Wet Paint Festival in Newport Rhode Island
Monday, August 17, 2009
I just got back from an amazing weekend with my wife and some of her family in Newport RI, and I participated in a Wet Paint festival that benefited the local museum and it's educational programs. The rules were simple. Complete a painting on site (plein air) anywhere in the Newport area, and finish it by 3 pm on Saturday. I planned to complete two canvases, and although I began both, I only completed one (a morning session) It sold in the auction for a pretty good price, so I was happy...
It was a beautiful area called Prescott farms, and the red house was built in the mid 1700's. It was originally part of a larger house that was built around 1730, and was rumored to have been the place of capture of the British officer, Richard Prescott in 1777 by the American forces.
The windmill was built in 1812, and yes, it still works! It is in the process of being re-shingled, but I could still see the old weathered color of the wood just under the dome of the windmill cap. I decided to paint it as it was before the renovation. I was also lucky enough to peek in and see the engineering that went into it. It really is an extraordinary machine!
I hit the painting between the hours of 10 am and 1 pm, both Friday and Saturday.
The painting was about 80 percent finished at this point, and it was broiling outside.
I also brought a cheap umbrella just before we made the trip, which by complete dumb luck just happened to fit in the nook at the top of my easel. I was able to keep my palette and my painting out of direct light, which kept the mixing of colors and my value range from being out of control in bright sunlight. There was no escaping a sunburn, though.
