HERITAGE STEWART FARM

                                          Glad that the weather cleared up and the sun decided to show itself! There were about 11 artists on site at the Heritage Stewart Farm in Surrey. There were so many things to capture (i.e. barn with original tools and machinery, boats, work sheds, and a root cellar (the closest thing to a fridge back in the day) but we only had 2 hours to sketch. This restored farmhouse from the 1890s was the star of the show! Not to mention the two ladies in Victorian costumes who'd be more than happy to give you a tour of the house.

I've been practicing my pen and ink sketches and thought I'd give it a go with the farmhouse. The tree on the left was actually inside the fence but I didn't like how it hid part of the house. Keeping it outside the fence was much better and it also frames the scene quite nicely. I had just enough time to do a color wash before the time was up. Some finishing touches were done to tighten up the painting after.

Having a foldable chair in tow allows me to be selective of my vantage point without having to stand while sketching or getting "brown butt" by sitting on the ground. I was quite comfortable sitting at the parking lot of the farm, under a shade.

The two beautiful "Victorian" ladies came out to join us. You can see all our sketchbooks on the floor. They liked what they saw...and so did I!