Landscape of Virginia

Charlottesville's skyline is changing and in as much so are the businesses that have been here for a long time. As long as I have been here. These are paintings of some of those businesses that have been the staple for so many years I can count them..(because if I did they would only be for the time (34yrs) I spent in this little college town)....but I need not. As an artist, I am interested in reflecting the society around me. That while those old adages: Am I a product of my environment or my inner self? Or both? And if so how much? And the view of artist is ever so sliding from one side of this quandary to the other: "Are we not but windows of our society reflecting what we see day in and day out?" So with all this in mind, I am on a quest to paint those Charlottesvillle places that served both the town's folk and the student population of our small village before they are flattened by the ever fast wreckingball for new diggs like the many new hotels are...

I always thought as politics as a function of us as a society to help us to help each other with our common elements. Those being what we live in common with, besides the obvious I would say things like food, shelter, transportation and education would be among those common needs. I drew this as a hopeful idea that if one person came upon another that he would reach out and help the other up off the ground. Of course its obvious that this doesn't happen as a usual event in the cities I've been in. I've seen a man face down on the sidewalk being walked around with not one person stopping to see what was wrong. I am thinking that this aught not be the case with the city I spend my days in, in fact once I was that person on the street who needed help while I lay their bleeding from a gunshot wound. I was helped. My life was saved from bleeding out by those heroes of the Rescue Squad who quickly got me into an operating room to take the slug out from my head. My hea...

As the days roll by I sometimes see a time when I feel 'hey its all worth it' and perhaps that epitome shows up in my drawing. It could be the subject of a painting or an idea that can be followed up upon at a later time. That is one reason painters often go back to the source and draw. It makes for a great proving ground for work that might be better explored on larger scale. Such is this drawing I did a few days ago.

There is nothing better than reworking an older 'put aside' drawing, when one gets the chance to bring new life to an old tired out work one by reworking it. In as much as I've done so before I once again brought new dimensions to this drawing by elaborating on its' city life. I added to what lay within its windows and streets by adding figures and shadow with light falling on its characters. I believe it brings the dream into focus much better with these improvements I imposed upon it.

Sometimes there is some street drama in the city, it can often be missed as daily activity but in reality there is much behind the story, more than meets the eye. In this case its a scene of a couple doing there best to leave a place without being noticed, and of course they are. Its happening in daylight and with busy people walking by going about their daily business. But the fun is in seeing how this woman is contorted in sneaking about going out the doorway. I might have blown her actual ability to twist and turn some but forgive me for that problem and you can see how she is trying to hide her face with a pose that actually bring attention to it. I've actually seen people do this and I can't believe they can have any thought to being discreet, cuz they aren't and they stick out like a sort thumb. Such is life. I just had this thought as I completed this drawing. When I began it I drew the guy holding the box and then the sidewalk which lead to drawing a figur...

A day where if we wish hard enough will be the very day we we're most thankful to be 'in', it may be today but its always that day your at the coffee house. I haven't ever been regretful for hanging out in one of the many coffee houses in our little college town. In fact with the spreading of the 'coffeehouse' nich to even some of our small towns near here, there have been many more places in which to enjoy the locals' and there stories as they talk. Easedropping? Perhaps I am guilty of it but what the heck, its fun and I don't spread what I hear around for others to dig their teeth into the latest from the grapevine, so I'm not really so bad. Am I?

I often have fun with some images of my cats in my drawings at home, and I've never really been that good with there faces but this one (drawing) isn't so bad. I started with drawing one of my cats that I've had (Camel) sitting licking itself (or preening as I've heard it called) on my armchair. From there we flash to this afternoon: my cats were running amuck all over me and of course I submitted to petting them, well this drawing came out of my pen a few minutes after they had calmed down some and commenced to sitting on the rug while I drew. I like it however it is kind of weird, I suppose one must have lived with cats for a while to appreciate it enough to enjoy it. Anyway so it goes on my drawing board today.