Painting Indiana III: Heritage of Place

Gallery of Paintings with Artists’ Captions

GALLERY OF PAINTINGS with Artists’ Captions All dimensions are vertical first, then horizontal. House of the Singing Winds with Pergola (Brown County) by Todd A. Williams oil 12" × 16" With the historical significance of Brown County and the artists that colonized that area in the early 1900s, it became an obvious location of interest for me. T. C. Steele’s home, the House of the Singing Winds, was at the top of my list. To paint in the footsteps of T. C. Steele was a dream come true. 37 Tunnel (Wayne County) by Wyatt LeGrand oil 18" × 24" Bridges are odd things to paint. I think it’s funny how I always end up chopping off the roadway running off the opposing sides of the bridge. Without the road, path, or railway, what use is the bridge? Maybe I’m painting bridges like they’re tunnels. I’m more interested in the objects they span than the destinations they connect. 39 Beck’s Mill (Washington County) by Thomas A. Himsel oil 16" × 20" On Beck’s Mill Road in Washington County, Indiana, I painted a fully restored 200-year-old gristmill that served farmers settling in Indiana. I was drawn to the bucolic landscape and generous light showcasing an historical place that used water wheels, turbines, and milling machines for this community’s daily life. 41 Michaela Farm: The Water (Franklin County) by Chris Griffin-Woods oil 8" × 10" Beyond the historic barn and the contemplation garden lies an old reservoir of quiet water. As a symbol of spiritual life, it seems appropriate to represent the 1854 farm of the sisters of Saint Francis. Now a farm renewal effort of the Oldenburg Franciscans, the farm continues to feed the faithful. 43 Up on the Hill (Franklin County) by J. Rodney Reveal oil 8" × 10" Farmers and their large families built two-story wood clapboard-sided houses from the forests on the hills surrounding the Whitewater River at the turn of the last century. Capturing this old setting in a painting preserves in time a sense of days gone by. 45 Sugar Creek (Boone County) by Corrine Hull pastel 8" × 10" Beautiful sun-dappled Sugar Creek, near Mechanicsburg, was once a favorite swimming hole for the local farm boys. An elderly gentleman who stopped to watch me paint told me he remembered skinny-dipping at that spot. 47 Fort Harrison Lawton Loop West Drive (Marion County) by Ronald P. Mack oil 18" × 24" After painting other paintings at the fort, I liked the peace and quiet of this area, especially the officers’ quarters and the winding drive that brought them all together. Also, the early morning light in the summer brought out the bright colors that gave beautiful life to the area. It was just a great place to paint. 49 Majestic (Porter County) by Ron Burgess pastel 12" × 18" There is a plethora of scenes to paint at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. The lone pine tree rising majestically out of the side of this sand dune struck me with its highlights and shadows, a result of the full, hot sun. I took refuge under a shade tree to paint the scene in the ninety-plus-degree heat. 51 Crown Hill Gates (Marion County) by Donna Shortt pastel 8" × 10" I was drawn to paint on a rainy day the gates from inside this cemetery. Surrounded by the city of Indianapolis, Crown Hill is called an urban forest, established on a high vista in 1863. What better day to paint it but a day with wet pavement to accent the reflections of the arches? 53 West Baden (Orange County) by Thom C. Robinson oil 9" × 12" I’ve painted the West Baden Dome since first seeing it on my travels from California to Michigan years ago. It was built in 1902 after the previous hotel burned down, and was known as the eighth wonder of the world. Its casino, theater, and recreational facilities were enjoyed by people from all over the world. Rebuilding began in 1996 with a gift from Bill Cook, and it was reopened in 2007 to its former glory. 55 Darden Bridge Connection (St. Joseph County) by Janet Louise oil 24" × 30" In a continuation of my Connection series, painting Darden Bridge was simply a logical step. The bridge’s red color was especially attractive. I have painted en plein air many bridges in Saint...