Cincinnati Nature Center on Tealtown Rd.
Finished this year's multi-media painting of the Krippendorf Lodge at the Cincinnati Nature Center on Tealtown Rd. where tonight's annual fundraiser will be held. We have beautiful weather for it and there is a lot of wonderful artwork on sale to benefit the CNC.
Last year, I painted three small acrylic portraits of the Krippendorf and all of them sold. This year, I kept the original and donated a limited edition giclee print, nicely framed. When you have both side by side, many people would be unable to tell the difference between the painting and the print. My pieces are in a Silent Auction in tonight's event, so if more than one collector likes this, I'll be able to satisfy them all with the prints, much as we did for Laurel Court.
Here's why I support the Nature Center: not only do I paint out there in plein air but now that I'm hiking every day, I've discovered that their abundance of walking trails offer lots of variety and plenty of workout. A couple of programs I've been to in the last two weeks have been just great! Last Thursday night, Wes from Marvin's Organic Gardens talked about using Ohio native trees, shrubs and perennials to landscape our yards and I left with a beautiful oyster fern. Then Wednesday night, I got to go on my first Full Moon Hike at 9 pm. Director Bill Hopple said he's been doing this since 1996 and I will definitely go again. During the 2 mile hike from 9-10:30, Bill pointed out stars, constellations, and Venus, Mars and Saturn with a laser pointer as we stood in a quiet meadow that brought back memories of learning astronomy from fellow Camp Fire Girls at summer camp. Passages and poetry were read at various times from the Farmer's Almanac and other books about native American lore, various moons (this one was the Pink Moon), local geology, buds and spring; it was just beautiful.
Yes, tonight is also Final Friday at the Pendleton Art Center, so I will have to miss it. Thankfully, Dodie Loewe is going to have our studio open for guests. Tomorrow morning I'll be helping our other studio mate, ceramicist Glenda Suttman, with her display at the Clay Alliance's annual Spring show in Woodburn Corners.
I took my Roebling Bridge to be framed today, so it should be ready in time for the Wyoming Art Show Sunday May 16 and the Taft Museum's Art in the Garden on May 26. Am having a lot of gift items personalized with that image for sale through local retailers like Art on the Levee in Newport KY.
So many things to work on right now, painting-wise: Taft Museum acrylics, my great-grandfather's home in Sidney OH, several home portraits and two original paintings that will be printed in limited editions for the Krohn Conservatory Butterfly Show display at the Cincinnati Art Club on June 5.

Sketches for the Krohn Conservatory Butterfly Show
Is there anywhere prettier in this city than the Eden Park area near the Krohn in springtime? I took a bunch of photos over there last week around 5 pm but they didn't do justice to the magnolia grove, redbuds, or the daffodils on the hillsides, so I'm just going to have to paint from memory.
Noticed that I hadn't posted anything in awhile but I've been busy. Finished the big bridge painting today, I think, hopefully having fixed the four things Elmer and I talked about two weeks ago. Finished the Krippendorf Lodge multimedia painting for the benefit April 30 and getting the first giclee made for framing this week.
Friday night I finished a painting of the home my great-grandfather built in Sidney Ohio and these Krohn pictures need to be done by the end of May. Also have a few new color sketches of the church. My friend Lana generously gave me her mother's pastels and some of her art books and reference material. Elaine Piazza has had an influence on my work through her style of painting, the good karma imparted through her studio easel, and the support and encouragement of her daughter and I am grateful for it. And for the inspiration of this beautiful spring weather.