SWOPA at Washington Park

Bandstand at Washington Park
12" x 16", Oil on Canvas

The SWOPA group met at the newly remodeled Washington Park in Cincinnati's Over the Rhine neighborhood. It was too warm to brave the views of Music Hall, so I painted the bandstand and newly repositioned Civil War canon.

House of the Singing Winds

On the Grounds
9" x 12", Oil on Canvas Panel

I have started a new series of paintings to support a possible Artist in Residence grant I am pursuing. I have completed the first four in the series from the "House of the Singing Winds", the TC Steele State Historic Site, just outside Nashville, Indiana. The first of these paintings was completed during the Chuck Marshall workshop and posted previously. Here are the next three:

Up from Below
9" x 12", Oil on Canvas Panel

Southern Gardens
16" x 20", Oil on Canvas Panel

Entry Pergola
16" x 20", Oil on Canvas

Heritage Village Museum

I spent a beautiful Saturday morning and afternoon at Heritage Village Museum in Sharon Woods Park, Sharonville, Ohio. Made up of buildings from throughout SW Ohio and even one from Northern Kentucky, the structures date from the early to the late 1800's. I got two paintings in:

Elk Lick House
c. 1820, 1870
12" x 16", Oil on Canvas

Hayner House
c. 1850
9" x 12", Oil on Canvas Panel

Closer to Home

Some of the SWOPA group journeyed North a little closer to my "stomping grounds" and met at the Fitton Center in Hamilton. Just south of the High Street Bridge and behind the Soilders, Sailors and Pioneers Monument, I painted this view looking up river toward the:

Site of Fort Hamilton
12" x 16", Oil on Canvas
08/2012

SWOPA at French Park

A wonderful, if warm, morning at French Park in Amberly Village. This is the view from just behind and below the large main house, looking toward the:

Caretaker's Cottage
9" x 12",  Oil on Canvas Panel
08/2012

OPAS Milford Paint Out

Saturday, August 4, was the Ohio Plein Air Society's paint out in Milford, OH. No rain, but was hot (98 degrees) and muggy. I set up in one location and painted two views:

Mill at Main Street
12" x 16", Oil on Canvas
08/2012

Milford Bridge
9" x 12", Oil on Canvas
08/2012

SWOPA at National Underground Freedom Center

Dodging rain showers again (why does it always seem to rain for SWOPA outings?), I went South from the Freedom Center to Smale Riverfront Park to do this view of:

Covington and the Roebling Bridge
12" x 16", Oil on Canvas
07/2012

SWOPA Plein Air at Glendale

On 7/19, I was one of three that showed up on a rainy morning to paint in Glendale Village Square. I started one painting and then it began to pour, so this is a new view painted from under cover of a gazebo.

View Toward the Iron Horse
9" x 12", Oil on Canvas Panel
07/2012

Chuck Marshall Plein Air Workshop

The first day of Chuck's workshop was devoted to identifying and painting "big shapes." We went out to Schappracher's Farm, just north of Mason, for some big vistas. We were to locate and block in (in the correct color and value) the large shapes. After a 15 min. painting to warm up, here's the day's paintings:

Simple shapes and values:
Schappracher's Farm 1
8" x 10", Oil on Canvas Panel
07/2012

Schappracher's Farm 2

8" x 10", Oil on Canvas Panel

07/2012

Day 2 was devoted to and experiment in mixing different color. We were to replace our use of Ultramarine Blue in our pallet with Ivory Black! All paintings completed without the use of blue...

Rain forced us inside to paint from photos for the first painting of the day...

On the Grounds
9" x 12", Oil on Canvas Panel
07/2012

Pine Hill Vista– Blu for Blk
9" s 12", Oil on Canvas Panel
07/2012
(with help from Chuck, suggesting knocking back the background detail)

Pine Hill Vista– Further Shore
9" x 12", Oil on Canvas Panel
07/2012

Day 3 was devoted to trying to let your feelings come thru in your paintings. We started with a 15 min. painting (I later spent an hour or so completing).

View from Pine Hill
8" x 10", Oil on Canvas Panel
07/2012

Next was an exercise in comparing your memory to what you see. We looked at a scene for 10 min. and  then had to paint from memory with our back turned:

Pine Hill Vista– memory
9" x 12", Oil on Canvas Panel
07/2012

Then we painted the same scene from life:

Pine Hill Vista– from life
9" x 12", Oil on Canvas Panel
07/2012

The paintings from memory had more life and feeling!

A Lot of Catching Up to Do!

I've been remiss in posting my work over the last couple of months, so here's to trying to catch up:

Artistic Garden 2
9" x 12", Oil on Canvas Panel
07/2012

Reserves Park– Lotus Bud
6" x 8", Oil on Canvas Panel
07/2012