Cromwell Valley, The Park that Inspires

I was glad for the opportunity to attend a geocaching class in nearby Cromwell Valley Park, as I have previously written about the activity for this column. I made my reservation and excitedly awaited Saturday, looking forward to the class and to discovering a new park. I made sure my GPS was charged and after breakfast I headed out for my adventure.

Ironically, this is where the scheduled part of the adventure ended, for although I found the park with no trouble at all, I did not find the class.

What I did find were people using the park for all kinds of outdoor activities. Among them was Jerry Seaton, a local artist who had set up his easel and paints in the shade of a tree and was painting the lovely pastoral scene before him.  

Seaton was kind enough to allow me to intrude on his time to get to know him a little bit. I took a seat at the picnic table under the tree and shared his shady spot, watching as he transformed a canvas into his own vision of the gentle slope, winding road, plants, trees and hills beyond. 

While I did not see the finished work,the painting quickly took shape and became the kind of piece one could easily imagine walking right in to. It made me wonder what was behind those hills or around the last bend of that winding road. Fortunately for me and for those who visit the park, those questions are all easily answered with a simple walk.                

Jerry Seaton is a native to the area. He grew up in Gardenville and now lives nearby with his wife. He has enjoyed painting scenes, landscapes and cityscapes all over the area as well as in his home studio for roughly 12 years and goes out several times a week to paint at various locations. He attributes his interest to early and constant exposure and his skill to practice. 

As I watch him shading and defining curves in the hillside, I see a master who captures nuances and detail and makes suggestions rather than exclamations with his brush. As he paints he tells me about his father who was also an artist and painter. He talks about his great uncle, Alonso Parks, who he says was one of the original screen painters in Highlandtown. 

Plein air alla prima, or on location in one sitting, is the way in which Seaton prefers to work. While he might use a snap shot for a reminder, he prefers to paint on location, looking out over a sun washed vista with grass seed-heads blowing in the breeze like waves on the ocean. 

"Painting from photos", Seaton said, "is far too limiting"  

He generally allows himself only a few hours to complete a painting as longer will result in too much change in the light. Seaton's work can be found locally at the Towson Framing Gallery, The Towson Art Collective and Goldstar Advantage Realty. He is also represented at the Morales Gallery in Nag's Head on North Carolina's Outer Banks.    

Seaton attended MICA, Maryland Institute College of Art and was largely influenced by Russian Landscape painting. His subjects are not limited to landscapes, cityscapes or pastoral scenes, but to wherever he finds the right light and atmosphere.

It is this artist's vision at which I marvel. The eye, the mind and the hand that can transform a blank canvas into a vivid memory, a fantasy, a dream. Those dreams inspired by Cromwell Valley Park can easily come true with a visit and a walk up that hill and around that last bend in the road. 

As for the geocaching class?  I have made my reservation for the next one on August 6th.