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WHATS NEW?...............................
Last Updated November 17, 2008
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Do You Hear the Trumpets Sounding?
HE is arriving!



We are pleased to announce the arrival of the master painter and rockstar, Jan Berghuis of the Netherlands. Jan (pronounced yan) is the founder of the House of Bendhor - Le Fay a decorative painting company in Den Haag. Among the many impressive projects on his resume, Jan has restored the paintwork and gold guilding on the royal dutch family's carriage and so we have invited him here to Virginia to help us out with our image of Washington's carriage. Jan will be detailing George Washington's carriage based on discriptions given to us from our Mount Vernon advisors. The painting of George Washington's carriage will appear in the "Cameron Street circa 1792" scene of the GW mural. Stay tuned for more about this cool project.


You thought I was kidding about "rockstar"? Nope.
Frontman Jan Berghuis of "Tomb Memorial" on his way
to winning the Battle of the Bands in Den Haag 2007.
I would like to think this photo was shot during the song "Hothouse."

 

GWMural in the NEWS :
The GW Mural Project is currently in
The Washington Business Journal

Click HERE to read text scan. There are always some inaccuracies but all-in-all it is a good article.

 

ONGOING:
Mural Paintings Exhibited at Ferry Farm

Two of the large scale models originally completed for the GW mural are on display at Ferry Farm, the boyhood home of George Washington through 2008. One painting features a Trompe L'oeil study of quarters and vintage postage stamps, the second one was a large 3' x 8' maquette for the Ferry Farm scene. We urge you to stop and see this interesting historical site just across the river from historic Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Latest Scene Completed:
Mount Vernon -The Fox Hunt

The latest news in the studio is the completion of the 80-foot long Mount Vernon scene showing a gathering of fox hunters as they gather at the western edge of the estate. If you like dogs, we have dogs!

 

Heard Along the Trail :
Quotes Heard Along The Mount Vernon Trail

Durning the time we spent at the mural site for the latest installation we heard at least a hundred really nice comments ("That looks GREAT!") and got many thumbs up from bikers and runners.

We try to say "thank you" as we hear them but we wanted to let you know how really great it is to hear your comments and encouragement.

One biker stopped to look at the new panels said "This is really great!" and then started to leave but stopped again and turned and said "My wife and I visited some of the sites from the mural after seeing them here."

WOW, that was so exciting for us to hear, that sums up the main mission of this mural. Thank you so much for sharing that story, it really means a lot.

zJAN UPDATE!!!
:

Jan is currently on his way. Not one to use a typical method of travel,
Jan will be arriving in the Washington DC area on Saturday November 22
via his patented helium ballon chair flying-device. Obviously the flying rules are
much more relaxed in the Netherlands as Jan looks to be enjoying a glass
of his favorite red wine while heading for the east coast. Jan reported that
the flocks of geese have been very gentle towards him this year, perhaps they
recognize him as one of their own from last year.

You might think this is unusual (and it is) but our main concern is that this year
he should arrive much more refreshed and ready to work compared to his last
visit (pictured below.) Last year his arms were much too tired to help us paint.