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Pines & Palms
Thomasville Non-Profit Art Association Grows Up
by Sandi Shaw & Margo Hamilton photography submitted
Sandi Shaw under the Big Oak Tree during the Quick Draw event .
branch of impressionism that attempts to represent outdoor light and air ). She and many of the other participating artists traveled here from out of state to attend the event , yet again . Why do they travel so far , year after year , to attend the event ? Because of the charm , the beauty , and the welcoming nature of our community of Thomasville .
This was the sixth year the event was held , this past Oct . 5 to 9 . The five days were devoted to outdoor painting , with two in Boston , and for the first time this year , three full days in Thomasville . Moving from cotton field to farm to large estates , the artists enjoyed stellar autumn weather and glorious local scenery .
Among the events , a “ Quick Draw ” event was held , during which artists had an hour and a half to paint a finished work of art . This year the contest was held at the Big Oak Tree . Awards for first , second and third place were given to the top three paintings .
Standing in front of her easel at the edge of a cotton field , under the canopy of a generations-old oak tree , watercolorist Mary O . Smith surveyed the blanket of cotton clusters , lit by the early morning rays of an autumn sunrise . The contrast between acres of titanium white cotton and deep , dark green oak trees resting in shade were visual nirvana to the artist . This is what she hoped to capture as she swirled her brush on a palette of freshly squeezed watercolor paint .
Mary was one of the Featured Artists participating in the annual Pines & Palms High Cotton Plein Air Paintout . ( The term “ Plein Air ” refers to a
Volunteer Tony Hamilton hangs art for the gallery show / sale at Covey Nest .
74 Winter 2023 Thomasville Scene