PLACES - Images from the work of Urban Design Associates

p l ac e s

i m ag e s f rom t h e wor k of u r b a n de s ig n a s s o c i at e s

david r. csont

i m ag e s f rom t h e wor k of u r ba n de s ig n a s s o c i at e s

david r. csont

contents introduction Artist’s Statement

3

A Word About Plein Air

5

gallery Bundoran Farm

7

Jekyll Island

17

Liseter

23

Homestead Preserve

31

Scotland

39

Other Works

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artist’s statement

I have always had a strong visual memory.

Places and the events that connect me to them leave a strong and lasting impression in my mind. As an artist my first response is to draw or paint to communicate my ideas. I strive to tell the story through pictures that my words can’t easily communicate. The act of painting is a process that involves all of the senses. I immerse myself completely into the subject in order to draw out all of its character and hidden meaning, hoping that if I observe it closely enough I may glimpse the true essence of what makes it special.

Therefore, sketches and drawings done onsite and in the field really speak to my core artistic values because they are the pure interpretation of my subject.

This book is a compilation of sketches, drawings, and paintings from my work with Urban Design Associates. Over the past ten years, a richly diverse group of clients and projects have allowed me to travel to remarkable places to observe, record, and paint their many attributes. I am indebted to their vision and trust in allowing me to interpret their ideas.

Watercolor is ideally suited for my work because it is flexible, portable, and responsive. I love to watch my sketches develop from simple contour drawings in pencil to bright and colorful impressions capable of allowing the viewer to see what I see and feel what I feel.

3

plein air painting

The French phrase, “en plein air” translates to English as, “in the open air.” Artists have long used this definition to describe the art of painting outdoors or in the field. The plein air artist strives to record an immediate impression of what the eye sees and capture the mood, light, and character of the subject.

Although artists have always been drawn to record the outside world in their work, the technical restrictions of preparing media to create art was prohibitive. One needed to be both an artist and a chemist to grind and prepare costly raw pigments into paint that could be applied to canvas and panel.

This complicated process did not allow for much flexibility and required the controlled environment of an artist’s studio to be successful.

pressionist School of painting were particularly interested in the influence of changing natural light on the perception of color. Artists like Monet and van Gogh made their studios portable and moved into the open air to paint the everyday scenes around them.

Today, plein air painting is a pursuit that continues to captivate and challenge the finest artists in the world. Painting from real life is different form other painting techniques in that it challenges the artist to concentrate completely on the subject in front of them. Their senses absorb it all from sight and sound to temperature and atmosphere, ultimately channeling their observations onto paper and canvas.

In the 1870's, the successful manufacture of portable paint in tubes and lightweight easels, specially designed for working out of doors, contributed to the popularity of plein air painting. The members of the French Im-

5

bundoran farm

In southern Albemarle County, Virginia, about 20 minutes southeast of Charlottesville, along the upper branches of the Hardware River and reaching up into the hilltops, lies Bundoran Farm. Of the 2,300 acres that comprise this working farm, about 1,100 acres are rolling pastures, 1,000 acres are covered with mature Piedmont forest, and 200 acres are given to apple orchards yielding Romes, Granny Smiths, and both Red and Golden Delicious apples.

I arrived for three days of painting in late October of 2006, driving down from Pittsburgh through the mountains of West Virginia and on into Charlottesville.

The land and its structures resonated with history and character from the 18th and 19th centuries. I was captivated by the simple beauty and shape of the landscape. I remember quite vividly sitting and painting in open pastureland with the sounds of the cattle and scent of wood smoke from a neighboring farmhouse.

7

VIRGINIAN VICTORIAN

9"x12"

8

PLANTATION HOUSE

11"x14"

9

10

TENANT FARM

9"x12"

(opposite top) FROM THE FOREST EDGE

6"x12" (opposite bottom) GRAZING

9"x12"

11

CHIMNEY AND GABLES

9"x12"

(opposite) ORCHARD HOUSE

9"x12

12

13

KEYHOLE

9"x12"

14

CHARLOTTESVILLE

Virginia 2007

15

jekyll island

The new Jekyll Island Village is designed as a unique coastal conservation community with an active and vibrant Village center that provides amenities, services, and entertainment for visitors. The visitor accommodations are conceived as cottage colonies in keeping with the original Jekyll Island pattern of cottages tucked into a network of paths and lanes surrounded by live oaks and inland marshes. A new Environmental Discovery Center is proposed as an anchor within the Village center to orient and educate visitors to the island’s natural and recreational offerings.

The rich history of Jekyll Island shows in its intimate character and collection of preserved historic houses. These sketches serve to document this unique heritage and reinforce the values put forth for future development plans.

17

JEKYLL ISLAND HOTEL

8"x10"

18

MARSH WALK

11"x17"

19

CAUSEWAY

7"x10" (opposite left) OUT TO SEA

7"x10" (opposite right) FROM THE VERANDA

7"x10"

20

21

liseter

The Liseter project will develop land that was once part of the Dupont family's Foxcatcher Farm. The Dupont family has a long history of land holdings in rural Pennsylvania and Delaware. A rich and colorful tradition of farming and thoroughbred horses mark the legacy of Foxcatcher Farm, their equestrian estate in Newtown, Pennsylvania. Driving to the Main-line area outside of Philadelphia across the state from Pittsburgh, the land seemed to get older and richer as I drove east.

Visiting Foxcatcher Farm was like exploring your grandma’s attic. It as a virtual time capsule of 18th and 19th century buildings left to mature and decay in the landscape. A sophisticated network of fences and tree lines had shut the farm and its acreage off from the world. As the world moved on around, time had really stopped there as it waited to be discovered once again. I felt as if I could not paint fast enough to capture the beautiful light of the crisp November days I spent there.

23

BIDDLE FARM COTTAGE

9"x12"

24

THE CABIN BY THE POND

SPRING HOUSE

6"x12"

10"x12"

25

SUNNYBROOK BARN

9"x12"

26

GREENBANK FOREST EDGE

9"x12"

ROCK WOOD BARN

9"x12"

27

homestead preserve

Bath County is situated in the southwestern corner of Virginia. The region has a rugged but genteel quality due to picturesque farms dotting valleys surrounded by mountains. The area has long been known for its therapeutic hot springs. A vigorous tourist and hotel industry developed around the springs as early as the late 18th century.

I visited Hot Springs in Bath County, Virginia in June of 2005, to work with Celebration Associates, the landholders and developers of the Homestead Preserve. Their vision for the future was to carefully steward development in the county to protect and promote the individual character of the region. Through several bright sunny days, I was able to work in the field to capture the richness of this place.

31

HIGHLAND CRAFTSMAN

11"x11" 2004

32

THREE SISTERS

8"x10" 2006

33

34

SCOTTISH REVIVAL

11"x14" 2004

HIGHLAND FARMHOUSE

11"x14" 2004

(opposite) MOUNTAIN FARM

8"x10" 2004

35

36

ALONG THE ROAD

Warm Springs 8"x10" 2004

(opposite) HIGHLAND VICTORIAN

11"x17" 2004

37

scotland

The opportunity to visit and paint in Scotland was made possible by a group of extraordinary projects instituted by Scotia Homes, the largest home builder in the country. The following work was developed during several visits there throughout 2007 and 2008. Primarily working along the northeastern coast, I was able to visit many small seaside towns and quaint villages. The Scottish people are warm and friendly and proud of their history. The lush green meadows bordered with fieldstone walls and ancient stone houses frame the landscape, and each new place I visited seemed more beautiful than the last.

39

HIGH STREET

Nairn 9"x12" 2008

40

HIGH STREET

Ellon Pattern Book 11"x17" 2007

41

(top) GARDEN MEWS

(bottom) CONNECTING STREET

(opposite) WYNDE

Ellon Pattern Book

11"x17" 2007

42

43

(top) TERRACE

(bottom) PARK PROMENADE

(opposite) HIGH STREET

Ellon Pattern Book

11"x17" 2007

44

45

46

(top) RESIDENTIAL STREET

(bottom) EDGE LANE

(opposite) PARK PROMENADE

Ellon Pattern Book

11"x17" 2007

47

48

RAILROAD STATION

Nairn 11"x17" 2008

(opposite) CASTLE MEADOW

Ellon Pattern Book 11"x17" 2007

49

GARDEN GATE

Nairn 9"x12" 2008

50

BRIDGE OF NAIRN

Nairn 9"x12" 2008

SCOTTISH BARONIAL

SEASIDE BARONIAL

Nairn 9"x12" 2008

Nairn 9"x12" 2008

51

SCOTIA VERNACULAR

Nairn Pencil 8"x10" 2008

SCOTTISH BARONIAL

Nairn Pencil 8"x10" 2008

52

SCOTIA VICTORIAN

Nairn Pencil 8"x10" 2008

SCOTTISH GEORGIAN

Nairn Pencil 8"x10" 2008

53

other work

This collection of pieces comes directly out of my sketchbooks. During my travels my sketchbook and watercolors are always near. Through drawing and painting, I try to record the images that will resonate meaning to me about the character of a place.

55

56

57

SPANISH REVIVAL

Pencil 10"x14" 2008

PASEO

Pencil 10"x14" 2008

58

RICHMOND WAREHOUSE

Pencil 2006

59

PHILADELPHIA

Pencil 2006

60

THE ALHAMBRA

Pencil 2007

CALIFORNIA VICTORIAN

Pencil 2007

61

(clockwise from top right) PETERSBURG

Virginia 2007 DON CAESAR

St. Petersburg, Florida 2005 CHARLOTTESVILLE

Virginia 2007

62

MORNING LIGHT

New Hampshire 2007

63

BELFORD SPRINGS

Pennsylvania 2008

64

GILLFILLAN FARM

Pennsylvania 2008

65

LUDHIANA

India 2008

(opposite) GILLFILLAN FARM

Pennsylvania 2008

66

67

68

(opposite) CREEK AT ELEKS

Zoar Valley, New York 5”x7” 2008

MONTERREY

BEDFORD SPRINGS

California 8”x10” 2004

Pennsylvania 8”x10” 2008

69

70

BILOXI

POLISH HILL

Mississippi 4”x10” 2005

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 9”x12” 2008

BRETTON WOODS

New Hampshire 9”x12” 2008

71

GEORGIAN BAY

Canada 2008

(opposite) BRETTON WOODS

New Hampshire 9”x12” 2008

72

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