Vibrant

Mt. Echo (Park Entrance) 2011
oil on canvas

Mt. Echo is really a beautiful park; very well maintained, with beautiful landscaping, and a gorgeous view of the downtown Cincinnati skyline. I painting this on a foggy morning, with the cityscape in the background obscured by the fog, but the entrance landscaping and flowers vibrant and bright and popping out all over the place.

The Gaslight District

Pond at Burnet Woods 2011
oil on canvas

The Gaslight District is one of my favorite areas of Cincinnati, so when my painting club wanted to go to Burnet Woods Park to paint, I was all for it. The final painting is really rather abstract, again with more of a focus on texture and color and energy.

Persistence

Christopher on the Papasan 2011
oil on canvas

I had started this painting in December, and didn't get very far. When I picked it up again in June, it took several sessions to finish it. Sometimes paintings just spring to life fairly quickly, and sometimes they require a lot of persistence. Chris loves comic books, and is wearing a tee shirt with the Flash emblem on it.

Autumn as the second Spring

Pond at Spring Grove Cemetery & Arboretum 2011
oil on canvas

I had actually done 95% of this painting last fall with my informal painting club, and finally got around to finishing it after being inspired by my new batch of landscapes. It was October, and the fall colors were in full affect, making lovely reflections on one of the ponds. Spring Grove is such a beautiful place, no wonder it's considered a regional treasure.

Back for More

Otto Armleder Park (Foliage) 2011
oil on canvas

My painting club decided we liked the Otto Armleder Park so much that we wanted to go back again for a second week in a row. This time I hiked further back on the trail, and decided to paint some of the flowers and foliage. This is one of the more abstract landscapes I've done, with more of a focus on texture and energy.

Back to Work

Otto Armleder Park (Meadow) 2011
oil on canvas

This was the first new painting I'd done in at least 7 months. I guess I just needed to take a break and wait to become inspired again. I did this painting with my informal painting club at Otto Armleder Park, which is a park I had never heard of. Jenny Clark, a talented artist in my painting club, recommended we go there.