Sunday
Aug222010

Sunset, Sunday, 22 August 2010

William Van Doren, Sunset from Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va. Oil on watercolor block, 13 x 19.

Painting the sunset presents special challenges to an artist who doesn’t particularly believe in painting ‘what he sees’ – inasmuch as these paintings originate totally in what I’ve just seen! There are many choices, whether to go with what was pretty, what was odd, and at what stage – and then there’s the choice to go with what was there but unseen. This painting stays close to the visual script.

I hope eventually this series, including the writings, may be seen as a progression of explorations of what can be seen and understood at a particular moment. I sometimes think that the slightly uncomfortable paintings, the ones that seemed awkward at the time, like, to some extent, tonight’s and last night’s sunsets, may someday be seen as among the more interesting images in the series.

Sunday
Aug222010

On a Streak

Streaks of glaring light through high flat clouds, streaks of dark green, light green running across the grass, a hitting streak, a lucky streak, all streaks end. Streaks seem to end. Streaks end, unless streaks bend.

Saturday
Aug212010

Sunset, Saturday, 21 August 2010

William Van Doren, Sunset from Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va. Oil on watercolor block, 13 x 19.

Comments are enabled here tonight for the first time. (It’s a long story ...)

Friday
Aug202010

Sunset, Friday, 20 August 2010

William Van Doren, Sunset from Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va. Oil on watercolor block, 13 x 19.

Thursday
Aug192010

Sunset, Thursday, 19 August 2010

William Van Doren, Sunset from Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va. Oil on watercolor block, 13 x 19.

Wednesday
Aug182010

Clouds Over Piney Mountain. Sunset, Wednesday, 18 August 2010

William Van Doren, Sunset from Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va. Oil on watercolor block, 13 x 19.

My vantage point here is a few hundred yards to the right, or north, of my usual spot, so that I could look toward the sunset and also get nearby Piney Mountain. Clouds are low – Piney Mountain’s only around 1100 feet, or less than 700 feet higher than where I’m standing – and the patch of blue is about the only break there’s been in the clouds all day. Light rain and mist.