A Little Bit; Abstract 16

This is a fun work of art, it was not preconceived. It happened entirely as I sat behind the easel and 'gave myself the problem'. I had a good time making it, and it wasn't complete until I had 'finished it' and framed it, then pondered what I had done only to discover an imbalance which shouted out that more work was needed. So back on the easel it went and I put those touches that 'just made it so right'.

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What Has Worked;

The Trees Are Turning Now

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Fall. In this part of the country the trees are just beginning to change their color. Some very dark Alizarin Crimson is beginning to show up on the tops of our trees. It's the start. I am looking forward to the cool breezes and the need to put on some warmer clothes in order to bike ride around. It's just starting. I found myself checking the temperatures today just to see if I need a sweatshirt in order to ride in the evening today. I do so if it seems rather like a clear sky and we're under sixty five. We did have lower temps but the skies were cloud covered tonight. I wore my shorts and a nice shirt on my ride and I was just fine. The nice thing is on a bike one heats up under a sweatshirt so it become a comfortable manner of both traveling and also being outdoors all in one. I'm thankful to be living outside of the crowded cities where one is always near choking smoke from traffic. Granted it was a lot worse years ago when I lived in Philly...
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Walton Home 'n Schuyler, Va.

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The proverbial home of Earl Hammner called to me to be painted. He was the author of the Americana book "The Waltons" and also the script writer for the TV show that followed. The TV show was widely seen during the 1980's. In this town of Schuyler where I now live E. Hammner is an icon and a museum has been established out of what was the elementary school in Schuyler. The museum is devoted to that TV show and its actors, memorabilia, plus a WWII museum added on to it. Folks who own the house now give tours to the Hammer home 9am to 5pm daily with only Sundays off. Schuyler is just off Rt 6 on Rt 800 (or Schuyler Rd) which is just east of Rt 29 and 30 miles south of Charlottesville (the home of The University of Virginia). I felt like I had been ignoring painting this home long enough and when I stopped into Ike's General Store to buy the local paper (the Daily Progress) some asked me if I ever painted it. Then it hit me: "I ought to do so, and ...
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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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George Gross and his Political Satire

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It was in the seventies when I was ready to file as a Conscientious Objector that I found the German anti-war artist known as George Gross. He lived in Pre-World War Germany and showed the leftover horror of what World War One did to the German population and he reflected that in his pen and inks as well as his oils. I studied his work while I was a student at PAFA in Philly. His lessons were that the torn up German population was a bitter place to live with much debauchery and low living going on. He had the good sense to show it in his drawings. The one I selected is one of a German soldier being given a physical for entree into service, just like the one I had just gone through as a civilian in the current draft process in 1968. The drawing Mr Gross did kind of emphasized how the German Army was ready to take almost anyone even a skeleton who looks he needs a coffin rather than an Army uniform. But the title Mr. Gross gave it was one that stated that 'he qualified...
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Down in Fifeville during the 1980's and 90's

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I've been looking through some older drawings . I really didn't get a lot from them that I can show with confidence but there are a few. One has to go through a process in order to get to "the good stuff" but I did do the footwork to get to where I am today. This drawing is one I did only a few years ago as I was living near the downtown area and a section known as "Fifeville". It's housed both the working class, African Americans and otherwise has had to have much of it torn down due to street changes and old dwelling becoming just too old to stand. One was a house I lived in and painted in, it was located on King Street. I lived their from 1979 or so ( I remember the new Pope was named the day I moved in which was Pope John Paul II at the time) until I was hospitalized for my addiction and usage of drugs until I went off. I don't do that anymore but I did and it was a part and parcel of my existence during my active days of my addictio...
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