13.5" x 10.5" watercolor

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. This is one of the cupola’s on the campus of Ashland University. It happens to be on a building that is scheduled to be razed next month. I went to classes in this building when I was a student here. This is Miller Hall which was once the library, offices and classrooms for the college. There are probably lots of memories that people have of this place.

Contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting or any other painting you see here unless otherwise noted.

10.75" x 13.75" watercolor on Arches w/c board

I went painting with the Ohio Plein Air Society last Saturday. It was a little crisp but the sun came out and there was some beautiful light. I fought through some thorn bushes to get this angle across the pond back into the barn and I think it was worth it. Still experimenting with watercolor and really liking the experience.

12" x 16" oil on canvas

This was my entry into the Ohio Plein Air Society competition last Sunday. I tried something new by trying to focus most of the attention on the foreground pumpkins. It was an interesting morning as the sun was out most of the time but then I got rained on about half way through as well. I also had the local newspaper stop by for pictures and a short interview. The link for that is here. I only got up there to paint on Saturday due to a busy schedule.

8" x 10" oil on canvas

This was the other painting that I finished during the competition weekend. It was a bit overcast for this one. I had a lot of great visitors during this one. One of the things I like about plein air is the people you meet.

16" x 12" oil on canvas

I had a chance to get out and paint yesterday and I got this one in at Ashland University before the rain started. I have done a few paintings on the campus and now I am thinking about putting together a series of paintings from AU. Who knows. This light post caught my eye in the morning light and these hanging flowers are incredibly thick. I took a little bit out of the background in order to focus on the post and flowers. I’m learning and enjoying the journey.

11" x 14" Oil on board

This was painted as a part of Plein Air Ashland. A small group of us have gotten together and done some painting around town. This was supposed to be Ashland University but as I was doing a quick look around for somewhere to paint I spotted the coffee shop across the street with great light hitting it and the flowers around it. I also liked the play of the two buildings side-by-side and the way the roofs became one line down toward the center of interest. So, at least I stood on the grounds of AU while I did the painting.

9" x 12" oil on canvas panel

Painted as a part of the Creative Chateau‘s paint Ashland. I wasn’t able to paint with them because I went to church and went to my son Sam’s choir concert, “May Fiesta.” However, I was able to capture an evening scene looking toward the bridge. There was some great light on the bridge that evening. I ran short on time and needed to put ont he final bling in the studio. Looking forward to the next outing. I probably should have added the ducks since this is the duck pond but they were all on shore bugging me instead of in the water.

9" x 12" oil on panel

I was supposed to be going to Columbus for a paintout with the Ohio Plein Air Society, the group that I belong to that provides opportunities to paint with others that share my passion. Because of the big snowstorm, i didn’t try to drive down there. Instead, after digging myself out I went downtown Ashland to do a little plein air on my own. I set up to paint this scene and after I got it roughed in the wind picked up and started blowing snow off of a nearby roof, right on top of me. So, I packed up and went back on Sunday afternoon and the sun was out and it was a perfect afternoon. I feel pretty good about this one. I feel like it has good design, good lead-in, and a focal point.

The setting is on Second Street in Ashland. I was actually right behind my office where we just recently moved Red Red Design. The main building shown is what used to be a pillar of the community, Gilberts Furniture. But a few years ago, it went out of business and the building now sits empty. the building on the right was the stores warehouse and it is being used and has great potential. The overhead walkway connects the two buildings.

© 2009 Robin Roberts 16" x 12" oil on panel

This was painted in plein air at the Columbus Museum of Art as a part of the Remembering Russell exhibit. It has been juried in as one of the final paintings to be exhibited at the museum for a couple of weeks and  then paintings will be sold at a benefit auction on Sept. 18th. They are taking this garden out to make room for expansion. So they are doing this special exhibition to honor the man and this garden. This was a little different for me as I have not ever painted a sculpture before. The statue was pretty much gray but with the sun and shade hitting it as it was it had a bit of a purplish cast to it. I decided to over emphasis that to add a bit more interest in the painting. I also took some liberty’s with the bushes growing around the statue.

I am excited to have had this painting chosen to be in the exhibit. Hopefully, it sells and will be a benefit to the museum. The opening reception for this exhibit is on September 10th with the benefit auction and gala event at the museum on September 18th.

Moore Farm, 9" x 12" oil on linen

This past Sunday was an OPAS paintout event in Hartville, Ohio. It was very well organized with maps and painting locations already mapped out and permissions already granted. I painted at the Moore farm which is a tree farm and also a place to go and cut flowers. What I saw was mostly day lilies, but I hear they also have quite a hosta collection as well. One thing I really liked about this paintout was the critique at the end. That was handles by Dino Massaroni and a few of the other artists that knew what they were talking about also chimed in. Dino is a pro and it showed in his comments and assessments of each painting. Not a job just anyone can handle. Being a graphic designer, I’m used to criticism and being relatively new to painting, especially with oils, I really appreciated it. What you see here is the revised painting. I came home and made the changes right away. Some of things they commented about for this painting was needing more separation between the paintings, Needing a darker sky to separate from the roofs of these two buildings and also less detailed so as to not take the emphasis away from the subject of the painting. Another artist also commented that I needed less of a ladder effect on the right side with my darks and lights. I tried to even that out the best I could.

8" x 10" oil on canvas panel - Wooden Boat

This is the painting I did last Sunday morning (8-2-09) while my family and I where having a long weekend away. We were staying in a house on Catawba Island. It was quite nice and relaxing. Especially the time I was able to paint. The day started with a light rain that cleared out by around 8. It was cloudy off and on all morning which actually made it real nice for painting. The spot I chose was right at the end of Shad Row. It’s looking back across the bay to a marina that had a bright red roof. A guy actually told me the name of the marina that I was painting but I totally forgot what it was about 5 minutes later. All I know is I was relaxed, I was worshiping with some Matt Redman worship songs on the iPod and enjoying a morning of peaceful painting.