I've been very busy producing a lot of work. Printmaking and illustrating, inspired by all my outdoor interests. My work will be at Park + Vine through May 25.

  My Artist Statement: I am a lifelong Cincinnatian who was reared on family camping trips into the Great Outdoors. I cherished these trips into Nature where life was simpler and more elemental. But as a city slicker there is a divide between my everyday life and the mystery of the Natural world.

Over the past several years I find myself often spending time outside and have reconnected with Nature. Through hiking, cycling, running and rowing I observe plants and animals. With child-like wonder I take in these new experiences compelled to unravel these mysteries — I find myself inspired. 

Along my bike commutes I see the sun rise over our majestic Ohio River valley and glow golden as it sets in the west. The light sparkes and dances along our hillsides. I can’t capture these moments with a camera so I replicate their beauty in my landscapes.

 As a boy I was captivated by the work of Charley Harper, I found his style based upon elementary forms delightful and inventive. As I have gotten older the work of Harper, along with John Ruthven and John James Audubon have inspired me as a designer and illustrator and this new collection of animal artwork that I have observed in nature.

Between our City Parks, the nature preserves and our great river ecosystems we are blessed with an abundance of Nature around us. I want my work to inspire all of us to appreciate these Natural resources and for us to celebrate conservation on this 45th anniversary of Earth Day.

My favorite places to visit:
Cincinnati City Parks: Ault Park, Burnett Woods, Caldwell Nature Preserve Eden Park, French Park, Mount Airy Forest and Otto Armleter Park.
Cincinnati Nature Center
South 80 Trails
Valley View Nature Preserve Little Miami Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy’s Red Bird Hollow


Creative Pursuits: James Billiter—Naturally Cincy by Adam Sievering
As an outdoor enthusiast who has spent the last decade sharing his talent at LPK, Senior Designer James Billiter experiences the duality of city life and the great outdoors on a daily basis. His upcoming art exhibit, Naturally Cincy, explores the symbiotic relationship between his work and time spent outside, illuminating nature’s extraordinary ability to feed creativity and nurture the imagination—right here in Cincinnati.

James’ connection to nature stems from camping trips during childhood. “I cherished these trips into nature where life was simpler and more elemental,” he says. “But as a city slicker, there’s a divide between my everyday life and the mystery of the natural world.”

He helps bring these two worlds together by riding his bike to work, channeling daily inspiration from natural surroundings in the Ohio River valley. When he’s not commuting or intimately involved with Creative Suite at his desk, it’s a safe bet he’s spending his time outdoors.

“Through hiking, cycling, running and rowing, I can reconnect with nature,” he says. “I observe animals and sometimes wonder what really distinguishes their daily lives from my own. I take in these new experiences, compelled to unravel these mysteries. I find myself inspired.”

In addition to drawing inspiration from nature, James highlights its therapeutic value.

“I’m kind of a workaholic, so when I’m outside it helps me cleanse and detox. It’s like a retreat from my daily stresses. Instead of multitasking, I find myself focused on nothing but what I’m experiencing in that moment. It’s a form of active meditation,” he says.

Naturally Cincy is a culmination of these experiences, celebrating the beauty of Cincinnati’s parks, nature preserves and river ecosystems with a range of illustrative styles inspired by the works of Charley Harper, John Ruthven and John James Audubon.

“The exhibit is a combination of realistic portraits and playful illustrations,” he explains. “I wanted it to be accessible to anyone.”

“Even more so,” he adds, “I want my work to inspire all of us to appreciate the abundance of nature around us and celebrate conservation on the 45th anniversary of Earth Day.”

Naturally Cincy opens Saturday, April 26th and runs until Sunday, May 25th at Park + Vine (1202 Main St, Cincinnati, OH 45202).

2011.38/52

Willamette National Forest

I was so inspired by my vacation last summer. Driving through the forest, giant redwood trees would perfectly frame beautiful mountains. I started sketching while I was there and I have finally found the time to create the art.

2011.36/52

Vector Landscape: The Bend of the Ohio River as seen from Eden Park

This is a breathtaking view that I get to take in when I bike commute to work. A few years ago I go into illustration nature scenes as the background for cyclocross posters. It is interesting the see the similarities and differences between a photo and the style and embellishment that an illustration can provide.

2011.5/52 Snowy Creek

I've been playing a lot outside — cycling, running and hiking in the snow. I find the snowy woods really beautiful and I am grateful I live in a pace that gets al four seasons and that we have had a lot of snow for the past two years.

These shots are from a few weeks ago. I was inspired by a Holga I shot two years ago and I hope to convert these pics into a cool graphic landscape (see Holga and an old poster I created below).

2011.4/52 Winter Sunsets

I was walking my dog in the woods and I was really inspired by the stark contrast of the bare branches and the progressing sun setting on the horizon. I took a photo and extracted the branches — intending to make a silkscreen plate from this. This one plate with a dark brown or black ink could be printed over various skies made by smearing ink and/or printmaking.

I would see this as a continual scene (tryptich) or one cropped scene printed over a series of skies. This silkscreen plate would also be cool if I traced the photograph in ink — giving the branches and trees a rougher impression.