Java Jazz and Art 2009

New Richmond OH

Oct 10-11, 2009

I'm so glad my Pendleton Art Center studio-mate, Dodie Loewe, got me involved in this wonderful event and I look forward to doing it again next October. After a pretty drive east along the Ohio River from Cincinnati, I arrived in New Richmond Friday evening and visited all the stores and businesses on the main street, as each of them displayed artwork being judged for the event.

Tempted by the cosy atmosphere and dinner specials listed on the blackboard at the Cafe, I'm glad I didn't eat before the opening and awards ceremony at the Front Street Gallery because the food served there was filling and absolutely delicious. Enjoyed listening to live bluegrass music and catching up with a lot of good artists before heading home to rest up for the plein air paint out Saturday morning.

Back on the main street the next morning, the coffee smelled good and the jazz musicians were setting up in a beautiful park overlooking the river but the weather didn't look too promising. So I decided to breakfast at the diner with a bunch of other artists and by the time we finished eating, it was beautiful out and I felt fueled up and ready to paint.

Seemed like there was a different jazz band every hour and they were all great! I found the music very inspiring and enjoyed talking to all the people strolling by. But it was a challenging outdoor painting day because the light changed constantly, so I finished this little palette knife painting in oils and then got my drawing tablet out and started working on all the home portraits I've been commissioned to paint.

Got a lot of good work done, so drove home with a sense of accomplishment although tired. Next year, I want to stay all night at Susanna's Guest House, a bed and breakfast with rooms that have fireplaces and twelve foot high ceilings.

Going to New Richmond for the weekend to paint was like going on vacation, making me see the charms of this area with fresh eyes. Formed when glaciers diverted existing rivers 10,000 years ago, the Ohio River is broad and relatively shallow. To me, this area resonates of Hopewell and other ancient cultures here long before the descendents of Europeans.

Painting the river, I thought of Meriweather Lewis' expedition passing through in 1803 camping and conducting business until William Clark joined the group and they moved West.