Winslow House

The historic 1699 Winslow House, located on Careswell Street in Marshfield is the ancestral home of the founding family of Marshfield.   It was built in 1699 by Judge Isaac Winslow, grandson of Mayflower passenger and three-time governor of Plymouth Colony Edward Winslow. Judge Isaac Winslow Over the centuries it was occupied by the Winslow family of governors, generals, doctors, lawyers and judges who helped to shape Marshfield and the South Shore.   Experts say it is a well preserved example of how well-to-do landed gentry, particularly those loyal to the King, lived in the years prior to the American Revolutionary War. A tour of the home shows antiques and architecture from the Winslow  period. The house remained in the Winslow family until 1822, and wa s later owned by Daniel Webster. It was restored and opened to the public  in 1920. Winslow House Stage 1 - Initial Values The beautifully maintained grounds and mansion are often used for social events both  community and private.     It's easy to forget its historic significance as I drive by the  familiar structure every day.   I pulled into the rear parking area recently and walked all  the way around the mansion looking for a scene to paint.   There are plenty of potential paintings; what I started with today is a rear door that faces southwest.  The roof of the main house can bee seen in the background. Winslow House - Stage 2 It was early in the morning with partly sunny  skies.   Once I sketched in the scene I needed  to decide if I would depict the scene as cloudy,  and not worry so much about shadows, or depict the scene as sunny and commit to a shadow pattern that was present when I first set up.  I decide on the latter and paint all the dark masses of the bushes and house.  The  A-frame face of the structure was in full  sun except for some tree shadows behind  the shrubs.   The large shiny boxwood shrubs appeared to be reflecting the blue and  white sky.   The deeper shadow areas wer e warm darks.  The grass was amazingly  green - you know, that intense green that  screams new growth.  Reluctantly, I chose cadmium green light straight out of the tube and it looks like a pretty close match.   I say reluctantly because it seemed too brash and gaudy.  There is an old smoke tree to the left of the door and window.  I'm no arborist, but judging by the size and twisted habit of the trunk, this tree could be as old as the the house.   I painted  in just a few leaves and a few of the clouds of airy smoky pink flowers. In the photo to the right, the sun is one hour higher, changing the values and shadows.  It took some brainpower to stay locked in to the original plan.   It was time to pack up and go  before I started overpainting the previous two hours' work.   I welcome comments.