Summer Session #10: Whetstone

It feels like such a long time since I went out to paint. I wanted to change up my usual routine by painting with just a palette knife. I also went to a sweet little meadow instead of a heavily wooded area.

Summer Session # 9: Walhalla

Summer Session #8: Whetstone

Summer Session #7: Whetstone

Summer Session #6: Iuka

Summer Session #5: Glen Echo

This session was my first time at Glen Echo park. I was a little afraid of what to expect as I climbed down some creepy steps leading to the bottom of a bridge. To quite my fears, I tried to scope it out with Google maps before I ventured out there.

(Google Maps' rendition of the creepy steps)

When I reached the bottom of the bridge steps, I was pleasantly surprised! Aside from a some graffiti and a questionable man with a booze bottle, it was gorgeous! There was a nice sampling of lush woods in the ravine area and friendly dog walkers.

As for the study, I opted for toned-ground charcoal:

Summer Session #4: Walhalla

Summer Session #3: Walhalla

Today, I discovered how amiable Walhalla residents are! At the beginning, I was afraid that I would unknowingly paint on someone's property and get scolded, but all of the passersby greeted me with a smile. One lady chatted with me a while about Columbus, buses, selling art, and nature. Today's experience was so much more pleasant than one painting experience I had a few months ago at the Hoover where a young couple deliberately stood right in the front of my easel and made out!

Summer Session #2: Walhalla!

My gracious friend, Corey, showed me the beauty of Walhalla Road last week. Ever since, I've been anxious to go there and paint. The trickling of the nearby stream was a great background noise, especially since I forgot my ipod this time. I wanted this session's piece to focus on the atmosphere and the light and dark patterning of the space. The drawing consists of powdered graphite on a toned gesso panel. My friend Rachel told me that my nose, lips and arms, covered in a thin layer of graphite, gave me the appearance of a coal miner. I felt like a true West Virginian by this observation. Unfortunately, the the drawing didn't photograph well, because the medium was ridiculously shiny and reflective of the glaring sun.

Summer Session #1: Whetstone Park Ravine

My first summer break painting experience posed a few obstacles. First, people on the bus gave me peculiar glances as I stepped on and off with my five gallon pickle bucket, my easel, and two bags. Next, I feared baseballs from a nearby game would strike me in the head as I painted in the woods. (The painting below looks deceivingly to be in a wild and wooded area; when in reality, a baseball field was fifteen feet behind me.) The largest obstacle though, which was neither induced by my personal fear or self-consciousness, was the fact that the sunlight changes so dang quickly right before sunset. Since my only free time to paint during the week is after my 8am to 5pm job, I find that I have a good two hours or less to lay paint down after I take the bus and walk the rest of the way to my destination. The painting below was squeezed out in less than an hour and a half. Although it seems like I'm being a Debbie Downer, I really truly did enjoy the experience. It gave me the opportunity to connect with nature and God and paint.

Studio Shots and Works in Progress

I still have a good 6 more hours to invest in the large portraits. Here are some shots of them in progress and other shots of old works in the studio.

Here are two glances of recent plein air sessions:



Clifton Gorge






















Park of Roses

















Check back soon, because I'll try to upload some detailed scans of the aforementioned paintings!

Welcome to my new blog! The blog will give friends the opportunity to stay updated on my newest plein air sketches and any fun anecdotes relating to my experiences on site.