Landscape of Virginia

The O. Henry Prize Stories 2018 by Laura Furman My rating: 5 of 5 stars What fun. I had experienced many fun, exciting moments in the lifetimes set upon the pages of all these wonderful authors, I felt so good about the quality of this years entrees, well done! From being a part of a group of men looking to make a killing in the 'new world' with ores like silver and copper to being lost looking for one's car in Dublin and not having a clue where to look, I enjoyed each word of each story this year. View all my reviews

A barn is a building that can represent the entire lifetime of a set of people. Here in the country this set of people can live their entire life on the same piece of land, that piece of land will exist also as there burial place once there life is over. Upon driving back and forth to home and town I came upon this scene of a broken down farm with a plot of headstones in it. It piqued my curiosity. One day I brought my camera along on my drive and photographed this scene. I still don't know whom the family 'Micklem' is or what their stories are for time spent working this land but I do admire there handywork in barnmaking. These once where some very fine structures now in decay. And so in tribute to that family, I painted this work.

A practice make perfect routine can be an object of interest for me. Here I reverted to my understanding of the compositional qualities of the 'South Street' canvas I just finished working on. Here the building composition is identical but then I added some interesting objects to the sky. Here they sometimes fly some man'd balloons and simply added them into the sky for a visual interest point in the upper part of the drawing. I think it works.

Just for keeping into my artistic vein, I continue to draw when nothing else seems to be exciting me. Visually its good practice to do so...one doesn't want to get stale. If one doesn't keep up with oneself in the sense that drawing and creating a visual image is of no bother, than one can get out of practice. When that happens its a bit of an effort to get back into it. Its both frustrating and troublesome to do work without the results one is expecting to get from the effort put in. In order not to let this happen it is suggested that one keep up some kind of artistic work each and every day so that the wheels are always oiled. Keeping a drawing book and supplies around is my way of staying limber and ready to go.

Another look at a local concert hall is no problem: I can have another version of the same scene with no problem to being warn out, or copying what was done before. Every painting is a new and rewarding chance to begin anew. Here is one of Charlottesville's icons: the Pink Warehouse, and now with another concert hall just beside it. The 'South Street' restaurant/bar and now also an established concert hall this painting is full of Charlottesvilles' memorable spots in just one small canvas. This canvas is only ruffly one foot by two feet in size, one of my smaller ones. I worked the shadows and characters into the composition as ones unique to this city. People come and go from South Street but some give it its' charm such as the street sweeper brushing off the debre. I have done and redone these buildings but I'd like to think I only improve upon them with each new canvas that I paint.

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

Life and death in the country can all happen on one plot of land. This painting of two barns has another added part to the composition that I left out due to it sitting alone by itself off to the right of the smaller barn. Four graves lye not far from that outbuilding. To me that spoke of family ties to the land where the barns now lye abandoned and falling apart in ongoing decay. I chose to leave it out. I felt the barns were a testament enough to those who worked that piece of land. This place is on a back country road that is bucolic and full of flowers. I feel good whenever I pass by it on my way home using that particular old roadway. Its a place that called out to me to be remembered in paint, and so this work came about.

I do admire drawings that one can easily see are done for the fun of it and nothing more than that. This is one of those kind of ad-hoc committee of my mind getting together and just throwing out something completely nonsensical. I hope you enjoy it. And yes I do admire R. Crumb's artwork and I wish I had met him. He lived in North Philly in the 1970's and I lived in West Philly during the same time period. His work is the funniest, most observant of city life then I've ever seen.

A concert hall is always of interest in the memories who have seen starpower performances take place in its interior. Because of that fact I have painted this canvas using the sight of 'South Street' bar/music venue as a subject for its surface. This building and the pink warehouse beside it are both etched into the memories of music lovers of the city of Charlottesville. The pink warehouse was the sight for practice sessions of the Dave Mathews Band in its early days when it played in local stages. The 'South Street' bar has drawn many bands of late and is a fixture in the local music scene. Both buildings are on a street nearby the railroad tracks and were used to hold commercial products from trains delivered to this city. I found working all the color in the bricks to be the challenge. The windows also were daunting but could be worked into a suitable appearance once I put myself into the task mode of using changing color for each pane of glass within

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.

A bright morning on the streets of Charlottesville one will find many people walking on its main avenues' sidewalks to downtown. West Main street connects the downtown city (where most of the private businesses and government offices are located) and the rest of the city. But many people choose to live in other sections of the city like the black area of 'Page Street Corridor' or the Fifeville area or JPA (Jefferson Park Ave) or in the student apartment area of 14th St. Wherever it is west of the downtown has two main streets that reach the downtown area. The choice many make is to 'bus it' or 'walk it' via W. Main Street and/or Preston Ave. If one chooses W. Main Street it is lined by many small businesses and bars/ restaurants where this city gets its charm from, or so it seems to me. I have been spending my time during the last couple of years photographing many of its buildings in order to make an effort to paint them. It seemed to me t

A easy cross town route used by many townsfolk is the 10th street pathway. Located on this street is 'The Import Car Store' which had for many years featured a plenteous amount of foreign/domestic classic cars. The store building was recently swallowed up by a new hotel/residential center put up for increased student attendance at the University of Virginia, but before that happened I was able to snap of photo of it. I used it as a model for this painting.

This painting is of a couple of older buildings on W. Main St near the Mc Intire side of West Main. They are both older and have also both been renovated into renewed, revamped and with new tenants. The one red brick building has a banner covered by the greenery in front of it. It was a 'Black Lives Matter' banner but I am not clear as to whether it is an indication of who is occupying that storefront or if it is simply a sign of support by the tenants for that political movement. Certainly, people on that street are still very concerned for what happened last Aug 12th just a few blocks away from this site and perhaps the banner on the building is in reference to it, or perhaps that is the Charlottesville home for that movement. Anything is possible, I just don't know for certain which is and which isn't.

The restaurant known as "Duner's" is perhaps best known for its customers. In times gone by, this dinner was perhaps a favorite among the University elite and professionals from the University crowd It is the very most sought after dinner restaurant by the faculty and families of them. It is the kind of place one might just drive on by without giving it much notice. Its unassuming with its flat one story appearance in brick. Its almost pancake like when looking at it from the outside. I haven't had the chance to eat within its rooms but from what those who have have said its suppose to live up to its reputation of being the one place that continually pulls in the U.Va. elite, so it must have something going for it with its fare.

The painting wasn't quite "right" for me. I retouched some of the Hotel's portico overhang to be more in line with its actual color. Perhaps one wouldn't notice it but it mattered to me. I think its a little bit better but who knows....

This building was one of (if not the very) first high rise buildings in Charlottesville. It was a 'cathouse' at one time. The building has also been home to a college (but not related to U.Va.) and it still stands proudly on West Main Street today. It got a fresh paint job and looks new and ready for business. I liked its grand brickwork and added features on its columns of white. I used stand oil in the medium. It helps give the paint some depth and warmth once its on the canvas. Its also makes the paint layer on into a heavy coat of oil. I liked the way it handled in its color transitions from dark to light. Once its on its on and its not going to be messed into the color laid on beside it. Its a very different way to paint from the lite, wet, thinned out way I have been handling the medium for my oils. It a new beginning using it moreso than my old 30/30/30 medium. I still used the 30/30/30 medium but just to start the painting then I quickly switched

This is an eating spot on the main drag in our little college town where people have a chance to partake in oysters and other shellfish. It is well loved and favored by the townspeople of Charlottesville. Its on West Main Street and it used to be a building that served bait and tackle to the men and women who wanted to go down to the Rivanna to fish for the day. The shop's owner was dead set when I talked with him that no one was going to buy him out and change his building into anything other than the 'Bait and Tackle' shop that it was...."I'll be dead in the grave before that happens". Well he's passed on and its changed but I do think he would be ok with it as it is because of the nature of what it changed into when it was reconstructed into the restaurant. I thought I would paint it. It was fun to do. Its very colorful and it was enjoyable to paint the deep blues and the windows being those one could see through to the otherside. I t

Planning to remember buildings standing on West Main Street in Charlottesville is an ongoing task I have under taken. I will finish some but many buildings have already been leveled or are being prepared to undergo the wreckingball in short order. This building is one of a place that underwent a renewal as a multi-store location all in one building. It was used because it was still a structure that could hold occupants with ease. Across the street from this Market there are two houses that are coming down to make way for yet another hotel on West Main Street. This building was spared by it being made into a location for new trendy businesses within its old walls. I liked the colors chosen by the new occupants on the outside of the building, the color is not one usually used in our city but it looks attractive none the less. I am thankful for the revitalization of the city yet I do feel some remorse for the removal of some of these older buildings. Luckily this particula

Early in my creative process is the necessity for drawing out the images. To do that well I need to keep up with my drawing practice with some sketches. I do that in ink. I am skilled enough to use ink being an older gentleman as I am. I do this mostly when I am inbetween oils. This particular drawing is such a one, it is a simple meandering of my concepts of both figures and buildings from my mind. I began with images of buildings then inserted a few figures before finishing it up with more structures surrounding the figures. It relaxes me to do one.