“Spreading a Memory All Through the Sky” (Sunset, Thursday, 24 February 2011)

William Van Doren, “SPREADING A MEMORY ALL THROUGH THE SKY” (Sunset from Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va.), oil on watercolor block, 13 x 19.

Title from Suzanne Vega’s “In Liverpool.” Despite what I’ve said about “no revisions,” this experimental image may appear again tomorrow in somewhat altered form.

Update on Friday, February 25, 2011 at 10:53AM by BVD

Image as shown is the altered form. Not at all what I expected. This involved what was for me a somewhat artificial or calculated three-step, 24-hour process, but I now understand better what I was going for and see a way I may be able to do something much more successful, and more natural, wet-in-wet at sunset.

Tweets Illustrated: Hickory Branch, Hickory Trail

William Van Doren, pencil on CVS scratch pads, 4 x 6.

From the Moment & Horizon Twitter feed.

Cinema Verité

A brief introduction to the sunset painting series, with excerpts from the gallery talk at the opening of “Moment & Horizon: The 365 Sunsets of 2010,” an exhibition running through February 28th, 2011.

The Pink Ray (Sunset, Monday, 24 January 2011)

William Van Doren, THE PINK RAY (Sunset from Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va.) Oil on watercolor block, 13 x 19.

The sky had already been fairly ridiculous, but then a subtle pink ray turned into an all-out, well-defined radiant pink searchlight beam all the way up the sky. Mama said they’ll be days like this ...

Two-Minute Warning (Sunset, Sunday, 14 November 2010)

William Van Doren, TWO-MINUTE WARNING (Sunset from Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va.) Oil on watercolor block, 13 x 19.

The Sylphs (Sunset/Twilight, Friday, 12 November 2010)

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

Thanks to anyone who tried to see this website last night when it was at various times down or scrambled, and who has since returned.

I didn’t think I even knew what a sylph was until I saw this post-sunset sky and the title Les Sylphides popped into my head, and I had to look it up.

Sometimes the challenge in painting sunsets is not to overdo the color; but, honestly, more often the challenge is not to wind up ‘underdoing’ it.