Saint Rose Watercolor Painting
Saint Rose Church in downtown Perrysburg, Ohio is a beautiful late nineteenth century stone neo-Gothic structure. It is a beautiful place to attend mass Sunday mornings and has a vibrant school and parish community.
Last spring a friend approached me wanting to gift a print of the church to her daughter for First Communion. I thought it was a great idea and got busy. I published pictures of the watercolor in progress and set up pre-orders for prints of the painting and it was a big hit!
A Painting Highlights the History
After taking a number of photographs of the church from several angles, I settled on one which showed the front steps and surrounding trees. The great things about paintings (rather than a photo!) is that I could easily edit out visual distractions. Power lines, stop lights, even the glass structure containing the elevator on the exterior of the church all disappeared in order to highlight the neo-Gothic architecture. I wanted to capture all of the historic beauty without distraction of the modern infrastructure that now surrounds it.
Getting It Right
When I use ink and watercolor to create figure drawings I don’t do a preliminary pencil sketch. When working on architecture commissions I usually do, since the proportions of each architectural structure are so different. I do a lot of measuring of angles and proportions to be sure that I get them right. Then I soften the pencil lines and begin to add color.
The original watercolor has found a home with an art-loving parishioner. A number of kids received prints of the painting for First Communion gifts in the spring!
Would you like to enjoy the beauty of this church community in your own home?
I had a number of requests for greeting cards of the image so those are now available!
