Landscape of Virginia

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....