by William Van Doren

Inauguration Day 2009

I attended Barack Obama's first inaugural on January 20, 2009, and created a series of 21 paintings of the sunrise and sunset from that historic day. I began at dawn, at the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington, sketching and making notes as the light came up over the capital (not to mention the Capitol). By sunrise, I was up at the Lee-Custis Mansion, also known as Arlington House, above Arlington Cemetery. Then I walked into D.C. to experience the wonderful event, and at the end of the day I was sitting on the ground in front of the Washington Monument, taking in the sunset over the Lincoln Memorial. The weather was cold. The atmosphere was warm. It's remarkable (in my opinion), that as of this writing I still have the original paintings in my possession.

First Inaugural Sunrise From Lee - Custis Mansion

Description:

There are three large (36 x 48) oil on linen paintings from the day: the sunrise from the Iwo Jima Memorial, the sunset from the Washington Monument, facing the Lincoln Memorial, and this one, the sunrise as seen from the Lee-Custis Mansion, also known as Arlington House. Having sketched the dawn sky from the Iwo Jima Memorial, I hurried up to the mansion. A park ranger was stationed there to monitor security through a long-range scope. Before I could even mention my project, he started enthusing about the sunrise ... and showed me the pictures he'd been taking!

The original work is currently for sale. At the present time, originals are not offered for sale through the Fine Art America secure checkout system. Please contact the artist directly to inquire about purchasing this original by clicking on the picture links below.

First Inaugural Sunrise From Iwo Jima Memorial

Description:

This was the sky as I saw it at dawn from the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington, on the historic day that Barack Obama was sworn in as president.

The original work is currently for sale. At the present time, originals are not offered for sale through the Fine Art America secure checkout system. Please contact the artist directly to inquire about purchasing this original by clicking on the picture links below.

Obama Campaign Poster 2012

Description:

Poster supports Barack Obama's re-election by featuring my painting of the sunrise from his first inauguration.

Dawn 20 January 2009

Description:

Poster featuring one of my paintings of the sunrise over Washington on the day of Barack Obama's first inauguration ... commemorates the historic event and refers to the end of the George W. Bush era.

First Inaugural Sunset 20 January 2009

Description:

I watched the sun setting past the Lincoln Memorial as I sat on the frozen ground in front of the Washington Monument, on the historic day that Barack Obama was sworn in as president.

The original work is currently for sale. At the present time, originals are not offered for sale through the Fine Art America secure checkout system. Please contact the artist directly to inquire about purchasing this original by clicking on the picture links below.

47 Minutes on Christmas Eve
About the Author:
William Van Doren, a graduate of Johns Hopkins University, worked in New York and Los Angeles as an editor, ghostwriter, artist and designer before returning to his home state of Virginia. While an undergraduate he edited and published The Diode and rewrote two early issues of Reason magazine. As a literary agency editor in New York, he handled the work of Norman Mailer, Arthur C. Clarke, Dean R. Koontz and many others, and edited the Scott Meredith classic Writing to Sell. In Los Angeles, he created the influential experimental magazine The Wall Paper. His prize-winning ultra short story, "The Last Page of My Great American Novel," has been published in Streetlight. As an artist, he has been painting the sunset since 1995 and currently posts each day's sunset at momentandhorizon.com. 47 Minutes on Christmas Eve is the first book to appear under his own name.
About the Book:
Too much work — not enough time. Too much worry — not enough joy. Too much living online — not enough living. These familiar problems plunge the narrator of 47 Minutes on Christmas Eve into crisis — and guide him into a dazzling series of encounters with a surprising, inspiring conclusion. 47 Minutes on Christmas Eve, “a surreal holiday fable, part Alice in Wonderland and part It’s a Wonderful Life” (Virginia Living magazine), is “a magical tale of redemption” (The Hook, Charlottesville, Va.) and “a gift that will endure through the years” (Lynchburg, Va., Ledger). In his advance review, John de Graaf, bestselling author of Affluenza and a director of the Happiness Initiative, writes, “47 Minutes is a thin book, but deep; short, but memorable. Take the time to savor its words and surreal images and its powerful, timely message for our rushed and stuffed society: ’tis, indeed, the gift to be simple.”

Charlottesville, VA - United States