Stones River Cannon

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge: September—Day 6.

Living in Middle Tennessee, there are a lot of civil war battlefields. They are hallowed places with haunting pasts. Today's painting is a plein air piece from Stones River Battlefield in Rutherford County. The day I painted it was peaceful and calm. But on the last day of 1862, the two armies of the American Civil War suffered 24,000 casualties. I’m thankful these places remain today for our remembrance. We should never forget our past lest we repeat it. 

While I was painting, a park ranger came and spoke with me. He said, "In all my years of working here, I have never seen anyone painting." I can think of no greater compliment. For me, the best part of plein air painting is getting to spend “quality” time with places and events. And the fruit of that time spent is a work of art.

You can read all about the battle of Stones River here.

http://www.nps.gov/stri/index.htm

“I can never forget, if I remember anything, that at the end of last year and the beginning of this, you gave us a hard earned victory, which had there been a defeat instead, the country scarcely could have lived over.” – Abraham Lincoln