Vague Gray Has Only Itself To Blame – Sunset, Thursday, 18 June 2015

William Van Doren, VAGUE GRAY HAS ONLY ITSELF TO BLAME. Sunset from Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va. Oil on canvas, 24 x 30.

Gathering Gray – Sunset, Wednesday, 17 June 2015

William Van Doren, GATHERING GRAY. Sunset from Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va. Oil on canvas, 24 x 30.

Light and Dark Gray – Sunset, Monday, 8 June 2015

William Van Doren, LIGHT AND DARK GRAY. Sunset from Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va. Oil on canvas, 24 x 30.

Slightly Broken and Variable Gray – Sunset, Saturday, 16 May 2015

William Van Doren, SLIGHTLY BROKEN AND VARIABLE GRAY. Sunset from Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va. Oil on canvas, 24 x 30.

The Gray Veil – Sunset, Tuesday, 3 March 2015

William Van Doren, THE GRAY VEIL. Sunset from Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va. Oil on canvas, 24 x 30.

Last night I heard a podcast of the Irish author Anne Enright reading a story by John Cheever (“The Swimmer”), and in discussing the story she said something that really struck me. It might seem obvious, but there was something about the way she put it. She was responding to a question concerning Cheever’s dreamlike or surreal qualities. “It’s a terrible thing,” Enright said, “to ask a writer to limit their words to life itself. I mean, we live life. What you put on the page isn’t a representation of life. It’s words, and you can go anywhere, do anything, say anything you like.”

Gray Clouds on a Gray Sky – Sunset, Monday, 9 February 2015

William Van Doren, GRAY CLOUDS ON A GRAY SKY. Sunset from Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va. Oil on canvas, 24 x 30.