No. 40 in the series of the South Shore's Millennium posters is the picture of serenity.

The scene is the Prairie-Duneland Trail bridge over Salt Creek in autumn. A couple out for a stroll with their dog pause to watch the waters glide beneath on the way to Lake Michigan while trees flame orange and yellow against the fall sky.

The latest entry in the Northwest Indiana Forum's specially commissioned contribution to the region's popular art, sponsored by the city of Portage, will be unveiled today following Mayor Doug Olson's state of the city address at the Greater Portage Chamber of Commerce luncheon in the Woodland Park Community Center.

It's the fifth South Shore poster by Hammond artist Bruce Cegur, whose previous efforts include the popular "Winning" with the Valparaiso University basketball team for Whiteco Industries, as well as "Old Lake County Courthouse," "Hobart's Lakefront Park," and "Windsurfing on Wolf Lake" for the city of Hammond.

Cegur, 46, runs Cegur's Chimera Gallery

He took dozens of photos of the trailside site during the summer and scanned them into his computer before adding seasonal colors to create the scene.

"I spent 45 or 50 hours getting the photos in. I like to take about 4 months with one of these, because I'm working on other things at the same time," Cegur said.

The original painting is a 42" by 28" canvas done in oils and hand-lettered just like the original award winning series from the 1920's.

The landscapes are a departure for the artist, who usually does figurative work or close-ups of flowers and leaves in a style that he calls "organic realism."

Cegur likes to use "swirling patterns of color that serve to create a constant feeling of motion."

As for his other work, Cegur said, "I like multimedia. I want to do a work that combines video and canvas."

He's already working on his next South Shore poster, "LaPorte County Fair," sponsored by the LaPorte County Solid Waste District.

Cegur will be on hand to sign copies of the new poster that will be on sale at the Portage luncheon.