My Sunny Valentine (Sunset, Monday, 14 February 2011)

William Van Doren, MY SUNNY VALENTINE (Sunset from Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va.) Oil on watercolor block, 13 x 19.

North by Northwest (Sunset, Sunday, 13 February 2011)

William Van Doren, NORTH BY NORTHWEST (Sunset from Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va.) Oil on watercolor block, 13 x 19.

The sun actually sets right now at what I take to be west by northwest. I turned for this painting a little to the right of that.

Spontaneous Lincoln Memorial (Sunset, Saturday, 12 February 2011)

William Van Doren, SPONTANEOUS LINCOLN MEMORIAL (Sunset from Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va.) Oil on watercolor block, 13 x 19.

At the Hour of Surrender (Sunset, Friday, 11 February 2011)

William Van Doren, AT THE HOUR OF SURRENDER (Sunset from Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va.) Oil on watercolor block, 13 x 19.

I had the title at first just based on the sky and the feeling of twilight, then realized it was also for Egypt and the end of the regime.

If you’re new to this site, or perhaps even if you’re not, I’ve posted a simple video introducing the sunset series, with excerpts from my gallery talk at the opening of the current exhibit.

On a Clear Day (Sunset, Thursday, 10 February 2011)

William Van Doren, ON A CLEAR DAY (Sunset from Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va.) Oil on watercolor block, 13 x 19.

Light Snow, Wednesday Evening, 9 February 2011

One big cloud covered everything – cold, and withholding snow. I put down food for some feral cats outside a barn and hoped the snow would hold off long enough for them to come clean off the plate. I cut more firewood, when I hadn’t planned to, because even a little snow on everything tomorrow could ruin the chain. There were other practical considerations. Would I be painting the Blue Ridge as part of the sunset? The mountains blurred, and by sunset they were gone, except a line of light remained just above the horizon, where the mountains had been. As if one great upside-down bowl of cloud hovered over us, held up only by the last light. Later snow fell. The once oppressive cloud had finally descended among us, proving to be nothing heavy at all, only a pending spell released.