Days 599, 600, and 601 "Festival Days"

 

Every year the North River Arts Society in Marshfield, MA holds its annual Festival of the Arts.  I love the weekend, often calling it a "weekend away" without the cost of hotel. Years ago, before I was an artist, I used to ride my bike down to the Festival to hang with my mother while she painted.  Eventually, I began to paint, and to volunteer, and have now been the co-chair of the juried art & sculpture part of the Festival for a couple of decades.  I paint out on the street for both days of the festival, talking to old and new friends while working.  Great music, food, laughter, fun. Doesn't matter to me what the weather is; so I have painted under a tent while wearing a down vest, and pausing for a warm cup of chowder on occasion, or in 90 degree heat, and everything in between.  It is New England, after all. Here is some of the work I created over the weekend. I get fired up by the festivities, the pageantry, the hubbub, and the catching up with people.  These are my 599, 600, and 601st daily drawings created Friday, Saturday, and Sunday during the arts festival.  Thank you for looking.  

Day 234 "Festival Crowd" 12 x 9 watercolor & ink

Today was the second day of our annual North River Arts Festival.  Yesterday was hot and sunny; today 40 degrees cooler, overcast, with eventual showers.  I love New England.  I sat and sketched a few of the passersby, sitting between a couple of my friends who were painting.  There was music, and a performing clown, lots of dogs, cute children, and catching up with new and old friends.  Every year, I have a chat with a thoughtful man who looks at the juried art show then comes to find me with his questions and observations.  I look forward to our annual discussion. Today, I met his beautiful new granddaughter as well. One of my entries was awarded "Best Drawing" in the Art Festival this year.  You've seen it here as Daily Drawing 116.  His observations were very interesting, as in "how can a black and white image convey color, mood, and so much information with very little detail?"  He has keen powers of observation, or he knows me well, because that's exactly what I was after.  This is my two hundred thirty-fourth daily drawing.  Thank you for taking a look at the world through my eyes.  

"Coming and Going" oil 12 x 12

 Our local art association held its 41st annual art festival this past weekend; music, art in the streets, artisans, great food, all in a lovely New England neighborhood.  It's a magical weekend, rain or shine. I paint in the streets both days, and enjoy chatting with people as they stop by. I especially love the children who pause.  I usually engage them with some questions about what I'm doing and ask their opinion about choices I'm considering.  They love looking at the tubes of paint, and the "secret compartment" in my pochade box where I keep them.  When I'm lucky, a child or two will visit multiple times to check in, as happened this weekend with an interesting 9-year old named Zach.  
The Girls Just Wanna Paint challenge for this past month is "refresh".  "Coming and Going" is my take on "refresh".  I have painted for years at

the art festival, almost always painting the main building, the G.A.R. Hall.  This year, I turned away from the main building to paint the new food trucks and the lovely brick-ender on the street.  It was refreshing to change my annual view.

Architectural Grouping

This afternoon, the Girls Just Wanna Paint hung a group show at the South Shore Natural Science Center in Norwell.  We each hung 5 paintings.  I brought several more, so I could decide as I looked at the space.  Ultimately I chose all architectural paintings. Seeing them together is a nice reminder that I love painting buildings.  I like their shapes against the sky, with crisp edges, and the way those edges fade into their surroundings as the eye descends.  I love the shapes that coalesce into a visual of the structure... very exciting to me.  

"Cross Street - Clarendon" watercolor & ink 9 x 12

 

 A few weeks ago, I was painting in Boston with a friend. We parked ourselves at the intersection of Newbury and Clarendon.  It was  a gorgeous, sunny day at the end of April, and the streets were packed.  I love drawing the city, adding pedestrians who catch my eye.  The result shows sidewalks more busy than they actually were in any given moment, but you can feel the motion, the busyness; in this case with faces turned toward the sun after a long, not necessarily harsh, but certainly gray, winter.  

You can see my sketches and the beginning of color into the painting in a former blog post (link here).  Usually, I do the drawing outside, and sometimes begin adding color, but more often, I add the color from my head.  I remember the angle of the sun, and add the colors and value that work in the scene. I'm happy with the outcome, and looking forward to my next urban painting day.  

Meanwhile, you can see this painting, and two others of mine, on Memorial Day Weekend at the North River Arts Festival in Marshfield, MA.  The juried art and sculpture show is fantastic each year, and this year will be no exception.  I coordinate the jury day, so get a preview of the accepted work.  Hoping to see you on the street, Sat or Sun.  Come say "Hi".  I'll be painting outside both days, 10 - 5pm. 

"Art in the Street" oil 12 x 16 oil

Every year I paint on the street of our local art festival which brings thousands of visitors to our little village over its two days on Memorial Day weekend. Spring is (almost) in the air, so I pulled out last year's street painting and finished it; always a nice exercise for the dark of winter. I love standing on the street for the day, painting the moving crowd and chatting with people.
We mark the passing winter weeks here by counting the days...  
 
 15 days until Daylight Savings time ends, 37 days until Red Sox home opener, and just 13 weeks until this year's North River Arts Festival!

Thanks for looking. 

"Artful Afternoon" oil 12 x 18 work in progress

Memorial Day weekend means North River Arts Festival in Marshfield, MA.  It is a wonderful weekend, filled with music, painting, photography, and jubilance.  Tonight we finished another Festival, the 39th.  I love every minute, and usually spend both days on the street listening to the great music, while painting and talking to visitors.  I love the children who come by to look at my painting.  I often ask for their input and suggestions. Here's my paintingfrom the Festival, still in progress.  You can seen that I switched the light on in front of the buildings, and a few other places, the difference between morning and afternoon.  What a great couple of days.
Thank you to all who stopped by to say hello, it was nice to chat with you.  Happy Memorial Day.