"Vixen Hill Farmhouse", 8x10, oil on Raymar panel, gentleman's farm, Chester County, historic properties, paintings of Pennsylvania

"Vixen Hill Farmhouse", 8x10, oil on Raymar panel.

Last week we returned from a trip up to Pennsylvania during a heat wave. And when I say a heat wave I am not exaggerating! The temps were in the 100's all week and there were a couple days with high humidity as well.

I had hoped to be going into cooler weather and was looking forward to doing some plein air painting in an area that has been dear to my heart for many years. So I packed all my paints and gear and was so delighted to find a perfect spot to paint right onsite at the property where we would stay for a week- Vixen Hill Farm.

The farm is a lovely place, situated on acres of rolling hillside in Chester County just on the outskirts of Chester Springs where I lived for 12 years. The property has a long history and a book was written about it by the first owner, Edwin Peeples. The book, "Planting an Inheritance" is available through Amazon, and for anyone who is familiar with that gorgeous countryside, the history lesson is well worth the price of the little book!

 We stayed at the cottage, which was just charming and very well equipped, and had natural spring water piped right into the house through the next door springhouse! So in spite of the heat, I decided to have a hand at painting the main house and fieldstone wall that surrounded it, as you can see from the photo below.

 Here is a photo of the lovely cottage where we stayed. Directly behind it is the barn, which has been remodeled to accommodate a massage studio, for guests who need a little more than the beautiful countryside to help them settle down!

 As you can see, I didn't get too far in my plein air painting, it was just too hot! However, I did use the field study to help me recall the colors of the stone when I got back home in the studio:

 All and all it was a lovely week, and I would highly recommend this lovely little hideaway to anyone who wants to get away from the city and find rest and restoration in the magical Chester County countryside. Note: the countryside is so lovely that one day as I was out on the road taking pictures, a man stopped in his car and asked if I could help him find a highway because he was totally lost and needed to find his way out of "Wonderland". He said he lived in Philadelphia and had ventured out into the countryside to escape the heat of the city and he felt like he had fallen down a rabbit hole into Alice's wonderland. I had to laugh because it is true!)

To see more photos of this beautiful property, you can check it out here.

Thanks so much to hosts Ondine and Christopher Peeples for helping make this a  lovely week, in spite of the outdoor heat!