The final countdown to my annual open house starts today. My art for the day is a new reproduction that I will have available at my open house. My family lived in the home that was at one time the old "Blue Ball Tavern" built nearby the mill. Located in Bloom/Greenfield Township, Rock Mill is Ohio's oldest and largest gristmill. Situated on the upper falls of the Hocking River, this historical mill has six stories with two below the grade level. It will be powered once again, by a 26foot overshot water wheel with a 30 foot long mill race cut through solid sandstone. It is currently under restoration. If you would like to donate or volunteer in this effort please contact:

David Fey
Fairfield County Historical Parks
407 East Main Street
Lancaster, Ohio 43130
740.681.7249

director@historicalparks.org

http://www.historicalparks.org/

A portion of each sale of my reproduction will benefit this worthy cause. Until after my open house, I hope that you each have a great week.

It looks like a great day in Lancaster, Ohio. Today's painting is a fun image about my annual open house. I am always amazed with the number of attendees. I am very grateful for all of my patrons. They have encouraged me for thirty-odd years. From a small mailing list to one of 1600 people makes the preparation for this occasion one that goes beyond painting. My lovely wife, Mary Anne, and I have already mulched , shampooed carpets, washed windows, ordered cookies , planted flowers(risky), and hung art. We still have more to do the attic loft has not been touched. I am thrilled that my daughter Sarah and daughter-in-law Lauren have new offerings as well. They have three new serigraphs plus a series of note cards. I am both excited and proud of them. Organizing the bookwork, hanging the attic loft, ordering the indoor flowers - whew- we may be getting to old to do all of this. I would be remiss if I did not also thank all of our friends and family members who, throughout the years, have helped make our open house a success. Thank you! Here's hoping that your lives are as busy and fun as our lives. Enjoy the day!

Good Morning everyone. Today's painting uses one of my wife's childhood teapots as the subject matter. I have suspended it in front of a quilt-like pattern. I, again, rely heavily on patterns to make my painting work. I repeat the curved shapes of the teapot and contrast it through the use of color. I add texture to contrast the smooth shapes of the pot itself. I like repetition but not to the point of each item being exactly the same. My patterns are not rigid and mechanical looking on purpose. It gives the piece a more human look. It appears more spontaneous. I like the adage "Variety is the spice of life." I hope that my use of variety adds interest to my patterns an in turn, to the overall success of my painting. Put a little spice in the pattern of your life. Have a great day.

Here is the second painting of the evening snow and moon. Why would anyone want to live in Florida? O.K.,I really do know why. The clean look of fresh fallen snow , the invigorating cold temperatures, the silence of an evening walk with the snow falling all about you- wow. Haven't we all talked about the beauty of a snowfall ? On our trip to Florida we drove through the mountains of Tennessee. It had recently snowed. The trees were laden with snow and some areas were softened by a fog. Pristine would be a good adjective to describe it. Enough! The flowers are pushing through the earth and summer is almost here. Bring on the next beautiful season. Enjoy the rain today. It will bring a prettier tomorrow.

I begin to wonder who is more fascinated with the moon? Is it my grandson or is it me? I find the moon to be a recurring theme in my work. Maybe it is the peaceful quality that it conveys. Maybe it is that sense of awe when looking at it. I am sure that this is not the last time that I will use the moon. I continue to prepare for my annual open house and hope that these sneak previews of my new paintings are interesting to you. This is one of a pair of paintings. Tomorrow I will highlight the second work. For now I must get back to work painting. Keep your aspirations as high the moon and the stars.

An artist's life is not all black and white. This painting is actually very colorful, but I elected to post it in gray scales to show the values(lights and darks). You ask why this pattern? I was reading an article on the demise of Polaroid and how it is going to effect the work of certain artists. Chuck Close was one of these artists. I have always liked patterns. He certainly uses them in the creation of his large portraits. Gustave Klimt also has nice patterns in his work. I encourage you to look for these artist's work. I am sure that you are familiar with it. You might not associate the artists name with the work. Artists are influenced by many things in their lives. One of these influences is historical art work. I hope that you enjoy my "Close " call of painting my rooster. It is going to be a beautiful day.

It is a great day to be outside. Because I have some discipline, I will stay inside and continue to paint. (My open house is less than a month away.) Just as snow blankets the earth, I ,too, have blanketed my landscape with the "Ohio Star" quilt pattern. This is one of four prints in which I have used local homes and quilt patterns for my subject matter. I still enjoy working with patterns as a method of unifying my work and adding a different look to my subject. I hope that this painting brings a sense of serenity to its viewers. The historical homes are Lancaster, Ohio. Enjoy!

Good morning! It's a rainy Friday, but our weekend looks bright. We will see both of our children and their spouses , our grandson, plus a visit from my wife's sister and son. Busy! Talking about busy , today's painting is one of two paintings that I created for Hocking College. It depicts the small, southeastern Ohio community of Nelsonville. I am known for "rearranging" community landmarks. I have elected to show the downtown area with its active Opera House. This small community has become an art haven. It has many art galleries, art walks , festivals and theatrical performances. It is also home to Rocky Boots. The train station, volunteer run, is quite impressive. Parts of the college and other historical pieces of the community complete this work. In the summer a train will take you to a small community of log homes with artisans.and in the winter there is a ride with Santa. Nelsonville, Ohio is certainly a small community worth visiting. I had fun doing this and met many nice people from the area. Meeting nice people seems to go with being an artist. I am sure that we all count as a blessing those nice people who play a role in our lives. Be safe!