“Midday Sun on the New River” by Florence Thomas. Oil on canvas. 24”x30”. 2002.
“That’s somewhere near Creston, And the sun was hot that day. I was painting for that show- The New River- we were having at the Arts Council. I thought that barn was interesting.
One thing, I never like to take commission, or have someone tell me to go and paint some place. I like to do it myself, paint what I want to paint, not what someone wants me to paint. It was awfully hard for me to paint what I had to paint. I didn’t enjoy it as much as if I’d just decided to paint some place on the New River. I was painting it for that show. It was more like a commission.”
-Thomas, Florence. The Art of Florence Thomas. Jefferson, NC. McFarland & Company, Inc. 2004.
It’s the first day of summer in 2020, which hasn’t been the year anyone anticipated so far. Here in Ashe County we always look forward to summer days on the beautiful New River, one of the few things that hasn’t changed.
Though Florence felt obligated to paint this picture of the New River for an exhibit at the Ashe County Arts Council we love the finished piece. It’s a perfect glimpse of the tranquil summer times we’re looking forward to while enjoying the scenery of the Blue Ridge Mountains.