Warm Autumn Morning
Strasburg’s annual Mayfest celebration is this weekend. It is an event that brings a lot of folks to town to enjoy crafts, music, food, and, of course, the big parade. This year I will be demonstrating my pastel art in the patio garden at Cristina’s Cafe on West King Street. There is also a wall full of my art inside the cafe. Stop by for a visit. Just look for the loveliest garden on King Street.
Blueberry and cream cheese-stuffed French toast made with sourdough bread.
Eating good food is a great way to celebrate special occasions in our lives and this Mother’s Day was no exception for the Collegeman Kids and their mother. My son, Aaron Collegeman, treated me to lunch yesterday at Thai Winchester, on the Old Town Mall. Eating under an umbrella on the patio was oh-so-pleasant and the delicious meal was enhanced by the very gracious servers and the owners, who stopped to visit for a moment at our table. Tasting the traditional foods of Thailand was a new experience for me, one I plan to repeat in the near future.
This morning, the celebration continued with my daughter, Adrienne Collegeman (a wonderful cook!), preparing a scrumptious breakfast of sourdough French toast stuffed with cream cheese and blueberries. I couldn’t resist topping mine with a drizzle of agave nectar and a spritz of whipped cream. After all, Mother’s Day only comes once a year.
Stuffed French Toast a la Adrienne
Papaya salad, talapia entree, and sweet mango dessert from Thai Winchester
Mmmmmmm…
This Friday, May 11, is National Public Gardens Day. In Winchester, Virginia, the gorgeous grounds of Glen Burnie estate along with the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley will be open free to the public with an accompanying list of activities for young and old alike.
My artist friends Bobbi Walker, Laurel Vaughan, and I will be painting plein air-style in the gardens from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Bobbi is an acrylic artist while Laurel and I use soft pastel. We’d love to have you stop by to watch while we work. Questions and comments are happily accepted.
Above painting from the sunken garden at Glen Burnie, Water Play II
Below, available as a ceramic art tile, one of the statues in the gardens, Flora
Sometimes the view is so astonishingly beautiful, so stunning in its impact, so glorious in its extravagance that I wonder how, after seeing it, I can walk away.
Today I was in a place that I didn’t want to leave and don’t want to share for fear it will somehow be destroyed. Lovely beyond words, I’ll not soon forget the exquisite lushness of a huge colony of native wildflowers–Wild Sweet William–that lined the narrow gravel road I was driving. The wildflowers spilled into the woods on both sides and for a half mile or more I was greeted at every curve by a sea of lavender, pink, and white flowers glowing in the dappled light filtering down through the trees. I stopped many times to get out and take photographs. Standing in the middle of the road surrounded by wildflowers on every side, with the branches of aged trees forming a green canopy overhead, gave me a feeling of utter isolation. I’m so grateful I was allowed to experience this.
Sweet, indeed.
My photographs cannot do justice to what must be experienced firsthand.
Wild Sweet William:
I have been working hard on three paintings commissioned by the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation and so have not been creating my own personal art (Sigh!). However, I continue to enjoy photographing the views around my home in Oranda and would like to share with you my muse-inspired images. All of the photographs were shot using either a Canon PowerShot or a Panasonic Lumix.
Above, Remembering the Shire
Below, Buttercup Carpet
Etched at Dawn
Spring
I invite you to visit my blog often. Your comments are welcome.
One of the difficult things about being an artist is finding ways to show your art to people. You know there are folks out there who would enjoy it, talk about it, and perhaps buy it but bringing the two together is a challenge that calls for a certain creativity of its own. Along with a few galleries, shops, and restaurants that have graciously accepted my art for display, I strive for an online presence that has the potential to bring my art to a very large number of people.
One of the ways to increase the number of online viewers is by networking with other web site owners. Recently, The Harvest Moon, a web site that is all about repurposing and upcyling used items, asked if they could interview me for a new section on their blog called, Shenandoah Valley Artist Interview Series. By accepting their offer then talking about it here on my blog, we have very quickly increased the potential number of viewers to both our sites. I love the Internet!
PS Please enjoy the interview!
painting shown above, Evening Meditation
My painting, Little Springhouse at Fishers Hill-Spring, is still on view at Buggy B’s in Strasburg, Virginia. A portion of the sale of this painting will go to Response, Inc. Buying this beautiful piece of art is a win-win situation. Doing so will enhance everyone’s quality of life.
In 1994, John Berendt published his book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. I’m sure you read it or saw the movie a couple of years later. Great read, good movie. The book cover photo was an image of a statue of a young girl that stood in the Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia. You can read all about her here.
After the book and the movie, the Bird Girl became so popular with tourists that the family who owned the cemetery plot where she stood decided to move her to a safer location. Licensed reproductions of her were made available for sale in various retail venues and that’s how I came to have one in my own garden in Oranda. As you can see from the photo, my Bird Girl has also been through some rough times as noted by the silver duct tape bracelet on her left wrist. She’s also about 4 inches shorter because I buried her that deep in the garden soil in order to keep an errant breeze or dog from toppling her over.
Savannah’s Bird Girl is safe in the Telfair Museum. Oranda’s Bird Girl will continue to grace my garden.
I am fortunate to live very near a large apple orchard. It is one of my favorite places to visit for inspiration. In this painting I tried to capture the ethereal quality of the apple blossoms while luring you further into the orchard on the old road.
Orchard Road, Fall (private collection):
I am very pleased to announce I have been commissioned by the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation to create several landscape paintings depicting locations in Rockingham County, Virginia, where Union and Rebel forces fought decisive battles of the Civil War during June of 1862. The Battles of Cross Keys and Port Republic were General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson’s last battles in his famous 1862 Valley Campaign.
The paintings will not be images of war but will show these landscapes as they are seen today. Many of the locations are pristine and, except for the addition of a few manmade elements, look the same as they did to the people who lived here before the battles took place.
The Shenandoah Valley was the scene of great conflict during the Civil War. There are many who consider it hallowed ground. I am honored my art will be part of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation’s ongoing efforts to protect and preserve the legacy of these historic sites.
above painting, Through the Orchard
. However, I continue to enjoy photographing the views around my home in Oranda and…
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