William Van Doren, OUT OF AN ORANGE-COLORED SKY. Sunset from Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va. Oil on canvas, 24 x 30.
I’d already painted the orange sky and felt it still needed something when I got a message from my spouse, who was out and didn’t know what I’d painted. She'd just heard a song by Nat King Cole called “Orange-Colored Sky,” with a spectacular description of a sunset that she didn’t quite catch. I found the song and here’s the line: “Out of an orange-colored purple-striped pretty green polka dot sky.” So I figured that’s what I needed ...