Day 22: U Pick

Day 22: U Pick

If you haven’t already guessed, this was done at the U Pick strawberry farm down the road here in Black Hammock. What better theme than red for Valentine’s Day? My mom always talks about going to pick strawberries here, but until today I’d never been. As I pulled up the front gate was locked, so I had no idea how popular this place is. For some reason I thought that this time I should paint through the cattle gate instead of hopping it, good thing I trusted my instincts.With the sun directly at my back, I was determined to paint this, but forgot my beach umbrella to keep the sun off the canvas and palette. Digging around in the truck I found a green rain umbrella and some hair bands to tie it with, it was my lucky day! I really wanted to paint this and like the dramatic result of the red with that dark blue purple sky and some green in there. I’m naturally attracted to these high contrast scenes with strong sunlight, which is probably why I love painting in Florida and Italy so much.Just as I was setting up the first car stopped, rolled down their window and asked, “Isn’t it open today?” I had no idea that this was to be my entire afternoon, and I’m not exaggerating! At about the 5th car, an old man in a big truck pulled up and pointed to a wreath hanging on black cloth on the gate. He asked me to go and read the sign under it. “The strawberry lady died,” I told him. He just shook his head, saying it was a shame. I asked about her, she was the owners wife he thought. He gave me an orange, wished me a Happy Valentine’s Day and drove off. This was to be the next two hours. Everyone stopped to remember the strawberry lady. Some didn’t really care, they just wanted to know when it would be open again to pick berries. Others got out and looked at the sign with her picture and the wreath for a long time. No one commented on the fact that I was standing there with my easel and a ridiculous bright green umbrella, and I was glad for it. Despite the bright shining sun it was a somewhat somber atmosphere today at the strawberry farm. I’m continually amazed by the things that happen just standing outside in a place for a few hours. Doing this, I feel like I’m in on the action of life, having random encounters with strangers and getting a glimpse into another’s life for just a minute. I really like this about painting outside. Today I came to know about the strawberry lady and how many people’s lives she must have touched.This one’s for you strawberry lady, I can see that you will be sorely missed.To buy this painting or view others from the 100 day project, follow this link: https://kellymedford.com/collections/25604. All paintings are 6×8″ and cost $100 (+ shipping).You can pass this project onto a friend by suggesting that they subscribe to receive the daily enewsletter here https://kellymedford.com/email-newsletter or you can follow on the blog at www.kellymedford.blogspot.com or join the facebook group 100 Paintings 100 Days 100 Dollars (sooo many options!)Thanks for reading and I hope you all had a Happy Valentine’s Day!