Lower Merion Conservancy PaintOut Part One

Last Wednesday and Thursday my dear friend Nancy Herman and I participated in
the Lower Merion Conservancy's Plein Air Paint Out, with about eight other local artists.

Nancy and I were the first artists to arrive at the Conservancy Headquarters.
Although tempting, we passed on the goodies offered by the thoughtful staff.

First order of the day was to get the backs of our canvases stamped with the image of a woodpecker,
which guaranteed the authenticity of our paintings having been painted during the two day period,
and not before. We then had to decide just where, among all the many beautiful historic sites
available in Lower Merion Township, to do our first paintings. 

I suggested we go to "Saunders Woods Preserve," a 25 acre former farm with beautiful meadows
and a steep, forested stream valley. We decided to take advantage of the rustic old Pennsylvania
stone barn, which at that hour was still being slowly revealed by the early morning sun.

Nancy chose a spot in front of the barn.

And I decided to paint on the shady side, with it's crusty textures, and view of meadow and trees, beyond.

Here is a close up of  Nancy's painting., nearing completion. To see the finished piece,
check out Nancy's blog.  And yes, this photo is upside down, as seen from Nancy's viewpoint.

And here is the finished painting done by me.
( Oil on panel  12 X 24"  $1,900 )

After a brief lunch, (a welcome retreat from a day that was beautiful, but getting ever hotter,)
Nancy and I meandered through the back roads of the Mainline, visiting more potential painting sites. Eventually we took advantage of having access to a sprawling, historic home, and set up our easels along
Mill Creek, with a wonderful view of the former Colonial mill, on the far bank. Here is Nancy's point of view. More of her paintings will appear on her blog, "Post Cards From Merion."

Here is my little painting of a part of the mill and stream below.
( Oil on panel, 5 X 7" $110.00 )































Before we called it a day, we decided to find the home where the Fund Raiser was to be held, on Thursday evening. Here is another friend and respected Philadelphia artist, Joseph Sweeney, taking advantage of the golden light at the end of the day, and starting another painting of our host's beautifully restored English Tudor home. In Friday's post, I'll regale you with our Thursday adventures,
and the evening's festivities.