Painting at the Dallas Heritage Village

The Dallas Heritage Village (which I had never heard of until about a week ago) is a collection of Victorian and pioneer homes, located on the south side of Dallas. This fall, the village will be hosting a plein air painting exhibition and competition, so today I decided to join up with some other painters and check this place out. Entry is free for artists (I guess we make them look good!), so I was able to walk right in, find a spot, and get to work. It would have felt like I was stepping into another time and place, were it not for the Dallas skyline peering over the little village. And with the droves of schoolchildren there, and the muggy post-thunderstorm humity, I wouldn't exactly call the setting "peaceful." Still, I enjoyed every minute of it. We don't have many homes like this anywhere else in the city, so I think I'll be back again as soon as I'm able to.

My subject of choice was the Sullivan House, and the little white fence nearby. Here's my painting after the first hour or so...

Curious schoolchildren came by in packs. One kid, with a very straight face, offered to buy my painting for a dollar. I was tempted to use that opportunity to educate the next generation of future collectors on the value of fine art... but instead, I filled them in on how before the invention of metal paint tubes, artists used to store their paints in pig bladders. That thoroughly grossed out - and delighted - the school kids. :-)

Here's a picture of my painting as it neared completion. The clouds and muggy air hung around long enough for me to work a little longer than usual (almost three hours). I just have a little bit of tweaking to do on it still; will post a final pic soon.

Painting at the Dallas Heritage Village