St. Maartin

This is the other server we met on the island that year.  Here's to you Kelvin.  I hope you and Jackie will be able to see your portraits someday.

St. Maartin

I was fortunate to travel many times with my friend to the "friendly" island of St. Maarten.  And it is indeed friendly.  The people who live and work there are the best kind of people on earth.  We met many that we tried to stay connected with.  Unfortunately, most of the people are pretty transient.  And I wonder if any of the lovely people we met are still on the island.

One year, we went to have a glass of wine at one of the many open bar/restaurants on the island.  There were a number of paintings on the walls, which I remarked about to the servers.  I told them that I was an artist and they both asked me if I would paint their portraits.  They gave me their addresses and phone numbers.  I really intended to get the portraits done and sent within the year.  NOT!  However, I have recently tried delving in colored pencil and have discovered that this is my medium for portraits.  I seem to have a certain medium for certain themes.  Acrylic and oil for landscapes.  Watercolor for still life. 

Have you read THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN? Well I am looking forward to meeting my three people in heaven one day.

I struggled with this one. Some would call it a labor of love. I like to call it a re-discovery of love. Love of family, love of unity, love for those who gave us life and are no longer with us.

This is the home where I truly remember beginning my life. I was in the 5th grade and I was 10 years old. I also remember that my Mom and Dad thought this house would bring them so much happiness.

I have three sisters and one brother. Our little brother would ride his pedal car on the awesome patio. My sisters and I would sit out on the patio (in the retro red chairs) and hoped the boys would come walking/cruising by.......or we would be out in the yard playing croquet. I am married to one of the boys who went cruising by.

This house sits on a (double) corner lot. There is a pond, picnic table, benches and archway made from rock. The garden was beyond beautiful. My father took pride in his flowers and it was very evident. To this day, I remember his favorites...........which I tried to put in this painting. Dad was very patriotic........always hanging the flag out for special days, including each one of our birthdays. My mother was thrilled to have such a beautiful home. We were very fortunate to live there. Best home on the block.

My parents passed away in the 80's. Before that, they sold the house to my youngest sister, Karen. My sweet nieces grew up in this house, as well. This year, we lost Karen. She died in this very house.

So, I created this painting out of love for not only Karen, but for my entire family. A tribute to all who have passed on, and to those who are still living. By doing so, I remember the good things and I am proud to share it with all who are interested.

Don't take your life for granted. There is always something to gain and treasure from it.

Martha's House

My dear friend Martha had to give up her beloved home when she and her husband divorced. They built this lovely home on a gorgeous piece of property in Delaware, Ohio. This is my gift to Martha on her 83rd birthday this month.

Gordon Hall on the Marycliff campus

"Marycliff was originally an elegant mansion designed by Kirkland Cutter for F. Lewis Clark and his wife at W. 701 Seventh. It was English in it's architecture style. After Clark became ill, he sold the house to Mr. and Mrs. Burgess Lee Gordon. It was renamed "Undercliff." The whole part of "The Hill," an area of elegance.
In 1929, "Undercliff" was given to the Bishop of Spokane with a value of $150,000. The woodwork in the dining room was made of sycamore and had a secret panel of velvet lined shelves that could only be opened by rubbing across a metal bar with a gold ring.

The Bishop determined it would be exceptionally suited to become a girl's school. Marycllif High School opened in 1929 with fifty seven students. Marycliff Hall was a classroom and a convent. It remained the music conservatory and convent after the main building was added in 1931. in 1945, the Franciscan Sisters moved to the Corbin House (so named after original owner and railroad magnate Daniel Chase Corbin) and twenty four out of town students were allowed to board. In 1951, enrollment reached 355 and Marycliff Hall became Freshman Hall with five class rooms. I attended Marycliff from 1963 to 1967. We had a graduating class of 129 female students.

In 1962 McCauley Hall was completed. Freshman Hall was renamed Gordon Hall (after Mr. and Mrs. Burgess Gordon) and again became a music conservatory. The old carriage house became a chapel. There were two Corbin houses, one donated to Marycliff in 1945 and one is the Art Center east of Marycliff. The southern colonial Corbin House that was part of Marycliff was built for $65,000 on about four acres.

The D.C. Corbin House (currently the Corbin Art Center) is on the National Register of Historic Places.

A friend commissioned me to paint this couple, as he wanted to display them in his barn. He always loved these characters. He is a carpenter, so he cut out the figures and I went at it. It was a very fun project and he was really delighted with the outcome.

My sister LOVES lighthouses. I painted this one for her birthday.

This was my first attempt with house portraits. My friend was relocating and really didn't want to leave her beautiful home. So, for a going-away/birthday gift, I painted a portrait of her home. That way she would always have it with her.

While taking a short trip this fall to both WV and KY, we had the opportunity to visit many sites. This painting is of a cabin that sits on Bryan's Station in Waveland, KY.

It is the site of a Greek Revival home and plantation now maintained and operated as part of the Kentucky state park system. It was the home of the Joseph Bryan family, who followed Daniel Boone through the Cumberland Gap, and became an early settler and horseman of this region.

Waveland was constructed between the fall of 1844 and late 1848. Joseph Bryan had the house built "to please his father" according to a letter written by his son Elijah in 1845. Joseph's father Daniel Boone Bryan had settled the land by 1786. The land surrounding Waveland was owned by the Bryan family until 1894, when Joseph's son Joseph Henry Bryan sold the farm at auction.

Tours include the historic house, the slave quarters, smokehouse and ice house, and focus on the Bryan family and life on a 19th century Kentucky plantation.

While on tour, we were told that some of the Bryan ancestors are the ground's keepers, even though it now belongs to the state park system.

It was named Waveland, due to the way the wind blew on the estate. For more information, check out this site: http://www.fokh.org/history.htm

Or go to this site to see photos: http://parks.ky.gov/findparks/histparks/wl/gallery/

West Orange Bridge

This is a sideview of the bridge in early spring.

West Orange Road Bridge

This is a (fall) painting of our historic bridge on West Orange Road, where we live. This bridge is soon to be removed and replaced by a two-lane bridge. This will affect our scenic river valley, by taking out the mature trees and making way for concrete and clay.

This one-lane "bridge was built in 1898 by the Toledo Bridge Company (which was originally the Smith Bridge Company). Abutments are original stone at the west end of the bridge, while the east end of the bridge has a concrete abutment. The bridge retains a remarkable amount of historic integrity, including original floor beams and lattice railings, as well as builder and commissioner plaques remaining on the bridge. The bridge is a nine panel structure. It features attractive v-lacing on the sway bracing, under the top chord / end post, as well as on the vertical members. Lattice is present on the portal bracing and on the railings.

The Orange Road Bridge is a very long example of a single-span pin-connected Pratt through truss. It is uncommon to find a traditional late 19th century pin-connected Pratt truss at this length. As a function of its length, it features taller, impressive trusses that feature a more complex network of sway bracing that more commonly shows up in a Whipple truss.

The first section of bottom chord (between the end post and the hip vertical) is not the standard eye bar but is instead an unusual built-up beam that has an unusual form of v-lacing. Historic bridge expert David Simmons believes that this is due to the unique elevated position of the bridge, relative to the approaching road. He believe that the Toledo Bridge Company did this to add support to the bridge as the angle at which vehicles would enter the bridge would be different due to the elevated position." (Taken from historicbridges.org).

Mail Pouch Barn in watercolor

Still life in watercolor

Watercolor

I was fooling around with watercolor/still life and chose to paint this rose. Even though I tend to struggle with watercolor, I was pleased with the outcome.

Iris

I painted this iris for my husband. It is his favorite flower.

Watercolor

Trista's Home

This is Trista's portrait. Her home is located in Delaware, OH, just minutes from us. She has an acre of land. This house began as a log cabin and has been added on to over the years. Another charming home to paint.

Davion and Rikki's Home

This is Davion and Rikki's portrait. Their home is in Grandview, OH. It is quite interesting how similar their house is to Josh and Jenaye's.......colors are just the opposite. Another lovely home.

The Antonuccio Home

This is a portrait of Josh and Jenaye's home in Athens, Ohio. It used to be blue and white. But, Jenaye got creative and chose the bright colors and had it changed last summer. I think it is delightful.

Beloved Sycamore

Hill Farmhouse

This is a portrait of our home and our beloved dog, Spencer. The aforementioned Michels grew up in this old house and they had 40 acres of land in southern Delaware County, OH. After their father passed away, they split the property, while their mother stayed in the farmhouse. One brother built above us and the other brother built the cabin. We bought the farmhouse in 1982 and have been here ever since.

Michel's cabin

The Michels were our neighbors for over 20 years in Ohio. They had to move to AZ for health reasons. I didn't think they would ever leave this lovely site. The cabin has been added on to over the years. It overlooks the Olentangy River and is 3 stories high above the river. I painted this as a going-away gift for them. We miss the family very much.

Jarolim Farm

My cousin(Darcy) and her husband (John) owned a farm in Aberdeen, WA. They have since moved to NC. But this was their favorite home. I painted it for Darcy's birthday in 2008. This is one of my favorite house portraits. Think it is because I grew up in the Northwest and I love the mountainside and the evergreens. Was a delight to paint.

Darlin' Darwin

Darwin is our son (Davion) and daughter-in-law's (Rikki) puppy. He is a real sweetie. This painting was a Christmas gift to Davion and Rikki.