I love the artwork of Lori McElrath Eslick. When I lived in Muskegon, I could count on seeing her new work as soon as she framed it. The Cheese Lady of Muskegon loves McElrath Eslick’s work too. McElrath Eslick’s vineyard paintings hung above the olive oil and balsamic vinegar in the fustini room. That series celebrated grapes vines, turning purple, ready to pick. It’s been three years since I’ve paid a visit, but my memory remains fresh. Has our friend now exhibited a different series, also celebrating agriculture?
I liked seeing her work hung in the children’s section of the North Muskegon library. The painter framed all in faux gold leaf frames. I never had experienced any paintings that were so wonderful when I was young enough for the children’s section.
McElrath Eslick lives close to the North Muskegon library. I could expect new work with every visit. Plus, Rita King served as the library director. She always made a moment to talk when I visited. I plan to see any new paintings by her this summer. The local children are very lucky.
Why do I keep calling her McElrath Eslick? I’ve met Lori in person at the Greater Muskegon Woman's Club. She greeted her fans, standing by her painting of Barack Obama on an easel. She had picked the perfect painting. She was part of an art afternoon organized by the Progressive Democratic Women’s Caucus.
Her husband invited me to go kayaking on the Muskegon River with him. It’s an invite that I should take up very soon. Her husband models for all Lori’s work painting trout fishermen. I would love to wind up in one of her kayaking paintings.
On June 5th of this year, Lori posted a lovely painting of a wren. The wren sings perched on a branch of a tree boasting four ripe apples. I studied the hues of the sky. If you’ve visited an orchard in the West Michigan fruit belt, you’ll know she’s rendered the colors of dawn or evening. I’m guessing these are the colors of evening, not dusk.
She had donated the watercolor for auction. Thirty artists donated art to raise money for the Peoria Park District Playhouse. The playhouse belongs to the children’s museum.
The organizer did a magnificent job of using an auction software from Greater Giving. Many of the paintings sold for good prices. Partial proceeds goes for children programming in art, science and the humanities. Sadly, I didn’t check the auction before it closed Friday, June the Twelfth.
The bidding on Lori’s work closed without selling. I have blamed myself. I took too long before checking in on the auction. I should have written this article earlier. Collectors in Peoria didn't know that a delicious cherry-pick awaited. Lori’s work almost always goes to a collector or a publisher for a firm, well-deserved price.
Lori is not an Illinois River Valley painter. I’ve lived near the shores of a tributary this spring, the Vermilion River. I have grown to appreciate this land of wild rivers. The rivers cut through sandstone and limestone, leaving hardscrabble banks. Lori is a Muskegon River painter. So why was she participating in an auction in a different watershed? I was happy to see her presence. It made my day. But I had to know more.
This has been a season of birds exploring outside their usual territories. It's a pandemic effect. I’ve heard of pelicans on White Lake near Montague, Michigan. Bird lovers have reported many sightings of the Indigo Bunting. And in the same week! The Indigo Bunting is often spotted by more veteran watchers. When a bird shows up outside its range, it’s worthwhile to explore the cause.
Lori had popped up outside her range. I wrote to her. She wrote back. A publisher near Peoria had once purchased one of her paintings for Cricket magazine. It's like the New Yorker for elementary school readers.
Cricket has offices in Peru and Chicago. I asked one of my locals, Brian P. McIntyre for more information. We drove by Carus Corporation, a chemical manufacturer near Buffalo Rock State Park. Carus makes chemicals that treat industrial wastewater. Carus also houses the Peru office of Cricket. Also, a small office publishes obscure but vital philosophical treatises.
The idea of Lori painting in the Illinois River Valley caught my imagination. With Lori and her husband, I would love to take a riverboat from Muskegon to Peoria and beyond. We could follow the journey of the Mockingbird, a barque built by hand by George and Lewis Cross. The two brothers raised fruit in Lake, Michigan. She could paint as her husband and I handled the navigation, stayed off of the sandbars.
The two started out from the mouth of the Grand River in October 1888 and set out to reach Florida. Lewis kept a detailed journal, documenting all that the brothers experienced. They landed a good contract for dried fruit in Chicago. Then, a tugboat towed the Mockingbird from Lake Michigan to Bridgeport.
Then the ship entered the Illinois and Michigan Canal. To save money, one brother pulled the boat along, the rope over his shoulder. The other brother steered the ship. Usually, a mule performs the towing. After hard days, the ship made the calmer reaches of the Illinois River. The brothers raised the sails and made for the Mississippi.
Lewis painted on the trip. He captured the glory of the Passenger Pigeon passing over a great river. He depicted a broad river, like the Illinois or the Mississippi. One example awaits visitors to the Lakeshore Museum Center of Muskegon, Michigan. He also practiced taxidermy on the trip, preserving birds brought down by George’s dead-eye aim. When the two needed money, they walked into a nearby town with a passel of waterfowl to sell. The two wrote home from cities on the way and even sent telegrams.
October is only a season away. I could order the microfiche of Lewis's journal again from the Smithsonian to transcribe it.
Lori McElrath-Eslick
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