I think that the only thing New Riegel, Ohio, is truly known for is its barbecue. (And if you haven't eaten it, it is really worth the trip!) I grew up near New Riegel and it was always a treat when Dad brought home carryout for dinner (though this never happened on a Saturday evening because we didn't dare to go to Mass Sunday morning with garlic breath).
The land that All Saints is on was donated to the Church by Landolin Brosmer, a German immigrant who helped settle the area. The uncanny personal fact about this is that Herr Brosmer is a distant relative of my wife (whose entire family is still in Germany)! The world is, indeed, small!
I enjoyed the value contrast of the headstones against the dark row of pines, and the contrast of the architectural forms with the organic shapes.
Sketches
Still Exotic to This Yankee
I have been in Savannah for eleven years now and palm trees still seem exotic, if not downright strange. When I walk Winslow in the woods it's easy to imagine that we're tromping through a jungle because, instead of spruces and birches, the woods here are full of palms!
I did this sketch on Cockspur Island. The artistic challenge for me was to try and capture the intensity of the midday light in black and white, striving for a subtropical look with none of the color so strongly associated with scenes like this.
Savannah River — Atlantic Confluence
Depending on the height of the tide, Cockspur Island can have broad beaches or none at all. Sandbars were exposed enough that a shorebird was enjoying a veritable smorgasbord in the reeds. This was a fifteen-minute sketch.
Fort Fisher, Wilmington, NC
I have started using black and white gouache for sketching. I am working small — 3 x 5-ish — on recycled paper. I like the contrast of the warm stock with the neutral, contrasting grays.
