The times., 1899-09-03
THE PIEDMONT VALLEY
An Artists Praise of Views That
Are Found There.
Impressions Gathered in the s.iue
Ridge Mountains of virginia.
Rainbows OF Rare beauty and
Clouds of Many kinds-Sunrisc at
the Home of Thomas Jefferson.

One afternoon, protected only by white
umbrella, the writer sat in bald sheep
pasture, high up on the mountain side.
through the pouring rain. watching the fut-
ing effects of sunlight and shadow across
that magnificent expanse, the Piedmont
Valley. Above this valley the Blue Ridge
Mountains make their most dramatic pic
ture in the whole range This is The
View perhaps, in all Virginia-none is so
widely known, certainly none is more beau
tiful nor more full of attractive features To
painter. What is little matter like
getting soaked to the skin to a man who
discovers the most vivid rainbow of a life
time, and that so near that he might have
measured it with yard stick? Beyond this
there are glimpses through the sunlit mist
and rain, SO beautiful and so new that
a painter must return to his city studio
after such an experience prepared to pro
duce some interesting and unconventional
pictures which would have been impossible
TO him had his summer been devoted only
to fair weather observations
From point OF vantage like this on so
favorable day one may study storms with
all their interesting accessories. On show
cry days when the clouds lift the eye car
ries so far! Distant mountain ranges
which one has become familiar with as a
sort of watery tint become full of ridges
and even the trees, fine as moss on their
rugged sides may be perceived! The sun
is in gay mood and fiips his santing
rays about as a river pilot does his white
searchlight on dark nights Pictures ex-
actly suited to ones taste follow each other
in such rapid succession that one is dis
/ tracted over the prodigality of riches and
/ throwing down his sketch book in despair
| finds that every moment lost in trying to
pencil memorandum of some effect is
more proftably employed in seeing. II is
wise, for one may trust his memory on an
| occasion like this and be assured that to
! drink deeply OF this evanescent beauty is
laying up in bank against that day when
! the. imagination must fall back on this re-
source.
The city dweller, whose knowledge of the
caprices of the atmosphere is limited to
such observations as he may make on the
bit of sky overhead or the glmpses he may
get at either end of the brick walled can
yons he inhabits, can have no idea of the
variety and beauty of the angels who people
| the air. That happiness is reserved for him
who, from mountain top or some such
favorable spot as Alton. Va, makes his
daily observations. Sunshine, thunder
SLOTUlSp fdIHDOWS, CLOUDS OF all KlNUS, may
often be seen at the same moment. Under
such circumstances the painter finds ex-
planned many effects which never could have
been revealed to him from any point in the
valley True the outlook often presents a
| three-ring circus, but one, nevertheless
from the corner of his eye covers all three
! rings, while that particular heeting per-
formance which interests him most gets
his eager attention. This afternoon, among
the more surprising and beautiful effects
observed, was a rainbow of extraordinary
width in consequence of its nearness. II
was perfect bow with the prismatic colors
defined with that clearness which one re-
members of those electric fountains at the
Worlds Fair One end OF the bow melted
away in the rain and cloud shadow of the
valley. The other fairly enveloped a tiny
| log cabin, with poverty stricken surround
| ings, hugging the mountain side, where the
ground had been scratched and some sickly
corn and truck elung. mutely appealing for
| the rain which was so late in coming. Two
| faxen- haired children, barefoot stood in
/! the doorway looking at the sky to see if
| the rain was over. The yellow and pink
of the bow glorifed the little ones. They
had the opalescence and the radiance of
| heavenly beings, and were doubtless all un-
| looking in the wrong direction. The rain
! bow touched the ground at their very feet,
| Alton is one of the most favorably
! situated mountain resorts in all Virginia.
| 1t has many attractions, combining it
| does the good features OF both farmhouse
and modern hotel, but nothing is more de-