The River

The River view is terrific and very calming as I mentioned. It is scenic where I've chosen to place myself. It is what it is. It's new for me, yet in truth I've been here before, I just didn't know how to stay and work here. Now I feel I am ready to give it a "go". This river is just below my home and it is something else.

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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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The First Structure in Nelson County of European Settlers

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 I asked this local resident just what that old wooden structure was standing over yonder near some parked cars, she informed me that the wooden stack was the earliest home for Nelson County Residents back in the times when this county was established.   I couldn't believe it, you mean it was of that kind of historical value and it was simply a stand alone building in the backyard of one of Schuyler's residents with no markings of its significant value?   I had to paint it.   So I snapped a photo of it and took it home, then got to work.   Its simply the size of a small compact car only made of weathered wood.      To paint it took little time due to its small size.   I believe I will paint it again due to the feeling that it is owed some more attention that I have given it.   I also cropped some of the building off so I want to include that part in the next painting.
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The Holland Farm Chicken House in Arrington Va.

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    This piece of land has more to be explored from what I have been able to discern from the local neighbors.   I've only photographed what I can see from Arrington Road nearby where the Locken Music Festival is held in the summer.   There are three buildings I have been able to study so far with more that are out of sight.   I am interested due to the age of some of these abandoned farm buildings.   I was told that this one is a 'chicken house' for the Holland farm.   Its not in operation anymore but it must have held a good number of the foul in its heyday.   This is an oil.  I use a 30/30/30 medium with sunthickened linseed oil going by the name Stand oil.   Its small, only 14 inches by 26 inches in size with a popular wood lattice frame slapped on it.  
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First Painting of the Summer is Done

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It was a successful couple of days painting up on Pantops Mountain at Peter Jefferson place, what a great view to paint. For the last couple of days at noon I have been up on the third floor balcony of the Martha Jefferson Hospital at Peter Jefferson place painting a landscape of the view. It's tremendous and breathtaking in it's scope, it gives the viewer a complete panorama of Charlottesville and the mountain ranges beyond it. It shouts out "paint me" every time I have seen that view, so for the last couple of days I did just that I painted it. Yesterday was the start of the painting, and storms could be seen taking formation. It would be a great location for a "weather cam" because you can see clouds forming so well from up their on Pantops. I painted for an hour and a half, just getting the painting situated and getting the under - painting started, and making sure I took a close look at the buildings and their respective locations in the ...
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Bus Stop: "When is it Coming?"

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The summer is coming upon my horizon in a quid pro quo manner one where I need to get to work soon just to work on something. It's been too too long since I painted and I feel it. I delve into my drawing notebook when I have a spare moment and truly it's rewarding and fun but there is nothing nearly similar to picking up the brush and palette. Soon I promise you soon it will come about, just not today. I have sat myself on a park bench and drawn though and this is one of my resulting drawings of a woman awaiting her city transit homeward for the day. I found her an interesting subject and she I think noticed me drawing and she seem to sit perfectly still for me so I could capture her in repose. She was enjoyable to work on. It wasn't that long ago when I was that one on the bench awaiting the bus. I remember it as a rather long wait too.
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