The artists who traveled to Lyme were prepared to paint in the open air (or en plein air) or in one of the makeshift studios fashioned out of the neglected shacks and barns behind the Griswold House. In either case, they were confronted by the immediacy of nature.

The artists would filter down from their various rooms at breakfast time, usually seven o’clock, to large pots of coffee, plates of eggs and bacon, and bowls of oatmeal, all fortifying ingredients for a day of studio work or outdoor painting. Then they would head off by foot, bike, carriage, or automobile in all directions in search of subject matter.

“Every day is so in line with work.”

~ Artist Willard Metcalf

In June, when the mountain laurel was in bloom along the rivers, the artists might head to the marshy banks. When autumn turned leaves crimson and gold, they might make their way into the rocky forest. Others would set up just outside the house, where “easels and umbrellas are likely to be found anywhere on the spacious grounds” to capture the sunlight on the river or the many flowers hidden among the tangled vines of Miss Florence’s gardens.

Wherever they worked, they would require all the supplies they needed for a day of painting, often a paint box filled with paints and brushes, a stool, collapsible easel, and wood panels or stretched canvas to paint on. Depending on the weather, they would bring an umbrella for rain or a parasol for sun, along with their sketchbooks. If their subject was beyond the sound of “Whistling Mary’s” lunchtime horn, they would cajole the cook to pack them a picnic lunch and be away for the entire day. If the day was rainy, they might paint from a window, work inside their studio, or wait out the weather with a book.

“The men in the house always had great discussions about Art during meals, which were very vehement and as the pros and cons for ‘studio painting’ and ‘outdoor painting,’ etc. were discussed, their voices got louder and louder.”

~ Author Caro Weir Ely

To learn more about the School of Lyme click below:

• Intro
• Bottle of Mastic - Artists at Work
• Painting En Plein Air
• Painting in the Studio
• Bottle of Rye - Artists at Play