Angry Birds

This is the view from the courtyard of the nature center at Penitentiary Glen. As I was bringing in my easel and painting supplies, I uprooted the birds from their feeding several times. I have the "Angry Birds"  app.on my I-Phone, thus inpiring the name.

Penitentiary Glen

SOLDI painted this scene from a chunk of ice in the middle of a stream. It is a view of Penitentiary Glen, at the bottom of the stairs, looking upstream towards the steep rock walls that inspired the name of this park.

Farmpark Sugarbush

I thought I'd try something different for a change. I have a high-tech woodburning system left over from my sign making days, and I was pretty sure I could get good results from the subject matter. Woodburning is fun, but fairly unforgiving. You can't erase a line that's burned deeply into the wood.

The Mayan Bowler

This sculpture is part of the sundial complex at Lakeshore Reservation, built back in the 70's. I don't know what the sculptor intended, but this block reminded me of the carved stone symbols in Mayan ruins of central America.

Enviromental Learning Center

This building is located on the grounds of the former Camp Klein, a summer camp for Methodist children. The dome on the roof is a planetarium.

Lake Farmpark Sugarbush

Stayin' Alive

This scene is high up in the rock formations at Chapin Forest. I spotted this hemlock tree growing out of the sandstone cracks and crevasses, shooting upwards to catch the light, and thus life.
I never fail to find something in nature that amazes me every time I go out to paint. I made a quick pencil sketch, took a few pictures, and finished it in the studio, as it was far too dangerous to try to haul my easel and paints up there. As I climbed to the top, I encountered some retired ladies old enough to be my mother, and they were having a blast at cross-country skiing. No "Oprah" for them; they were truly living life in the here and now. I admire them greatly.

Veteran's Park

This property was once a large gravel pit. It was known as Granger's Pond for many years, renamed after LMP took over operation of it some time ago. When I was a Mentor Firefighter, we would be called there frequently when fishermen lit fires to ward off the evening chill. The people in the new housing development across the lake moved out there from Cuyahoga County, and many apparantly had never seen a campfire before, causing us to reluctantly tell the guy to put it out, inspiring some choice words from him about the "outsiders" moving in.

Lots of dogs walk their owners here too.

Fairport HarborLakefront Park

I was at the park last summer on a hazy afternoon and caught a ship leaving the harbor. This is the site that has hosted the Fairport Mardi Gras ever since I can remember. I used to work for a nearby company as a teenager where I had a boss that told me Mardi Gras meant "Money grab" in French. I think he was right.
SOLD