blue ridge inspired
Orchard Moon - 36x 30. One of Richard's many paintings inspired by the orchards that dot the hillsides in the Southwest Virginia valleys. This is a realist interpretation of the midnight glow when the clear sky, full moon and starlight produce a surrealistic color and shadow effect. The subtle allusion to Isaac Newton and the unseen gravitational force in the juxtaposition of apple and moon give a depth and thematic context beyond form and color.
Charolais - 42”by 36” This drawing is for everyone who has stood beside a Charolais and was impressed by the massive size French breed that is typically 40% larger than the more conventional Angus or white face in the US pastures. These were the cattle that dotted the hillsides beside Richard’s Botetourt farmhouse and are the subject of many of his drawings and paintings. This juvenile bull hung out by the fence-line and Richard caught every detail in this close drawing.
Craig Creek – This impressionistic watercolor of a fishing buddy wading in one of the popular Southwest Virginia streams says it all about being streamside on a bright spring day in the Blue Ridge Mountains.