Fair Winds Farm - Aug. 28, 2018

Courtesy of Ronnie Klukas

The TCAA Plein Air artists found their way to Fair Winds Farm this week. TCAA member Sally Balukas shared her Tolland farm with 9 other artists. Her hospitality was greatly appreciated. Sally's attention to artistic detail could be seen in the canoe resting on the pond edge, to the beautiful hibiscus growing amongst goldenrod and joe pye weed. Not only were we treated to lovely sights to paint, but Sally also made a wonderful lemon pound cake, and fresh iced green tea, and lemonade.

We had comfy Adirondack chairs to sit in under the shade of black walnut trees and maples. Our view from the chairs included the small pond, and several barns and outbuildings, as well as Sally's wildflower dotted fields that are home to her two donkey's.

Our weekly plein air gatherings are geared toward letting our hair down a little, try new things, try to feel our subject on an emotional level to create a sense of the day. This is not the time to attend to finished details, but to catch what we see and feel quickly and through color and strokes, as the impressionists did.

The day was one of the hottest we have had this summer, with heat indexes of 100+ degrees. Frankly, it was almost too hot to even sketch with a pencil, let alone try to paint. However, a few of the artists shared their sketches and paintings.

Linda was one of those who tried a different technique. Linda is an
excellent sketcher, so she began her piece with graphite pencils, shading and adding tones. She used blenders to really push the pencil into the paper. Then she set the graphite with water. After letting the paper dry, she added color with brushes and watercolor over the graphite drawing. The finished piece had a dimensional look to it, and we all marveled at how well it came out.

Penny warmed

up with some ink sketches of the barns. They may have been done with the gel pens, but I wasn't sure. Warming up by doing quick sketches or colorful renditions on watercolor paper is a great way to start your day. Penny then did a very loose watercolor of the pond and treeline, catching the heat through her choice of warm colors. There was a breeze blowing as well, and some of that motion she also caught.

Cathy settled herself beside the pond. She warmed up with a few quick strokes as she viewed a strip of joe pye weed. Then she began her main painting of the hibiscus by the pond edge. The sun rose higher invading her little patch of shade. She had to keep moving back, which forced her to paint in an impromptu way through her excellent sense of recall as she worked with the painting of the hibiscus that she could no longer see. She was able to work the colors and shapes with her choice of watercolors, without need of a visual sample.

June was in the mood for simple, rather than complicated. She came prepared with drawing tools, colored pencils, and oil pastels. As she sat beside the pond, she decided the colored pencils felt right. She did not bring the full compliment of colors, so had to use what colors she had. A challenge to plein air is to bring a limited supply of colors. This forces you to create an even deeper sense of feeling by using colors that you may not use ordinarily. She settled on the canoe surrounded by wildflowe rs and grasses. Once home, she added a few more details and colors.

Then there is the mystery sketch. Not sure who did it, but thought I would share it anyway. It is one of the barns near where everyone was sitting.

Rhea took several photos of Sally's donkeys. Her lovely description of her photos: Donkeyshines instead of monkeyshines. Thanks Rhea for the photos, and a little of your "monkeyshines" around the tea and cake.

Photos courtesy of
Rhea Sutter

Most of the others were comfortable just doing some photos, and sitting in the shade trying to stay cool. The conversation focused quite a bit on the TCAA open show coming in November, as well as the new website which is currently under construction. Our member dues are due in September. Send to Jane Burr. You can find the address on the members list sent out in June, as well as following the emails sent out weekly by Ronnie.

A big thankyou to Sally for offering up her farm for our weekly gathering. She has also invited those who might be interested to come by and try kayaking on her pond. Give her a call if you want to give it a go. Refer to the members list for her phone number and address.

Sally and Dave

Blog will be updated with our location next week, as well as any photos or finished pieces that others would like to share and add to this weeks entry.

GALLERY