October 18, 2008One of the purposes of getting on the back roads of all the states I am visiting, is to see the true nature of the country. Over the last few years it seems we have been in an urban trend and even those areas that are not urban are trying to look more cosmopolitan. Many areas of the country are dominated by large cities and Massachusetts is one of them. I love Boston and the Cape. Don't get me wrong. I love the museums, the architecture, the history and the culture of great cities like Boston. But I think there is so much information about them, I'm not sure what I can add with a small painting. So when I look for the road less traveled for my paintings, I am looking for a thread that runs the breadth of this country that tells us what our underlying culture is. Today we wake up in Great Barrington, Masssachusetts and it is cold. We have been blessed with perfect fall weather at the peak of the fall foliage for this trip. Taking an early morning walk, I find that our hotel seems to be across the street from a castle. Searles Castle has a long history beginning with it being commissioned by railroad tycoon widow, Mary Hopkins in 1888 who ended up marrying the architect, Searles. I am a year late and $15 million short to buy it. It is presently being used as a private school, Dewey Academy. According to old real estate listing, it even has a dungeon. I rush back to the hotel to get my oil paints and bundle up. It is a great subject, one befitting Massachusetts and another testament to the benefit of being open to surprises along the road. Western Massachusetts also has plenty of farmland but I am happy to have some variety in my subject matter and to get a painting done first thing in the morning. We head east to Rhode Island.
