COME SEE THE FREE ART SHOW ....PAINT THE TOWN OF WEST CHESTER

Since Tuesday morning, I have been going around West Chester in Chester County working on paintings of different buildings and locations.  Some are historic and some our buildings that look historic but I do not know when they were built.
Tuesday I painted the Sharples home near Marshall park, then the Academic house built in 1852 by carpenter Robert Lowery.  I finished the day by sketching and painting a home near the Academic house on East Washington.  I completed all three that day.
The next day was cloudy and slightly rainy in the morning but I started with the Woman's Exchange built around 1836 with the store next to it.  Then I began sketching the building at the Northeast corner of Market and Church st. that has a great porch roof.  Finally I sketched the Lincoln Building and a back yard garden on South Walnut.
Today I finished painting one building and drew and painted the skate board shop on Gay Street.
Come to the free Art show on the roof of the Chestnut St parking garage on Friday , June 1st.......so come see what 40 artists painted over the past three days.

Here is the corner of Market and South Church St.

Andrew Wyeth Studio

I could not believe it.  The Brandywine River Museum is opening Andrew Wyeth's first home and studio for tours.  And in May, they organized a Wyeth immersion day with visits to N.C. Wyeth home and studio, viewing SNOW HILL the movie about Andrew Wyeth, tour the Wyeth art collection with a docent, tour the Andrew Wyeth studio and visit the Kuerner farm on Ring Road.

I had been to N.C's studio and the Kuerner farm, but to have an opportunity to see Wyeth's own studio was something I dreamed off.
After touring the third floor gallery and seeing a collection of paintings and studies Andrew did of his studio, we boarded the mini bus and went to the studio.  It was the home for Andrew and Betsy when they were first married.  Then later he used it as one of his studios until mid 2008.  One section includes Jamie's studio set up as if he just painted the portrait of President John Kennedy.
What a special honor for a watercolorist to see how the most well known watercolor artist of our day painted and his studio.

I think the several things that seemed to resonate with me after hearing about the Wyeth's and their paintings.  First, their desire for accuracy.  Second,  paint what you know and it will show in your paintings..  Hence painting only in two major areas of the country - Chadd's Ford and Maine.
But it was interesting to see how they painted differently.  N.C. generally painted with bright colors and mostly in oil.  Andrew only painted in oil in his father's studio but when he was on his own, he painted with watercolor and egg tempera.  He also painted in colors around Chadd's Ford in typical weed and dead grass colors like burnt umbra, yellow ochre, etc. so not the bright colors like his father's unless you have seen some of his paintings in Maine.
Let me recommend that you organize a trip to the Brandywine River Museum after June 1st and take the tour of Andrew Wyeth's studio as it will be a memory you will think of the rest of your life........especially if you are an artist.