Oak Hill

Oak Hill Forest, 12 x 9, acrylic on watercolor paper
Late in the day I cruised around Carrollton, looking for a new place to work from. Something with either a hill top looking out over trees or a forest green. My new nickname is "Rousseau" due to my interest in dark green foliage. Enough of this charcoal business, the next day I packed up my field gear, water bottle, paints, brushes, and headed for the Oak Hill Cemetary, just north and west of Walnut Hills. After scoping out a site, I planted myself in the shade, set up my easel, squeezed out fresh paints, and misted down my palette. About an hour later I tromped along the edge of these woods, through the wet grass and found my second site.

Oak Hill Trunk, 12 x 9, acrylic on watercolor paper
I backed up my pickup so that I could lean against it as I painted the scene, again in the cool morning shade. I completed it just as the shadow crept back into the woods, leaving me and the tripod in the sunlight. That was about 11 o'clock am. I packed up and drove home for lunch, about two miles away.








Clearing 9 x 12 acrylic on watercolor paper The Oak Hill cemetary is a high hilltop with lots of blue sky above and lined with tree tops. In a clearing I had this pleasant view out and beyond. In about an hour I was ready to do a vertical one of the same scene.


Clearing II 12 x 9 acrylic on watercolor paper
It had been a full day for me. This piece was done in 20 minutes or so. I think my body was getting cranky. It was time to pack up and give it a rest. I drove around to check out some other sites nearby, but then ended up calling it a day and driving home. My feet will only put up with so much standing. Still, I was happy to do this much.

These pieces are $150 each unframed.
See on you like ? Drop me a comment.

Working With Technology Out At Walnut Hills

In addition to painting landscapes, being a teacher aide, being a husband, and doing my share of the chores around the house, I like to encourage the artists I know in Carrollton. Joe Tonnar draws with pastels and paints in his Walnut Street studio. I maintain his website to give his work exposure. He was the first artist I met after moving to Carrollton some twelve years ago.

Along these lines, I have been reading about the technology of blogging and podcasts from a library book this past summer. It's got me re-evaluating how I run my business. I don't know exactly what I can do with that kind of information but I am wide open. As this posting demonstrates, I find myself shooting short snippets of my friend in action with my digital camera. Perhaps down the road I can piece together a video about his work.

This particular outing takes place at Walnut Hills, a high spot that looks over treetops on the western edge of Carrollton. This artist is satisfied with the boundaries he has pushed into with pastel. Without a preliminary sketch he launches forward. Years ago and many exact studies have brought him to a place where he feels free to roam, chalk in hand.

Next month Tonnar will be the first in a series of Carrollton artists to give an Art Talk at the local public library. Our community deserves to see the world through this living artist's eyes. For now, I am fortunate to be counted among his friends.