Ardenwood Historic Farm, Fremont, Thursday, October 16, 2014

There were several requests that we kick-off our Fall plein air season by visiting a pumpkin-y place.    The place we found was an old favorite:  Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont.   Pumpkins there were plenty of.    And farm animals and poultry.  And a fine old Victorian farmhouse and out-buildings.   And tractors and farm equipment, old and not so old.   And an old RR depot and boxcars.    And lots of other stuff too.      But mostly pumpkins - some up close and others massed in rows covering acres.  We painted them all.   

For more information about the Ardenwood Historic Farm, see:
http://www.ebparks.org/parks/ardenwood 

Upcoming Paintsites:

• Saturday, October 18, 2014:   Annual Member Show Paintout.   Rose Shenson Gallery, Triton Museum, Santa Clara.  "Ink & Wash"  demo by Dick Zunkel at 11:00 AM.   Informal show and reception at 2:00 PM.    Participants and observers welcome.
• Thursday, October 30, 2014:  Alviso Marina County Park - either Hike & Sketch or Sit & Paint
• Thursday, November 6, 2014:  Los Altos History Museum, Los Altos
• Thursday, November 20, 2014:  Clos LaChance Winery, San Martin

Check the website or relevant Newsletter for details.

Note: most of the paintings shown are still "works in progress" unless described as "completed".      Visit this posting again to see the completed version.

Some artists, some pumpkins, and paintings of same:

Lisha, Marilyn, & Helen loading up with orange pigments.

Lisha & Helen

Lisha's painting

Helen's painting

Marilyn

Marilyn's painting

Jenny's completed painting (note pumpkins relegated to a supporting role)

Brad's completed painting of pumpkin and cabbage fields

Candy

Candy's painting

  More farm fields .... 

Sylvia's thumbnails for her finished painting

                               Sylvia's finished painting of working fields just outside the park --- red lettuce,  green lettuce,  blue-green cabbage (but nary a pumpkin)

Susan working on more row crops (note her keen new easel)

 The Patterson House (now a museum):

Dick's completed painting

Melanie's completed painting

Leonard and his completed painting

Jenny's completed painting of one of the numerous out-buildings

Some barnyard animals & poultry ...

Candy's painting

Jane's painting of sheep safely grazing

Tanya's painting of one of the handsome chickens roaming the grounds freely

Jenny's sketches of goats doing what goats do - looking for something (anything?) to eat

After lunch, some serious and appreciative examining of our day's efforts.

Ardenwood Historic Farm, Fremont, Thursday, September 5, 2013

With many of the PaintOut regulars in Croatia for a real plein air adventure, for those left behind, it was a fine day for painting in another of the area's agricultural "remnant" parks:  a place to imagine, courtesy of period-costumed docents, what life was like a century or more ago in one of the rich farming areas around the South Bay; a working farm with livestock and a harvest underway; old farm equipment, train and horse-drawn wagon rides --- an opportunity to immerse oneself in a different pace of life perfectly attuned to plein air painting.

For additional information about Ardenwood, check out:
http://www.ebparks.org/parks/ardenwood

Upcoming Paint Outs:

• Thursday,  September 19, 2013 - Gamble Gardens, Palo Alto
• Saturday, September 21, 2013 - Santa Clara Railroad Depot & Museum, Santa Clara
• Thursday, September 26, 2013 - Moran Lake, Santa Cruz
• Friday & Saturday, September 27 - 28, 2013 - Annual Santa Cruz Paintout, Santa Cruz

Check the SCVWS website or September Newsletter for additional details

The Critique:  Sylvia and Marilyn can't believe what they see; it gives Liz a chill....

Marilyn Perry

Ardenwood Farm is such a large interesting place, and I have never visited it before, so I took a long time to stroll around before I settled on a subject and started drawing.  On my way out I purchased organic vegetables that had been grown on the farm, and they were all very delicious.     Marilyn

Liz Siegel

 Beautiful quiet morning at Ardenwood Farm. Liz

Brad Santos

The last time we were here I painted the grand front of the house (see Marilyn's & Liz's paintings above).   This time it was the more relaxed, but still elegant south side.   Next time maybe one of the "working" sides of the house.   Brad