A Painting for a Dear Family Member

"Birds of a Feather"
15" x 18" watercolor


Back in February a family member who has been valiantly battling cancer took a beautiful photo from the window of her home in Vermont. She captured a gorgeous white/grey world with tree branches full of cardinals and a few other birds. Can you find a tiny brown one and a Dove? I asked her if I could paint from her photo.

Life and travel happened, but I finally completed the painting and it is on it's way to her, promised to arrive by tomorrow. I hope it brings her some peace and comfort. If you read my post, kindly send good thoughts or prayers as suits you.

The Graduate

 

"The Graduate"

20" x 20" Torn Paper on Canvas

(c) Mary Paquet

 

 

I love using my grandchildren as my subjects. Jamie graduated from Danville High School in Vermont as valedictorian of her class this past June. We celebrated with a barbecue on a beautiful June Vermont day. Friend James Farinha took some photos and I just loved this one with the bright green glasses and her mortar board. James gave me blanket permission to use any photo of the teenagers for my art.

 

(c) James Farinha

 

I followed the same process I described in an earlier post. My darks would be purple and green would be the accent color. It's quite fascinating and sometimes very frustrating to do. I am constantly having a dialogue with the painting and my magazine papers. I wove into the painting bits and pieces of Jamie's life. You will find the following photos if you look closely:

• Jamie riding her horse Sky in January snows. She found this horse advertised on the hardware store bulletin board and trained the two-and-half year-old when she herself was barely a teen. Sky is ridden in horse shows by both sisters and achieved Grand Champion this year.
• Jamie playing soccer for her high school; she now is on the Smith College team
• Jamie teaching soccer to young boys in Senegal, Africa, while working with a volunteer group in 2011 (girls don't play soccer in Senegal)
• Jamie teaching English to small children in French-speaking Senegal (she choose this country so she could practice her French)
• A piece of Jamie's award-winning art - she paints in multiple mediums, sculpts, and does collage

There is a hint of her love of bicycles with the woman in a yellow bicycle jersey. I had to give up on a lovely chocolate bicycle on her shirt because it lacked color harmony. I also wove in the words "Love," "Danville High," "Smith," and "Senegal."

I think it's time to go back to traditional painting as I am beginning to feel rusty.I will do more collage in the future and have ordered a yearly subscription to a couple fashion magazines to use as paint.

An addendum:
I decided I needed to modify some of the straight edges for interest, so you will see changes here -- the shoulder line is broken and I added the word Ole because I wanted to enter the piece in the Cafe Ole show. That helped fit into the theme.

"Ole'"

 
 
 
 

Another Vermont winter scene

"Silent World"

North Danville, VT

14" x 20" Watercolor

Last week son Jeff put some photos on Facebook of Bailey tagging along with Beth as they went cross country skiing on new-fallen snow in their small rural Vermont town. They exit their kitchen door and ski up the hills -- no flat lands here.

The quiet scenes bring back memories of growing up in Barre, VT, and skiing on the hillside across the road from our home. In later years, Mom took the younger of her seven children to Mount Mansfield ski resort, but we older children had rubber boots, cheap skis held on with straps, and lots of fun for no admission. We would ski every day after school. I can see the row of skis lined up against the house next to the back door where we left them to have "supper" (a Vermont term for the evening meal).

In this piece I hoped to evoke the feeling of a crisp sunny day. It's obviously mid-afternoon as the shadows are getting longer. The mountains in the distance recede against a clear cobalt sky. The world is silent except for shushing of skis and deep breathing of people climbing hills. Bailey follows along, quietly sinking her paws into the snow. 

First Painting in 2012

"Sunset in North Danville, Vermont"

Watercolor, 21" x 29"

Finally I've emerged from the busy holidays that included our annual New Year's Day Open House where we host about 100 people from our dancing, church, bicycling, art, music, neighborhood, and friends. I immediately came down with my annual respiratory thing that always hits about this time of year. So I've been pretty under the weather.

I managed to get started with frame inventory and art selection for my upcoming show at The Forum at Rancho San Antonio, a lovely upscale retirement community. That takes place mid-February. I've ordered some frames and have my art lined up for "Art and Place." Each piece has special meaning to me -- a place, the people, the landscape, and the architecture. I sketch and paint wherever I go and use the sketches and my photos to create larger pieces in my studio.

Today I decided to tackle a full sheet painting after realizing I have a couple very large frames I could put to good use. My son Jeff posted a photo he took one evening in North Danville, VT, a few months ago. I knew immediately that I would like to paint the scene where I have spent many happy times visiting family, and I have done numerous paintings of this rural town of 12 houses and a church. Jeff is kind enough to let me paint from his photos.  I like the angle of perspective, and the power lines and pole. 

I got out my Stephen Quiller pallette which is all set up for landscape painting with perfect complements that make wonderful grays.  There would be almost no pure color in this piece. I clipped a full sheet of Arches 140 lb. cold press to a support and wet the entire sheet except the streetlight. Then I used Ultramarine with some Permanent Orange, Quinacridone Rose, and some New Gamboge to get a variety of grays. I went over the whole sheet with the basic colors and then went back to enhance them as needed on the house, power pole, and landscape. I added the power lines and the street light, and made some adjustments of values. I will need to leave this a bit and go back and study it occasionally to see if there is anything else needed.

Happy New Year, everyone!

West Coast, East Coast - Landscapes Abound

"Sunny Nook"

Patterson Home at Ardenwood Farms

Fremont, CA

"Fountain at Ardenwood Farms"

"Fall on Lake Eden"

Yesterday, I did plein air painting with the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society. We went to Ardenwood Farms, a wonderful gem of a park amidst the electronic-fueled growth in the East Bay. This is a working farm with live animals, old and newer machinery, and crops. At this time of year, the pumpkins are ready for harvest. I liked the old house, but found painting the entire structure too daunting, so I selected the top of the turret against a towering Eucalyptus tree. The original owners of the home and farm were the Pattersons.

The brochures tells us , "It was 1849 when George Patterson joined the stream of young men leaving the Midwest for California’s gold fields. His dreams left little room for failure, but after a year and a half of mining he was ill and broke, so he turned to work he knew well: farming. George gradually bought land with the money he earned by working for farmers near Mission San Jose. By the time he married Clara Hawley in 1877, he was on his way to acquiring nearly 6,000 acres of land and was one of the wealthiest and well-respected men in the area. At last he had struck “gold”—not in the hills, but through farming the fertile plains of the East Bay."

We had a lovely warm fall day and I painted this piece in about 2 hours with a few slight modifications after returning home. We ate lunch to the sounds of school children playing on the lawns. Then we had a half hour, so I quickly did a small, very traditional light watercolor of the fountain. I was channeling Bob Semans, my drawing teacher, as I did the cherub. Bob tells us to use values to describe form and little detail is needed.

After returning home, I repacked my art supplies and headed out to friend Penny's home for my South Side Art Club Thursday night painting session. The photo showed just one bright streak of Vermont fall color amidst darkened hills, sky and lake. Lake Eden is where Jeff's father, my late husband Gary, had attended Boy Scout camp, a defining moment in his young life. I was very tired and not motivated to paint, but I finally grabbed a brush and small watercolor block and without any drawing, did this small piece in 20 minutes. The painting is more vibrant than this photo and I liked the way the bright yellow and orange paint caused granulation into the darker color of the mountain. I waited until this layer dried and added the dark line of evergreens. I left a few imperfections because I didn't want to destroy the freshness and excitement.

Walking Tampico Road

"Fall on Tampico Road"

North Danville, VT

12" x 18" Watercolor

I am on a roll with Vermont landscapes. Of course, this traditional look is not avante garde at all, but I enjoy recalling my visits to the small town of North Danville when the colors were emerging at the end of summer. I saw this scene last year when attending my high school reunion.

Walking is rewarding in my son Jeff''s small town. There are 5 dirt roads that take off within a few hundred feet of the driveway. I always venture out early in the morning to get my constitutional. Every road offers stunning views, this one down toward the village and across to Jamison Hill. Some roads have vistas of the White Mountains of New Hampshire, visible across the Connecticut River Valley just southwest of St. Johnsbury, VT.

Winter in the Garden

"Winter in the Garden"
North Danville, Vermont
14" x 11" Watercolor

A few days ago my son Jeff sent me a picture of his garden. They were experiencing subzero weather. When I was there last summer, they had just put up their scarecrow. At the time she was wearing a large hat with Beth's dress and looked quite stylish as she protected the prolific plants from pesky birds. The crops have been harvested and eaten, canned, or frozen. The garden was put to bed a few months ago. Ms. Scarecrow continues her cheerful watch in the Northeast Kingdom.

Personalized Thank You Cards

Cards for my granddaughters
Left -- Kelly playing her flute at my home
Right - Jamie competing with Sky in a Vermont horse show

I always like to personalize my thank you cards. Last year I was really creative with my cards for my son's family. You can see the collaged cards here. This year, I printed cards with images I recently painted of the girls and shown earlier on this blog. I know they will appreciate receiving them. They are very thoughtful teenagers.

Painting with Opaque Acrylics on Canvas

"Jamie and Sky Compete"

9" x 12" acrylic on canvas

This is a thick application of acrylic paint on canvas, like painting with oils, my third attempt at painting in this manner in the past couple years. To achieve the color of Sky, I mixed a magenta and orange as I had no burnt sienna. For the Vermont grasses, I put down a base coat of Permanent Green Light mixed with Hanza Yellow. I came in with a feather brush and Cad Yellow Light to make the tall Vermont grasses. I went back in with a green and magenta mixture to suggest variations in the grass. The same color creates the trees and I added some touches of orange and yellow with the bristly end of a stiff brush. To create dust clouds at Sky's feet, I scrumbled Hanza Yellow with a touch of Ultamarine Blue into the canvas. Next I need to work on blending edges. It's fun to tackle a new medium and painting with thick opaque paints is very different from working with my beloved watercolor. Hallie suggested painting on Ampersand panels, so I am going to get some. I also want to try mixing media, such as watercolor and acrylic, or acrylic and pastel.

Jamie is my older granddaughter, now 16. This photo appears on a family calendar that her Mom made and is likely more than a year old. A few years ago Jamie really wanted a horse because she loves to train animals. She saw a handwritten ad for Sky, an Arabian-Quarter Horse mix, in the local hardware store. Sky was just two and half, very young for an inexperienced trainer to take on. However, Jamie's instructor evaluated the horse and agreed that Jamie could probably succeed. Sky is a sweet horse, and she has come along nicely. I believe she was about four in this picture.

Jamie pooled her money with sister Kelly and bought the horse for a very modest price. Later, Kelly was able to purchase her own horse and in fact, now owns two. The girls are not from a family that has grooms and stable hands, so they do the heavy lifting. Jamie also works at her instructor's horse farm to help pay expenses. Both girls enjoy training their horses and competing in Vermont horse shows.

A Preliminary Sketch

A Kelly Sketch
8" x 10" Acrylic

Kelly and Grandpa Bob practice the flute

This summer we had a wonderful treat -- my son Jeff's family came from Vermont to stay with us in California for a week. Kelly is the youngest at 14 and has so many interests. She and sister Jamie spend a lot of time caring for and showing their horses, and they both play sports. Kelly's flute playing has been largely set aside. However, she enjoys playing with Bob who is a very accomplished woodwind musician and a patient teacher. She surprised all of us and brought along her flute. The final day, she and Bob spent an hour playing together. I took several pictures of this heart-warming scene.

There's a nice story behind the dress Kelly is wearing. Her mom had been looking for a clever dress made up of much two-sided gauzy material that supposedly can be tied into 99 different styles. On the Web the prices were too high, but of all places, a tourist shop on Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey featured them for $12.99! The girls each bought one. Turns out that Jamie, the artist, is a pro at concocting outfits from this dress, and styled this one for Kelly. We were having an extended family barbecue that night and we women decided to wear summer dresses. Bob took time out from preparing the barbecue to play flute.

I've been wanting to paint more in acrylics, but I love my watercolors, so I seldom use them. I decided to begin experimenting with doing figures. I have a 1996 book by Barkley Sheaks, an early acrylic expert, in which he suggests painting on construction paper because it's very absorbent. Unable to locate my stash I decided to try pastel paper, which is obviously different and did not take the paint well. Good enough, though, for a first sketch. I concentrated on the figure, and now will work on an overall design. More shading is needed on the figure and the angle of Kelly's arms and the flute isn't quite right. After I complete one of Kelly by herself, I would like to do one that includes Bob, my favorite model. It will surely be titled "The Practice Session."

I have a great urge to abandon the acrylics and do a watercolor, but I intend to persevere and do an acrylic on watercolor paper. I may also do one in watercolor. Blog friend Hallie posted the most luscious acrylic on her blog. I want to do that!

Another Vermont Painting

"Vermont Mud Season"
Watercolor
14" X 18"

In my home state of Vermont, a couple weeks in the spring are known as "mud season." The snow is dirty and beginning to melt. The hundreds of miles of dirt roads, the unpaved driveways, the farm roads, and anyplace lacking asphalt turns into a soupy mess. The neat thing about mud season is it signals that the long snowy winter is almost over. You can check out Vermont Mud Season on Google and find many stories and pictures. Here is a link to a fun picture and story that will give you a feel for what I painted.

My painting is an imaginary scene, from my recollections of mud seasons past, started as my very first painting in Tom Fong's class. Without drawing any lines on totally wet paper, he showed us how he created a simple piece with a tree, some mountains and a house. We were instructed to do something similar. So I conjured up mud season. The class was fast-moving and I was busy being assistant coordinator, so I didn't get to finish the painting in class. Last night our Thursday night South Side Art Club met at Penny's house and I put the finishing touches, to bring order from chaos, as Tom describes his preferred process.

To create his tree and house, Tom used a single-edge razor to squeegee the paint from the paper for the trunk and the buildings from the wet paper. That is why you see some green in the roofs of my buildings because I was totally inexperienced at this process. When the paper dried enough, I added color to the buildings. I had added some color to the trunk and painted in some of the branches. I had left some open edges, thinking about adding light to the tree. Last night I created more branches and used orange to suggest light on the tree. I added a dark treeline where the mountain meets the flatter land. Next I painted a few more strokes of color to create the muddy snow.

Tom Fong-Inspired Fall Scene

"September Morning, Vermont"
21" x 15"

September mornings in Vermont vary between clear sun and crisp air with frost on the ground, and cool mist that softens the landscape. On this misty morn, color tinges the foliage, a few bright red leaves adorn trees, rust and gold emerge on the lush late summer foliage. Shapes are muted and the edges of the path softly blend with the meadow grasses. Soon the fall leaves will bring fiery beauty to the mountains, but this September morning dampens the skin and quietly surrounds on a morning walk.

This piece had it's start in Tom Fong's class. He encouraged us to paint as many pieces as we could between demos. I finished the work at my Thursday evening South Side Art Club and added a few finishing touches early this morning to bring order to chaos, as Tom describes the process. I lifted out a few lights and added a few splatters to the red leaves. I painted wet-into-wet for all but a few of the grasses and branches.

The nice thing about Tom's method is you can look at reference materials, pick some shapes, and then tap into your memories. Jeanne Rousseau handed me a photo, perhaps from Oregon? I turned a stream into a path (a suggestion from Don and Alison, some of my Thursday artists, as I neared completion), used a couple trees and my personal color scheme to represent Vermont, where I grew up and visit often. I always take a long walk about 6 a.m.

I am synthesizing what I have learned over the years and in recent workshops. Some of my shape-making, boldness, and color choices were honed in the Stephen Quiller workshop in April. You can reference the description of that workshop here. Gerald Brommer's workshop on collage emerges in abstract shapes and the play of varying textures. (Myrna Wacknov recently featured Brommer's Santa Cruz workshop on her blog - awesome.) Willingness to experiment and be bold was influenced by Betsy Dillard Stroud's workshop. My work continues to evolve.

The Teen Years

"The Teen Years"
Watercolor
11" x 14"

This painting is a result of our last trip to the East Coast in May when we stayed for a time with my son's family. The granddaughters are now teens, and suddenly my son was bemoaning the loss of time with the girls as they engage in horse shows, theater, soccer, track, and school events; and Jamie acquired both a boyfriend and her license. They are wonderful girls and we are very proud of them.

Among the photos Bob took while in North Danville, Vermont, was one on the sun porch where you enter the 1930's Dutch colonial home at Millbrook Farm. Beth, a woodworker extraordinaire, had built this shelf with hooks that comes in handy, as you can see. I was very taken with how this little nook tells the story of the teen years. The horseshoes and halter are an important part of the girl's daily life with horses Sky, Free, and Spirit. The parasols are from Kelly's theater roles. The Biology book speaks volumes about the two who are top honor students. The photo did not contain the keys or the soccer ball, but could have, so they joined the detritus of daily life. Jamie is a dedicated soccer player, on both school and club teams, and now drives herself to various commitments.

I added some shadows and some soft washes to pull the piece together. I started this piece before I left for Scandinavia. Thanks to my Thursday night art group, I pushed forward, and put the finishing touches on it this afternoon.

Travel Sketches

"McReynold's Road"
Watercolor sketch
6" x 8"

"A Room with a View"
New York City
Watercolor sketch
6" x 8"

Very little time to do any painting the past few weeks as we traveled to Vermont, Maine, and New York City. McReynold's Road is one of 5 dirt roads radiating out from the main road through North Danville, Vermont where my son Jeff's family lives. Every morning I choose from one of the five to take a very early morning walk in place of my daily workout at the gym. Ala Stephen Quiller, I did a landscape using one note of pure color (yellow) against it's complement blue and the various mixtures in between. The quality isn't great -- I did this one using my Japanese water brush and the tiny Koi pan paint set I take on trips with little time for art. North Danville is perched in the hills rising above the Connecticut River. I could look across that unseen meandering state line to the President Range in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Early morning mists added quiet drama. I did this piece from memory after my walk the very first day while sitting on the tiny patio in the rare sunshine we experienced that first week.

"A Room with a View" was done our final morning in New York City after Bob's daughter graduated from Fordham Law School in a ceremony held at Madison Square Garden. We usually find reasonable rates (well, reasonable for New York City) at the Radisson Lexington and it's well situated to walk to the subways, Grand Central Station, and Broadway shows. I was fascinated by the structures on the rooftops that you get to see from the 22nd floor. The dark blob in the lower right is a water tower, required on all buildings over 6 stories. Water is pumped up to the water tower and held until needed. The small structure with the blue-green roof was a very pretty Asian patio. There were a couple other Asian patios on the building .

I am off to my monthly critique group. I promise all my blog friends that I will visit your blog very soon.

Stephen Quiller Workshop Day 2

Here is my afternoon painting -- we used analagous complements to create a piece. I did this from a photo taken in the fall of 2001 in my home state of Vermont. Off to another day of a wonderful workshop.

Granddaughter Jamie's art and a souce of Tyvek

Art by Jamie Cyr

Jamie is my 15-year old granddaughter who lives in a tiny Vermont town. The public schools in Vermont always rank near the top of the 50 states, and they offer more than core subjects. Jamie is taking art this year, and she has always done art since she was a tiny child. I was so impressed when my son sent me these pictures of her art and wanted to share them with my blog friends. I could not crop the top piece as it was done at an angle, but you can appreciate her creativity.

I also have a source where you can order Tyvek if you want to give it a try as a support for watermedia. I learned about Tyvek from Myrna Wacknov who is a fearless experimenter. Myrna buys in large quantities and will sell large pieces at cost to anyone requesting them. However, a friend was able to locate a source online. The sheets are not as large, but they are a very good price and you can get low quantities. Check out www.allweatherblueprints.com/tyvek-sheets-printing.html

Myrna prefers to paint with Dr. Martin's Hydrus Liquid Watercolors because they have concentrated color. Tube watercolors work too, but fresh squeeze them. I have also used tube acrylic watered down. I definitely think the liquid watercolors is the way to go and I have some on order from Art Supply Warehouse.

Paper Art

"Jamie, Stepping Out in Style"

"Bailey and Free" for granddaughter Kelly

"Jeff and Beth, Down on the Farm"

What fun I had making Thank You cards for my son Jeff's family. I managed to eek out some time for art, be it paper art. When I opened my gifts from the family, I fell in love with the black wrapping paper decorated in gold spirals (my favorite shape) and stars. I couldn't just toss it out. I recalled Myrna Wacknov doing some value studies with cut paper, and my instructor, Joyce Barron Leopardo, showed me the wonderfully creative greeting cards she makes when she has some time on an airplane or in front of the TV. Joyce also let me select papers from a wallpaper sample book. I was also inspired by the designs of complex shapes by Peggy Stermer-Cox. And let's not forget Matisse who took paper cutouts to the level of fine art, and happens to be one of my favorite artists.

This morning I drew up my main images without references and later transferred them to tracing paper, taped the traced image onto the wrapping paper, and made paper dolls. I adhered the shapes to card stock and embellished them with other papers and some line. Jamie is a charmer in high school, so I decked her out in high heels, a skirt (which she seldom wears), and a purse under a spiral sun. Joyce's red wallpaper set off the black and gold nicely. Kelly is a newly minted teen who recently lobbied for a replacement dog. Both girls have horses at their small country farm. Thus, young Bailey is enjoying the company of Kelly's black horse, Free, on a carpet of wallpaper grass. Jeff and Beth love their mini Millbrook Farm complete with chickens, horses, a huge garden, birds, cats, a dog, and a lovely red barn. Here they are surveying their kingdom. I added thank you notes inside each card and posted them in the mail.

A Special Note at Christmas time

"Autumn at the Paquet Family Farm" on display in Connecticut

Framed in old barnwood from Pepere's Blacksmith Shop

Two days before Christmas I received a lovely note from my late husband's cousin who had commissioned a painting of the Paquet Family Farm. (The link will take you to related posts that tell the story behind this painting.) Diane's brother is both a blacksmith and sculptor and played a major role in resurrecting Pepere's blacksmith shop for our centennial celebration (in the middle building pictured above). When Jimmy learned of Diane's desire for an appropriate frame, he made one that fit perfect from old wood he had salvaged during the reconstruction. Diane is delighted, and I've received positive feedback on the painting from other family members. Diane sent me several photos and a lovely note in which she said, "I couldn't ask for more---a painting of the farm which holds many fond memories, painted by my cousin's wife, with a frame made of barn wood from the farm and made by my brother. Truly a family effort." Bob cut the mat and backing for the art, as he does for all my art.

Creating this painting has been a very rewarding experience for me. Pepere' blacksmith shop is the subject of a collage and watermedia painting I submitted for the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society Member show. Art and life are circular.

Happy Thanksgiving!

"Mother's Table"
14" x 11"
Watercolor

Having grown up in New England and tracing ancestors to the Pilgrims on the Mayflower, I am steeped in Thanksgiving traditions. The day was filled with family and a lovely turkey dinner. When I moved with my young family to California, this was the day that I missed our extended family the very most. Eventually, after fits and starts, we developed our own Thanksgiving traditions in sunny California.

The boys grew up and moved back to my home state of Vermont. My husband passed away 11 years ago and a few years later Bob and his girls came into my life. Time for new traditions. A few years passed and with daughters and sons spread out across the USA, it was time to build new celebrations. For the past half dozen years, Bob and I have gone to the coast to have dinner at a Capitola institution, the Shadowbrook Restaurant. We don't even order turkey dinners, but rather enjoy other specialties offered -- baked brie with jalapeno sauce, creamy artichoke soup, roast beef, and mud pie were my choices this year. Needless to say, we had to walk for a bit before settling back into the car for the drive home over the mountains on a spectacular sunny day.

Tonight I grabbed my watercolors and painted the centerpiece on our dining table. The candle holder that friend Pam gave me one year, a real favorite, and gourds from Spina's Farm Stand two miles down the road are festive at this time of year. After struggling to master other mediums -- pastels and acrylics -- watercolors are home to me. A nice simple still life from a high eye level and my delicious watercolors and brushes made for a lovely few hours as Bob practiced his flute music for the advent season.

Here's to your special Thanksgiving traditions.

A commissioned painting

"Autumn at the Paquet Family Farm"

14" x 21"

Watercolor

Recently I was commissioned by a Paquet family member to create a painting of the farm buildings for her home. A cousin of my late husband, Gary, was very taken with a painting I had done early in the 90's of the farm in winter. She had seen the painting at the farm museum during the centennial celebration in July. I was asked to include the main farm buildings and given discretion to select a season. It's fall and I recall the lovely colors in Vermont, so I designed an autumn scene.

If you look real close, you will see a few pumpkins by the silos and under the tree in the center of the farmyard. Pumpkins are a popular item at the farm stand that opens in August with corn sales and runs into October. The farm stand is made up of a canopy and tables of farm-grown crops set under the tree. My sons, now living in Vermont and New York with day jobs, pitch in with extended family in their off hours to grow and sell the crops on the farm and to help maintain the farm.

Using bits and pieces of photos of the farm, I designed a scene that would include the buildings and terrain surrounding the farm that sits on West Hill in Barre, Vermont. Though my studio art has largely moved away from landscape in the past couple of years, I enjoyed doing this scene. I recalled getting to know Gary's grandparents, founders of the farm in 1909, hardy farm folks from the province of Quebec in Canada. I thought of all the good times we had with our young children on the farm, memories similar to those of the cousin requesting the painting. Most recently, I remet the descendants of Joe and Emeda Paquet's 13 children at the farm celebration, and we enjoyed many hours of reminiscing.

I am happy to report that the requester is delighted with the image that I sent her and the painting will soon be on it's way to her home in Connecticut. You can see more farm paintings and read more about the Paquet family farm on this blog.