Vacation
Guide.
One
of
my
columns
inspired
me
to
write
Searching
for
Surprise,
an
illustrated
Door
County
fairy
tale
about
a
plein-air
artist
and
an
unusual
muse.
What
is
the
last
show/play
you
saw
in
Door
County?
It
was
at
Birch
Creek.
Plein
air
painters
are
invited
to
any
concert
during
the
summer
to
paint
and
take
in
the
show.
At
the
end
of
the
season
they
hold
a
gallery
show
of
all
the
paintings
as
a
fundraiser
for
music
center.
How
many
books
have
you
written?
Three.
Searching
for
Surprise,
a
work
of
fiction,
fantasy.
The
other
two,
"Brain
Heal
Thyself"
and
"Eureka"'
are
non-fiction
books
written
for
the
of
stroke
and
brain
injury
survivors.
(links
to
books
-
urekamaster.com,
)
We
here
at
DCS
love
you
art
and
enjoy
your
writing.
Are
you
formally
trained
or
did
you
just
immerse
yourself
in
these
crafts
and
just
go
for
it?
I
graduated
from
Universi-
ty
of
Illinois
with
a
degree
in
communications.
As
far
as
painting,
my
mentor
in
plein
air
painting
was
Susan
Faust,
whom
I
studied
with
in
Arizo-
na.
I
also
studied
water
color
with
artist
Tom
Lynch
in
Chica-
go.
Here
in
Door
County,
I
have
studied
portrait
and
plein
air
painting
with
Emmett.
And
also
artist
Rhom
Rojas.
Where
do
you
find
inspiration?
I
search
for
surprise!
It
could
be
an
exciting
sunrise,
or
the
mysterious
shadows
as
the
sun
is
going
down.
The
moon
popping
out
of
the
lake.
Wildflowers
hiding
in
the
forest,
the
ever
changing
Door
County
skies.
Even
a
storm
on
the
horizon,
inspiration
is
all
around
us.
Estimate
how
many
paintings
have
you
created
via
Plein
Air?
Several
hundred,
some
were
more
successful
than
others,
but
that
is
part
of
the
fun
of
plein
air
painting.
Which
art
shows
do
you
take
part
in
every
year?
The
Miller
Art
Museum
and
The
Hardy
Gallery
have
juried
art
shows
that
I
enter
in
every
year,
some
years
I
make
it,
some
years
I
do
not.
This
year,
I
will
be
participating
in
the
Quick
Paint,
Door
County
Plein
Air
Festival
presented
by
the
Peninsula.
The
festival
is
July
20th
-
26th.
Will
also
be
participating
in
various
Door
County
Art
League
shows.
Outside
of
Door
County,
in
June,
the
18th
-
29th,
I
will
be
participating
in
the
Cedarburg
for
the
first
time.
I
am
also
a
member
of
the
Waters,
we
are
a
group
of
plein
air
painters
for
the
preservation
of
our
natural
resources
and
historic
places.
We
have
members
from
all
over
east
Wisconsin.
I
have
participated
in
the
annual
Water's
Edge
Artists
juried
Madonna Siles Continued
