Elizabeth Fisher Washington, Farmhouse by the River

Elizabeth Fisher Washington often painted large landscapes en plein air, unafraid of facing the elements with unwieldy canvases. In Farmhouse by the River, the artist's hand is present. Staccato horizontal strokes create flickering reflections on the water in the foreground, vertical golden wisps show the light hitting the grasses on the shore, and short diagonal dabs of color define the leaves of trees surrounding an old farmhouse nestled in the background. Broken paint strokes -purple against green, orange against blue -create a shimmering effect.