Crandall Field, Take One

Crandall Field. Oil on stretched canvas, 10x30, sold

In lovely Ashaway, R.I., "Crandall" is a big name. The Crandall family owns Ashaway Line & Twine (it's so rare and lovely to have a company name that rhymes, isn't it?). And the Crandall family once owned Crandall Field, a gorgeous open space that stretches along Route 3 for acres and acres.

On almost any day, you'll see people playing on Crandall Field. Playing and running, chasing their dogs, walking hand in hand, flying radio-controlled airplanes, just enjoying the outdoors. Across Route 3, and set off by the open space of Crandall Field, churches and big, lovely New England houses line the road.

My husband Peter grew up in Ashaway, and he has lots of memories of all sorts of goings on there. Some involved Crandall Field, or the land or water around the Line & Twine, but most involved various nefarious acts of juvenile delinquency in the cemetery and the woods on Cemetary Lane (yes, Ashaway spelled the street name incorrectly until a few years ago).

It was cold and spitting snow on the day I made this painting, and for once, there was no one in Crandall Field. But I went back, and in the spirit of painting landscapes with people in them, am working on another Crandall Field piece with all sorts of activity.