Red Buds Spotted on the Hill

Red Buds On The Hill.  Watercolor.
Approximately 22 x 30 inches.

I live at the top of a hill.  If you weren't aware, the glaciers pretty much flattened most of Ohio, but stopped just shy of the southern part of the state.  As you travel south through Ohio on the expressways, it is flat, flat, flat, and then with no warning, it drops into hills.  

A Spring Storm Abstract

Spring Storm.  Mixed Media.
Approximately 22 x 30 inches.

Last week, on the way home from the grocery store, a huge storm front came in from the east.  (Now that I think about it--that's unusual, they usually come from the west.)  The trees were just barely starting to leaf out and were that particular vibrant first yellow-green, and juxtaposed against the storm looked pretty amazing.

Now you're probably wondering what the painting above has to do with that--well it started as that storm front, and then took off on its own adventure.  Apparently, my hand doesn't always listen to my brain.  This piece started as a straight up watercolor, then I added some crayon, then some acrylic, more crayon, and finally, I borrowed some opaque watercolors from Barb Smucker for a final layer. I'm still thinking about it.  I think I will add it to my dark and dense group of paintings.

Over The Rhine In Cincinnati

OTR Abstracted.  Watercolor.
Approximately 22x30 inches.

I was just down at the Pendelton Center in Over The Rhine for the first class in a workshop on painting abstracts. The class is by Barb Smucker, and it was a ton of fun.  She offers guidelines, but in the end, it comes down to no holds barred, try anything you want.  We're not working on producing "ART," but are trying various techniques.  Yesterday was all about line.  Black lines.  You'd be surprised about how many different ways there are to make black lines.  She had india ink and brushes and pens and charcoal and paint pens, and oil pastels, and....well, you get the idea.  I made a huge mess, and had a fantastic time.

Anyhow, as you drive down Pendelton St. to get to the Center, you can see a jumble of houses and buildings climbing the hill.  It was hard to resist, so I gave the painting a whirl last night.  I'm not sure I'm done.  Still thinking.  My boys laugh at the amount of time I spend thinking about paintings. They think it is quite over the top.  Still, I have to think on it.  In particular, I'm thinking about the sky line and the horizon line.

Another huge painting.  I don't know what I'm going to do with all these big paintings, but they're sure to paint.

The details:  Fabriano 300 lb Rough Watercolor Paper.  Daniel Smith Watercolors:  Indian Yellow, Perinone Orange, Manganese Blue Hue, Quinacridone Pink and Quinacridone Purple.

Seen Between Columbus and Cincinnati

Ohio Roadside.  Watercolor.
10 x 14 ish

Spring, for whatever reason, tips easily over into a frantic pace.  We barely have time to breathe, let alone sit down and relax.  I'm not sure if that's a symptom of our time, the age of our kids, or some undetermined factor.  But, it can be exhausting, and worse, hard to find time to paint.