"The Women's Show" June 9, Blowing Rock, NC!

"Monumental Oak", a 22" X 28" oil on canvas, will be offered at "The Blowing Rock Women's Show" at the American Legion Building in Blowing Rock, NC - June 9th! We are raising funds for women in need and would sure like to meet you! There will be many other artworks, so come on up! Blowing Rock is at about 3,500', where the views are marvelous and the air is clean! Thanks for your consideration.

“Monumental Oak”, 22” X 28” oil on canvas

"Monumental Oak" Now On Offer

Purchase this painting here: https://www.catherinetwomey.com/available/monumental-oak

When I hike up a trail approaching a bare area (bald) or rounded hill, I get such an expansive, peaceful feeling. Near my home is the Biltmore Estate which has grounds manicured back in the day (early 1900's) by the famous Frederick Olmsted. I go there often to hike and am often struck by these 100+ year old oaks at the top of the balds. They're so large their branches often hit the ground as they loom over me!

In this painting I was thinking about the cools and warms. This magnificent specimen was just getting a hint of autumn colors. The right side has a variety of purplish and blue/green colors. I was drawn to the brilliant warmth of the trunk as it was hit by the setting sun. Rather than paint in individual leaves, I massed the shapes to suggest their beauty but focused on the patterns of warmth playing against the cools throughout the painting.

This original oil is on stretched canvas with a poplar wood frame. It has painted edges of 1.5".

"Massive Summer Oak" Plein Air Oil by C. Twomey

This original oil, 16"H X 8"W is up for sale. It was painted "En plein air" (outside in one sitting) and is on an archival linen board.

"Massive Summer Oak" 16" X 8", Catherine Twomey

Interested in purchasing? Please click HERE to purchase.

In the summer, the oaks look bigger then ever, and this one is just plain massive. It has the most interesting branches and patina. 

Art is my life. From the first art project I can remember (making a Christmas Nativity scene in grade school that overshadowed the resident artist) art has always been what brings me the greatest satisfaction. Without art, I am not who I am. 

I am now working full time as a fine artist, a dream that I've pursued for as long as I remember. Landscapes engage and challenge me, and I have a very soft spot for animals (that's me with Rosie the thoroughbred, left). 

My artwork has been featured at the world renowned TED (Technology, Education and Design) conference (TED MED in San Diego, on huge high definition screens throughout the exhibition center). I recently won the nationally acclaimed ArtInPlace competition in Virginia which placed a 12' X 24' mural on aluminum of my work, now seen by thousands of commuters daily. 
Two museums currently house my art: The William H. Benton Museum in Connecticut, and The LLoyd Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was a great honor to be asked to exhibit and I continue to add to their collections. Speaking of collections, my work is a part of hundreds of private collections worldwide.

Earlysville White Oak

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.