A Return to the Virginia Tech Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center

Dr. James Brown and me with "Storm Clouds Over Morven Park"
(Morven Park is the adjoining property and what I was looking towards)

This time I returned to the Equine Center sans horse but with this painting in tow instead.  Gypsy was back home happily munching hay having made a full recovery from her surgery this summer.  Some of you who are long time readers of this blog are familiar with the saga of Gypsy during July, August and September.  Dr. Brown was her surgeon and he performed emergency colic surgery on her on July 11th.  That was the beginning of a 19 day odyssey. If you go back to my July and August entries you can read the story and see this painting progress from the beginning.

      Regarding the painting....I believe it was July 18th when this massive thunderstorm was rolling in as I was preparing to leave the Center.  I knew I needed to get on the road and beat the storm home but I just had to take some photos first.  As I was doing that words went through my head such as, overwhelming, frightening, threatening, uncertain but beautiful.  I was aware that some of those words described what my experience there at the Equine Center was.  When I got home I printed out some of the photos and got to work on drawings as I knew I wanted to paint this. Working in the studio after my visits really helped me to unwind.  The title ,"Storm Clouds Over Morven Park",was clear from the beginning.  I know it is an obvious metaphor but it certainly was not contrived.  The drawing selected, the canvas prepared and the layout oil sketched in, I started the painting in earnest the day Gypsy came home.  It only took a couple of days to complete as I knew exactly what I wanted.  I also knew that I wanted this painting to help me thank and give support back to the Equine Center.
       The painting will be on display in the lobby of the Virginia Tech Marion duPont Scott Equine Center in Leesburg Virginia.  It is for sale and all the proceeds of the sale will go to the Center as an unrestricted gift. We timed the delivery of it to coincide with the beginning of a series of Tuesday Talks which will take place there in the lobby.  Dr. Brown will be giving the first talk this Tuesday evening, December 4th at 7:00 PM and I look forward to attending.
      Anyone interested in the purchase of this painting should contact Richard Gargagliano rgargagl@vt.edu or Sharon Peart speart@vt.edu. at the Virginia Tech Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center.  You might also enjoy an online visit to the Equine Center at www.vetmed.vt.edu/emc/.  You can take a virtual tour and also read about all the state of the art medical assistance available there.

I love this photo of Gypsy taken a couple of days before our discharge.
She looked so wistful, I wonder what she was thinking...