As seasoned artists, if it was depth they were seeking, they found it in spades when they trained their pallets on the Steves Farm in Richmond last summer.
Over a period of a few weeks, 10 artists from the unisex Men in Hats plein air (outdoor painting) group made the farm at the western-most point of Steveston Highway their home-from-home.
During that time, the talented group mingled with the grass-munching cows in the meadow, while sketching and taking photos of the wonderful sights on the iconic farm, including its most famous resident, Coun. Harold Steves.
Their finished work — which includes incredible, acrylic portraits of the 79-year-old veteran politician, his farmhouse and his livestock — has been on show at Gateway Theatre for the last few weeks and will be taken down at the end of the month.
“We had been planning this for about a year and we’re very grateful to the Steves for letting us sit there in their farm,” said Lorraine Wellman, Men in Hats member and Richmond Artists Guild vice-president.
“We got out there about three or four times and we were right there in the fields at the farm as the cows went by and munched on the grass.
“We do the sketches and take photos first and then we do the rest of the work, the finer detail, at home.”
The 13 paintings from the 10 artists are very much a tribute to Steves, said Wellman, as the group rarely does one theme.
“Harold is a great character; he was always popping in and out but was usually very busy working on the farm,” she added.
“And it was great for us to have a place to show off our work; there are less and less venues for us each year.”
All the paintings are for sale and anyone interested in buying one should go online to the Men in Hats website at MenInHats.ca.
