"Although Cloven: They Still Stand Defying Gravity and Physics"

I've been working on this painting for a few weeks, it's right outside my back window but its' been somekind of effort and a half to get it done. Today I suffer with the leftovers of a short bout with the flue but I had enough energy to pick up my brush and get to work on this. These two trees are lumbering outside and dominate my backyard and view of the Rockfish River in so much as someone whom I repect said that "they had to be painted". Of coures I was resistant to the hilt but then I recanted once winter set in and I was needing something to paint without setting up outside, then the memory of what was suggested came to mind. I had the canvas prepared and ready to go. Since these tress are so large it took a big canvas to do the job and that is exactly what I had: the task became obvious..."do what one is told to do" and so I did. I put down some dropclothes and got to work. I've forgotten how long it took me but it was a longer creative period then I've had to endure for a while, but I got it done today. Then photographed it and now to let it "cook in the oven" in my backrooms so it dries enough to be handled. One thing I can say for it, it's not going to be missed amoung other paintings on the walls of the local art center. Mc Guffey will have something of worthwhileness on it's walls this summer. If I can just get it into my car now I can get it into the summer group show.

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What Has Worked;

Painting in the Public Domain

I've been busy painting outdoors. Yesterday, I packed up my easel and paints put on my backpack with the easel on it and walked to the downtown mall. I arrived about nine thirty am and got to work after setting it all up. Many people stopped to comment and offer supportive comments about the start of the painting. I was working on the Miller's bar and buildings headed westward from their on, I included a couple of people in it too boot, the thing was I was filmed by some group that came back later and had me sign a release form and I was photographed by tourist and others who just happened upon me while I was working on my painting. My work progressed to a good stopping point and I plan to finish what I've done at home. Some people to whom I talked I never saw because I was paying attention to what I was painting not to whom I was talking to at the time. I was looking at the buildings and what I was doing on the canvas so I have very little idea as to what or who the
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Wyant's Store in Whitehall,Va.

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  It is noted that Whitehall Virginia is a throwback to an earlier time, a time when people knew who you were whenever one was to shop in the store such as this....its something found in the rural areas of this state and not so much in the cities of Virginia. This is one of my paintings of such a place, where the guys inside it are all gathered talking about what's news in the area over some snack food of one kind or another. They were all very kind to me once I stopped in to see the inside of this store once I was done painting for the day. I enjoyed working on this one...it is the second of the same subject, the store was interesting to work on so I took a second look as it were and painted it again. It's wasn't so much that I didn't like the first painting of this country store it was more that I enjoyed working on it so I thought I would prolong the joyfullness by doing it a second time. I'm sure you have no idea what I am talking about..well just have a
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Walking Along W. Main St.

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I found the scene along West Main is soon to change into an newer style cityscape of brick and glass with less ornamentation to its buildings. With this in mind I photographed some West Main Street buildings in the hopes of finding interesting scenes to paint. The signage is all a part of West Main and in that thought I painted this one with its graphic street crossing signage featured prominently in the picture plane. I highlighted the bricks in intense reds and developed the windows in a bizarre abstract display for each one of them. Each featuring one color being themed inside its frame as if each window display had its own abstract painting going on inside its area. Its all for the fun of it, I play with what is being viable to the view when I can. Nothing ventured nothing gained. It was nice how this one came together piece by piece with each painting session. Intense color came about as I developed its' scene on the sidewalk windows. I was going to bring in
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Bruce's Drugstore from Bygone Years

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The finished painting is always the very best and well worth the wait to see. This was done in three sessions on the street in the hot sun in Scottsville on the James River in southern Albemarle County this past week. The three sessions where about two and a half hours each, one lasting over three hours in it's time on the streetside. I decided simply to work only onsite. That strategy worked well. I only touched up a few miscues at home after the last session otherwise it was totally a work done 'plein air'. The building is a large one on the main corner of this river community. It was originally a drugstore but now it's been divided up into three smaller shops which vary depending on how business is and who can handle sales in an otherwise deserted town. While I was their I saw very few people walking on the city streets but the few that did seemed very interested in just what I was doing painting on the sidewalk. I talked to the few that bothered
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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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