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.

Ancient Earlysville White Oak

I'm thinking back to the day I was able to sit underneath and paint this tree. It probably saw General George Armstrong Custer during the Civil War, heading to battle over Rio Hill along Seminole Trail Road.

And what about all those trips Thomas Jefferson took up the Trial and over to visit his Montpelier friend, James Madison? This tree knows a lot.

This piece will be available in my upcoming show starting Oct. 13.

From the Daily Progress, Oct. 12, 2008:
Taking a bough

Among the estimated 172 million trees in AlbemarleCounty, the Earlysville Oak is royalty.
It’s the second largest white oak (Quercus alba) in Virginia, and when it was first setting its roots the nation was just starting to grow as well. From its position near Earlysville Road it has seen oxen drawn wagons evolve into fume-belching vehicles, and then aircraft join the birds flying above its spreading crown.
The regal tree has seen the Rivanna Post Office come and go and, for generations, felt the grip of tiny hands climbing and clinging to its boughs. Now it stands alone in the approach lane to the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport, a venerable symbol of the community’s love for this special tree.
“The story as I understand it is that they had to extend the apron of the airport’s runway, so the [Federal Aviation Administration] said the tree had to go,” said Robert Llewellyn, who as a professional photographer has been photographing Virginia’s landscape, as well as its people and historic places, for nearly 40 years.
“Then the community came together and said, ‘No, we want to save this tree,’ and for the moment, it is saved. It’s a unique tree. The base of it is flared, which is very unusual for an oak to have that much flare at the bottom.