Category Archives: On the Michigan Wine Trail

Art, Food, Escape, Wine, Black Star Farms and Me — YES!

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Consider this your official invitation to the next Artful Retreat at Black Star Farms on March 23, featuring gourmet food, wine, relaxation … and an art class with me! [Click here for full details.]

image-2Why do you need to do this retreat? Because your soul needs it. It’s that simple. In the three years I have been teaching art classes, I repeatedly hear again and again how soul-charging it is to connect with your inner creative. It doesn’t mean you’re an artist or even want to be; it’s simply a vacation for your wellbeing. It’s like working out: You may feel too busy to do it, but you never regret having done it.

imageHere’s what one past attendee had to say about the experience:

We loved our stay at the Inn this past weekend where we enjoyed Art at the Inn with Stephanie. What a fantastic idea of pairing wine tasting and painting instructions in such a fun way so even the novice can leave with beautiful original artwork! Thank you, Stephanie, I hope this is offered again. And, then to end the evening with the chefs! What a fabulous meal. Thank you all for hospitality.

bsfpreview1If you really want to know a place, paint it. If you love northern Michigan’s wine country, you will gain a much deeper appreciation by painting it. This year’s focus is on the landscapes surrounding us, and to paint it, you must look deeper than surface level, noticing and really seeing. Wine is about the land, and diving deeper into your appreciation of wine begins with the landscapes. We will sip while we explore the beautiful region through our eyes first, then our taste buds, and then the experience will go through out individual creative filters and culminate in our interaction with paint and canvas. While we will be exploring from inside, we will bring the outside in through stories and photos. We will then go from paints to gourmet food. Add in the award-winning Inn at Black Star Farms, and really, what more could you ask for?

We look forward to seeing you March 23 for an Artful Retreat for the soul!

Painting of the Week: “The Vines in a Purple Haze”

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“I’ve spent much of my adult life adventuring off to every corner of the earth I can reach. Each trip is its own adventure — a quest to quench a thirst, to see and to know what’s out there. 

“Of all the places in the world that have enchanted me on my travels, I was surprised to find one of my favorites right in my own backyard. Barely a three-hour drive from my home in Grand Rapids lie the peninsulas of Leelanau and Old Mission. 

“The region is deeply layered in every shade of green you can imagine. Its hills seem to roll on for forever, before spilling out into the waves of Lake Michigan. I’ve been captivated by this enchanting place, and I find myself returning again and again.

“Each season brings its own something special to this wine country. Spring always takes her time arriving. And just when you think she might have forgotten this year, the earth starts to stir, driving up from the ground hints of green — ittle promises of all the new life to come.

“Before you know it, the apple and cherry trees are in full bloom, painting the landscape in a beautiful pastel rainbow, as winter melts into a distant memory. By the time August has come and gone, the vines that course through the valley are so full and wild, dripping with fruit that’s almost ripe for the picking.

“Autumn is perhaps the most magical time of year on the wine trail. Its colors burn–bursting out in their fullest glory, creating a vivid, breathtaking backdrop for the harvest. Soon after the productive time ends, winter sweeps in, covering the land in its still, peaceful white slumber, giving the land and its people a chance to rest before the cycle repeats itself all over again.

“This is the Michigan wine country I’ve fallen in love with. As an artist, I want to know it. I want to hear the stories of the people who live there and who farm the land and make its wine. I want to explore their artistic processes from the ground to the vine, from the grape to the glass.

“‘On the Michigan Wine Trail’ is more than just a series of paintings attempting to recreate the beautiful sights of wine country. It captures the essence of the people there, and what happens to them as they inhabit and grow attached to this enchanting place.

“My series, like their wine, tells of their journeys, their art, and the relationships they’ve built with the land. The stories are all there on canvas, like a bottle of wine, waiting for us to uncork it.”

“The Vines in a Purple Haze”
Size: 24 x 24
Medium: Mixed media on canvas
Price: $450

To purchase this painting or others by Stephanie, click here.