Adams Farm Paint Out 2012

Maureen Painting in Back Field

Today, we spent the day at Adams Farm in Walpole, MA.  What a great place this is.   The Adams Farm property includes approximately 365 acres of town-owned land, additional acreage held in adjacent land conservation trusts, and land owned by the New England Forestry Foundation and the Norfolk County Agricultural School, for a total of over 700 acres open to the public for low-impact recreation. The Friends of Adams Farm is a group of area residents dedicated to the preservation of Adams Farm. Several of the group were present to welcome and organize the day for us.

Adams Farm from Back Field Stage 1

Twenty painters participated in the one day plein air event which was conceived and organized by JT Harding a local artist who knows the farm well and has painted there many times.    Part of today's event was also a raffle for a JT Harding oil painting.

Adams Farm from Back Field Stage 2

The weather cooperated for the most part, although the wind was relentless.  After experiencing two tip overs we further weighed down the easels with bungy cords and whatever bags we could attach to them.  

From the outset I decided I would try and get two paintings done, one from the back field facing east looking at the red barn and one from the access road facing west looking at the red barn.



Adams Farm from Back Field Stage 3

I brought a 11 x 14 canvas, a large size for plein air, at least for me.   I began with my 1 1/2 inch pastry brush for the sky, and major block in - everything except for the barn itself.   In the picture to the left (Stage 3), all the painting done to that point was done with the large pastry brush, and I loved how fresh and loose it looked. 

Once it was time to do the barn I switched to my #4 and #6 flats.   I have a very old tube of Rose Madder so this is what I used for the red plane that faced me.   The side of the barn that faced north and in dark shadow, I painted with Rose Madder, Transparent Oxide Brown and Ultramarine Blue.    For the roof, I mixed titanium white, cadmium red light, cad yellow light and some of my blue sky mixture.   For the roof shadows I used raw sienna and dioxide purple.

Adams Farm from Back Field Stage 4

My first attempt at the flagpole  resulted in a disproportionately small flag compared to its roof shadow.    The flag was flying straight out and needed to be taller and bigger.    I completed these adjustments as well as added the path from my vantage, winding up to the barn.

By this time it was 12:45 and I was feeling pretty parched.    I packed up my things and made my move to my next painting site.

Adams Farm from Road

This blog post is long enough, so I won't go into the gory detail, but this is the second painting.  The only thing not routine about this painting session was the scary flyover - low and slow - by a military cargo plane.   As the jet approached it banked toward us as it if was looking for a field to land - and we thought - crash land!   Obviously that was not the case and we later heard that a low and slow flyby was scheduled for the UMass football game at Gilette Stadium.

At the end of the day we assembled in the barn and met the juror, Artist Bill St. George.   He chose his favorites and a lovely ribbon ceremony was held.

First Place Winner Diane Paranelli Miller with JT Harding

One of my former teachers, Diane Paranelli Miller took home the first prize and deservedly so.    She had set in the middle of in the community vegetable garden with the barn in the distance.   On a day when there was so much green all around, she managed to inject an amazing amount of beautiful color into her loose and lovely 16 x 20 painting.   She even had brought a frame for it and displayed it fully framed!    Her extensive plein air expertise was fully on display.   Congratulations Diane!