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

A Couple of Sycamores

I got out this last Thursday to paint in Spring Grove Cemetery with the Southwest Ohio Plein Air group. Well… I had a stained glass class that morning, so I got there around 1:00P and everyone was about to pack up. I've been struck by the picturesque quality of the old sycamore trees that are right down along the edge of the main pond and this one had a lovely reflection. They are just showing the first budding of what will be very large leaves, thus creating the yellow/green dappled effect against the background.

In one of the first warm spells of this Spring (an unseasonable mid-March), several of the MAPs group spent our Monday morning out side at the Snyder House in Cottell Park. This big old sycamore is behind the house and in front of the caretaker's cottage. My friend Millie was painting beside me and had parked under the tree.

Next Spring Grove

This is the next painting in the Spring Grove Fall Series. The bald cypress turn the most wonderful deep red/orange color and provide contrast to the orange and golds of the trees losing their leaves. The second largest cemetery in the US, this is a peaceful place at any time of the year and the monuments are large and dramatic. Reflecting pools like the one in the painting are scattered throughout the "lawn plan" landscape that was first developed here.

Fall Reflections, 12 x 16, oil on canvas

Rainy Day

On a rainy day (like today) last fall, I took a trip down to Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati. We were supposed to plein air paint there that day, but the weather wasn't cooperating. This painting is based on one of the photographs from that trip. It is–
Spring Grove Underpass
12 x 16
oil on canvas

From My Pond

I'm going through a dry spell for subject matter recently, therefore the posts have slowed down. I've been taking photos, but the hoped for snow just hasn't materialized this winter. We had a dusting last week and I got down to Morgan's Canoe Livery and got some shots that were good... you'll see some paintings from them.

I pulled out this image from the pix I took this last summer of the plants in my little water garden:

Water Hyacinth, 11x14, oil on canvas, 2012_0221