Landscape Artists

My experiences with plein-air painting began with Bob Shepherd, who taught watercolors at Oakton Community College in Skokie, Illinois. Bob's idea of painting was to paint outdoors, on location, whatever the weather. Every Saturday morning, rain or shine, we would gather for breakfast and then journey to some nearby locale and paint (we painted in our cars if it was cold or rainy--or sometimes from inside a building looking out of the window). We finished our paintings during the week, and brought them back the following Saturday for evaluation. It was a wonderful experience--I learned more from painting landscapes plein-air than I had from years of classes and workshops.

Bob's group went on to form the Illinois Watercolor Society. Many of his students became well-known artists. Others, like myself, were content to enjoy the camaraderie of painting with a group of artists and to reap the benefits of the evaluations.

I have many landscape paintings available which were painted on location in Wisconsin and Northern Illinois. They can be purchased as original watercolors or as affordable giclee prints, which can hardly be distinguished from the original. To inquire about buying any of my paintings, or to commission a painting of your favorite place, you can e-mail me at: keyart@jefnet.com or write to me c/o Key Artworks, P.O. Box 281, Lake Mills, Wisc. 53551. You can also reach me by phone or by fax at 920-648-7816.

	'Crawfish Spring' Original watercolor by J. Carolyn Liedtke SOLD Giclee reproduction (matted) - $99 The Crawfish is a popular river, with fishermen, waterbirds and canoeists. On opening day of the fishing season, waders are hip-to-hip along the shore.
'Reflections' Original watercolor by J. Carolyn Liedtke Original not for sale. Giclee reproduction (matted) - $99 plus shipping. I was fascinated by the reflections of the sun on the windows, the snow and the water as I walked my dog along the far side of the creek at sunrise. My dream home!
	'Squirrels Along the Bark River' Original watercolor by J. Carolyn Liedtke 11x14 - $350 Plus matting, framing and shipping. Giclee reproduction (matted) - $99 It was fun painting along the river, through the windshield of my car, until I discovered that I had left the lights on and the battery was dead. Pretty expensive morning of painting. Was it worth it?
'January Colors' Original watercolor by J. Carolyn Liedtke 16x22 - $450 plus shipping and framing Giclee reproduction (matted) - $99 Most people think that January is a dull month, but I found otherwise, colorwise. There is always color in the landscape.
	'Mill Pond, Autumn' Original watercolor by J. Carolyn Liedtke 10x13 - $350 Plus matting, framing and shipping Giclee reproduction (matted) - $99 This spot is a favorite gathering place for mallards, getting ready for the long flight South. We enjoyed painting them on a warm autumn day.
'Aztalan Winter' Original watercolor by J. Carolyn Liedtke 10x13 - $350 plus matting, framing and shipping Giclee reproduction (matted) - $99 A group of us painted these historic log cabins in the summer (see photo above), but I wanted a different viewpoint, so went back on a February morning for another look. .
	'Dogwood Stream, Kentucky' Original watercolor by J. Carolyn Liedtke 16x12 - SOLD Giclee reproduction (matted) - $99 My son and I went to Cumberland Falls State Park for a weekend. While John went fishing, I sat on a log and began to paint this scene. After a while, I felt bites on my backside--I must have been sitting on a nest of termites. Needless to say, I finished the painting at home.