Skok Park

The newest park is named after Fred Skok, who was a longtime Lake County judge and former prosecutor. It has trails that pass through the pastures and past the ponds of the former Bushman farm.

Chapin Forest Ledges

These sandstone outcroppings made a nice subject for my ongoing "Paint the Park" project last Sunday. All the parking areas at Chapin Forest were at full capacity, as lots of hikers were enjoying the trails on a beautiful morning.

Cornshuck time

I painted these cornshucks this morning with the supervision of a dozen cows watching me work. They are gentle, curious animals, and I enjoyed their company.

Sunday afternoon in Amish counry

As I was painting this scene, 40 or so Amish walked or rode buggies past me and seemed to enjoy my painting effort. Lots of them stopped to talk, and I enjoyed their conversation tremendously. They seem to respect someone conducting their craft with centuries-old techniques.

Harvest Festival

The Lake Farmpark had a harvest festival recently, and part of the event was a display of restored farm tractors.
The white one was a Cub Cadet salesman demonstrator model, while the rest were painted cherry red.

Night Sentry

I did a nocturne painting of a local Civil War soldier's memorial just down the road in Madison Village. I picked the night before the full moon to do it. Most of these statues were produced in Italy in the two decades following the war, as they were the world leaders in sculpture at that time.

A sick friend

While roaming a local camp for something to paint, I encountered this old Chevy truck rusting in a field, windows smashed, the interior shot.

I last saw this truck when it served as a fire truck at a local chemical company where I once worked , and it was in perfect condition. I used to sit on the tailboard and talk to the fire dept. employees when I had days when I had little to do as a technician there. It was a shock to see it, and a bigger shock to realize that 36 years had gone by.