House In Arrington

 Sometimes one is asked to paint something that is meaningful to them but not so much to you.   That's when a cash incentive is included in the deal.   Such is the case with this house painting of a friends home in Arrington Va.


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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 New Art Building at U.Va.

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Then I went to U.Va. to see their exhibit of modern European art such as some Picasso prints and others from that era, I had a good time and stopped in to see if my good friend Phil was at home. He's in a new building over their at the art school, it's going by the name of Ruffin Hall. It's nice. I had a guided tour of the four or more story building. The art showing was inventive and fresh. It was a welcome change from what it was before they had the room to move their arms around so they didn't bump into each other as they painted. One can see the new exhibit areas are wonderfully big and roomy. I saw some huge portraits of street people that must have been ten feet in height all done with pastel, charcoal and some tempera or acrylic paints. The thing about it was that it was street people painted upon cardboard which is very appropriate due to the fact that many homeless sleep on such material and make signs with it...it was impressive to see thes...
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2724 Memorial St Alexandria Va.

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One of those things that happen as one grows older, old friends that were in the same class as you get in touch with you and one has some sort of kinship simply because we were both their in the same school at the same time in history. Its odd. Due to this phenomenon he asked me to make a painting of the home he grew up in back in Alexandria Va. He sent me the photo and I got to work. It took longer than I expected it to take due to the complexity of color involved. I wanted it to be a simply white house but it was told to me it wasn't white but an off grey and green color. So I put down the green onto the canvas and then I couldn't get away from it from there on in. I played with it and put my hands up in dismay yet I kept going back and worked on it. I had hopes yet in the end I had to say well its a good painting simply for what it is. I learned that its possible to salvage some work and it isn't possible for others. I did what I could but I think it...
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U.Va. did there best but with injuries we fell short

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We at Post High were treated to a U.Va. baseball game with our students, it was the NCAA regional game with hosting U.Va. playing Oregon (last years champs). It was a well fought game but in the end we did have it to take the cake. With two important players out from injuries from the first of two games with Oregon we fell short. I hope for the speedy recovery for those two injured players (Milcat and another player but I'm not sure exactly who-was it B. Gyer?) , they are both champs for helping the team take us to the highest point yet for our baseball team of the University in our hometown of Charlottesville, Va.. All of our students had a really great time cheering on the Cav's . Goo Hoo's Goooo ....until next year. I personally have enjoyed there state of the art stadium for the last three years, it's a hell of an improvement for we fans of baseball. Before it's existence we sat in aluminium bleachers that might have held between fifty and a hundr...
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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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