Special News and Events

"The Journey" on display at Virginia Tech

Robert Tuckwiller recently attended the unveiling of his original painting titled "The Journey". The painting was commissioned by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech. The Journey is now permanently displayed in the conference room of the G.V. Loganathan Library in Patton Hall on the Virginia Tech Campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. The painting features a beautiful view of the New River near Fairlawn, Virginia. Also in the painting are five canoes with ten passengers which pay tribute to the faculty and students associated with the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, whose lives were lost on April 16th, 2007. The painting is the largest original Robert has completed to date, and took almost a month to complete. Robert is honored to have his painting on display and hopes the peaceful scene will be enjoyed by all who see it.

2011 Open House – May 1, 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.

Artist, Robert Tuckwiller, will have his 20th Annual Open House at his home in Newport, Virginia, on Sunday afternoon, May 1st, from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. The open house will feature new original paintings and limited edition prints. Tuckwiller, a Greenbrier County, West Virginia native and resident of Newport, in Giles County Virginia, paints realistic landscapes from the Greenbrier and New River Valleys.

In addition to his artwork, Tuckwiller's home, which is an artistic creation in itself and unique for its surroundings, has also been of interest to guests who have attended the Open House in previous years. The house, which is a Gulf Coast design that was featured in Southern Living in the late 1980's, is situated high on a hilltop that rises above the tiny village of Newport. The original plans for the home were designed by Architect, Bill Phillips, AIA, Mobile, Alabama. The home was constructed in 1989 by Tom Heavener, Heavener Construction, of Blacksburg.

A high, hipped roof covers a gallery that wraps around three sides of the house. The gallery is broad and deep, forming a functional "cool zone" around the house and working with transomed double French doors to help ventilate the house naturally. Graceful columns and Chippendale balustrade add classic detailing to the exterior.

Special millwork and trim add crisp definition to the simple, basic lines of the house. The wide cased openings with ceiling heights of 10 feet, create one spacious sweep of space, while the gallery affords spillover space for special functions and events. The home offers the formality that is typical of traditional, older homes while maintaining the practical comfort of newer, more modern ones.

Come and enjoy a Sunday afternoon and a glorious view of Tuckwiller's artwork and the cascading beauty of the abundant flowering dogwoods and redbuds that grace the landscape around his home on May 1st, in Newport, Virginia. Newport is located in Giles County on Route 460, fifteen minutes west of Blacksburg or about an hour and a half from Lewisburg. Watch for signs on Route 460 in Newport, or call 1-800-343-7386 for directions.