Door County NewsPixels™ & Wish Books & Brochures MAG. THE DREAMING ISSUE | Page 78
Madonna Siles Continued
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.
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 University 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 Arizona. I also studied water color with artist Tom
Lynch in Chicago. 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 School Of Art.
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 Plein Air
Event 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
exhibit the last three years
and will again this year.