

Jack-in-the-Pulpit just shot up this spring. One week I didn’t even notice them, and the next there were full flowers sprouting. The leaves of the plant are often confused with poison ivy. Rest assured, it is not. They like more shade than our itch inducing ivy. Where you find one you generally don’t find the other. 

Ok, enough for today’s wildflower tour. I hope your spring is off to a good start. Until next time, have a wonderful day! 

-Laurel 

 

Broken to Birkie - I DID IT!!

    It was long (even though short for the Birkie), ugly, icy, and kind of hilarious. My knees and ankles and shins all hurt. So did my lungs, and my pride for that matter. But I finished! And other than one MEGA crash it wasn't too bad. It wasn't fast. I could not find any of my old hill climbing gears. But honestly in this year of absolutely no winter, I did the best I could and it was ok. 

    The race was 30km, 3 laps of a 10km course. The course was a ribbon of snow in the otherwise brown northwoods of WI. If you crashed too epically you would shoot off the course into trees, grass, dirt, whatever. But not snow. And people DID crash. I saw at least 3 guys pulling themselves out of the bushes, brambles, and branches. My crash was a stylish "got it, don't got it" slide that took out another racer. But hey, the hill was an ice sheet. I started laughing. I got up but had a hard time getting moving again because my feet were cramping! Skiing on ice is HARD, going uphill and downhill with your feet trying to hold onto an edge through your ski, is not a recipe for fun. Funny, yes. Fun, no. 

    You know what didn't hurt? My shoulder. HA! So there. It's done. I'm glad to move on to a new sports season. No more depressing 2.5 hour ski/pole hikes. Ugh. 

    But I did it. Yay me! Yay shoulder. And now I'm going to go relax for a bit. 

Broken to Birkie 3 -- Week 6

So...this was a big moment...

My week 6 fractureversary I was at work solo and LOOK AT THIS!! I retrieved the birds. The hawk was...difficult. He bated and that didn't feel good (jumped and tried to fly away). But the Barred owl was a much easier going floof and went easy on me. I was glad to not be doing a program. Sitting with them on my glove for more than 5 minutes was a bit much. But being back and able to work with the birds was a big plus this week. 

Also, it got stupid cold out. I skied and it was ugly. Lop-sided and things (my low back, feet, hips) started hurting. I think the recovery process kind of caught up with me and gave a little tap on the shoulder...hello, you're still healing a fracture. Try to not be stupid. Take it easier please. 

Oh I should mention. There is NO SNOW  other than short loops on manmade snow. So you're out with about 300 of your closest pals, rush hour style, on the loops, skiing the most boring, god awful windblown loops....dizzying...dizzying....loops (I can only turn left) for which we are thankful, but folks, this ain't skiing. It's about as engaging as a hamster wheel, compared to natural snow trails. 

Skiing when stupid cold is not my idea of a good time. Also I can't really classic w/o poles so that's out. Classic is my go to when it's cold and slow snow. but that wasn't going to work. So one-sided skate skiing it was. And my body just couldn't deal with the slow snow/wind/below zero windchill/lop-sided skiing. At about 45 minutes I was pretty miserable. I had to call it around an hour and go hike on the trail a bit to stew, grumble, and calm down. Or warm up? Not sure. 

I also did a long 2hr pole hike/ski walk in the past week. Below zero, but sunny! And aside from being hard on my feet, patience, and ego it was actually pretty nice. Low risk of crashing too. 

I can't just ski all the time. So this is a year end/new year project working with learning wet-not-wet watercolor. It works!! I just had to slow down and be patient drying layers between painting sessions. 

Also we got just enough snow to be able to track. Otter prints among others in this shot. 

It's been much easier to get in and out of my winter jackets lately, which is greatly appreciated with the below zero cold we've been having. 

I got out to ski on Long Lake now that the ice is solid. One thing I can THANK the super-cold for, better ice conditions. Now ice is never "safe". But this is a familiar lake, I know the trouble spots (there are few) and ice depths we're measuring around 5-6". On skis, within a few feet of shore, it was worth it to get out and actually be able to ski easy. 

But OH MY F!!! It was sooooo COLD!!! 6ºF and windchill at -15ºF. I had on windproof tights and fleece long underwear. But I felt like I went out there with NO PANTS ON!!!!! I kept looking down like WTH?! I definitely had pants on, but it just felt like the Emperor's New Clothes, on ice. Out on a lake, there is no hiding from the wind, and it was brutal.

That ski I last about 1hr 15min before I got to cold/sore/grumpy to keep going. The recovery from each session is taking me a long time. But I didn't go too hard (which is what always happens on manmade snow loops) and I did get to follow some cool tracks! 

And I was able to right V1 <--(week 6), which previously I couldn't because my shoulder hurt too much. !!!

There was a swan carcass, deer carcass, and track from fox, coyote, even otter leading up to each of these kills. 

Much respect to everything surviving out there in this deep cold. 

Oddly enough, we've not had a single skiable snowfall this winter. The pattern doesn't look good for the next 3 weeks. I'm ready for a break in the cold. But we're going right by normal to too warm. 40s?? Not normal. That will melt whatever fluff we're holding onto now. And will end lake skiing. 

I may have to retitle this Broken to No Birkie...because the snow situation is looking dire across MN and WI for the time being. 

PT is starting to add back in real strength training. Stay tuned for that. Range of motion is coming along. External rotation has been the slowest. Overhead reaching and side reaching are getting closer. Not full range but getting pretty close. So, it's happening. Just inching along. 

'Till next time, 

Laurel 

 

Broken to Birkie 2 -- week 5 update

Here's a nice sunset to look at. Actually this is from about 2:30 but it was right around the winter solstice, so the light always feels like either sunrise or sunset. I digress. 

Healing. The journey reached week 5 over the weekend. And things are beginning to get...better? they're definitely getting better. I had a 2 week hiatus from driving. That was tough. Showering, also extremely difficult. By early week 3 I took myself out for a test drive, literally, and found that I could handle it. It wasn't pretty but I am giving myself permission to do things badly. That's my theme for 2024. 

Every little thing that I'm able to do is worth celebrating. Getting my shoes/socks/pants on without wincing in pain! The first time I was able to pull my hair back! <--happened at week 3. 

Week(end) 4 I went up to the Birkie trail for a women's weekend on snow. Snow was nowhere to be found. Honestly it worked in my advantage. Yes I drove myself there! No sling. And it was wonderful to be in the company of other women, new or experienced, who were all interested in improving their xc skiing. Even in the sleet falling and icing up the trails all day, didn't matter. It was so good to get out. 

We did about an hour of drills. Then around 1 hr 40 min of ski walking/pole hiking on the birkie trail north of OO. Then lunch and followed up with 45 min or so of a strength circuit. We were freezing to the ground while trying to do abs, pushups, or planks. Yikes! A very kind new friend helped me scrape ice off my car before driving out. It took us 25 min. And the drive home was memorably bad. But I made it. 

Was it a bit too much? Yes. But it was worth it. I hiked with one pole on and one held in my hand, and enjoyed seeing the big climbs and pine trees of northern WI forests. And I was extremely grateful for the snow tires on my car on the way home. 

Here are the scans from my 4 week and 3 day follow up. You bet I'm counting the days, even hours sometimes. 

Looking pretty good here. The fracture line is fuzzy which is what you want. Callus formed and being converted to new bone tissue. 

This one you can see the line still. But the surgeon was happy overall with the progress healing at this point. PT is getting interesting. So much mobility to be gained back. And my shoulder has a long way to go. But there is progress. It's slow, but coming along. 

I've been on snow 2x. No poles, and then one pole on my good arm during my second session. There is no natural snow and the manmade conditions are...awful. No sugar coating it. It's finally getting cold enough for areas to start making snow again. I don't know that Mother Nature is going to be much help.

Last night I went out on a ski walk/trot and was able to hold a pole on my left (broken) side. I could lightly plant the pole, not much else, but I felt ok with a fairly natural swing through to recovery position. A week ago that was painful. Too much. Baby steps. It's happening. 

Thanks for reading. Until next time take care, and don't crash on your rollerskis. 

-Laurel 

 

Broken to Birkie pt 1 DUDE NOT COOL!

At the beginning of December I broke my shoulder dryland training for ski racing. Why was I dryland training? To prepare for the Birkie, snow or not. Can I actually rehab and ski the Birkie this year?

 I am not amused. I crashed on my rollerskis back on December 2nd. I broke my shoulder.

       Going down a hill I've skied many times. J even said maybe we should turn back (neither of us felt good). I'd already had a bobble. Ugh, wish I had just said yes. We went out just a little farther and turned back. 

    Then my wheel...I don't even know. It got stopped by some little stick while I'm going down hill and I SMACKED the pavement so hard! Damn that HURT!   

    So I have to walk out holding my arm, J carrying my skis and poles, and sit in a wood chip pile near the road. J has to ski all the way back to get the car. Thank goodness he doesn't crash. Then he comes to get me. And on to Tria Urgent Care we go. X-rays confirm, yes...fracture. Avulsion fracture of the proximal humerus. And so begins the long road of healing and recovery. But mostly feeling broken for the first several weeks. 

    I do not recommend rollerkskiing in December. And now a long journey begins before me. Can I rehab this in time to ski the Birkie? 

   

The Rehoming/Un-Gifting of Christmas Gifts

I'm feeling like a bit of a monster. I'm going through perfectly lovely gifts that were given to me for Christmas... to give them away. 

My house is small. It's too cluttered already and as items come in, others must go out. I used to hang onto to gifts out of guilt. I often received wonderful gifts that were perfect, useful, gave me joy, and were just what I needed. But the "other" gifts, the ones not so on-the-mark, those haunted me. I felt if I was just creative enough, I would figure out how they could be wonderful. Over the years all the not-quite-right gifts really piled up, until I had a hulking, lurking, monster-in-the-closet backroom full of things I held out of guilt. 

But the kindest thing to do, for myself and others, is to send those gifts that aren't quite right for me, that feeling like a burden or raise feelings of guilt, back out into the world. Where they can be found and used by others who find they are just perfect, just what they were looking for. Everyone deserves more of that. 

And my home and peace of mind will breathe a sigh of relief at fewer items to navigate around as mental and physical clutter. After tackling the scary backroom full of guilt-kept gifts and rehoming them, along with many other items, I was stunned at how much lighter I felt. Truly spring cleaning for me starts in January. 

How about you? What are your favorite ways to reuse, rehome, or reduce gifts or other items that can weigh you down mentally and physically?

Hope you're off to a wonderful start in the New Year. 

-Laurel 

Art for Holiday Gifts! | Laurel Sundberg - Blog

Art for Holiday Gifts! | Laurel Sundberg - Blog

Check out my latest blog at my fine art website!

Of pastels and watercolors

 It's been a long time since I last posted and I thought I would say hello! How are you doing? 

I've been slowly getting back into artmaking after a summer of burnout. I picked pastels and watercolor. Could I pick media that are more opposite? I have been using both. And just to make my brain hurt, also completing a commission in oil. 

Forest GlowIt's been a fun time in the forests. I really thought the autumn colors we're going to blow right past us with the drought. However, here we are at October 20th, and lots of maples and oaks still looking beautiful. What a gift. 

This little watercolor was in my sketchbook and got rained on. So much so that I had to pack it up and go in. But I'm kind of digging the splotched/leather effect from the drops hitting the wet paper and pigment. 

This painting is from about 2 weeks ago. I hauled out ALL the pastel sticks, pans, and pencils. I made a big mess of it but had fun getting my brain wrapped back around this medium.  I called this one Owl's Perch because there are often barred owls calling in the area. Not far from here I had a barred that sat and called the whole time I was sketching. 

This summer was rough. I didn't feel well. I don't know what was going on. But I'm recovering a bit now. The cooler days have been really helpful. Programming and teaching continue to be weird and stressful (as anyone with kids or who is a teacher knows). Everything changes day to day, making it really hard to have "a plan". At least for my brain. "Exhausted" I think is the word for it. But hopefully recovering. 

How was your summer? Do you have anything ahead that you're excited about?

It's been a long while

A fast-moving sunset

 Hi friends, 

    It's been a looooong time since I've written. So first and foremost, hello. I hope you are doing well; as well as possible in the midst of everything going on. It's been so long, I don't really know where to start or what to say. Most days and weeks feel like a time wrap. A day feels like a week ago, and yet I'm still waiting for summer to end and here we are in November! Cruising into a "holiday season" the likes of which we've never seen before. Many of the things that we recognize and celebrate as the seasons change are gone, or at least barely recognizable. 

    As I'm sure is the case for all of us, its been a struggle. The past 8 or so months...insane. I'm grateful to be working, and be (relatively) healthy. I know that's not the case for many. For me personally the past 18 months have been hellish. My dad died suddenly in May of 2019. Shortly thereafter our beloved kitty was diagnosed with terminal cancer. While reeling from the loss of my dad, we nursed her through her last months of life, finally saying goodbye at the end of September. Our first holiday season without dad was just going through the motions, just getting through it. The realization of so much loss made coping a struggle. 

    And then the murmurs of "pandemic" began in early 2020, and all of our experiences have been greatly shifted as a result. While I was already wandering and wondering what the future would look like, I think many have joined me in this bizarre experience. Whatever version of me emerges as a result, I don't know how much it will resemble me before all this. 

    Early on I spoke with many people said something like, "all this (lockdown) time must be great for  art/painting." Well...no. And as time continues I've run into this sentiment less.

The Seer,
an imaginative watercolor

    I have painted, but creating art is an act of bravery. And magic. And everything has has shifted, work has changed from something recognizable and predictable to completely...different. (Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful to be working, but getting through this has been a marathon and it's still going.) Add copious helpings of fear and stress; everything occurring in the past 18 months has taken its toll. Art has suffered. 

    I'm feeling like a stone skipping across the water. I've stared at my easel and pochade box, unable to muster the energy to pack up my oils and go painting somewhere. I've tried new media, sometimes working furiously, sometimes not able to create anything for weeks at a time. Instead of oil painting

outdoors, I've been grabbing a small sketchbook, watercolors, and heading out my bike or on foot. Watercolors, pastels, charcoal, ink. I needed to try something completely new (and often frustrating) and the results have been hit or miss. I've needed to move away from results. In order to eventually move back toward them, if that makes sense.

Watercolor field sketch from autumn

    What I have noticed is a renewed sense of...adventure? Trying different things just because. Art venues have closed down, shows canceled, along with many of my in-person events. But for awhile I'm released from the pressure of producing "artworks for shows". This has problems, but also a bit of a silver lining. For now its ok. 

    I've hesitated writing a blog, because what do I say? Just the thought of staring at a screen to write this in unappealing. But in thinking about this, I bet many of us are having similar struggles. And I can't talk about the art I'm making without talking about the surrounding "landscape". Art is a therapy along with being many other things to all of us. It's been a good reason to go and enjoy being outside, as well as a way to reflect and express in the studio. 

    I hope you're continuing to find ways to connect and reinvigorate. I hope that art is a part of that of that process. Take care. 

-Laurel 

    

Friday Round Up April 3, 2020

 Hello My Friends, 

I don't know about you, but lately each day feels like a week to me. I thought I'd do a round up of what I've been up to this week, in the art department.

Last weekend I began, filmed, and wrapped up this little glow bird painting of a Blackburnian warbler. I've been thinking a lot about how many of our songbirds are night migrators. I love to draw and paint birds. And i really wanted to make something that could be enjoyed after dark.

Et voila! This petite painting is of a night migrating warbler, painted roughly life size, and with a layer of glow over the background that allows the silhouette of the bird to glow for several hours after dark.

Blackburnian Glow layer

There are definitely some technical challenges to work through when creating glow art. But overall I'm pretty happy with how this concept turned into reality. Here's the video if you're curious. 

Next up and little drawing and video project for the LNC (Lowry Nature Center). With the doors of the nature center closed during our Safe At Home aka shelter-in-place requirement, we have been creating video content in order to stay in touch with our visitors. 

Mason bee house sketch

I'm getting ready for bee season, so I thought drawing a Mason bee nest box would be(e) a fun place to start as a drawing tutorial for folks to watch, or even try on their own at home. Video coming soon. 

After being cooped up in the studio (I DO enjoy my studio time, but alas, I really miss the amount of outdoor time I normally get) it was time to get outside. The sun was shining early in the week, so I packed up my easel, tripod, and oil paint. And I got to haul out the cadmium yellow! This trip was highlighted by multiple Eastern meadowlark sightings. I set up strategically not so much for the view but for the territory songs coming from the meadowlarks. 

It was SO GOOD to get outside, be warm enough, be painting and just listening to everything that was going on in nature. 

Yesterday I was on animal care at LNC. I decided to go on a hike, but wasn't feeling very energetic. So I picked a spot on a hill above a pond and tried to continue learning how to paint in gouache. Ha!

It was cloudy and windy, but still warm enough to paint outside very comfortably. 60oF is something to celebrate in MN after a loooong winter. Also, the light on cloudy days is steady, so color is more stable. Meaning I had time to really closely observe all the subtle colors of a wetland that is just beginning to come back to life in spring. 

I hope you've been staying sane and healthy. These are difficult times. I'll admit, this post is helpful just to remind me what day it is! Beyond that, I wanted to share some art that has helped me make the most of the weirdness we're in the midst of. 

I hope you are hanging in there! What are some things that have helped you get through this time of social distancing? Until next time, take care!

-Laurel 

New Nature Note

Collecting Maple Sap

Hey, something you can check out with your kids outside!