Doorways on Marlborough St

Marlborough Street 18

The doorways in the Back Bay of Boston shine with style and finesse all year long, but in late summer the flowers are peaking and the frontages are especially pretty.   For capturing city scenes in paint, I gravitate to Marlborough Street because it is quieter than Boylston or Commonwealth, which are just as grand.   Even the less manicured frontages have the elegance of mid-1800 architecture.

Peacefield in Full Bloom

Peacefield

My first paintout at Peacefield, the homestead of President John Adams and First Lady Abigail Adams, was exactly three years ago, in August of 2014.  The National Park Service oversees the property and does a nice job interpreting the Adams Legacy as well as maintaining/preserving the house and property.  The Rangers welcomed me, and since not all organizations are accomodating of a painter who plans to place themselves in the middle of a tourist area, I was very grateful for their hospitality

My favorite feature of Peacefield is the 18th-century style formal garden. Thousands of plantings, colorful perennials and annuals to enjoy line the gardens.  As I mentioned in the previous Peacefield blog, a rose bush planted by First Lady Abigail Adams in 1788 continues to stand guard; it leans on a large trellis to the south of the larger garden.  To think that I was walking upon the same soil enriched by the hands of such historical icons was truly inspiring.

Peacefield in Full Bloom

Inspiring also was the graceful old house and presidential library.  Similar to the last paint out, I set up on the far west end of the garden to maximize the split of light and shadow, a wide view so as to include foreground light.    I began by establishing the darks and lights in muted greens and grays and rusts.  I labored a bit over the mansion and library since accuracy is important for famous structures.

Finally, I was ready for the best part, the colorful blooms.  The sun illuminated the bright and vibrant petals - "oil-paint-right-out-of-the-tube" bright.  I liked how the rows of flowers and hedges led into the library and residence. This is not a great photo because of the wet paint glare.   I'll make some studio fixes and put on the website soon because this painting is my entry to the "Best of Quincy" Arts Fest next weekend.

SOLD

Creek Zen

Once in a while, everything seems just right, and a better painting happens.  It has only happened occasionally to me before; that is when things flow with minimal struggle and the end product looks just right.   Fortunately it happened during the Camp Hill competition, and the painting won an award.

I'm a morning person and for this painting, I was all set up by 7:30 and ready to paint.   The location was the Yellow Breeches Creek close to where I had painted the "Barn at Dusk" the evening before.   The light was - of course - completely different since it was twelve hours later.   

Creek Zen in Progress

The creek was crystal clear if you looked straight down to the colorful, rocky riverbed, but if you looked upstream the dark green underbrush on the far shore was reflected perfectly.   The dark bushes and their reflections were so perfectly matched that the shoreline was practically imperceptible.  Conversely on the right-hand shore, the shrubs and grasses were brightly lit by the full strength low morning sun.   Likewise the reflections of these bright yellows and green were just as bright and strong.   Bright on the right shore, dark on the left.    Nice contrast but they needed to be integrated.    To rectify this sharp imbalance, I added the vivid gold-green tree bow overhead with the thickest juiciest palette knife strokes.


Creek Zen

Okay and then?   A fisherman with red sleeves waded into the calm pool of water upstream and started to cast.   Perfect timing.   The painting needed it.   Distant figures are three or four dots of color.   The reflections are the same dots pulled down into the dark water in one, long careful stroke.





Camp Hill Plein Air Festival Paintings

Barn at Dusk

The Susquehanna River Valley is just as picturesque a place as can be, the iconic farms with tall silos, cattle on rolling hills, and distant hills fading into the distance with light shades of blue.     It wasn't hard to find some stunning scenes!

During the painting competition we could paint up to five plein air paintings, two of which would be submitted (all without he assistance of photography.)   I shared the first painting of the side of the mansion at the Fort Hunter.  Here are three more paintings.

View for Eternity

The Barn at Dusk was done along the Yellow Breeches Creek looking uphill.   Teens were enjoying "surfing" down the swift currents of the creek behind me, along with their dog.  They would slide down the rapids then emerging downstream and walk back upstream for a truly natural carnival ride.  They provided company as well as entertainment:).



Susquehanna from Fort Hunter

View for Eternity was done early in the morning from the back parking lot of a hilltop church looking down the slope of the adjacent cemetery.   I loved the hills and the moist clouds (there was a quick sprinkle).  The colors were cool pinks, yellows and blue  - and sooo much green!

Susquehanna from Fort Hunter was done in the late afternoon.  I was facing west and the sun was sitting high above the hill on the other side of the river.   Whenever the sun peaked though the clouds, there would be bright yellow illumination over the tops of the trees and down the hill.   (Dark patches were the cloud shadows.)

Does anyone know if "America the Beautiful" was written here?   So amazing!

Fort Hunter on the Sasquehanna River

Fort Hunter Mansion

I set out on Day One of the Camp Hill Plein Air Festival with a map, a GPS enabled IPhone and my painting gear loaded into the trunk of my (non-GPS enabled) neon-blue rental car.   One of the Camp Hill Plein Air volunteers (Dianne :)) suggested Fort Hunter on the east side of the Susquehanna River.   I had told her the kinds of things I like when I'm painting (views, water, shade, parking, etc..)  Her recommendation was perfect!   The gardens were pristine and each huge old tree specimen had a botanical tree species marker.



Garden Gate at Fort Hunter Mansion

The Mansion at Fort Hunter is an ornate federal style structure located on the site of the old French and Indian War Fort Hunter.  I walked the perimeter and  learned that it was built in three sections, two sections of which were built with locally quarried stones in 1814.  The middle “cabin” section, built in 1786, and the rear wooden portion was built in 1870.

I wanted a little bit of everything in the scene so I positioned at the east side of the mansion looking down a brick path to the gardens in the back.  The gardening shed and the fence behind it were picking up full light and seemed like they were framed by the elements in shadow.

This was my first time setting up since arriving the night before.   I don't think you can underestimate the impact of logistical challenges when you are attempting to get into a creative groove.  :)   Unfamiliar geography, easel assembly, palette set up, different vehicle....I'm not complaining; it was a blast.   It's just that until the physical issues are resolved, there would be no presentable artworks created!