See all 5 at Final Friday 2nite
With some votes in from replies to my email newsletter sent earlier this week, there is no clear favorite yet among the five Grand Canyon paintings I've done. South Rim and Bright Angel Creek have a slight lead over The Colorado River, Plateau Point and Sunset at Plateau Point, so we'll see which one emerges as the most popular favorite tomorrow.

All 5 will be on display in my studio tonight at the Pendleton Art Center during Final Friday and three are still for sale. They are about 16 inches square on canvas paper, matted but not framed for $300 each. As it stands, I'll definitely paint more of these when I have time between home portraits. By the way, if you want to give a portrait for the holidays this year, now's the time for us to get started, as I'm almost fully committed for Christmas 2011.

It should be a great Final Friday downtown. The weather's beautiful, the Reds are playing at Great American Ballpark with a big fireworks show afterward that we can usually see from the Pendleton when waiting for the valet parkers to bring our cars at 10-10:30 pm.
Check out Cincy Haus and the ghost tour of Cincinnati tonight, across the street from Lavomatic Cafe on Vine Street and next door to the Senate. My Happy Cincinnati line will be available for purchase there beginning in September and I can't wait to go on one of their tours, which I've heard great things about.

The 8th Street Design District will be featured on the first floor of the Pendleton at Final Friday tonight. I look forward to getting better acquainted with the creativity of RJE, Glaserworks, GBBN, KZF and Marsh along with you. Not sure who the musical entertainment is but it promises to be a good night to sit outside and enjoy them, as well as all the art and artists inside.

If it's your first time or you need directions, see www.pendletonartcenter.com. Valet parking is $5 at the door of 1310 Pendleton St. Cincinnati OH 45202 and we're there from 5 to 10 pm.

Morning on the Canyon's South Rim: #1 of 5

Yes, it is Final Friday at the Pendleton Art Center this week, on Aug 26 from 5-10 pm and I’ll be in my studio then but not on Second Look Saturday the next day. Friday night should be a great night downtown! Reds Game with fireworks (visible when you're waiting for the valet parkers at the Pendleton to bring you your car). Ghost Tour of Cincinnati departing from Cincy Haus on Vine, right across the street from Lavomatic Cafe, where you can see more of my paintings while dining and drinking in style on the roof garden.

This is one of five 16” square paintings I’ve done of the hike I took through the Grand Canyon a year ago, from the North to the South Rim in seven days with a backpack. We flew into Las Vegas and drove from there, stopping off to see Hoover Dam along the way. I wish we’d also stopped and walked out onto the Skywalk or transparent platform above the Canyon from the West Rim. We passed near it but didn’t have enough time. As it was, we arrived at the historic El Tovar on the South Rim after dark, so my first view of the Grand Canyon (other than from an airplane window) was just a big black void.

My room had a view, so as soon as I woke up the next day I looked out my window and this is what I saw: wow! It did not disappoint. After taking lots and lots of photos, we walked over to the old Kolb brothers’ place, now Lookout Studio, to see the trailhead of the Bright Angel Trail. We planned to hike out there one week later, having started on the North Rim and walked through the entire Canyon from North to South. I felt lots of trepidation standing there, I don’t mind telling you! I really want to do this but can I? Will I make it?
Well you know I did but check back here for the stories that go along with the other four paintings I’ll be showing of the Grand Canyon on Final Friday. They’re not framed but nicely matted and they sell for $300 each. I’m asking for feedback; which one of the five would you paint on the big four foot square canvas I have ready?

Homes on a golf course

Before getting ready to play golf at Glenview tonight, I put the finishing touches on this home portrait. If you’re going to live on a golf course, this is the way to do it, facing the green. You can watch people putting from your back porch and you don’t worry so much about stray shots breaking your windows or hitting one of you in the head!

For this painting, I realized anew how important taking the reference photos in the right kind of light can be. I usually try to photograph a house early in the morning or around 5 pm, in order to get the most dramatic light effects that inspire me as I paint.

The other thing this painting illustrates is that you can often show the home better by painting it from a vantage point other than the front. In this case, don’t you want to spend time on that back porch or patio?