Twilight, Tuesday, 1 September 2009

William Theodore Van Doren. Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va. Oil on paper, 16 x 20.

Sunset, Tuesday, 1 September 2009

William Theodore Van Doren. Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va. Oil on paper, 16 x 20.

I was very excited tonight to see, I think for the first time since this site started, a perfectly clear, ‘blank’ sky to work with. I’d been wondering what I’d do if I got one of these again; although this may not seem like much of a departure, it reflects development that’s been going on in the paintings for the past six weeks or so.

As soon as this painting was done, the sky went through a phenomenal series of twilight changes. The result was a deeply glowing old-gold horizon, a dome of intense blue-violet and, in between, a rose-violet aura that shimmered like Northern Lights. Yes, yes, I just may have to try to paint it tomorrow.

I’ve spent much of the day catching up with posts and images from Pittsburgh, and find myself not having thought of a single thing to say for tonight, so I’ll break style a bit and post some ‘home photos’ that each reprise aspects of the trip.

From the 27th, this is my Aunt Millie and me in her kitchen on her 90th birthday. In case you somehow can’t tell from the photo, Millie is a joy.

As reported on the 28th, we went up the Duquesne Incline – and here we’re at the top. The trio of yellow bridges that you can perhaps just make out on the Allegheny River, after the first yellow bridge, as mentioned on the 29th, are the Roberto Clemente, the Andy Warhol, and the Rachel Carson.

Finally, we’ve also discussed Pittsburgh (“SIXBURGH”) and football. Well, amazingly, everywhere we went, even at the top of the Duquesne Incline ...

... we spotted celebrity athletes with names like Hines Ward, Troy Polamalu, and Ben Roethlisberger. Fantastic!

Sunset, Monday, 31 August 2009

William Theodore Van Doren. Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va. Oil on paper, 16 x 20.

More wild black cherries today on the trail with Flint. I don’t know about chipmunks feasting on the pits, but if these wonderful purple-black–skinned babies aren’t comparable to tomatoes and grapes and chock full of antiaccidents, or nontoxicants, and likeopium, then, as someone used to say, I’ll be a blue-nosed gopher.

Sunset, Sunday, 30 August 2009

William Theodore Van Doren. Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va. Oil on paper, 16 x 20.

I forgot to mention that my Aunt Millie in Pittsburgh, on the morning of her 90th birthday, made cheddar biscuits, from scratch, for us to give to our dog, Flint. We can now report that Flint, the most discerning gourmand hound (‘It’s not a treat until I say it’s a treat’), has awarded Millie’s biscuits his highest rating.

Millie also gave us some tomatoes she’s grown this summer in her backyard garden, and she wanted us to take home a few Chambersburg [Pennsylvania] peaches.

She said, “Oh, every year we just can’t wait for those Chambersburg peaches, let me tell you, and they’re finally here!”

To be 90 and looking forward to this year’s Chambersburg peaches – I think that’s good.

Sunset, Wednesday, 26 August 2009

William Theodore Van Doren. Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va. Oil on paper, 16 x 20.

Off to Pittsburgh for about four days – it’s the 90th birthday tomorrow of my delightful aunt Millie, my mom’s sister and the only surviving sibling of either of my parents. You should be seeing three Pittsburgh sunsets, although they may not get posted until about Monday. Meanwhile, I’ll be leaving notes and sketches here as I can.

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Walking through the woods into the fields today was strangely like going from thought to expression.

Inside the woods was all leaves and letters, details – dead trees on the ground, sentences here and there, ideas, fragments, pools of water on intermittent streams.

Step out into the open fields – boom! Under the wide blue sky, it’s a world of fully developed, finished thought – of books, films, musicals, essays, epic poems. The works. Fireworks.

On a lucky day you catch that transition, from the woods into the fields. Something you had been thinking becomes something you can say.

Twilight, Tuesday, 25 August 2009

William Theodore Van Doren. Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va. Oil on paper, 16 x 20.

One effect of the deepening twilight was to make the mountains a more radiant blue.