Grapevines are hard to draw. They seem to be in orderly rows from afar but as soon as you get close to them, they become a whirl of green leafy chaos, only now punctuated by the majestic bunches of grapes hanging at carefully pruned intervals. Grapevines are always putting out new viney branches with grabbing tendrils, as if they would seize you or the vintner and make wine out of their human hosts, rather than the other way around. They have a wildness to them which I enjoy watching. It's almost like kudzu, which unfortunately doesn't have the same sort of profitable fruit.
The second day of my short vacation I visited Lake Anna Winery, which is situated on a recently made (1970s) lake which was created to be the cooling pond for an establishment of nuclear power plants. I didn't know that when I was there but I wondered why there was a sign mentioning a nuclear zone or something to that effect. Now I have the fantasy of radioactive mutant grapevines reaching out their glowing green tendrils to take over Virginia.
Drawing is ink and colored pencil on sketchbook page, about 8" x 10".
3 comments:
You should publish a travel guide with illustrations...these always looks so nice. I don't drink wine, but they even make me consider visiting these places!
"It's a lovely sunny afternoon. You're visiting a local winery, expecting a relaxing time of sipping wine, eating good food, and enjoying the sunshine. But ... you have not reckoned with the horror of ... Radioactive Mutant Grapevines!" [Scenes of people fleeing in terror, screaming, as glowing green vines grab them & drag them away] "You will never drink wine again! Mwahahahaha!"
Tristan: I have plans to make the best of these drawings into a book.
Rachel: LOL
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