“I enjoyed discovering beautiful locations in Harvard that I had never been to, in the company of other artists,” said resident Carol Panek-Clark about the four-week plein-air workshop that recently ended. She and eight other participants will talk about their works at the Harvard Cultural Collaborative July 7 from 3 to 5 p.m. The focus of the event will be on the process and reflections of the painters rather than on the paintings themselves. There will also be a looping slideshow with pictures of the artists in the special places where they painted, put together by pastel artist and participant Ann Gillespie of Bolton. The workshop was the brainchild of Gwen Leonard of Woodchuck Hill Road and was sponsored by collaboration among Leonard, the Harvard Cultural Collaborative, and the Harvard Conservation Trust. Another four-week session, with different sites and afternoon light, will meet Thursdays, starting July 12.
In a recent conversation, Leonard, who moved to Harvard from Acton last August, declared, “I love Harvard!” It offers bucolic landscapes—streams, rolling hills, rocks, orchards, her own peach orchard included—“everything a romantic artist would want,” she said. When spring came, she was anxious to get outside and paint—but not alone. Plein-air painting by one’s self is too daunting, and it’s nice to have the camaraderie of other artists, she said. It’s also very meditative, as it offers a chance to think about nothing else, she added.
After meeting Marc Sevigny, who is a member of the Conservation Trust, and neighbors involved in conservation, Leonard wanted to explore more of Harvard’s special places. Sevigny said that in addition to conservation land owned by the town, there are privately owned properties that have a conservation restriction, some of which have public access. Then there are lands that have natural beauty, have historical import, or provide important linkage to other open spaces but that as yet have no conservation protection.
Linking art and conservation
Leonard put her desire to paint and her interest in Harvard’s special places together and met with Willie Wickman and Mark Mikitarian of the Cultural Collaborative to propose the idea of having a painting workshop where people would paint at different conservation sites in town. Leonard, who studied at the Art Students League of New York in Manhattan and has taught painting in the past, said she would act as “adviser and monitor” rather than as an instructor. She said she wanted the workshop to be free and easy, with no stress, where everyone “could do it their own way” and “find joy in the process.” Mikitarian and Wickman were very open to her proposal. It was wonderful that they were so willing to try a new idea, and they did a great job of registering people and arranging dates and places, Leonard said.
A 15-foot boulder dominates part of the landscape at Burgess-Brown conservation land. (Courtesy photo)
It was a successful collaboration all around. Leonard, who prefers to paint outside with other artists, got to do that while providing the opportunity for other painters of all ages and abilities to follow their own styles in a comfortable, noncompetitive environment. For the Cultural Collaborative, the workshop expanded its ever-growing offerings and its commitment to collaboration with other groups in town. For the trust, said Sevigny, it was an opportunity to raise awareness about special places in town and to call attention to the fact that not all of them, such as Doe Orchards, St. Benedict’s, and Community Harvest, are protected. An added bonus, Mikitarian said, was that Leonard very generously donated the participants’ fees to the collaborative and the trust.
In preparation for the workshop, Leonard and Sevigny visited some sites for which Sevigny had obtained prior permission when necessary. One of the sites was the town-owned Burgess-Brown land at the end of Murray Lane. Sevigny, who has done extensive research and mapping on conservation land, said Burgess was the first owner of the property, farming it in the 18th century, and Brown was the last owner. Of the two places with conservation restrictions, one was the South Shaker Road home with the remains of the Shaker stone barn. The other was land behind the Historical Society on Still River Road, owned by Ted Maxant, who has generously granted public access to the property. The fourth site was Community Harvest on Prospect Hill Road, owned by a nonprofit organization.
Morning light, special features
At each location, Leonard scouted out areas where she thought the painters might be inspired, choosing places where the morning light was good and where there was some special feature. She said it was interesting to later see where each artist chose to locate at each site. Sevigny said the Burgess-Brown land has an amazing boulder, about 15 feet high, so out of scale that it really stands out in the landscape. He arranged to have paths mowed and poison ivy cut down. Melba Juez-Perrone of Harvard praised the organization and coordination for access to sites, the just-mowed grass, and parking instructions. “Once out there, you would feel one with nature just as Van Gogh did one day,” she said.
Oils, acrylics, and pastels
Workshop participants, four from Harvard and the others from Concord and Bolton, represented a range of abilities, from some who were beginners to accomplished artists who have often exhibited their work. Said Marty Katter of Harvard, “The workshop gave me, a totally inexperienced plein-air painter, the opportunity to try painting outdoors.” They worked in different mediums, from oil to pastel to acrylic.
Leonard said she would walk around a few times during a session and answer any questions. She encouraged the artists to be free and playful with their work.The next four-week workshop, which starts July 12, will be a bit different, she said, in that at the end of each session, the group will gather to share and critique their work. Instead of capturing morning light, the next session will be from 2:30 to 5 p.m. “in order to capture the softer afternoon light,” Leonard said. Sevigny has lined up seven new special places for Leonard to choose from.
The July 7 event will give attendees a chance to see works created by these painters and to hear about their process and the rewards and challenges of painting outside at very different places and in all kinds of weather. And the public will be made more aware of the special places Harvard has and the need to protect them.
