A CLOSER LOOK: INSIDE THE LINGERING SUMMER EXHIBIT

by JoAnn Frekot

Eight members of OT Artists collaborated on our current exhibit, "Serotinal...Lingering Summer," now on view at F-O-K Creatives Gallery, 3rd floor, in our building at 106 West Water Street, St. Paul.  

Here are some stories about four of the paintings in the exhibit.  

Vera J. Kent

I knew I wanted to paint a piece for the Serotinal show specifically, and I knew I wanted it to be State Fair themed.  When I think of the 'serotinal' time, those last few weeks of summer and first of autumn, I think about the Minnesota State Fair and of its neon heartbeat.  I generally hate crowds, but something about those first cool breezes...the lights spinning and the sound of the people...the smell of fair food...I had to try to paint it.  And I may or may not have hidden some fun things in the crowd, in the spirit of it all. 

"Neon City," Vera J. Kent

Colleen Cosgrove

I painted this piece on a chilly, rainy, glorious October day while staying at a friend's cabin on Lake Superior.  I had ensconced myself among the trees near Sugarloaf Cove, determined to capture some of the Fall color, and was happy with my progress on the painting, when the rain started.  I forged ahead as the weather got colder and wetter, only stopping when my palette became so drenched I could no longer manage the paint.  I packed up my gear and trudged back to the cabin, where I and the painting dried off next to a cheerful fire in the wood stove.  

"Sugarloaf Autumn,"  Colleen Cosgrove

JoAnn Frekot

 Next to painting, hiking is one of my favorite activities.  One lovely August day, I visited Grand Portage State Park. It overlooks Lake Superior.  I could feel a change in the air, and the angle of the sun announced the coming of shorter days.  I took a solo hike on the Middle Falls trail and came upon  this overlook.  I tried to capture the feelings of awe, serenity and timelessness that this particular moment evoked in me.   

"Grand Portage Overlook," JoAnn Frekot 

  

Katharine Gotham

Sign for Five Mile Rock was done last September during Plein Air Grand Marais and really expresses what Serotinal feels like to me.  The grasses and leaves are just beginning to change color, and the sky is starting to edge towards the moody colors of fall.  I really enjoy compositions that include roads and often include them in my Plein Air work.  In this painting, the turn in the road reminds me of the transition between the expansive, growing season of summer and the beautiful, but contracting journey towards winter. 

"Sign for Five Mile Rock," Katharine Gotham