Stonelick Covered Bridge in Clermont County OH is an icon for many. Recently restored, it is a beauty! I spent hours trudging around the bridge, bushwhacking through the waist high scrub, scrambling from rock to rock in the creek-bed and shooting photos from every angle, at different times of the day, over a period of a month. The reference photo used for this piece was taken at 5:00 on a fall afternoon. The sun washed bridge vs. deep shadows cast by the trees as the sun descended, made it interesting as well as a challenge. My client is a covered bridge enthusiast, so every detail, down to the numbered sign, is meticulously rendered. The original measures 20x30" and was painted with various brands of lightfast colored pencils on rag matboard. Fine Art Giclees are available for sale. Contact me for details.
Another Stonelick Bridge what?
OK, you heard all my whining and complaining over my first covered bridge painting: how I shouldn't of done this- should've of done that, yadda-yadda! You will be shocked to know, that not only did it sell, but a photo of the finished piece on my cell phone, managed to procure a custom ordered rerun. This time, fall or winter and more than twice the size. Am I nuts? There is much to be said about the value of iconic scenery. Lets see if this time I will remember to do what I should do and leave off doing what I shouldn't.
Stonelick Covered Bridge, Clermont OH, Spring Morning
12x20"Light fast colored pencil on linen mat board. This piece is created for an exhibition honoring the newly renovated Stonelick Covered Bridge in Clermont County Oh. The references are mine, taken while hiking both sides of the river on a lovely spring morning. I found the shadows and multicolored reflections in the river fantasy-like, the carmine red bridge playfully reflecting itself in the stream. Pure Walt Disney!
Using Mineral spirit to spread color and layer values, I used q-tips, cotton balls and an old paint brush. To add detail and sharp contrast, I broke so many pencil points on the textured surface with my tick marks and fine line work, my studio looked like a colored pencil massacre. I often choose linen mat board as my surface because it allows me to add layer upon layer, much like an oil painting, starting with darks and ending with lights. Look closely and you will see the many colors used to build this river-scape.