I occasionally join my husband for a flight in the vintage Super Cub that he flies out of the grass strip here at our house. I don’t go up too often, because I’m just not a big fan of small enclosed spaces (and heights), but it is fun on a summer evening, when the colors take on a beautiful glow and the shadows stretch across the fields. Or in the fall when the hardwood forests around here put on a show to rival New England’s. On one of those autumn flights, I took my camera along and shot a few photos to paint from later on.
One of those photos was the basis of this painting of the Greene County Historical Society Museum in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania.
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| 11″ x 8″, Pitt pen and watercolor in an American Journey sketchbook with 140# paper |
I sketched the museum and grounds last October but didn’t get around to painting it until two
weeks ago. It’s been a gorgeous fall around here this year, and I think it got
me in the mood to finish this little sketch that has languished in my sketchbook waiting to be brought to life with watercolor.
Here are some detail views…
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| Detail, 4″ x 3″ |
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| Detail, 2-1/2″ x 3″ |
Prints of this painting are available in the museum gift shop and at Artbeat gallery in Waynesburg, PA.
6 Comments
How wonderful to be looking down on all those beautiful autumn colours.Fabulous sketchs.
What a wonderful view & painting! Doesn't it feel good to finish?
It feels great! That half finished page bugged me every time I used that sketchbook. I like having loose ends all tied up!
Wow.. this is lovely. You would never get me up in one of those things but wow.. look at what you captured with your camera and paints. I bet its even better in person.
Thanks, Cris. I'll bet my husband could make you feel comfortable up in a small plane. He has given rides to people who vowed they would NEVER go up in one of those "little tin cans", and when they came back down, they were grinning from ear to ear and had had the time of their lives. He has a way of calming the most skeptical of flyers and giving them a good time. If you're ever in western PA, stop by for a ride!
This scene really intrigued me — how you could capture this arial view with all the foliage and 'tuck' the buildings in there. The fall colors really add interest to the painting. What a lucky museum to have this gorgeous image captured.