Still Life in the works

I thought I'd set up some of my toys to paint, as it was snowy and sloppy here in northeast Ohio today.. I'll finish it up this weekend.

Grand River Lighthouse

I finally finished this painting I'd started last year. I went fishing out on the wall past the lighthouse with my father and brothers starting in 1958. At that time there was a foghorn out there that would nearly blow out your eardrums if it started up, and you could hear it for miles inland. I miss the low moan of that horn, replaced by satellite navigation years ago.

End of the Road

This is a view of Hell's Hollow, one of the last bits of wilderness in Lake County. I painted it from the west bank of Paine Creek, looking towards the abandoned road that once provided access across this deep valley. The old bridge was removed years ago, leaving the stone abutments in place. I walked down what remains of the road on the west bank, which is heavily eroded. It had a heavy crust of ice on the snow, which helped me hike over a mile down to where the old bridge stood. After painting for about 2 1/2 hours, I packed up and left, but on my way out I found the snow had warmed slightly and now I had to plow through deep snow to get back out. I worked hard to get this one!

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.