Have you visited Shenandoah National Park? What a beautiful place! One hundred miles long, but only a few miles wide in many places. It is one of our most visited national parks. It is only a few miles from my home in Charlottesville, Virginia. I love to go there and hike, or just take a lunch and sit and read at one of the many overlooks. Scenes in the park are one of my favorite painting and drawing subjects. Here are a few. Enjoy!
An exciting day for me at the McCormick Gap overlook in the park. A thunderstorm was rolling in from the southeast and low clouds were blowing through the gap just before the rain began. All that beautiful blue sky was just about to disappear!
Acrylic on canvas, 28″x22″
Storm Coming at McCormick Gap
Sunset at Sawmill Run
Acrylic on canvas, 18″x40″
What a beautiful evening at the Sawmill Run overlook! The sun was low on the horizon and the mountains and ridges were outlined in bits of haze and ground fog. Peaceful and serene. I tried to capture the sense of the moment with my color choices.
Doyles River Falls
Acrylic on canvas, 36″x24″
Doyles River Falls is in the South section of Shenandoah National Park, a short hike from Skyline Drive. This painting is based on a photo taken many years ago and now in the public domain. The National Park Service often uses this photo on park literature, so you may have seen it. But my painting adds to the photo, showing the upper section of the river above the falls, which is not visible in the original photo.
A Forest Welcome
Graphite on paper, 16″x20″ oval
Near Lewis Falls in the Central Section of the park is this large ancient oak in a grove with large stones and a bubbling stream. And a welcoming crew of chipmunks. What a beautiful place! And fun to draw.
