11x14
Oil on Linen Panel
Earlier this year Artist Fred Saunders took me out on my first Plein Air session near his hometown of Aulander, and I was hooked from that moment on. The second time he took me out, we went to the Speller Farm between Windsor and Williamston on the Roanoke River. This painting is of Dr. Fred blocking in two barns on that second trip. Throughout this year, he has given me priceless instruction and advice that I could never repay, but I felt that I was ready to paint him in his element and at least give him something back for his selfless time and knowledge given to me.
Fred Saunders is a native of Bertie County and earned his undergraduate degree and later a medical degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In the mid-1950's, he served in the Army in the Korean Conflict as a Doctor in a MASH unit similar to the one depicted in the 1970's sitcom "M.A.S.H.".
Later he returned to his hometown and practiced medicine until 2004 where he and wife, Lois, raised three children. Since the late 1970's, Fred has painted oils and watercolors focusing mainly on the beautiful landscapes and rural and maritime architecture of Eastern North Carolina and Virginia, but his passion has also carried him to many destinations around the world recapturing the beauty of those places on canvas.
Last year, Dr. Fred won 1st place, with his painting titled "Oyster House", in the the 25th Annual Landmark Show at the Jaquelin Jenkins Gallery / Arts of the Albemarle Center.
"Oyster House"
by Fred Saunders
1st Place
25th Annual Landmark Show
On Display at the Jaguelin Jenkins Gallery
Elizabeth City, NC
