Artists to Auction Mather Meadows Landscapes (CT)

DARIEN, Connecticut, 7/15/02: On Saturday, July 13, 2002, four prominent area landscape artists gathered at the Mather Meadows property in Darien, Connecticut to capture the scenic woods, fields, and river views on canvas. The completed paintings will be auctioned off in the fall at a fundraising event for The Campaign to Save Mather Meadows. The Land Trust of Darien and the Trust for Public Land launched this campaign in March 2002 in an effort to permanently protect the 9-acre Meadows.

The Campaign to Save Mather Meadows is working to raise $3.8 million by the end of October. So far, the Campaign has secured just over $1 million thanks to generous grants by the State of Connecticut and Town of Darien. Today, private fundraising efforts are in full swing – many concerned Darien residents have made generous donations to the Campaign. If the fundraising goal is met by October 31, 2002, these 9-acre meadows, located near the intersection of Stephen Mather and Brookside Roads and adjacent to Darien’s only National Historic Landmark, the Mather Homestead, will be permanently preserved as open space.

The Mather Meadows landscape lends itself well to “Plein Air” Painting, which literally translates into “open air”. Impressionist artists of the late 1800s started the movement when they abandoned their studios to paint out-of-doors. This allowed them to capture the effects of light on different objects during certain times of the day.

The Plein Air painters at Saturday’s painting event included: David Allen Dunlop is a landscape oil painter. He is on the Board of the Silvermine Guilds Arts Center. Nancy McTague-Stock is an impressionist landscape artist. Diana Wege works in oils and pastels. She has published a book titled “Land America Leaves Wild”. Michael H. Zack is a landscape painter. He is on the Board of the Silvermine Guild Arts Center.

All of these painters are members of the Silvermine Guild Arts Center. Founded in 1922, the Center is a leading regional cultural center encompassing galleries, a school of art, and a Guild of professional artists. Many of Fairfield County’s finest emerging and established artists are represented by the Guild. The Silvermine Guild includes over 300 artist members working in all media, who are selected for membership by a peer jury.

The primary goal of The Land Trust of Darien, Inc. is to preserve and protect open space in Darien. Preservation of open space benefits our community by adding to quality-of-life values for the residents of our town, including the preservation of its rural character.

The Trust for Public Land is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving land for people to enjoy as parks and open space. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 1.4 million acres nationwide, including nearly 100,000 acres in New England. For more information, visit www.tpl.org.