MONROE - Joan Stackpole didn't set out to be an artist.
But then her son gave her paints as a Christmas present one year. Stackpole had done some crafting, making painted baskets and apples, but she never considered herself to be "artistic."
Stackpole, then in her 50s and just retired after 34 years as working at Juda School in speech and language and special education, decided to learn how to use them.
She enrolled in a class at Blackhawk Technical College. Under the direction of teacher and local artist Tina Duemler, Stackpole began her first foray into watercolors.
Her choice of media was only natural. "I'm a messy person. I figured it would be easy to clean up watercolor," she said.
That was five years ago. Since then, she's completed a large portfolio of paintings, primarily landscapes.
Stackpole prefers to paint "en pleine air," a French term that refers to painting in the open air. "I like to work outside," she said on a recent cold, rainy day. "I'm getting itchy to be outside."
Working en pleine air fits especially well with Stackpole's love of painting land and lakescapes of her native northern Wisconsin.
"The woods are my cathedral. I find being in the Northwoods healing," she said, noting she also particularly enjoys the Bayfield County and Lake Superior area.
Stackpole and her husband Brian have an RV outfitted for travel. Although high gas prices have curtailed their travel in the motor home somewhat, they will be traveling to Rhinelander this summer so Stackpole can attend a workshop at the School of the Arts. This will be the third year she will attend.
It works out to be a perfect blend of learning and relaxing. Brian can ride his bike and kayak while she's at class, and she can fish and kayak when she's done for the day, Stackpole said.
When she cannot get outside to paint, Stackpole stations herself in the workshop located underneath her husband Brian's store, the Hobby Depot. Last year, Brian added a window to allow more natural light into the workshop. The couple's living quarters also are on the basement level.
"We support each other in our passions," she said.
She keeps a file cabinet there full of reference photos she can use when she wants to paint, for instance, a moose. She often draws from photographs, first sketching in pencil before delving into the paint. If the scene doesn't have people, she will add some in because she likes to "have my paintings tell a story," she said.
One special file in her cabinet is reserved for something other people might not want to remember.
"My first rejection letter," Stackpole said, holding the file proudly. Like most people, she said, she was afraid of her work being rejected - but she's over that now.
"It's a bit of a process to be willing to put your work out there," she said.
"It's like the first scratch on a car. You don't want it to happen, but once it happens, it's not that bad."
And rejection isn't so much of a problem anymore. Stackpole's work can be seen throughout the area. She has a show of primarily watercolors at Jeweler's Workshop, located at High Point and Old Sauk Road in Madison, through April. She also has ongoing shows at Parkside Salon in Monroe, River Valley Trading Company in Blanchardville and Rutabaga canoe and kayak store in Monona.
Stackpole still uses primarily watercolor, although she enjoys doing portraits of people in pencil and does some work in acrylic paints. She also is available to do commission work.
Stackpole asserts anyone can learn to be an artist. After taking the BTC class and some practice, she learned to start looking at the world a little differently, with an artist's eye. Instead of seeing a green tree, she said, she now sees all the variations and colors that make up that tree. It's a skill anyone can train themselves to achieve, she said.
For Stackpole, coming to art in midlife was largely about timing.
"It hit me at the right time of my life," she said.
Anyone, young or old, interested in developing their artistic side, has a tremendous resource right in here Monroe, she said, noting BTC offers a high level of instruction that's readily available.
"How cool is that?" she asked.
But then her son gave her paints as a Christmas present one year. Stackpole had done some crafting, making painted baskets and apples, but she never considered herself to be "artistic."
Stackpole, then in her 50s and just retired after 34 years as working at Juda School in speech and language and special education, decided to learn how to use them.
She enrolled in a class at Blackhawk Technical College. Under the direction of teacher and local artist Tina Duemler, Stackpole began her first foray into watercolors.
Her choice of media was only natural. "I'm a messy person. I figured it would be easy to clean up watercolor," she said.
That was five years ago. Since then, she's completed a large portfolio of paintings, primarily landscapes.
Stackpole prefers to paint "en pleine air," a French term that refers to painting in the open air. "I like to work outside," she said on a recent cold, rainy day. "I'm getting itchy to be outside."
Working en pleine air fits especially well with Stackpole's love of painting land and lakescapes of her native northern Wisconsin.
"The woods are my cathedral. I find being in the Northwoods healing," she said, noting she also particularly enjoys the Bayfield County and Lake Superior area.
Stackpole and her husband Brian have an RV outfitted for travel. Although high gas prices have curtailed their travel in the motor home somewhat, they will be traveling to Rhinelander this summer so Stackpole can attend a workshop at the School of the Arts. This will be the third year she will attend.
It works out to be a perfect blend of learning and relaxing. Brian can ride his bike and kayak while she's at class, and she can fish and kayak when she's done for the day, Stackpole said.
When she cannot get outside to paint, Stackpole stations herself in the workshop located underneath her husband Brian's store, the Hobby Depot. Last year, Brian added a window to allow more natural light into the workshop. The couple's living quarters also are on the basement level.
"We support each other in our passions," she said.
She keeps a file cabinet there full of reference photos she can use when she wants to paint, for instance, a moose. She often draws from photographs, first sketching in pencil before delving into the paint. If the scene doesn't have people, she will add some in because she likes to "have my paintings tell a story," she said.
One special file in her cabinet is reserved for something other people might not want to remember.
"My first rejection letter," Stackpole said, holding the file proudly. Like most people, she said, she was afraid of her work being rejected - but she's over that now.
"It's a bit of a process to be willing to put your work out there," she said.
"It's like the first scratch on a car. You don't want it to happen, but once it happens, it's not that bad."
And rejection isn't so much of a problem anymore. Stackpole's work can be seen throughout the area. She has a show of primarily watercolors at Jeweler's Workshop, located at High Point and Old Sauk Road in Madison, through April. She also has ongoing shows at Parkside Salon in Monroe, River Valley Trading Company in Blanchardville and Rutabaga canoe and kayak store in Monona.
Stackpole still uses primarily watercolor, although she enjoys doing portraits of people in pencil and does some work in acrylic paints. She also is available to do commission work.
Stackpole asserts anyone can learn to be an artist. After taking the BTC class and some practice, she learned to start looking at the world a little differently, with an artist's eye. Instead of seeing a green tree, she said, she now sees all the variations and colors that make up that tree. It's a skill anyone can train themselves to achieve, she said.
For Stackpole, coming to art in midlife was largely about timing.
"It hit me at the right time of my life," she said.
Anyone, young or old, interested in developing their artistic side, has a tremendous resource right in here Monroe, she said, noting BTC offers a high level of instruction that's readily available.
"How cool is that?" she asked.