Artist Jon Bond of Kempton is creating new works of art to commemorate the life and spirit of Abraham Lincoln.

Eleven oil paintings on wood panels are near completion, and Bond anticipates painting several more to round out the collection.

This year is the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address as well as the president's Emancipation Proclamation.

"Lincoln's iconic features captured in early photographs are serving as the benchmark for the paintings I am creating," Bond said.

Among Bond's creations are:

·Young Lincoln reading a book;

·Lincoln the "railsplitter";

·Lincoln as the cocky young lawyer;

·Lincoln in profile;

·Lincoln, 56, as a war weary president;

·Lincoln the dreamer; and

·Lincoln with a "punk" hairstyle.

"I am in the process of laying the groundwork for a new exhibition of these works," Bond said.