Sunset, Wednesday, 13 May 2009

Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va. Oil on paper, 16 x 20.

It occurred to me right after last night’s post that one of the perils of describing the same sunset one is painting is that it invites comments like, “Loved the description, dude – too bad I didn’t see any of that in the painting!”

To me, sunset as described, sunset as painted, and sunset as I saw it might as well be three different sunsets. So I try not to worry too much if the painting  doesn’t equal the writing, or vice-versa.

In fact, last night I imagined some little person (evidently a distant cousin of Toulouse-Lautrec) marching into the back yard, planting an easel, laying down a field of red violet across her canvas, and then one great big brushmark of yellow, and outperforming everything and everyone.

If she ever comes back here again, I may have to ask her to leave.