Day 319 "Quilters at the Fair" 9 x 9 pen & ink

I love the Marshfield Fair, and volunteer there frequently each August.  It is enjoyable to watch the activity increase and the buildings fill during the weeks and days ahead. In the Agricultural Hall, country arts and crafts are submitted upstairs, and quilts are hung from wires strung among the rafters.  Each year, a table of quilters works during the fair, piecing together quilts from squares entered to the annual themed contest.  I love the dimensions built by these beautiful hand made treasures hanging throughout the building.
This is my three hundred nineteenth daily drawing.  Thank you for your continued interest. 

"At the Fair" oil 10 x 8

The August theme for Girls Just Wanna Paint theme was "edges".  Here is my take on the theme.  Each year I paint at the Marshfield Fair.  This year, I painted inside the Agricultural Hall, where the quilts and other art are displayed.  I was drawn to the doorway, through which people entered from the heat into the darker, cooler space in the Hall.  I needed to concentrate on softening the edges of the figures in the doorway, the trees against the sky, and all the outdoor shapes to keep the light consistent.  

Day 158 "Escape the Heat" ink and pastel 6 x 5

Every summer I spend some time at the Marshfield Fair, volunteering for a friend of mine who runs part of this lovely agricultural fair. The fair is a smorgasbord of visual interest for me.  Here's a quick sketch of a family coming through the door from outside in the heat.  
This is my hundred fifty eighth daily drawing.  I so appreciate your interest.  Thank you.

"Horse Pull" 6 x 9 pen & ink #dailydrawing 33

I spend a lot of time at the Marshfield Fair in the summer, volunteering in one of the departments.  I try to spend time watching the horse pull each summer.  I love the way the horses work in tandem, and how they seem to want to pull the ever-increasing weights.  This pair of horses are being led to the sled carrying the weights.  It's a complex dance, the pair swinging wide, their handlers lining them up, holding the horses in check while they back the team up to the sled, drop the hook, and the team takes off.  In each team, one horse seems to dominate, setting the pace and direction for the team.  Both horses wear blinders.  I'll try to see it again next summer.
This is my 33 daily drawing using ink in some form.  Thank you for looking.

"Shakes & Cones" ink and warm gray 6 x 9 #Inktober

Each summer  I volunteer at the Marshfield Fair, and spend time there many evenings.  I love the pageantry, lights, hubbub, activity, and the charm.  I was drawn to the contrast in this image with the backlit figures, and the light emanating from within the ice cream truck onto the family. It's one of many vignettes throughout the fairgrounds.  
This is my 25th drawing for #Inktober.  Thank you for looking at my drawings.

"Flower Power" watercolor & ink 9 x 12

Yesterday I painted at the Marshfield Fair with a few other artists.  We were each assigned a fireworks-themed flower arrangement to interpret as we wished.  I worked with my sketchbook, intending to create a page which represented the busyness of this area at the Fair, and the sense of fireworks.  I drew the scene in ink, then began adding watercolor.  When I got home, I added a little watercolor crayon  to tie together some of the darks... an explosion of color.
Here are a few photos showing my process.

As always, thanks for looking.

Marshfield Fair 2012

The Marshfield Fair comes to town for 10 days each August.  We love it and have volunteered for years in a variety of ways during the weeks prior to and including the Fair.  We find ourselves there almost every day, enjoying the lights, the pageantry, the sounds and smells, the people watching.

We spend a lot of time in Agricultural Hall, smack dab in the center of the fairgrounds.  Arts and Crafts are housed upstairs and Horiculture

is downstairs.  This year, I was scheduled for a painting demo upstairs, and chose the Arts and Crafts Shop. I love the majestic old building with its views of carnival rides and festivities out the windows.  

I have been bringing my sketchbook and will sit and draw while soaking up the atmosphere.  Whether I am sitting isolated on the rocks of a Maine Island, or amid the hubbub of our local country fair, I am blessed...