August

George Weymouth’s use of tempera was well suited to his method of rendering fine detail and texture in his paintings. His careful attention to his subject can been seen in August, which depicts an area of his farm in southeastern Pennsylvania. In preparation for the work, Weymouth made extensive pencil drawings and watercolor studies of native grasses and Queen Anne’s lace. The final painting, completed in the studio, captures the hazy atmosphere of a late summer day. His unusual perspective provides views of both the ground and the distant hills. The sensitive attention to the natural landscape visually conjures a sense of dry, rustling grasses and the warm scent of meadow flowers. This painting expresses Weymouth’s intense feelings for the land and his ongoing commitment to land preservation in the Brandywine Valley. Weymouth said of the land: "I live it. I love the feeling of the land – the atmosphere, the smell of it."