"Winter on the James" plein air painting

This is a view of the James River that I painted today on location at the Hollywood Cemetery in my town, Richmond, Virginia:

"Winter on the James" Oil on canvas, 9x12" ©Jennifer Young

I actually love old cemeteries any way, but the Hollywood Cemetery is one of Richmond's landmarks and a major tourist attraction in our town. Not only is it the burial place of two presidents and several prominent figures in civil war history, but, as the website points out, it is also incredibly beautiful.

The cemetery sits on a bluff overlooking the James River, and is filled with over 2000 trees of many varieties (some of them quite large, and older than the 1847-founded cemetery itself.) In fact, even though we have a number of beautiful parks in Richmond, Hollywood Cemetery is the location that kind of reminds me of a mini Central Park. People go there to meditate, pray, visit loved ones who have passed, but also to write, walk their dogs and just wander the grounds. Today, I went there to paint.

The day started out as a nice, sunny, and unusually warm winter day. But shortly after I got there, I soon found that my "perfect" spot on a bluff overlooking the James River had the disadvantage of getting whipped into a frenzy by the wind! I really did have to cut this session short. The piece needs more work, but I will return on a better day.

As it was, by the time I packed up my gear, I looked like I had been attacked by a giant tube of Windsor green paint!  (Ah, the joys of plein air painting!) Any way,  I am just glad nobody saw my little Jerry Lewis plein air routine. Well, maybe some ghosts saw, but (at least today), they weren't talking. ;-)