"Under the Dome"

"The Tippecanoe Courthouse at Dusk",  Oil on canvas, 20" x 16", sold

For the last two months, a major focus of my oil painting has been the Tippecanoe County Courthouse in Lafayette, IN.   This is because the Indiana Bar Association in Indianapolis is building a collection of paintings representing all the 92 county courthouses in Indiana.  At the beginning of this year, the Tippecanoe Bar Assoc. sponsored a competition titled "under the Dome" to choose a painting that will represent the Tippecanoe Co. Courthouse.  The judging occurred at the beginning of April.  The painting above was my first attempt to represent this complicated architectural style.  It represents the corner of the building and the second floor because I wanted to feature the dome in this view.  Although only one painting would be chosen as the winner of the contest, all the paintings were for sale and are on display for the month of May in the courthouse.  A third of the selling price was a fund raiser for CASA for Kids and the Tippecanoe Co. Legal Aid Corp.

"The Marquis de Lafayette", Oil on canvas, 20" x 16", sold

On March 6th, nature dumped on us with a big, beautiful, wet snow.  I'd already finished two paintings of the courthouse, but this statue of Lafayette on the corner of the building's grounds was stunning!  Normally in the winter with no water in the fountain, it is drab and nothing to look at, but not on this day!  What fun I had painting it!!  

"Tippecanoe Courthouse from Columbia Street", Oil on Canvas, 24"x 18", Winner, Sold

After I successfully completed the first painting of the courthouse, I felt I could tackle the entire building from Columbia Street with a larger canvas.   Just the second floor and dome would not do for the official representation for the Indiana Bar Association's collection.  This was the third courthouse for Tippecanoe county, built in 1880, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.  I was thrilled to be the winner, receive  the $1000 purchase prize, and have the honor of having my painting be permanently installed at the Indiana Bar Association's Headquarters in the Capitol Building in Indianapolis. 

Patti Truitt, the President of the Tippecanoe Bar Association congratulates me with the winning painting.  

This event was very challenging for me as it was the first time I had painted an architectural portrait.  Competitions like this push an artist way out of her comfort zone and offer a major learning experience.  I enjoyed it very much.  If you'd like to see these and other paintings on my web site, here is the link:   www.kathrynclarkfineart.com, and please forward this to others who may be interested.   Thank you for viewing this blog.