Sunset, Wednesday, 17 March 2010

William Theodore Van Doren. Sunset from Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va. Oil on watercolor block, 16 x 20.

A note on my previous post. The image of light being able to move fabric aside was inspired in part by the draperies of the disciples in Salvador Dali’s “The Sacrament of the Last Supper.”

Today of course everything’s supposed to be green. On my wonderful upside-down (southern hemisphere–oriented) wall map, the green countries include the U.S., France, Ukraine, Venezuela, Argentina, Namibia, Australia ... and Ireland, although Eire gets an olive shade rather than the vibrant green assigned to these other countries. Of course I must put in a plug for “The Green Barn.” But above all, because it’s essentially what I paint, I will cite time itself, ever green.

Morning Light, March 17th

The sunlight glaring off the tabletop on the porch into the room is so bright I can’t see, I can’t think and of course I can’t possibly write with so much sun in my eyes. The sun coming in is so strong it not only casts shadows, it moves things, it causes fabrics to fold away from the light, it presses on the back wall of the room. There’s nothing in me right now to obstruct it, so I’m surprised to see myself among the shadows.

Sunset, Tuesday, 16 March 2010

William Theodore Van Doren. Sunset from Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va. Oil on watercolor block, 16 x 20.

Twilight. The clouds on the horizon really were orange-pink, and the blown-apart contrails that sort of violet pink, and ... perhaps that’s enough about how things “really” were.

Sunset, Monday, 15 March 2010

William Theodore Van Doren. Sunset from Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va. Oil on watercolor block, 16 x 20.

Out today in the world it was clay and gray, brown leaf and dark needle, the curled beech papers along with a scattering of little blackjack oaks the last old foliage about ready to drop, and the woods as open as they’ll ever be. Every year there must be a moment when beechy parchments fall and new greens shoot, but that’s a secret ceremony I’ve never managed to witness.

Sunset, Sunday, 14 March 2010

William Theodore Van Doren. Sunset from Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va. Oil on watercolor block, 16 x 20.

Daylight Saving Time. But of course. Saving daylight is what we do here, every night of the year.

This view is turned toward the northwest, much like last night’s.

Sunset, Saturday, 13 March 2010

William Theodore Van Doren. Sunset from Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va. Oil on watercolor block, 16 x 20.

I cheated tonight’s perspective slightly north, or right, almost to a summertime sunset horizon, since that’s where everything seemed to be happening.