Pleasant Point Trains - 14 November 2013

Jay, Sally, Judy and I met at 10 AM at the Tilcon (trap rock) rail yard on Pleasant Point Road in Branford -- which I call the Pleasant Point trains. But on my way, I went to check out the Trolley Trail, which can be accessed down a short, steep trail section about a mile further out the road. From the trail you can see the Tilcon distribution facility in Pine Orchard, and in one of the photos, you can see the tops of a train on its way there, across the marshes. Eastward on the trail, there are outlooks back toward Stony Creek. I'm including these photos in case they may inspire you for painting there.

Back at the trains, while the others were setting up and starting to sketch and paint, I again spent a lot of time roaming around for some good reference photos. Silvia, who lives just a few doors down, came to say hello and offer the use of her bathroom, should we need it, but she was not inspired to paint trains.

With our layers of clothes, sheltered from the wind by the trees, and with the sun on our backs we were snug and warm until around Noon, when the sun went behind some trees. Sally invited us back to her condo for her homemade black bean soup (accompanied by some good bread that Jay brought) and Sally's signature brownies for dessert. We also enjoyed browsing Sally's prolific collection of her paintings, including many nice bird illustrations and seascapes, and we perused some new art books, including the Splash Retrospective and an excellent Ian Roberts treatise on composition. Then we watched a couple of Castagnet video demos.

A great morning of art in good company.

Let's hope for another good Thursday next week. I'll try to get us out to the east next time or Guilford. We'll decide that after we see a near-term forecast.

Photos of the trains.

 

 

 

 

 Photos from Trolley Trail

 

Call to Paint -- Thursday, 14 November 2013 -- 10 AM

Greetings to All,

For the sake of variety, let's try Young's Pond in Branford, and we'll check out the Pleasant Point trap rock trains on the way by. Last week, there were train cars on the curved siding in the grove. I had not seen them that way again since we painted there two years ago. If we like the options there, we could paint there instead of Young's Pond.

Anyway, we're going to want some shelter from the southwest breeze. I think either of these two sites would do that. Some of us have been painting trains lately, so Young's Pond might be a better choice, but since the two sites are so close, it's easy to switch to the trains if everyone prefers that.

So let's meet at 10 at Young's Pond, but take a look at the train site on the way by. If we don't do it this week, we might want to come back another time.

Directions to both venues below.

I hope to see you there.

/j


YOUNG'S POND AND PLEASANT POINT TRAINS

From I-95, take exit 55. Turn west on Route 1, heading toward Branford Center. After about 0.2 mile,  take your first left, (south) right after the Mobil station, onto Windmill Hill Road. After about 1/2 mile, turn left (east) on Damascus Road. After about 0.6 mile, bear right (south) on Totucket Road. If you want to check out the trains:

 

PLEASANT POINT TRAINS, Pleasant Point Road, Branford

 

After about 0.4 mile, turn left (east) on Pleasant Point Road. After about 0.2 mile, you will see the train cars on your left. To continue to Young's Pond:

 

YOUNG'S POND, Blackstone Avenue, Branford

 

Go back to Totucket Road, and turn left (south). After about 0.3 mile, Totucket Road becomes Blackstone Avenue. Continue for another half mile. You will pass fairways of the Pine Orchard Country Club on your left. Young’s Pond Park will be just beyond, on your right. (If you reach Pine Orchard Road, you’ve gone too far  by about 0.1 mile.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meig's Point -- 7 November 2013

Greetings to All,

It was just irresistible. The sun and blue sky popped through the light cloud cover around 7 AM, and the air outside was balmy. And the forecast and weather map suggested we might have until 11 AM before encountering showers. In an email exchange with our regular painters, I found two takers -- Betsey and Hans -- for a last minute decision to paint at Meig's Point.

It was beautiful, if overcast, when we arrived around 9:30. Just a moderate breeze from the west, and we were pretty much sheltered by the land contours. Hans got to work immediately and had his drawing already complete by the time Betsey arrived and I finally stopped roaming and got my gear set up. Betsey chose the most exposed site, but she said it was not uncomfortable.

The showers came at 10:45 -- a little early. But both Hans and Betsey had virtually complete paintings by then, and I'm always happy to finish from a photo anyway, so it was a successful morning. And always fun to be out together.

From now on, with the weather chilling down and winds almost certainly a factor, I don't like to choose a site in advance. Fundamentally, we're looking for a place where we can be in the sun, if there is any, and out of the wind. I'll hope for input from you, if you have ideas for places that might fit this profile. From this distance, next Thursday is looking pretty iffy again, but you never know.

Photos from Meig's Point

Rain and Wind and Show Openings

Greetings to All,

I'm not getting good vibes from the weather forecast for Thursday, so I'm taking this week off to paint at Brush & Palette. We'll look to paint outside next Thursday, unless any of you wants to defy the weather and call something for this week...

Meanwhile, in case you still have not attended more openings than you need this year, several CTSA members have paintings in one or both of two shows that open on Friday -- CPAPS Annual Member Exhibition at Hartford Fine Art and Framing, 80 Pitkin Street, East Hartford (Nov. 8, 6 to 8 PM); and EAA's "Images of the Essex Steam Train & Riverboat" at the Oliver O. Jensen Gallery (The Valley Railroad Company), 1 Railroad Avenue, Essex (Nov. 8, 5 to 8 PM). The CPAPS show will be in place until January 18th or 24th, depending on whether you believe the prospectus or the gallery website, and the Essex show until December 29th. See the respective websites for hours of operation other than the opening receptions.

Probably you also noted in this month's issue of The Artist's Magazine, the honorable mention for Eileen's Study in White -- also a prize-winner in some of our local shows this summer. Congratulations again, Eileen! This is an elegant painting!

/j