The Autumn is something that I seldom give much time to think about, but you know here in August it really isn't that far from it's coming. This painting is retouched up but was an autumn squash collection I used as a still life when I first moved into my current apartment. And so I felt it needed a little more so I retouched it again this year, four or so years later on.
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What Has Worked;

Hut for a Blue Tractor and a Red Grass-Cutter

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     Many of these farm structures that I live around out here in Central Virginia near Lovingston are made from wood that has been recycled from earlier farm buildings.   I am almost certain that a lot if it may just go back to the early days of European settlers locating here in Schuyler.   One can just take a quick look and even without carbon-dating one can see that the wood is old and weathered by the elements.   It is very heavy older hardwood that these folks used in making their farm structures.   One can also see how the buildings were shaped for the needs of the farm at a time and then torn down but not discarded but reused again for another purpose..   The sizes of the buildings are small.   They may house one farm implement or two but they are not like those northern Atlantic barns that have lofts and large areas for animals, these buildings are built to suite a single purpose and generally aren'...
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Highland Ash Lawn: James Monroe's Plantation

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The home of James Monroe was built nearby that of Thomas Jefferson. Its goes by the name "Ash Lawn Highland". Its but a couple of miles away from Jefferson's Monticello. Monroe lived on this land for twenty four years (1801 until 1825 when he was forced to sell it). Today the plantation is owned by the College of William and Mary. This painting is of the main house which has an extension added on to it behind this front building. There are also a good number of smaller buildings behind it meant to support what went on inside the main house. I imagine those out buildings behind the main house were used as wine cellers, and added kitchens with perhaps quarters for small animals for fresh groceries and perhaps a stables. The grounds around front feature a good number of large trees, they were no doubt smaller at the time of Monroe's living here. The trees lining the drive up to the house (it is said) were planted by Monroe himself. Today those trees are ...
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Remains of an Early Virginian Church

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 The old world of European faith was rife with change when new varieties of religion left the old continent for the America's open horizons.   These remains of an older mud stone Church is still here in Central Virginia near where the Lock'n Music festival takes place, only but a mile or so to the east it still stands in its muddy sandstone way.   I didn't find out much more than it was a Church at one time where people placed their wants and needs on the Altar to the keep of a Higher Power.   I don't know what faith these remains belonged to but knowing the society around here it no doubt was a early Virginian Christian Church. 
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Upperville,Va. on US Rt. 50

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I took a trip to Northwestern Virgina yesterday and I had the good fortune to stop in Upperville, Virgina. It's on the John Mosby Highway (Route 50) which runs down the Main Street for the little town. It is certainly something worth stopping for an taking in the older buildings in that city because many of them are made of hand laid stones with some mortar between them. The library is about the size of my apartment, certainly not huge, but it is still in operation as an active library. The houses are all typical of early Virginian styles of homes. In fact it seemed to be that they had a about every style of house that one might find in Virginia right their on Main Street. I did stop and paint one of the stone homes, it had been added onto so it was a little bigger than just one three story home. It was a challenge to put all those stones into the painting but I imagine it was even harder for those that laid those stones into the house itself. It was a very impressiv...
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Across the Tracks; the New Swallows the Older, and Smaller

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Overshadowed by urban growth is this restaurant on the tracks that has this big green monolith beside it. The restaurant is a popular one. Many of our towns folks frequent it. The new monster next to it has an overwhelming presence when anyone passes by this area. The city wants and can use the new blood of this structure but it is a dramatic change none the less to the city skyline. But what goes on in our land is growth and sometimes it covers the quaint that was beloved and cherished by many for the newness of expansion of our economic engine. This happened with this situation and has happened in the American cityscape over the last hundred and fifty years. Nothing new under the sun, just more of the same...change happens and one must become adjusted to its manifestation. In this case, its huge swallowing up the quaint and small.
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