"Millwood Road (Grey-Cat Bird)"
Presenting…
I just finished this up on Saturday in time for it to dry and have ready for the Group Exhibition at Berkley Gallery in Warrenton, Virginia, October 9-23, 2010 with the artists’ reception on Saturday October 9, 2010 from 4-8 Pm.
“Millwood Road (Grey-Cat Bird)”
As always, I am drawn to architectural elements, especially those with character and age. This particular brick pillar and concrete urn sit at the entrance to a country estate in northwest Virginia, a horse farm, I think. The Burwell-Morgan Mill, a working historic grist mill is just up the street, and twice a year they hold an art show that is extremely popular in the area. I would exit off Route 50 and turn onto Millwood Road (State Route 723) to drop off my painting and drawings for the show and would always pass these beautiful entrance gates to the estates and horse farms on Millwood Road. Finally, on one trip up to Millwood, I stopped, parked my car, grabbed my camera and walked along the road, capturing images for future reference. I was standing at the entrance gate of this country estate, looking at the brick pillar and the urn, admiring the orange lichens and the subtle green moss areas that probably explode after a rain shower when the sun peeks out from behind the clouds and lights the pillar perfectly. Immediately, I started taking pictures and putting a composition together in my head, thinking what bird should perch on this pillar? Just then, I hear meowing from the shrubbery off to the side and, from the corner of my eye, see a cat pop out from under the brush. This distracts me just enough that I turn my head to look at the cat. Not really interested in capturing the feline on film, I look back at the brick pillar to get a few more images and to my amazement is this beautiful grey-cat bird perched on the top of the brick pillar … Perfect!
So the question is, was it the cat I heard or the bird?
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