Shake Rattle Etc. – Sunset, Monday, 7 March 2016

William Van Doren, SHAKE RATTLE ETC. Sunset from Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va. Oil on Arches watercolor block, 17 x 23.

Note on my sketch reads “Turner Dazzle Blur” but it ended up more like the other Joe Turner.

The Temptation of Big Joe Turner – Sunset, Tuesday, 28 October 2014

William Van Doren, THE TEMPTATION OF BIG JOE TURNER. Sunset from Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va. Oil on canvas, 18 x 24.

Big Joe Made Me Do It – Sunset, Wednesday, 12 June 2013

William Van Doren, BIG JOE MADE ME DO IT. Sunset from Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va. Oil on watercolor block, 13 x 19.

Started with a series of “washes” that I’d read were employed by J.M.W. Turner. In fact, for proper application of the technique this would have to be either watercolor or a type of oil painting in which separate glazes had time to dry, but ... tried it anyhow, just to see what would happen.

Not Entirely Forgotten (Sunset, Tuesday, 28 June 2011)

William Theodore Van Doren, NOT ENTIRELY FORGOTTEN (Sunset/Twilight from Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va.) Oil on watercolor block, 13 x 19.

After five hours of storms, the clouds had an after-party, and went through a dizzying array of changes. At times the sky looked like a Turner, then like a Tiepolo, then there was a curious green layer of cloud, and what had been gold turned orange-pink. At some point I had to give up trying to absorb it all – try to forget and just paint.

Sunset, Wednesday, 9 September 2009

William Theodore Van Doren. Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va. Oil on paper, 16 x 20.

You can think Canaletto, you can think Giorgione, you can think Cassatt, Sisley, Kahlo, Hiroshige or Poussin. You can think Turner (some may find it odd that I don’t – this is probably because I ‘discovered’ him, as in really noticed his amazing work, only very recently) or Whistler or Munch or de Kooning or O’Keeffe. Doesn’t matter. If you have any integrity at all, when you get a brush in your hand sooner or later you’ll just paint, and there probably won’t be a whole lot you can do other than paint like yourself.