Cranberry Bogs Along Fuller St in Middleboro

Early Autumn Bog

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The gorgeous autumn tree colors, and the calendar say October, but the daytime temperatures would have you thinking May or September - warm and dry.   This is perfect weather for plein air painting.   The cranberry bogs are particularly pretty just before the flooding and harvest.  They get a distinctly crimson chroma, contrasting beautifully with the green bog fringe.   Of course the surrounding trees are often wildly colored and even clashy with the cranberry red color scheme.   But that's where a painter can even out the disharmony with a touch of cranberry color throughout.  See if you can spot where crimson brushwork softens the greens!

Golden Light at the Bog

Soule Farm Community Gardens

The True Grit Art Gallery Annual Plein Air Event is officially in progress!   For the event painters capture Middleboro scenes during the month of October for their November show. 

Meadow at Soule Farm

A painting friend suggested Soule Farm in Middleboro, MA.  This town treasure was the perfect setting for autumn plein air and there were several scenes that attracted us here.  From the grassy meadows, the antique farmhouse, various barns and farm storage, to sheep fields, community gardens, and of course their two very friendly resident goats, each vantage had a beauty all its own.

For my first painting, this Irish girl couldn't resist the sheep in the meadow.   They were quite a distance away, but that probably helped my composition by widening my view (and options).  At one point the "shepherd" with his border collie moved the herd to an adjacent field which was a bit closer.  It was fascinating to watch!  In this fast paced world; stopping and witnessing that simple farm scene felt like a modern day pause, a transport back in time.  It was a gift really.

My second painting depicts a portion of the community garden amid a wide patchwork of individual garden squares.  A rustic corral was build around the space, an obviously a labor of love.  It was labelled "Green Acres."  Although most of the flowers were a bit spent, I took liberty with my colors and pumped up the blossoms.  This painting was loose and so much wilder than the pasture.  In fact there is so much paint on there that it will probably be wet for the show!

And speaking of the show, these paintings and many more will be on display in November 2024. Thanks to theTrue Grit Art Gallery for coordinating such a fun event!