There is something called the Golden Hour that occurs in the late afternoon and it does something magical to everything the fading sun touches. In this painting, the reference photo was taken probably an hour before the Golden Hour or possibly two. My interpretation pushed the time forward a bit and I tried to capture the late afternoon shadows in their coolness as well as the very warm late afternoon autumn sun. Thanks to puddles in the road, you know it has recently rained. 

Of course, this summer and fall in Virginia it feels like we have all been transported to Washington State or some other local where it rains frequently. There was no drought in Virginia this year!

This is a 16×16 oil on a panel. The photo really doesn’t do it justice. Can’t wait to get it out into a gallery.