Augur Farm House

I recently sold this painting from an exhibit that I had at the Edward Smith Library. It's a painting of the Augur Farm House. The house is an old 1930s farm house with barns in the back that store hay. It sits on several acres of old farm land, with the Farm River flowing behind it. The house is empty now and the property is owned by the town. I've had more inquiries about the painting since I sold it. There is something mystical about this house. Every time I pass by it, I find it so fascinating. I will go again in the spring and paint it. I think I may paint it several times. It pulls me to it, as if the ghosts of the family that lived there still inhabit it.

Commission of a 1780 House

This is a recent commission that I did of a house built in 1780 in the center of Northford, CT. It is a typical New England style house, though the structure is post and beam with horsehair plaster walls and wide plank floors. It has a large fireplace in the center that was once used for cooking and boiling water. Over the years, an addition was put on the rear of the house for a modern kitchen, though it's invisible from the front. I managed to paint this over a four day period just before the autumn leaves fell and winter set in. It was a joy to paint, which I did in oil. It's 16"x20".

Looking for Opportunities

In the summer of 2007, I learned that one of our small town libraries was closing for renovation. It was built in the early 1940s, so the building was quite old and outdated. I knew from looking at plans for the building that the architecture would change significantly and I thought that someone might be interested in preserving the original look of the building in other than a photo. So, I set up one warm summer day and began to paint the building en plein air.

Later, I contacted the director of the library with an idea of selling this painting and perhaps others to the library to decorate the new walls once it opened. I was met with some enthusiasm. I kept in touch with the director over the next year and was invited to meet with the board of directors for the library. They seemed interested in my work. When the building was complete, the library bought the painting of the old building. I put an article in the local papers announcing this event so that others in the town were aware of it.

Currently, the town is going to raisie funds for another small painting of mine of a local landmark. I am very excited about this. I'm also going to look into doing a painting of the other library in our town, which is going to be renovated soon as well. I've received some positive feedback on this quest as well from the directory of the library. The second library is very old with some really pretty architecture. It will be a pleasure to paint.

The exposure of my work to the public is probably the best that I could hope for in such a small town as ours. I'm hoping that I will garner some commissions in the future. If not, it's pretty exciting to know that some of my work is going to be part of a permanent display in my town's library for generations to come.

I've learned from this experience that you have to seize the horse by the tail and make opportunities for yourself instead of waiting for something to come along. It takes perserverance, but it's really worth it in the end.