Cincinnati Nature Center

Krippendorf Water Tower
12" x 16", Oil on Canvas
05/2016

The house of Carl and Mary Krippendorf was built 1898-1900 and their land formed the original 175 acres of the Cincinnati Nature Center. The water tower was built around 1905 to provide running water in the shingle style house (behind) for cooking and laundry. The nature center now encompasses 1025 acres of woods, meadows and ponds.

Mouth of the Great Miami

Shawnee Lookout Vista
12" x 24", Oil on Canvas
05/2016

The Great Miami enters the Ohio River just to the West of North Bend, Ohio. This is the view overlooking the area from the bluffs on the northeastern side of the valley, looking across the Great Miami, west down the Ohio River. Just to the north along this same ridge is a significant prehistoric Native American earthwork called Miami Fort, a flat platform surrounded by earthen walls, some as high as 20-25 feet.

Plein Air– Mt. Adams

Big Mac Bridge
12" x 16", Oil on Canvas
04/2016

Called "Big Mac" for it's distinctive double golden arches, the I-475 bridge is actually named  for Daniel Carter Beard, the founder of the Boy Scouts of America. Dan Beard was born in Cincinnati and lived across the river in Covington, Kentucky, where he learned and became fascinated with tales of the pioneers and settlers of the area. Writing and illustration work lead to the stories, lore and artwork incorporated into the first Boy Scout handbooks.

Fall on Gregory Creek

Gregory Creek 10
24" x 36", Oil on Canvas
04/2016

Gregory Creek is undercutting the banks in the Lesourdsville area, exposing the layers of glacial till and outwash. Unusual for a creek in Southwest Ohio, the creek flows North out of West Chester and Liberty Townships to enter the Great Miami River at Lesourdsville. This area has been mined for gravel and sand since the settlers came to the Miami valleys in the late 1700's.

Plein Air– First Outing 2016

Spring Grove Underpass 2
12" x 16", Oil on Canvas
04/2016

The first outing with the South West Ohio Plein Air painters for 2016 was to Spring Grove Cemetery. Most of the early flowering plants has already passed with the warm spell we had this year. This view is of the railroad underpass from the inside looking out. Conifers and blooming Redbuds, backlit by the morning sun.

AAPs Still Life

AAPs– Still Life 10
16" x 20", Oil on Canvas
04/2016

Members of the Art Alliance Painters (AAPs) are  all working from the same set up to produce artwork for this coming year's Fall Arts Fair. We will be having our annual show of work in the Snyder House at Cottell Park during the show. In addition to other work we will show, the will be different artists' interpretations of this still life arrangement.

Sketch Group Portrait

CAC– Portrait 4
16" x 12", Oil on Paper
04/2016

Portrait on Arches Oil Paper, a specially formulated substrate to use with oil paints. Let down paints function similar to watercolors or gouache, but the oils will sit on the surface and dry without the binders being drawn into the paper. The more I use this to paint on, the more I like it!