sheldenstudios
Paintings, Drawings and other works
ROUTE 4
RAINING CATS AND DOGS

A GALA FOR CAT LOVERS


A NORTH BEACH THING

SPIRIT OF THE HORSE

ALONG THE TRAIL

 

Route 4

Pick up the Tour de 4
brochure at one of the gallery
locations and find where
the views are along Route 4.

The Route 4 Project:
showing at the following
locations during 2011

NEW WORKS in 2011!

The Farm Stand
at Spider Hall Farm on 231
Opening June 20th!!

CalvArt Gallery
Prince Frederick, MD
Finding Beauty: Land and Sea
Opening March 5th 5 to 8pm
March 2nd through March 27th

Annmarie Garden
Coming in September/October:
Artsfest and Imagine a...

The ARC of Southern Maryland
Dares Beach Road, West End
Snow Scenes from Route 4

Friday's Creek Winery
on Chaneyville Road

also available directly from
www.sheldenstudios.com

contact us

Route 4 is: a series of paintings featuring the best known barns and landscapes along Route 4 in Southern Maryland.

These days we often find inspiration in the scenes we see from our cars. There is something remarkable in that there are so many views and places of interest along one road. It says a great deal about this county and the people who live here.

My original inspiration for this series comes from the the '80s when I would drive down to Calvert Cliffs in order to hike to the beach and hunt for shark's teeth. Since that time I have moved down to Calvert County and I think one of the things that has drawn me down here is the road itself. During the course of the years Route 4 has seen much development, but it seems that consideration is being given to the preservation of certain open spaces and structures along the way. As I travel up and down the road, these sights remain, and change only with the seasons.

It is a pleasure to see the plowed fields, the new crops planted, and then growing, the corn, getting higher and higher until it seems to reach the roof of the barn behind it, then to see it cut, and with that the texture of the stubble, the neat rows of growing and then harvested rows fanning out as I drive by. There are certain trees I look for, champions who have survived into this decade, and landmarks that frame the landscape given to open fields, backed by trees, and ever changing skies above. There are special houses, with their driveways and mailboxes coming right up to the road, that say they were around when life moved along a little bit slower than we do now.

Two years ago I decided to record what I was seeing from the road photographically. Deb McClure joined me on this adventure, and we traveled up and down the road in the spring, summer, fall and winter and captured as much as we could. Also with the help and patient company of my husband Craig and my children, Daniel and Courtney, I was able to capture these scenes which most of us only get to see at 55mph.

These are not static views, there are parts of the imagery that are blurred that open up the possibilities that the paintbrush revels in, streaks and strokes of color in motion. With every new image I set to canvas, I am inspired, as a painter, by the texture of the fields of grass, of the woodlands, and fields of yellow beans or green corn, and tobacco.

I would like to inspire the artists of Calvert County to join this project, to portray their own perspectives and views of this road. The more you look, the more you see, and inspiration and imagination take hold and off you go! What a wonderful adventure!

Many thanks to all those people who work so hard to preserve the land around us.

Thank you!

 



Paintings and Drawings

Showing in 2011:

Artworks at Seventh
9128 Bay Avenue, North Beach, MD 20714
Thursday through Sunday, 11 to 5pm
410-286-5278
www.artworksat7th.com

Friday's Creek Winery
3485 Chaneyville Road
Owings, Maryland 20736
410-586-3236
www.fridayscreek.com
September 2009 through July 2010

CalvART Gallery
Prince Frederick Shopping Center
on Route 4 at the 231 intersection
Wednesday thru Sunday 11 to 5pm
410-535-9252
www.calvartgallery.org

___

The Route 4 Comment Board

It started at Artworks at 7th
It's been to Friday's Creek
It stayed a month at Annmarie

Where now?

Let me know if you would like to host this board at your business offices or shop along Route 4. I am looking for layers and layers of commentary about this Calvert County Road.

route 4 panel state 1

this is the first state
after showing at Artworks at Seventh


this is the second state
after showing at Friday's Creek
and at the Cafe Gallerly at Annmarie Garden

see a detail, below



The Route 4 Paintings:

Dunkirk view

Dunkirk
acrylic on canvas 30 x 60"
currently at Annmarie Garden: imagine a...
$1,200

You see this view driving south on Route 4 just north of Dunkirk.


 

Red Barn at 6pm 2010

Red Barn at 6pm in 2010
acrylic on canvas 24 x 36"
currently at Annmarie Garden: imagine a...
$850

The Red Barn is situated just north of the Route 2 intersection on the right.


Owings Field

Owings Field
acrylic on canvas 24 x 36"
Currently Available at The Farm Stand at Spider Hall
$750

Heading south on Route 4, just before the Route 2 merge.
This landscape was captured in 2010.


Fall Fallow

Fall Fallow
acrylic on canvas 24 x 30"
Currently Available at The Farm Stand on Route 231
$670

You can find this landscape driving south on Route 4, just south
of Trott's Fruit and Vegetable stand.

The Last Stand on Parran Road

The Last Stand
acrylic on canvas 12 x 24"
Private Collection

This is a barn along Parran Road that has fallen
nearly the day after we captured the image.

 

Primary Color

Primary Colors
acrylic on canvas 20 x 42"
Currently Available at The Farm Stand on Route 231
$750

Just south from Broomes Island Road, looking left, you will find this barn.

talbott dawn

Talbott Dawn
acrylic on canvas 24 x 36"
Currently Available at The Farm Stand on Route 231
$750

Headed North on Route 4, just past Talbott Road. A glance back.

Annapolis, junction 1 mile

Annapolis, Junction 1 Mile
acrylic on canvas 12 x 36"
Private Collection

One thing I personally love about Route 4 are the ups and downs.
This is a first attempt at showing this characteristic of the road.



Lusby

Lusby
acrylic on canvas 46 x 46"
currently available
currently at Annmarie Garden: imagine a...
$900

All the Route 4 images are taken from the front passenger seat at the speed limit. It's so that the views I am capturing are those we see every day as we drive up ad down this road. On this day, we drove by this lounge chair set up right by the road. Our guess is that it fell off of someone's truck, and that some one else came along and got it off the road and set it up with a good view. It is located just at Coster Road going north, and a head is the blue sign for Lusby, the stop light, and the PBP tower.


The Promise

The Promise
Acrylic on canvas 24 x 30"
currently at CalvART Gallery
$650

These trees, which I believe to be a row of sugar maples, strike a surprising, delicate balance, a dialogue between the trees and the traffic. I put no cars or trucks on the road, but in actuality, we rarely see 30 seconds with out traffic at this time of the day. I call this one The Promise because these trees stand like a contract between the farm and progress.


Just North of Sixes

Just North of Sixes
acrylic on canvas 24 x 30"
currently available at The Farm Stand on Route 231
$625

This is the scene, just north of Sixes Road, and each year it shows differently. But it has to be one of the best maintained properties along our road. Peaceful.


The White Barn at Lord Baltimore Drive

The White Barn
acrylic on canvas 24 x 30"
private collection

Located across from Lord Baltimore Drive, this is one of the first paintings I made in the series. I consider it one of the most significant views visible from Route 4.


The Barn next to Trotts

The Barns next to Trotts
acrylic on canvas 24 x 24"
Private Collection
$450

I like Trotts and I love this barn and the way the rows of crops line up in front of it. Mums?


Trott's Sunset

Trotts Sunset
acrylic on canvas 20 x 40"
Currently Available
at The ARC of Southern Maryland

$625

This is a winter view of the pair of barns seen above,
but from slightly further south along the road.


Two White Roofs

Two White Roofs
acrylic on canvas 24 x 40"
Currently Available
at The ARC of Southern Maryland
$625

This is a slightly different angle, and the winter view, of the image below.


metamorphosis

Metamorphosis
acrylic on canvas 24 x 42"
private collection

As you drive north in the morning this scene catches your eye on the right just after you leave Prince Frederick. This painting is a faithful reproduction of a row of old trees that have been overtaken by vines and underbrush. And no, it's not a marching band of stuffed animals, no sharks, no dogs, no hairy people, just stumps and vines and tendrils, right?


red barn

The Red Barn in November
acrylic on canvas 24 x 30"
currently available
at The Farm Stand on Route 231
$650

In the winter the crops are cut and the ground waits for a new crop. The detail blurs as you drive past, some of the rows can be seen at a glance. This is the red barn just north of the Route 2 intersection.


Red Barn in Winter

Red Barn in Winter
acrylic on canvas 20 x 40
currently available
at The ARC of Southern Maryland
$625


Red Barn at Six PM

Red Barn at Six PM
acrylic on canvas 24 x 84"
private collection

The red barn shows up on the right just north of the Route 2 intersection. This barn has a number of faces depending on what time of year you see it. I enjoy watching the progress of the crops in the field. The corn got high enough in this image to obscure the barn door. This was a tough view to catch, taken from the passenger side of the car, moving with traffic, going south.


Red White and Blue

Red, White and Blue
acrylic on canvas 24 x 40"
Private Collection

This barn can be seen just behind a line of trees along Route 4 just south of Broomes Island Road. Like a constellation, it is only visible from November through April. I should name it Orion.



January 30th, Winter Drive

January 30th, Winter Drive
acrylic on canvas 19 x 40"
currently available
at The ARC of Southern Maryland
$625

This is a winter view of the "Save Our Troops" Barn
in Owings.



Corn God

The Corn God
acrylic on canvas 18 x 18"
currently available at The Farm Stand on Route 231
$325

This one greets you at the intersection of Route 4 and Broomes Island Road. The head has gone, but the body remains, and the corn is really, really good, as are the tomatoes.


bowens

Bowens
acrylic on canvas 24 x 42"
Private Collection

I am not sure the Bowens own this property, but it is the field situated right behind Bowen's Florist just north of Prince Frederick. The barn and the little house speak to one another, they are connected, and it is very difficult to picture one without the other. It is also easier to see this scene as you drive south. Catch a glimpse of it just before you enter town.


Dawn Impression

Dawn Impression
acrylic on canvas 8 x 60"
Private Collection

This view can be found just north of Bowen's Florist. The fruit stand has been taken away.


chaneyville

Chaneyville
private collection
acrylic on canvas 24 x 84"

These trees are just south of Chaneyville Road. They have a special place in this series because of their proximity to the road and the intimacy with Route 4. Here is a peaceful scene, sometimes with a field of wheat behind, sometimes with corn growing high. A pastoral scene, right up against the trucks and cars and traffic. It's a delicate relationship, which, at the moment, is quite balanced.



field of curiosities

Field of Curiosities
acrylic on canvas 24 x 60"
Residing at Calvert Pines Senior Center

We call this one the field of curiosities because there are several objects in this scene that do not seem to belong, for instance, load palettes, huge wooden spools for cables, big wooden? boxes, hay bales and objects like that. At first we thought, well it could be a target or archery field. Well, we were close. Turns out it's a paintball field. Sign of the times and what is fun in life, right? It hasn't altered much in five or so years at least. It is on the right as you travel south on Route 4. It is a great field, I have another version of this taken in the summer, which I plan to paint as well.



at talbot road

Talbot Road
acrylic on canvas 24 x 60"
Private Collection

Talbot Road intersects Route 4 just where the road divides north
of the Calvert County line. I also call the painting the V tree. V for victory, V for peace. The tree just fell apart this fall, and is now part of the past. It was an unusual tree and I am very glad I caught it before it fell away.


 

a detail from the comment board
currently seeking a new spot
Acrylic on canvas

 
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