The Opera House At Shepherdstown, West Virginia

Though all the furniture is in place and the pictures are on the walls, I have the feeling that settling in to a new house from a home of nearly 30 years is going to be a work-in-progress for quite a while.  I think I’ve found most of my stuff, though I occasionally find myself spinning wheels trying to find the odd this-or-that.  Case in point, the thermometer, but that’s another story.  It’s a ripper of a story … but … maybe some other time.

Anyhow.

One of the cool things about moving is getting to know a new area.  I’m surrounded by several versions of Bedford Falls.  If you’re familiar with the classic movie “It’s A Wonderful Life,” you’ll have some idea of what I’m talking about.  These quaint small towns are the real McCoy.  Having lived my entire life in suburban areas of a big city, the differences are striking.  As my husband likes to say, where we are now, George Bailey is alive and well.  Where we were … he never lived.  SO glad to be here!!

Being the frustrated architect I am (well, that and archaeologist and Broadway star and doctor and of course world-famous painter) you may have noticed the abundance of architectural images I post here at my blog and at my website.  Being in a new area with loads of glorious old buildings, I feel like a kid at Christmas.  An example, this is my take on the Opera House at Shepherdstown, West Virginia:

The Opera House was built in 1909.  Not long after it opened, a projector was installed and the owners began showing silent films. In 1928 it became the first theater in West Virginia to show the then-new “talkies.”  The theater closed in 1956 and sat sat dark and silent for many years.  It was eventually purchased and refurbished according to the guidelines for the restoration of historic structures and reopened in 1992.  Since then continual improvements in sound and lighting have created an intimate atmosphere where film events and festivals, and live performances of bluegrass, country, jam bands, indie rock and reggae take place.

My original photographic image was taken November 8, 2015 with the Nikon D750 and the 24-70mm Nikkor lens. Much fun and fiddling in Capture NX2, Camera Raw, Photomatix and Photoshop CS6 before being fully digitally hand painted in Corel Painter 2015.

For more information about The Opera House, check out “Opera House Live.”

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My thanks for stopping by … and as always, a click on the image will bring you to my website for a better resolution view of the image and lots of purchase options.  By the way, please be aware that the watermark seen here and the ones on the images on my website will NOT appear on any purchased products.

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