Painting at Peacefield

Yorkist Rose Tree Set Out by Abigail Adams - 1788

Painting Set Up at Peacefield

Today I painted at a national treasure located in Quincy, MA and it was located only about twenty miles from Marshfield.

Historic Yellowwood Tree and Flower Gardens at Peacefield

The estate is known as The Old House, or Peacefield, residence of the Adams Family for four generations from 1788 to 1927.

 

It was home to Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams, First Ladies Abigail and Louisa Catherine Adams, and a number of other Adams Family luminaries.  The National Park Service does a wonderful job caring for and giving tours of the historic property.  And even if you are only half as big a fan of the Adamses as me, it is a must see.



Peacefield Painting Stage Two

What a spectacular setting!  The summer gardens contained a wild array of blooms, and on this August day they were absolutely stunning.  They provided a grand and colorful scene for my painting.  I framed the scene such that the Stone Library (left) and the Old House (right) were included.   The Stone Library was built in 1873 and it contains more than 14,000 books that belonged to the Adamses.  The grounds include a historic orchard and an 18th-century style formal garden, containing thousands of annual and perennial flowers. 



Peacefield

The arched doorway into the Stone Library was quite unique and it was the center of interest.  (I actually made this interesting feature a little larger than reality.)     I left my "reward" until the end, which was the thick, juicy and bright flowers.    The one element I may still add is the weathervane on The Stone Library.     This is one of my favorite paint-outs and paintings I have ever done!  It is really loose where it can be, and the strong contrast of values strengthen the architectural elements.