Ohio Watercolors 2022

This exhibit at the Riffe Gallery in Columbus only goes on another week, so if you’re local it’s worth stopping in. Especially if you want to see some paintings from Ohio artists that are bright, detailed, and in some ways atypical of what I expected from watercolors. Here are a few examples:

*Lady with a Pink Hat, by Thomas Mayer, 2021*

*Springtime in the Flats by Mike McEnroe, 2022*

Here’s a link to the gallery page, including some additional images and info on the (rather restricted) gallery hours. The exhibit has paintings from members of the Ohio Watercolor Society and is a juried exhibition.

Prairie Flowers

Art: “I Hear America Singing”

Visited the Pizzuti Collection today to see their photography exhibition, “I Hear America Singing: Contemporary Photography from America”. It’s a small exhibit but worthwhile if you’re in the area. The images that particularly struck me related to humans and our impact on the environment and nature, particularly in the American West.

Fascinating to me was that this exhibit was originally created and presented at the national fine art gallery in Amman, Jordan, where it would have explored the themes of diversity within America and our relationship with the land. Here is a link to a description of the exhibition from Ashley Lumb, curator.

Also, it’s such a pleasure to be able to go to art galleries and exhibitions again!

Desert Housing Block, Las Vegas, Nevada by Alex MacLean

I was really impressed by the work of Alex MacLean, Griselda San Martin and Michael Lundgren. Also enjoyed Lucas Foglia’s “Frontcountry” series. I’ve included links to their websites below.

Views from the Arts Festival

Just a couple of images, things I saw from a slightly different angle during last weekend’s Columbus Arts Festival.

A corner of the Cultural Arts Center. Flowers in jewel-colored vases, reflected in a piano.

Main Street Bridge on a blue-sky gorgeous day, 6/11/2022

More from the Getty Villa!

It’s one of my favorite places, so on my recent trip to California (my first since the start of Covid in 2020) of course I had to revisit the beautiful Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades. Here are a few random images of art that impressed me inside the building — something different, since I usually focus on the gardens and beautiful views.

An archer made of glazed brick from the reign of Darius I, 522-486 BC. He was one of many decorating the walls of the palace at Susa in Iran. Beautiful colors!

Persian Guard from Persepolis in Iran. 486-465 BC

Awesome and dramatic marble sculpture of Mithras standing on the back of a bull and sacrificing it with a dagger. This Roman sculpture dates from AD 150-200.

Great view of the Outer Peristyle Garden and pool from second floor balcony. It was HOT the day I was there, 95 degrees by noon, and I really wanted to sit in that pool for a while.

The Getty Villa is smaller and more serene than the big Getty Center museum in Los Angeles. Here’s a link to their website for info about visiting. If you’re in the area it’s worth a visit!

Blood on the Blade Cover Reveal

I’m excited to share the cover of the new Sword & Sorcery anthology from Flinch Books! This action-packed cover is by Mark Wheatley. I’m one of ten authors with short stories in the anthology, which will be released later this month. Here is a link to the Flinch Books Facebook page for the full announcement!

Pumpkins Aglow!

A few pictures from the Franklin Park Conservatory’s Pumpkins Aglow! event. We arrived when it was still light but ahead of the rains, so it was a win.

September Flowers

A glimpse of the beautiful, volunteer-planted flowers at the Ohio History Connection this morning. Fall flowers are the best.

New beginnings

Ohio is cold in the winter, muggy and hot in midsummer. But our transitional seasons are beautiful.

Spring is just beginning here. Daffodils are blooming, as well as some early trees. But most things are just beginning: a touch of green dusting a field, buds just thinking about opening on the end of knobby tree branches. There’s a moisture and warmth in the air we haven’t felt here for a while.

I’m hoping this can be a season of new beginnings for the world as well.

We’re not out of this pandemic yet, but if I try I can just see some hope. People are being vaccinated. People are starting to look outward again, when for the last year we have been in a protective, inward-looking mode.

We’re still masking, still being cautious, and hopefully still following advice from health experts about how to keep Covid-19 from spreading. But I hope for everyone’s sake that there is hope just around the corner.

Conservatory Aglow!

Enjoyed a brief, rare outing during this year of the pandemic — outdoor lights at the Franklin Park Conservatory here in Columbus. Here are a few pictures to celebrate!