Taft Museum from Lytle Park

The Taft from Lytle Park
Plein Air, 12 x 16, Oil on Canvas
05/2012

Across Pike Street from Lytle Park, in the East end of downtown Cincinnati's Central Business District, is the Taft Museum. Last of the city's first "great" homes, the rest having succumbed to the expanding city center. Built by Martin Baum in 1820, it is considered the best example of federal style architecture in the city.

The Taft houses a wonderful small art collection with "major works by Rembrandt, Hals, Goya, Gainsborough, Reynolds, Turner, Ingres, Whistler, and Sargent, as well as the greatest Gothic ivory sculpture in America." It also hosts smaller traveling exhibitions. The Taft is considered one of the "finest small art museums in America."

SWOPA at Cincinnati Nature Center

May 17, Southwest Ohio Plein Air painters met at Rowe Woods, Cincinnati Nature Center, Milford, Ohio. Most went to the larger pond behind the Visitor Center, but I found this piece of meadow to paint. The Abner Hollow Cabin was obviously moved to its present location on top of a ridge at one end of the meadow. I worked with the long view.

Abner Hollow Cabin Meadow
12" x 16", Oil on Canvas, 05/2012

SWOPA at Gorman Farm

On May 10 we spent a beautiful cool day at Gorman Heritage Farm in Evendale, Ohio plein air painting. A 120 acre working farm within the suburbs of Cincinnati, they were hosting numerous groups of childern, all out for a day of seeing a farm up close and personal. I was lucky the farm staffer went out with his coworker to get lunch and left his truck for me to paint.

Barn at Gorman Farm
12" x 16", Oil on Canvas, 05/2012

Seasonal Adjustments 4– A Dusting

I took a drive over to Morgan's Canoe Livery after one of the few snow falls this last Winter. This is an 8" x 10", Oil on Canvas base on one of the photos from that trip.

Capitoline Wolf

The last April plein air date with SWOPA was at Eden Park in Cincinnati. Located in one the park's river overlooks is this copy of the "Capitoline Wolf", 12" x 16", Oil on Canvas. A gift of the city of Rome to the citizens of Cincinnati (due to our shared legend of being built on "seven hills"), this bronze is a replica of the statue of Romulus and Remus being suckled by a she-wolf.

The twin boys being the central characters of Rome's foundation myth. Their mother was Rhea Silvia, forced to become a Vestal Virgin, sworn to chastity, she conceived the twins by the god Mars. Once born, their power hungry uncle, Amulius, had them abandoned to die in the river Tiber. They were saved by a series of miraculous interventions, including the motherly attentions of the she-wolf. The twins, still ignorant of their true origins, were natural leaders and acquired many followers. When they discovered the truth of their birth, they killed Amulius and restored their mother's husband, Numitor, to his throne. Rather than wait to inherit their native city they chose to found a new city– Rome. For more info see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romulus_and_Remus

Rainy Reflections

A view of  Spring Grove Cemetery with mist and rain from my fall photography trip:
Rainy Reflections
12" x 16". Oil on Canvas, 04/2012