Ever Seen a Spinnradl?

What the heck's a Spinnradl? You'll definitely notice them on Pendleton Street in downtown Cincinnati when visiting the Pendleton Art Center.

Yes, tonight IS Final Friday and Glenda Suttman, Margi Meier, and I will open our studio on the fifth floor of the main building to visitors. Come see us to kick off the 3-day Labor Day weekend, which is a bigger holiday here in Cincinnati than anywhere else I've lived (Toledo, Chicago, Minneapolis).

Just as I was awestruck like a little kid by Lumenosity, I still love the Niagara Falls effect when Rozzi Fireworks shoots them off the bridges over the Ohio River for Riverfest. Don't miss it this Sunday night! These are things percolating in my soul as inspiration for future paintings but I haven't attempted any yet.

Here's an acrylic sketch I did earlier this summer with the Southwest Ohio Plein Air Painters: it's the Ludlow Bromley Yacht Club. If the weather holds, this would be a great place to enjoy the holiday weekend.

But back to the Spinnradl. ArtWorks sponsored the creation of these two kinetic sculptures which evoke the rich past and present of the Pendleton neighborhood. Community members contributed stories and imagery that inspired the artwork,which reflects the neighborhood’s unique legacy of architecture, social activism, cultural diversity, artistry and industry.

The North Star features prominently; Pendleton was a key stop on the Underground Railroad. The custom-made music boxes play two different songs—one is a traditional German folk song, performed in combination with a dance that forms a star pattern. The second song is a ragtime piece which was composed in Cincinnati in the very early 1900s. The music box was designed and built by Reuge, a 150-year-old music box company based in Switerzerland. Our landlords, The Verdin Company, fabricated the case and base of the of Spinnradl, in addition to supporting the assembly of the various moving parts and decorative elements.

Tonight at Final Friday, we'll have new artwork to see, music outside, Tom & Chee's food truck and free refreshments in the working studios of 200 artists. Next month is the anniversary of the Pendleton Art Center, so we'll have our annual Silent Auction, where you can pick up great bargains on original art. Between now and Sept 26, I'll post photos of the pieces I'll have in the auction. Happy Labor Day!

Paint it Black

Using the black canvas sheets today to sketch ideas for the paintings I want to do that were inspired by Shannon Godby's photographs on Facebook.

Today I realized I actually needed a wide range of dark paints (Mars Black, Ivory Black) to paint back into the canvas as I worked my lights and darks. A good find!

So I went back to my sketch of "Christmas Eve at the Warren's" and tried to apply what I learned. Here's what it looked like before I started; when I started looking at it, I realized if there's that much snow on the ground, there'd likely be some on the roof.

Thought I was done but now I want to play with the sky behind the house a bit more. It's too light and I need to work that section in the upper right quadrant to bring it in line with the rest of the painting. Fun exploring this way of painting onto black canvas, though. And Christmas in August is kind of fun too.

Nobody Paints Like Him

Painting today was mostly like praying. I saw this leaf in the parking lot the other day and just marveled at the mixture of colors in it. Also, since today is August 1, noticed it's a harbinger of autumn soon to come.

Inspiration always comes from looking at what the greatest Artist of all creates every day. But this was especially fun because of all the organic lines and shapes ... much different from the straight lines and angles of my usual architectural subjects.