Member Gallery

2009 June at Kiser Lake State Park
in St. Paris
Thanks to OPAS Charter Member Paul Reif for planning this paintout.

Click on thumbnails to enlarge.

Linnae Wilson painting at Kiser Lake.

Paul Reif picked a super spot (as usual) for an OPAS paintout.
This state park had lots of subjects to tempt our artists, waterlilies,
a beach full of sunbathers and swimmers, row boats, sailboats, canoes,
fishermen, herons.
After two days of heavy rains in Ohio, Mother Nature provided
a gorgeous summer solstice day, the sky filled with
Sisley-like clouds and colors.
A steady breeze
made the 85 degree day enjoyable.

Painters met Paul at the Ranger Station and Boat Rental.
This area turned out to be a popular subject.

Alice Seyfreid.
Painters working in the full sun!!!

Fondly dubbed
Renoir and Monet.

Charter Member Paul Reif was at the first meeting of OPAS in August 2002.
He has been an active member since then, having served for 2 years as Exhibition Chair,
also planning many paintouts in the midwestern portion of Ohio,
and served as Chair of first, and next year's OPAS Exhibition at
Ohio's Springfield Museum of Art.

Diane Hoke (above) is a long time member of OPAS
who still retains her wonderful English accent.

Pastel by Paul Reif.

Painters bring in their work and have some time to chat.

3 paintings

Paintings by Bob Davitian and Diana Hoke

Painting by Gary Chaconas

Ruth Ann Sturgill (L) discusses her
8" x 6" oil painting with Debra Dawson . . .

. . . and asks for some further thoughts
on her painting from Pam Turnbow.

Painting by OPAS Vice President, Ruth Ann Sturgill.

. . .

Sherpas Martin Dawson (L) and
Joe Cosgrove (R) with OPAS Program Chair Chuck Harris in the middle.

8" x 10" by Carol Shikany from Cincinnati.

Two very fresh plein air efforts
in oil from Carol Shikany of Cincinnati.

8" x 10" by Carol Shikany from Cincinnati.

Carol and a guest artist/friend drove up from Cincinnati and camped for two nights. She displayed a third painting completed the evening before, but sadly,
my photo of it was full of glare.

More work . . .

Chuck Harris painting

Watercolors by
Bob Davitian and Diana Hoke.
Kent Turnbow sketched
his wife Pam, painting.

Debra Joyce Dawson shared her day talking and painting with Pam Turnbow.

Dawson took a photo of her work at the start of her painting.
At left is the painting at the time of the critique.

Pam Turnbow at the start of her painting.

At the critique and more paintings!

Pam's finish.

Carol Cosgrove painting.

Two paintings by a guest artist
who usually paints in pastel.

Click on this image to enlarge, some great paintings to see here, including a glimpse of that little one that Carol Shikany did the night before the paintout. Also two by her guest artist friend laying on the wall at the top, and a sweet painting with picnic tables by Alice Seyfreid.

Not sure who
painted this . . .

. . . or this

Paintings by Reif, Cosgrove, Harris.

Kent's drawing of Pam.

You can't separate a boy from his lunch!
Chuck Harris.

Dawson was so inspired by the site, she and her Sherpa returned
to paint the next day with OPAS Trustee, Edie Dean.

Kiser Lake Info:

State Park Overview: The quiet and relaxing atmosphere of Kiser Lake State Park makes it a favorite Ohio getaway. The rolling wooded hills and diverse wetlands add to the beauty of this scenic lake known for its clean, clear waters.

Nature of the Area: The area surrounding Kiser Lake State Park is a gift of the ice age. Two natural phenomena caused by the glaciers helped shape the region into its present form. The gently, rolling wooded hills were caused by glacial deposits in the form of end moraines when the ice edge remained stationary for a period of time, creating a linear ridge along the ice front. One such moraine called the Farmersville surrounds the lake on three sides creating a hummocky elevation through the area. Moraine deposits contain boulders, some weighing many tons, carried from as far away as Canada. These boulders, called erratics, are a familiar sight at Kiser. Another geologic feature at Kiser Lake State Park is the kame field at the southeastern end of the lake. Kames are mounds of sand and gravel that are formed by meltwater flowing across glacial ice. The water deposits sediment into holes along the ice margin leaving behind hummocky mounds.

The wetlands at Kiser are in the form of fen and wet meadow habitat. These areas were formed when blocks of ice broke away from the glacier and became covered by sand and gravel. As the climate warmed, the ice melted and left a depression filled with water surrounded by glacial deposits. These areas are filled with many intriguing plants including pitcher plant, sundew, tamarack and spruce.

Click image to enlarge.

Painting of Kiser Lake by,Paul Reif, OPAS host for this paintout.