2021 Trip to Ober's Island

I just spent a week up on Mallard Island near International Falls, MN. It was a beautiful week of weather with Jeff Ryan as we worked on our documentary about Ernest Oberholtzer - and other projects.

Of course, this area of Rainy Lake is the inspiration of many of my paintings. Many photos and video were taken as future sources for paintings. It was a partial rest week for the island, a chance to recover from the use throughout the summer. Then on Thursday evening some people arrived who were rebuilding a 1940’s tool shed that had fallen into disrepair. It was fun to have additional people there for a few days before we left.

While there, we interviewed several people who knew Ober and had a story or two to share. It was fun to hear their stories and record them. And it was fun to eat a lot of cake and brownies, as everyone we interviewed felt a need to be host to us during our visits. One interview even involved a full dinner with four people. The documentary project leapt forward a great deal while at the island. There is still no timeline for completion, but we have a direction for sharing a very unique and multi-faceted man’s story.

As always, more than anything, the island, for me, is about beauty. It is about an existence that is more in rhythm with all living things. Although there is much discussion these days about the concept of “wilderness” and about different cultural views of the relationship between humans and the rest of the earth, all of that falls away for me when I am simply open to nature, aligning my patterns and rhythms with the life around me. Our society is grating and, at times, insufferable. The broader context our society creates, our culture, is combative and about winners and losers. Individually, you have an identity, or one is given you, and then it seems the goal is to yell with fellow identifiers as loud as you can, hopefully being louder than the people of other identities. It is a cacophony of self-branding and self-marketing. It reminds me of the old adage that you only have to put a lid on the crab bucket when you have caught one crab. Once you have caught two crabs, they pull each other down as they both try to escape so no lid is needed. On this small island in a very large lake on the edge of a very powerful and noisy country a man from the last century found joy in nature, people and culture. He wove his interests together with remarkable consistency throughout his life, a life that was supposed to be cut short by a heart condition. He not only enchanted many with his stories, his music and his charm, but he also worked hard to protect and share the good things in his life. Though small in stature, he was large in personality and knowledge, and desire, and perseverance. His openness to all people and his commitment to preserving the spiritual and beautiful things in life has been a role model for me. Studying him more closely I am seeing that he is a role model for our times.

Commission Completed

 

These are the happy owners with their new painting they commissioned me to paint. The painting is of a family cabin in Wisconsin. I got to spend a weekend at the cabin to gather my source material. It is a very beautiful spot and I enjoyed exploring a new painting technique for making the water with the reflection.

If you are interested in a commission, please contact me directly at mark@markgranlund.com.

Switching to Help the Environment

 

I recently discovered the Artist’s Guide to Eco-Friendly Art. Making paintings about the earth is leading me to want to make paintings that are not damaging the earth. In the Guide, I learned that the cotton canvas needed to make one of my large-scale paintings can easily take 500+ gallons of water to produce. There also is the high use of pesticides and fertilizers that are a mainstay of the cotton industry. But linen that is flax or hemp based uses much less fertilizers, pesticides and water. Linen also is stronger and more mildew resistant than canvas and has been painted on for centuries. So, once my current role of canvas is used up, I will be switching over to linen for my paintings. As I work my way through the guide, being mindful of my use of materials, I will share with you what I am doing to make my work as sustainable as possible.

Farewell

 

My best friend and studio companion, Delilah, passed away on June 26, 2021. Her loss is immense. She had such a sweet and friendly personality that many people, and dogs, fell in love with her. I, for one, was over the moon. Her communicative and interactive spirit made living with her like living with another human. Kidney damage began in late May. I was told she had only a couple days to live, yet, she survived a whole month. But, as happens with kidney damage, she eventually refused to eat any food. Even the morning she died, she wanted to go out for a walk. She only walked three houses before laying down, unable to go further. I carried her the rest of the way around the block for one last look. Although I never painted her, she is in my art - literally. She shed like five dogs and I would occasionally find her fur in my paint. My studio is much lonelier without her laying on the stoop standing guard and then coming in at dark to lay on the bed. She is greatly missed.