Stormy spring highway. Oil on stretched canvas, 8x10.To my amazement, I spent much of Monday driving in snowstorms. Yes, snow in Virginia and Tennessee in April. When it wasn't snowing, it was pouring.
At times, this was pretty frightening. High up on what is called "the plateau" in Tennessee, I found myself in a blizzard. I was nervous. I've driven enough in snow, but I was in my brand new car, driving along a high mountain ridge with drivers who probably haven't driven in a lot of snow.
The thermometer in the van (it's so cool that the van has one!) read 34 degrees. Thirty-four degrees! This morning, school openings around Tennessee are delayed. In the plateau area, they're opening two hours late. I'm really glad I got down from there. The van handled really well in the snow, and I was thankful.
Meanwhile, snow or no snow, the trees and bushes along the highway are inching into life. From the middle of Virginia on, marvelous purple-pink trees - cherry trees, I guess? - are bursting into color. The grass is green, and trees are budding in all colors. Orange, red, yellow - I realized yesterday that they are coming to life in the spring with the same colors that they leave with in the fall - just a lighter, whiter version of those colors.
So I painted this one in the hotel room last night, from memory. I'm not crazy about it, but honestly, I felt I might unravel if I didn't paint something!
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