Marion Gunderson Art (and the Farmer's Daughter)

Five posts ago I was excited to include a tease about the newest prints of Mother’s (Marion Gunderson) watercolor, Churchyard, painted in 1954. I got sidetracked in subsequent posts. Finally here is the full image of predominantly rich purples and blacks with tombstones of oranges and moonlight. YES! If you look closely at the painting, you’ll see that Mother somehow “painted” the tombstones and church with magical moonlight! This IS a fabulous painting.

Churchyard prints are available in two sizes: Medium (13.25" W x 10" H, $25). Large* (Limited Edition, 20.35" W x 14.25" H, same size as the original, $45). (Click on image to enlarge.)

As a kid, did you ever go with a bunch of kids out to a cemetery when you really weren’t supposed to? At night? When your parents thought you were probably doing something worthwhile? If you didn’t, maybe you were a better “good kid” than I was! (I was good…just not perfect.) I was once at a cemetery at night when I wasn’t supposed to be…the Old Rolfe cemetery. Summer of 1969. Although this painting** is not of Old Rolfe, when I look at the painting, I’m “there” in that adrenaline-flowing creepy night when small town kids will be kids. Oooooooo…OooOOoooooooooo…OOOOoooooooooooooohhhhhh! La La!

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In this photo is Mother's handwriting on the back of her original of Churchyard. It appears that she included this painting in one of her exhibits, but did not want to part with it! (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Although Churchyard is festive for the fall season, it doesn’t shout “Halloween.” I typically rotate it with other artwork, but also have been known to display the original throughout the year.

*To help cut down on framing expenses, when bordered with a 2″ mat, this large size (20.35″ W x 14.25″ H) fits perfectly in a standard size 18″ x 24″ frame. I’ve seen one Churchyard matted with a single orange mat. Another was accentuated with a double mat of two shades of purple.

Prints may be obtained by contacting me (mariongundersonart@gmail.com), by purchasing at Wild Faces Gallery (712-848-3399) in Rolfe, Iowa, or by ordering online at www.mariongundersonart.ecrater.com. (At the eCRATER site, Churchyard is in the “Year-Round or Seasonal” category.)

**Mother’s note about Churchyard says, “Done from newspaper clipping.” My family does not know the location of this particular churchyard.

(Click here to go to Louise Shimon’s blog’s home page.)

Tags: Church yard, Churchyard, Watercolor

This entry was posted on September 22, 2010 at 11:31 am and is filed under Churchyard - Cemetery, Iowa, Marion Gunderson, Rolfe, Watercolor image. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.