Hometown Ohio A series of farm fields and scenes, real or reminiscent of the tranquil countryside where I grew up.

The House that Roger Saw

Pastel on Suede Paper,  framed 23X28.5

Somewhere in northern Ohio, this scene exists.  Though somewhat different in reality, the farm house which is nestled in blue spruce,  hardwoods and rimmed by a charming white picket fence is real. But I have never been there. When my friend Roger showed me the scene, captured by his camera, the vision of blazing orange foliage against the bluegreen of tall spruce and pines compelled me to render in pastel the wonderful natural fall colors and to dramatically intensify the complementary color sceme, telling the story my way.  The end result was The House that Roger Saw.   Something about the colors, the welcoming farm house hunkered down safely behind the low wooden fence create a place I would like to revisit, time and time again.  It just so happens that when I see an artwork and say "...I want to go there..." it is a signal to me that I have connected with the piece. Such was the case when Roger showed me "his" house.  ART 101: While working on the pastel, I became a great fan of the new substrate to which I had recently been introduced -- sueded paper. The paper, much like the surface of ultra suede, grabs hold of pastel, spreds it out a bit beyond my control, causing small detailed areas to be a near impossibility .... GOOD! I need to loosen up and give detail a rest! Plus, there were moments while working on this surface when the medium and paper directed the outcome. It was one of those art experiences where I enjoyed being along for the ride. Even if executed with care and precision, images in pastel on suede paper often appear blurry and out of focus. And, I prefer to use the terms ephemeral and misty.  Sounds better that way doesn't it? PLEASE VISIT Whatever the result, The House that Roger Saw  was one of the first  works completed using suede paper and pastel. Many of the Hometown Ohio pieces and farm field pastels are done on this surface.  Click the house to be taken to more farm fields and artwork in the series HOMETOWN OHIO.  Hoping that within these pages you might find something that causes you to say "...I want to go there ..."