Purple Passion

16x20

Oil on Linen

On Display as part of the
St. Mary's School Head of School Artist Series
Dec.14-Jan 30

In the late Spring and early Summer Bertie County turns purple with mature sage that has been planted the previous year making for some really spectacular scenery in the early mornings and late afternoons.  The subject of this painting, known to locals and regional historians as Rosefield Plantation, is a beautiful relic of the 19th Century Greek Revival style architecture very common among the land gentry in Eastern North Carolina during that time.   I drive by this field every morning on my way to work, and when it is covered purple,  I can not help to always think back to my early teenage years when Windsor's local Scout Troop 104 hosted a district camporee in that same field.

Having completed the construction of a five mile hiking trail along the banks of the upper Cashie River in the late 1970's, our troop had invited the other scouting organizations from the Tuscarora District to hike the trail with Rosefield being the starting point and the first night's camping spot. Within walking distance of this field used to be a corner store, known locally as Lawrence Carters, and a favorite among the older teenage population as a low key and customer friendly place to purchase tobacco and alcohol products without getting much hassle from the clerk and without being seen by many adults. As many remember, this was a time of no age laws on tobacco and very little enforcement of the eighteen legal drinking age.

Sitting in our tents playing cards, a rite of passage was about to begin, as my buddy, Mike Warlick, and a few others decided it was time to spice the game up with something other than the water in our canteens.  We pooled some money and under the cloak of darkness, quietly crept over to the back of Lawrence Carters and waited patiently for an older patron that would be willing to buy us the necessary supplies to turn our card game into a real man's game. Not knowing really what we wanted or how to ask for it, we nervously handed over our crumpled dollar bills and loose change to our purchaser and agreed to settle for whatever he was getting. 

A few long minutes later, our deal was complete with a bottle of MD 20/20 screw top grape wine and a pack of Cherry filtered cigars.  We triumphantly hustled back to the tent and started a new game very much full of ourselves with our newly won spoils.

The next morning, Mike, the others and I, christened Troop 104's new hiking path as our own Trail of Tears with regurgitated purple passion marking our slow progress along the longest and most miserable walk of our lives.