Working BIG on this ancient Virginia White Oak

Viginia White Oak, 12 X 24", oil on gessoed birch

Gosh am I having a good time lately. I am loving finally getting to paint this rather famous white oak tree in Earlysville, VA. I pass it almost daily and it's really gotten to me over the years. I only paint what I have great fondness for, and this is one of those things. Rumor has it it's well over 200 years old, and that Thomas Jefferson noted it when he'd pass it on the way to visit James Madison's home at Montpelier. 

I've learned that what's really unique about this particular species of oak is the tulip-shaped trunk. It's very wide at the base and narrows rather quickly, hence the "tulip shape." I hope it lives forever.

I spent a lovely morning photographing and sketching it and have been just itching to do this. This is the first LARGE (for me) painting I've done in years, and it's a welcome change. Going to keep going on this about 3/4 finished piece to finish before I hit the road for California then New York City next week.

Auction Ending In 8 Hours! Original, Custom Framed Country Store!

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This original, custom framed oil painting by internationally award-winning artist  Catherine Twomey speaks to the nostalgia of warm summer days. Painted en plein air  (outside, on site), it is of a Virginia General Store. It oozes the heat and light of a  late summer afternoon, where the old pumps sit waiting for their next customer along the shadowed country road. I painted this building because it has become an old friend; I pass it almost daily. It's  design and classic beauty were obvious. I spent hours painting it as the day waned,  but loved every minute. On archival linen board, the size of the painting is 5 X 7", with the frame it comes to  9.5 X 11". The frame is custom made by King of Frames (California) and is a rich  brown wood with a gold lining and very well made, ready to hand. It sets the painting  off beautifully and will enhance any setting. The colors, texture, contrasts of light and shadow evoke the emotions of the 1940's,  when this store was built. It is a southern classic still serving a contemporary clientele  with dignity and charm.  Background My artwork has been featured at the world renowned TED (Technology, Education and  Design) conference (TED MED in San Diego, on huge high definition screens throughout  the exhibition center). I recently won the nationally acclaimed ArtInPlace competition in  Virginia which placed a 12' X 24' mural on aluminum of my work, now seen by thousands  of commuters daily. Two museums currently house my art: The William H. Benton  Museum in Connecticut, and The LLoyd Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was a great  honor to be asked to exhibit and I continue to add to their collections. Speaking of  collections, my work is a part of hundreds of private collections worldwide.I've won many  national and international awards for my artwork, and am a published author which  means I have no excuse for bad writing or editing. Mea culpa. I'm not nearly as good a  writer as my brother Steve, who won a Pulitzer Prize and has some books in the works.  I do, however, try.I have studied with some of the best artistic and scientific minds in the  world: fellow medical illustrators. Leonardo da Vinci is considered the first medical  illustrator, and his knowledge, technical abilities and deep curiosity are benchmarks  for the field. As a Board Certified Medical Illustrator, I have had the privilege to know  and learn directly from some of the most extraordinarily talented, smart and influential  visionaries living today.Fine art influencers include Georgia O'Keefe, da Vinci,  Rembrandt and Degas. I look to their struggles and triumphs, and their unflinching  persistence.

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Genre:	Landscape
Media:	Custom wood framed with gold lining; archival line...
Auction Notes:	My artwork has been featured at the world renownedTED (Technology, Education and Design) conference (TED MED in San Diego, on huge high definition screens throughout the exhibition center). I recently won the nationally acclaimedArtInPlacecompetition in Virginia which placed a 12' X 24' mural on aluminum of my work, now seen by thousands of commuters daily.  Two museums currently house my art: The William H. Benton Museum in Connecticut, andThe LLoyd Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was a great honor to be asked to exhibit and I continue to add to their collections. Speaking of collections, my work is a part of hundreds of private collections worldwide. Fine art influencers includeGeorgia O'Keefe, da Vinci, Rembrandt and Degas. I look to their struggles and triumphs, and their unflinching persistence.