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The Pasture, oil on canvas, 6 x 24," 2016. Private collection

There’s a farm I know, an artist who introduced me to this farm and a farm owner I admire. They all have nurtured my creativity for over twenty years.

Hameau Farm is a working dairy farm owned by Audrey Gay Rodgers that has been in her family for generations. Twice a year Hameau becomes home to an artists' painting retreat run by artist Susan Nicholas Gephart. Susan has been leading the retreats since the early 2000s, offering excellent instruction to artists of all levels, with an emphasis on plein air painting.

In May, 2023 I returned to Hameau after a seven-year hiatus, this time signed up as a “professional." I would paint independently for five days and enjoy the company of other artists at the end-of-the-day critiques and at meals. It was a homecoming of sorts since I had been “a regular” from 2004 until 2016. I still have the packing list for my first trip to Hameau and I laugh seeing “palm pilot” on it. In the early years, Hameau was a place I could escape the pressures of legal work and focus on my art.

"Big Valley"

Hameau farm is in “Big Valley” with mountains enclosing it on the north and south, about 30 minutes from State College, PA. There are many Mennonite farms, with roads crisscrossing the valley and providing access to close-up views of the farms. The minute I arrive in Big Valley and start to see sights like this, my brain switches into an alert and energetic mode and I start designing paintings.

Just before arriving at Hameau this year, this scene along Barrville Road made my foot hit the brakes. The freshly tilled earth connecting the farm buildings, the yellow flowers, and the mountain in the distance formed a story I wanted to tell.

Common Ground, oil painting, 5 x 16" private collection

I'm always grateful to be able to paint all day and then sit down to one of Gay's home-cooked meals. They are legendary. But Susan and Gay will tell you I'm usually the first to leave the table. It's not that I don't love the food or the company - there is just so much to paint!

One morning after breakfast I came around the corner to this scene of another breakfast taking place:

Breakfast at Hameau Farm, oil on canvas, 11 x 14" Details.

How many farms have pink and teal colored stalls? I suspect Gay’s summer campers had a hand in the color choice for the stalls and in hanging the name signs above each calf.   

It was a peaceful morning of painting except....

for the loud HONK that made me jump when the milk truck came. It wasn't the truck's horn, but Pierre the peacock! (who knew peacocks honk?). Pierre then grew quiet as he gazed lovingly at his reflection in the hubcap and I returned to my painting.

Here is an example of why I can't linger over breakfast or lunch when I'm at Hameau - the light moves quickly and scenes like this are fleeting.

Hello World, oil on canvas, 12 x 9" Details

Having an insider's view of farm life is a source of inspiration for me.

Hello Girls, oil painting, 14 x 14" from 2016. Private collection. Painted at a nearby farm in the Big Valley. Reproductions available.

Neighbors, oil painting, 8 x 32" from 2016. Private collection. An orchard near Hameau farm in the Big Valley.

Creekside, oil painting, 8 x 6" 2023. Details. This is Kishacoquillas Creek that borders Hameau farm.

Lunchtime, oil painting, 5 x 7" Details.

I've learned a bit about farm animals during my trips to Hameau. Luckily, Gay doesn’t mind answering my questions. Here's a typical exchange from my last visit:

Me at breakfast: "Are there still sheep on the farm?"

Gay: "Yes, they're down below the barn."

Me at lunch: “I couldn't find the sheep but I found lots of goats!”

Gay: “Those weren't goats. Those were sheep.”

IN MY DEFENSE....here’s what the sheep looked like when I painted them a few years ago:

Over There, oil painting, 12 x 8," private collection. Notice how round and wooly they were?

Here’s how they looked this year, after shearing. Don't they look like goats?  They are actually Jacob sheep, a rare breed.

Pennsylvania Girls, oil on canvas, 9 x 12" Details

Gay says: "The Ayrshire breed originated in Scotland in the late 1700s when Scottish farmers wanted a cow that could make milk on scanty rations. They were established in the U.S. by 1820 and are phenomenal grazers."

What I hear: "These cows are so focused on eating that they might stand still for more than five minutes, allowing me to paint them!"

All the cows except one had walked away by the time I took this photo of my setup in the field. Working fast is essential when painting cows.

Not only do they walk away, once in a while a cow will forget its manners.

This warm afternoon I was trying to paint Noa who was lying down and half asleep. After I got started, her stall mate "Salt" (the one I wasn't painting) positioned herself right in front of me, blocking my view of Noa. Salt poked her head through the wooden fence slats, shoved my easel then pulled at the bottom of my apron with her teeth. I had to finish the painting in the studio:

Resting, oil on canvas, 8 x 8" Details

Salt, the naughty cow

Oh well, at Hameau when the cows refuse to cooperate, it's okay. I go talk with other artists who are as crazy about plein air painting as I am. Our conversations are rich with funny stories (bumping into a bull in the middle of the night, black walnuts banging on the roof of the cabin, "what's in the bucket?") If you come to Hameau Artists' Retreat, I'll answer that last one.... and tell you more stories.

P.S. Hameau Farm is a working dairy with a license to sell raw milk. Go check it out!