Möbius Ship by Tim Hawkinson

Möbius Ship by Tim Hawkinson has got to be one of my favorite pieces of art at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Made of wood, plastic, Plexiglas, rope, staples, string, and twist ties, it’s very intricate and incredibly well-detailed.

Daybreak in O’Bryonville by Kate Holterhoff

According to Wikipedia, Daybreak in O’Bryonville, the new ArtWorks mural by Kate Holterhoff, borrows motifs from Maxwell Parrish’s iconic Daybreak. While the mural isn’t funny like Scott Donaldson’s Campy Washington, and while it doesn’t pull you into a story like Christian Schmit’s An Epic Tale of Time and Town, its vivid palette is effective in its context. I’m sure this will have an even stronger presence in the dead of winter.

Provident Camera Ghost Sign in Downtown Cincinnati

When Provident Camera closed earlier this year, I didn’t really hear people mourn its loss. Maybe they accepted that stores like this no longer need to exist in neighborhoods like this. For us, though, the loss was significant, since now we have to go to Kenwood for our specialized light bulbs. In any case, here is the ghost signage Provident has left behind.

Autumn in Over-the-Rhine

Being from the Northeast, I don’t find Cincinnati’s fall foliage all that impressive. Nonetheless, I’m here now, so I’ve spent the last couple of weeks documenting the best examples of fall color I could find. Over-the-Rhine’s distinguished architecture is, of course, a photogenic backdrop. I’m pretty happy with the results.

An Epic Tale of Time and Town by Christian Schmit

Here is a most unusual mural, in that it really doesn’t call attention to itself. From a distance, you may not notice it at all and, up close, its muted palette seems faded by the sun. Located right on MainStrasse in Covington, this recently completed ArtWorks project, led by Christian Schmit, may well be my favorite local mural to date.

Raymond Thunder-Sky Mural at V&V

The Visionaries & Voices building in Northside is the site of ArtWorks‘ largest mural to date — the Raymond Thunder-Sky Legacy Mural painted this summer by Antonio Adams and Cedric Michael Cox, along with a team of apprentices.

Soul within Structure Poster by VisuaLingual

Save the date! Our talented friend Cedric Michael Cox will be having an exhibit of new paintings entitled Soul within Structure at the Contemporary Arts Center, with an opening reception on Sat 24 Oct, 1-4pm. I had fun designing the poster promoting the exhibit and, this time, our intern helped with the printing.

Rybolt Ghost Sign Downtown

The Rybolt Heating Cooling building, a.k.a. Trimble’s Bail Bond, is at 813 Broadway St. in downtown Cincinnati. Which do I prefer, the “Ry” ligature of the Rybolt sign, or the “don’t tremble” slogan of the Trimble’s sign?

Chicago Flavor Connections

If you spend time in Over-the-Rhine, you have surely noticed more rehab and building activity on Vine St., slowly moving up toward Kroger and my beloved Smitty’s. This cute little post office seems to be part of the action.

What Happened to Downtown Cincinnati?

I woke up yesterday morning to discover that Over-the-Rhine was, in fact, the edge of the universe. My trusty friends, Carew Tower, the Kroger Building, et al., were nowhere to be found. Who imported all this fog from San Francisco?