66) Young Fruit

11 x 14” watercolor on 300 pound cold press paper
Original sold - click HERE to purchase reprints or cards

Two young trees from the many rows that run alongside the runway. Tall metal poles add support to each tree while corrugated plastic tubes protect tender bark from the gnawing of mice teeth. Many trees are grown to sell, finding their way to a yard or farm far and wide. I am happy with the simplicity of this work, the focus on the young trees and soft blue-green sky.  The visual angle is one looking from ground level slightly upward.

65) Jersey Mac and Clover

11 x 14” watercolor on 300 pound cold press paper - not for sale
Click HERE to purchase a reprint or cards 

Near the organic section stands a Jersey Macintosh, a single tree full of apples.  Despite its small size, I was amazed with the quantity of fruit (compared to much larger neighboring trees) and the bright red coloring of the apples. Throughout the tall grass around the Jersey Mac, clover and chicory grew.  As it was an early evening in August the chicory had closed their tiny blue blossoms for the night (much to my disappointment).

64) Gate and Maple

11 x 14” watercolor on 300 pound cold press paper - $125

Mid July sitting on the lawn of Tom and Katra’s home looking towards the south. The red wooden gate stood open gracing one of the entrances to the orchard. A lovely maple shades the corner of the lawn by the gate. Earlier in the day Tom mowed the lawn leaving noticeable lines in the grass creating an interesting geometric dimension to the painting.

63) Buckwheat Field and Elder Lady

11 x 14” watercolor on 300 pound cold press paper - $125

Early June, sitting among the “elder” trees near the Gate House looking west. The apple tree in the painting reminded me of J.R. Tolkien’s Ents, or maybe a tree from the Wizard of Oz or a character from an early Walt Disney cartoon. The branches resembled creaky arms suggesting that at any moment the trunk would lift up and march down the hill towards the newly planted buckwheat.

In the background the willows stood out against the dark trees lit up from the westward shifting sun. I tried to capture the warmth of this light on the woods, earth and buckwheat field.

62) Elder Lady 5

11 x 14” watercolor on 300 pound cold press paper - $125
Click HERE to purchase reprints or cards

Late May, sitting with the oldest trees near the Gate House looking west. These elder ladies have so much character. Unlike the younger trees, their sprawling branches have fewer limbs and leaves. Yet after almost a century of life each lady still produces. I am intrigued by the angles of the branches, some natural and some created through years of pruning. Even the scars from cuts long ago display beautiful orange red swirls in the late afternoon sunlight. The bark glowed a rosy red through the purple grey bark. In addition to the variety I was happy with the contrast of these colors.

61) Rolling on the Deck

11 x 14” watercolor on 300 pound cold press paper
Not For Sale, click HERE to purchase reprints or cards

On an early Sunday evening late in May I settled down to paint the front porch of the orchard store, “Cider House Farm Market”. I was drawn to the trees for sale, the older “balled” trees (left hand side) and the babies or whips potted in large black plastic containers (right hand side held in apple crates). Equally, I found the contrast between the red siding of the store and the flanked spray of greens of visual interest.

Shortly after starting this work Nick arrived with Kevin Clayton and Peter Swift, the trio known as the “Meat Packers” for a practice session on the porch. I smiled as renditions of “Wagon Wheel” by the Old Crow Medicine Show wove through the air, amazingly I heard the song for the first time the night before while driving home … somewhere between “déjà vus” and serendipity!

Look closely and you can see Nick on mandolin, Kevin on guitar behind the second post and Peter on base obscured between the young burlap clad trees. They graced the orchard store and those fortunate enough to pass through the orchard gates as dusk arrived.

60) Bee Hives, Wind Sock and Bloom

11 x 14” watercolor on 300 pound cold press paper
Not for sale, click HERE to purchase reprints or cards

The orchard inspired me to rise early in hopes of capturing the eastern sun. The day was bright on this mid May morning during the height of the bloom. I set up on the runway just south of the wind sock whose multicolored tail hung motionless with the still cool air. Just south stood stacks of bee hives. These guests had yet to start their daily work in earnest. I stood behind them at one point and leaned carefully forward with my ear an inch from the wooden backing, I heard a low hum resonating from over 50,000 bees per hive … what an awesome sound and feeling! It is a sad sign of the times when there are insufficient numbers of bees to pollinate the orchard, which is why Nick brings in these hives during the bloom.

The sun drenched the dull colors of the hives while the blossoms exploded from the dark branches. Both the ground and sky brought about contrasting blues, yellows and greens.