This past week I spent 4 days outside in the Brandywine Valley painting watercolors in what we often call "Wyeth country". We visited a number of sights including the Birmingham Meeting House, Christ ChurchWilmington, Granogue, Long Point Farm, Hagley Mills and Winterthur. On the first day I headed down to Christ Church and spent the whole morning painting the church from the front view. We were able to get great lunches from Jansenn's Market, so I picked up my lunch and drove over to the sun lit Birmingham Meeting house making it a great day to paint. Here I completed a mid size watercolor of the meeting house and small painting of the pump. As the sun started to go down, my car headed home with three watercolors in the back seat ready to frame.
Tuesday I had no idea what to expect. I had never been to this private estate so was not sure what to would be waiting for me to paint so I was a little anxious. By the time I pulled up there were already 25 artists painting away. Well I loved the setting. There were numerous building and scenes to paint including a great barn and storage area. I completed two paintings of this barn - one mid size and the other smaller. This is one view.
Tuesday evening as the car headed home there were two more watercolors that needed to be framed to drop off the next morning.
Wednesday was gray and slightly colder so more of a challenge for us painters. That morning, we painted at Long Point Farm along the Brandywine river but you can see my great spot on a hill looking down on the barn.
I completed one painting there and then left to go to the Hagley Mill in Wilmington. Here the Gibbons house caught my eye that was located on Workers Hill. Hagley Mills was the first Dupont mill where the company was started. That evening three more paintings were framed bringing the total to 7 paintings completed. I was dead tired that evening and just feel into bed.
Thursday was colder, windier and definitely took more effort to paint. I sat out on the middle of a hill looking at the East Barns with an old house and barn. Great view and good perspective, but it really started to get too cold. Jumping of the shuttle, i was taken back to my car where I left to go home and frame this painting to return it by 6:00 pm that evening. Wow!!!
The show was Friday through Sunday with over 900 paintings from all the artists and photographers. With all those paintings I sold my watercolor of Christ Church.
This was a great deal of work and yet a growing experience that helped me be able to focus and pick out a possible painting quicker. It also helped me to learn how to paint more rapidly. It also helped improve my painting skills. Some of these paintings will be in future shows for you to see the sights I painted.
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