Paintings of the Piedmont

In two weeks, on November 7, 2009, my One Man Exhibition opens at the Berkley Gallery in Warrenton, Virginia. I will feature 40 paintings of the Piedmont Region of Northern Virginia. The paintings comprise a significant portion of my productivity for the last year. It is the largest One Man Show I’ve given in my fine art career and I’m quite excited about it. I’ve been honored with great press in the Washington DC area and also nationally, in the November issue of American Art Collector. I’ve decided to preview some of my show pieces on my website and this blog.

The Virginia Piedmont has a rich history with architects of the American Revolution. Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, James Madison and John Marshall all lived in Virginia. Major battles of the Civil War were fought throughout the State. Virginia was one of the first wine growing regions in the country. Speaking as an artist, it is one of the most beautiful places in the United States. For the majority of the time, Virginia has a very pleasant climate.

The idea for my “Paintings of the Piedmont” Exhibition had been kicking around in my head since I moved to the area from California in 2007. Berkley Gallery’s owner, Tom Sentz, liked my Virginia Piedmont idea and my desire to donate to a preservation or land conservation society. Tom suggested partnering with the “Piedmont Environmental Council” and giving a portion of all proceeds to the organization. PEC safeguards the landscapes, communities and heritage of the Piedmont by involving citizens in related public policy and land conservation.
Meeting with Doug Larson of the PEC was amazing. He got behind the show idea immediately, suggesting locations and providing access to beautiful private estates and farms. I couldn’t have pulled off this show without his help.

Many of the show paintings were the end result of multiple trips to a location to find the right light or time of year. In some instances, like the case of my bluebell painting, I made fifteen trips to the location in three weeks —trying to capture the perfect time of day—the perfect time of the year—just when the flowers were blooming at their peak.
In the studio, I often determined an outdoor sketch wasn’t the right format. I either returned to the field, or if that wasn’t possible because of weather or seasonal changes, I created a studio version from the field study in the format I felt worked better.
I had a lot of fun on this journey, saw some incredible sights and have grown to love Virginia, her seasons, great architecture and landscapes even more.