Loping the Road

My friend and I enjoy loping the roads. It was our favourite pasttime in San Francisco, but we did not know we were “loping the roads” until we moved to Asheville, North Carolina. It is a Southern saying to mean driving around just for the fun of it until you find something interesting.

There are undoubtedly many interesting subjects to paint about in the Brandywine region. It is no wonder why N. C. Wyeth loves his “back door”, the Brandywine region.

“I don't believe any man who ever painted a great big picture did so by wandering from one place to another searching for interesting material. By the gods! There’s almost an inexhaustible supply of subjects right around my back door.” — N. C. Wyeth

Of all the beautiful landscapes we drove by, and this one at Buck and Montchanin Roads at Brandywine Creek Branch called out to me. I think it was the white gate, and the driveway leading up to the house hidden under a canopy of trees. It was like a secret entrance for the 100-acre Woods.

The White Gate. Greenville, Delaware. Oil on Panel, 6 by 8 inches. $225.