"Oatlands Plantation 2008 Gala"


"Morning Sun on Oatlands Mansion", Linda Volrath, 8" x 10", Oil on Linen

We attended the Oatlands Plantation spring 2008 black tie gala last weekend. The gala is a fund raising event to benefit this historic trust property in Leesburg, VA. Linda and I have been involved with them for about 10 years. We have had paintings in their annual art show every year and have always done well selling paintings. Linda donated this painting "Morning Sun on Oatlands Mansion" for the silent auction. Bidding was strong and the painting raised the most money of all the silent auction items, we would like to thank and congratulate the winning bidder. We would also like to thank Cynthia Bridgman for having us at her table. We enjoyed speaking to William C. Travis and his wife Sally, William's watercolor painting of Oatlands was used on the invitation and was donated for the live auction. His painting raised a substantial amount of money for Oatlands benefit. We would like to thank everyone involved at Oatlands for always being so kind to us, allowing us to paint on their property and giving us opportunities to be involved in their fund raising events. If you can visit Oatlands it is well worth the trip.

"Kenn Backhaus workshop and mini-tornado"


"Moravian Church at Dusk", Linda Volrath, Oil on Linen, 9"x12"

Linda and I just got back from a plein air painting workshop with Plein Air Painters of America member Kenn Backhaus. Kenn is a great landscape painter, and a wonderful instructor. This was one of the best workshops we've taken, Kenn is an enthusiastic, thoughtful teacher that gave us a great fundamental foundation to improve our plein air painting. If you get the opportunity to take a workshop with Kenn Backhaus you should take it. Thanks to Sandra Corpora President of the Bethlehem Palette Club who organized this workshop. Thanks also to Sandy and Pat for their wonderful hospitality. The weather though cold at the beginning of the week, turned warm and sunny for the remainder of the week. The weather event that none of us had ever experienced while painting occurred on Tuesday afternoon. Kenn was doing a painting demonstration along the banks of the Lehigh River, there was not a cloud in the sky and the wind was calm. Soon a slight breeze picked up, and intensified to the point that we went running to our easels to keep them from blowing over. Things were blowing in all directions and a dust devil came spinning down the path we were all on, it took a right turn about twenty feet before where Kenn was set up and headed down the bank onto the river. Easels and painting supplies were rolling down the banks and into the water. Once over the river the dust devil transformed into a sixty foot tall water spout a mere fifty feet from where we were standing. After fifteen or twenty seconds it moved to the opposite bank and burned itself out over the steel mill buildings. Then all was calm and there was still not a cloud in the sky. We picked ourselves up and resumed the demonstration. As usual there were at least twelve cameras in the group and no one took a picture.

"Paintings from the Blue Ridge Hunt Races"


"The Red Cup" Linda Volrath, 10"x8", Oil on Panel

These two paintings are Linda's exploration of a new genre for her. She was inspired by the spectators at the cold and windy Blue Ridge Hunt horse races chronicled in a previous post. I love them and hope she continues to paint people in the process of enjoying life. You really get a sense of how we all were feeling that day.


"untitled" Linda Volrath, 14"x11", Unfinished Oil on Panel

These paintings will be added to Linda's website once she has finished them. When we finish redesigning her website we will add a category for People and Animals other than Horses. She has some great paintings of birds that need to be included.

"Spring is Springing"


"Daffodils and Ball Jar",Linda Volrath, Oil on Linen, 9" x 12"

Spring is Springing at our house in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, the birds are busy building nests, the rabbits are trying to eat everything growing in our gardens, and the trees are budding their brains out. That can only mean one thing, IT'S PLEIN AIR LANDSCAPE PAINTING TIME! We're dusting off our outdoor equipment and will be back out there battling the sun, snakes, bugs, wind, and whatever else nature wants to throw at us. It is all worth it when you stand in front of God's beautiful creation and really look at the light, shape, and color of nature. Nature is gloriously simple and amazingly complex and it all would take care of it's self if not for our destructive human behavior. So take some time this spring to go out and really see what God has created for us, and give nature the respect that it deserves.