Plein Air Saturday - Malabar Farm

"Malabar Peonies", 8 x 10, oil on board

Today we visited Malabar Farm State Park near Lucas Ohio. This is author Louis Bromfield's farm (my favorite part of the history -  Lauren Becall and Humphrey Bogart were married in the parlor of the 'big house'). I painted just outside the big house in the garden where the peonies were starting to bloom. Very hard to get the right color and feel of the peonies - and even harder to photograph my painting and get the colors correct.

This from the farm's website:

"In the rolling countryside of Richland County, Louis Bromfield, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and dedicated conservationist, created his dream — Malabar Farm. Inspired by his love of the land, Bromfield restored the rich fertility of the farmlands and preserved the beauty of the woodlands. He built a 32-room country home, where his family, friends and neighbors could share the pleasure of life on the farm.

In 1976, Malabar became one of Ohio's state parks. As a park, Malabar Farm is dedicated to perpetuating Bromfield's farming philosophies, preserving the Big House and its many artifacts, and providing a place where visitors can explore life on a farm and the beauty of nature."