This is An oil painting I did for Lynanne Jamison our first Christmas together. She graduated from Christopher Newport University in 2006 and I wanted to replicate what the University looked like when she attended. Some of these buildings have since been demolished to make room for the newer Jeffersonian architecture on the campus. I had to contact the archives department to get my hands on some of the older photos from 2002-2006 and I'm grateful they understood my vision.
She would go to Noland Trail at Mariner's Lake near the Lion's Bridge and study on a fallen tree. The tree is still there and I took a piece of bark from it and adhered it to the painting.
The buildings shown are the Ferguson Center for the Arts, James River Hall, York River Hall, the old administration building and the geese fountain with Gosnold Hall in the background.
Lynanne has a heart of gold, and I'm forever grateful she's in my life. She's helped me understand what my purpose is, and is the focus behind everything I do. I've never met anyone like her. Ever. She drives me to better myself, to focus, and to push my art in ways I never imagined. Plus, she likes to travel, so there's that. This painting was an absolute labor of love and keeping it from her until Christmas Day was an undertaking in and of itself.
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