First of all, an artist must register with the museum before copying one of its works. I’ll never forget what a thrill it was to see the Louvre’s record book containing the signatures of Renoir, Degas, and other artists I’ve admired who copied paintings there. It’s very common to see artists copying pictures in European museums and it’s allowed here in the states as well. I believe the practice is universal because it is such a valuable learning experience.What differentiates this kind of educational copying from forging is that, in addition to registering, artists must paint in a different size than the original and agree never to represent a copy as anything but a reproduction. In addition to changing the size, I like to copy oil paintings using a different medium: acrylics. That’s what I originally intended when I decided to copy one of my favorite paintings in the Cincinnati Art Museum: “Midnight Mass,” by Edward Timothy Hurley. You’re seeing my first day’s work in acrylics here.

To see some of my other recent paintings

Hurley, who was a decorator for Mt. Adams’ famous Rookwood Pottery, originally painted this winter night scene featuring Immaculata (Church of the Steps) almost 100 years ago. The original is a large oil painting, about 3 by 4 feet. Its muted colors are striking and quite different from the brightly colored acrylics I usually paint. So it’s been a challenge to copy, especially trying to capture it on a much smaller (10 x 14 inch) canvas. Acrylics dry fast, which allowed me to make changes the same day I started.But if you look at the original (shown here), my acrylic copy didn’t come close to achieving its color subtlety. So I began covering up the acrylics with oil paint(you can do this on canvas, but not acrylics over oils) , hoping to get closer to the spirit of the original. Now each time I lay down a glaze of oil paint, it takes weeks before it dries and I can paint on it some more: a real exercise in patience! It’s not finished yet but when I visited the museum last week, my copy did look like it was getting closer. (Take a look at it below and tell me what you think.)

If you like “Midnight Mass,” see the original in the Cincinnati Art Museum. The traveling Surrealist and Data exhibit there runs until mid-May and is worth a trip; very thought-provoking and you can see how the ideas have influenced artists working today.

See my work in progress at Final Fridays and Second Look Saturdays

Here’s how my copy of “Midnight Mass” looks today. As I watched people walking up the newly-dedicated steps of Immaculata Church on Good Friday, I realized this scene on Mt. Adams looks a lot like it did in 1913. But one thing is different. Back then, our city’s site on the river and its industrial pollution, primarily from the burning of soft coal, created the smoggy atmospheric conditions depicted in Hurley’s original. The enveloping haze of Cincinnati blanketed the city in quietude and elicited the poetic sentiments I hope to reproduce.Even so, I’m happy we are celebrating Earth Day this month and grateful that the winter air on Mt. Adams doesn’t look as dirty now as it did then!

Speaking of Earth Day, the Mason Area Arts Council and the Parks and Recreation Department are sponsoring a month-long art exhibition in its honor. Entitled “Values of Green,” this show is open to the public at the Municipal Center, 6000 Mason Montgomery Rd., until April 25. A number of the paintings I’ve done outdoors (en plein air) in good weather are on display there.

More about Mason’s Earth Day art exhibit

Ever seen this oil painting in the Dayton Art Institute: William Ritschel’s “Monterey Coast?” It’s another one of my favorites and you saw my copy of it, a work in progress in acrylics, at the top of this email. A trip to Monterey prevents me from attending a wonderful seminar being sponsored by the Warren County Historical Society in Lebanon, Ohio this weekend. The program will be repeated on Friday April 17 and Saturday April 18 and I heartily recommend it.The day begins at 10 am with keynote speaker Elizabeth Beaman, Vice President of American Painting, Drawing, and Sculpture at Sotheby’s. After her talk on trends in collecting, participants will enjoy a gourmet lunch at the newly refurbished Golden Lamb, Ohio’s oldest inn dating back to 1803 and visited by twelve US Presidents, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain and Harriett Beecher Stowe.

After lunch, Wiebold Studios will discuss caring for paintings and restoring damaged works of art. I’m honored and proud to have my work exhibited with artists John Ruthven, Jeff Gandert, Christopher Brian, Bruce Alan Neville, Sylvia Thompson Outland, and Will Corson in conjunction with this program and regret not being able to attend in person.

If you’ve never visited the Warren County History Center, just two doors down from the Golden Lamb, doing so is a real treat! From Indian relics dating back to 10,000 BC through a Village Green like a miniature Greenfield Village, you’ll see Ohio history come alive in this very accessible, right-sized museum. The building, once known as Harmon Hall, used to be the community’s “rec center,” complete with gymnasium, and the adjacent post office contains a great new WPA-style mural featuring the town’s link to aviation history. Our artwork will be on display through the end of April and I’m always up for a visit to Lebanon if you’d like to meet me there; it reminds me of my hometown, Findlay, and I love it.

Meanwhile, look for me at Second Look Saturday at the Pendleton Art Center in downtown Cincinnati on April 25, at the Wyoming (Ohio) Outdoor Art Fair on Sunday, May 17 and at Final Friday on May 30. I hope you enjoy the springtime and I sincerely thank you for your interest, encouragement and support of my artistic pursuits!

To register for the seminar or get more information, click here