Day 22 of the 30 in 30 - Tourist in Seoul

Seoul is the 11th most visited city in the world.  Located in South Korea, I wouldn't have thought it would be a popular tourist destination, but upon reading about Seoul, I found that not only is it apparently beautiful, but the South Korean people are said to be kind and respectful of each other and visitors.  According to one visitors site, the South Korean's way of life is "Work hard, play hard", and Seoul is reported to have an active and fun night life as well as an amazing park system.  When you look at a map of Seoul, you can see a huge park that resides smack in the middle of the city. This scene, while not in that park, is located in the area of Seoul called Yongsandong, and is near their National Museum.  I liked the small pagoda like structure with the mountain rising in the background.  Also enjoyed painting this young lady, enjoying her day as a tourist.

Tourist in Seoul, oil on panel, 4"x18"
to purchase please click here

Day 9 - Pagoda Hills Vineyard

I am so lucky to live in the beautifully diverse countryside of South Eastern PA.  Close by my house is a vineyard that welcomed me and my painting buddy, Russ out to plein air paint the other day.  It was a hot day.. what you might call indian Summer, with crickets singing away and butterflies visiting the late season flowers all around.  I was taken by the lane that led down to the barns and the big old tree that we found out was unfortunately having termite problems and may not make it much longer.  Anyways, I am not an expert plein air painter... it is something that really challenges me and seriously wears me out by the end of it.  But I'm always ready for another excursion.  Painting out of doors is just the best experience.  Technically a landscape, the little person walking with the dog (look close... he's there...) makes it semi-figurative so I get a pass today!

Pagoda HIlls Vineyard, oil, 11"x14",
to purchase, please click here

 

Reading Jazz Singer

The city of Reading, Pennsylvania, where I call home, hosts an annual Jazz festival called the Berks Jazz Fest.  In conjunction with the musical portion of this the Berks Arts Council hosts an art competition/exhibition entitled the Art of Jazz.  I entered a different painting this year (click here to read about it and see it!)  and got into the show. I wanted to enter this painting, however, I didn't finish in time due to the dreaded flu season which hit our family hard.  I finally got it finished and it will be hanging in Art Plus Gallery soon!  It is framed and ready for hanging.

Reading Jazz Singer, 18" x 24", oil on panel, framed
$375

Day 21 - Commemorative painting for the Riverfront Credit Union

Last night I presented a commission that was several months in the making.  The Riverfront Credit Union headquartered in Reading, PA was holding their 800th board meeting and several of the members/board members hired me to create a painting to commemorate this event.  The painting shows the credit union's history as it was originally founded by the members of the Reading Railroad.  After time, other organizations were acquired, starting with Conrail, then Amtrak.  There were many other acquisitions after that, too numerous to list, but the credit union finally settled on the Riverfront as their name.
The painting has many references to the credit union's history, including these names put on the engine and rail cars.  The caboose's number indicates the date of the meeting (1-20-15).  The city in the background is the town of Reading, PA as it is today.  I must say, this was one of the more challenging parts of the painting as I had to cobble together many different photo references from the web to create this panorama.  The view of Reading is looking West from atop Neversink Mountain roughly at a location known as the Witch's Hat.  The Pagoda, an historic landmark of Reading can be seen atop Mt. Penn on the right side of the painting.  The people who commissioned me also wanted to include Berks  County's rich farming history, hence the rolling hills and farm land receding into the background.  Finally, the sun is rising on the horizon, to symbolize Riverfront's new beginnings in the 21st century.
The frame was also made by myself and my husband and I am quite happy with how it compliments the painting.  Under the painting is a plaque that lists the current board and upper management.  This was a long time in the making, but I have to say that I love creating historical paintings such as this. Through researching the history of the credit union I learned so much about the Reading Railroad, which was huge in it's time as well as the history of Reading itself!

Commemorative Painting for the Riverfront Credit Union, oil on canvas, 18" x 36"
Sold

Commemorative Painting for the Riverfront Credit Union, Unframed