“West Hall”,
by Robert Leedy, 2009,
archival gicleé print on Hahnemühle William Turner 310 gsm watercolor paper,
11″ x 16″ (image size),
from a limited, signed, edition of 150.
(produced from the original watercolor painted in 1977)

I painted this watercolor well over 30 years ago.  I was a student at Valdosta State University in the small Southeastern town of Valdosta, Georgia. Back then enrollment was around 4,000 students. Today, that number approaches 12,000.  The campus is beautiful and every time I see this painting, I think of my watercolor professor, Joeseph Pember.  Mr. Pember was a big proponent of plein aire painting and his classes were usually full during Spring Quarter. Like most of the VSU philosophy classes during springtime, the majority of Mr. Pember’s were conducted outside.  Nothing made me happier than a beautiful, sunny, spring morning where I was painting watercolors en plein aire. Life doesn’t get any better than that!

A little over a year ago, I attended a Faculty Art exhibition at VSU. The draw for me was that former art faculty members were also invited to hang works in the show.  I was excited about the prospect of seeing some of my professors from 30 years back. It was great to see Russell McCrae, Don Penney, Ruth Kahler, Bruce Wallace, and William Martin. Unfortunately, Lee Bennett passed away some years ago while Irene Dodd (who was the Department Head) and Joe Pember were unable to make the opening. Earlier this year, Dr. Martin attended one of my shows in Lake Wales (where he now resides.)

In addition to seeing some of the old, familiar faces, It was also a big pleasure to meet some of the current art faculty at Valdosta State.

Over the years, I’ve had people ask me about prints of this painting. Most were former students. Next year marks the Convergence in Valdosta 2010, a reunion of students and “anyone who hung out with us” during the 70’s.  I have decided to make a run of these prints in their honor…

The painting is of West Hall which is the main campus building which serves as the focal point of the University.  Despite numerous cosmetic changes, it’s overall look hasn’t changed much since I was there.

Prints of West Hall are now available – along with several other new prints – on my art web site: RobertLeedyArt.Com

PURCHASE THIS PRINT

]]> http://btljuice.wordpress.com/2009/11/06/stumbling-gop-debate-feed-frustrates-carbondale-viewing-party/ Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:53:06 +0000 Barton Lorimor http://btljuice.wordpress.com/2009/11/06/stumbling-gop-debate-feed-frustrates-carbondale-viewing-party/

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Frustrated sighs were more common than supportive applause from a group of southern Illinois Republicans who congregated to watch the GOP’s gubernatorial debate Thursday night.

Not because those in attendance did not agree with the candidates, but because they missed some of their statements.

A group of roughly 25 Republicans gathered in a conference room at the Holiday Inn to watch a live feed of the Illinois Republican gubernatorial debate. The gathering was one of fifteen debate parties going on statewide as the seven candidates vying for their party’s nomination squared off with each other in a Chicago hotel ballroom.

The audio/video feed froze on multiple occasions throughout the debate, which in some cases prevented the audience here from hearing a few of the candidates’ response to questions posed by moderator and conservative broadcaster Chris Robling.

Bruce Wallace, chairman of the Jackson County Republicans, which hosted the debate party, said there was nothing he or his staff could do to fix the interruptions since the feed was streaming directly from Chicago.

The breaks interrupted each candidate at least once, but two of State Sen. Kirk Dillard’s responses were completely unheard.

But the debate provoked other reactions from the audience. They brought their hands together for Jim Ryan, who failed to defeat Rod Blagojevich for governor in 2002, when the former Attorney General said he would not raises taxes to fix the state budget. The audience also chuckled as conservative commentator and businessman Dan Proft accused state Democrats of calling budget deficits “revenue.”

The audience remained silent throughout comments made by Andy McKenna, the former state party chairman who resigned his post to enter the race.

Don Lowery, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate seat to be vacated by Roland Burris, said he heard audience members asking one another why McKenna was not answering questions he was presented.

Though sparsely populated, southern Illinois has been a battleground region for at least three of the Republicans. When he became the first Republican to formally announce his gubernatorial candidacy, State Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington included Marion, Ill. on his list of tour stops. So too did Dillard and political newcomer Adam Andrzejewski.

No one candidate has a clear advantage in the Republican nomination race, but a poll of 800 registered voters in Illinois conducted by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute in September showed Brady and Dillard led the pack, but were nearly even with one another.