Fine artist Kate Emery auctioned an original oil painting to benefit the Friends of Holcomb Farm, a Granby-based organization devoted to preserving historic farmland and utilizing sustainable farming methods to feed local families and help neighbors in need.
The landscape painting, Holcomb Farm—East Fields View, depicts the antique house and barn on the property, as seen from the Holcomb Tree Trail. Bids were accepted through Aug. 31.
The 16×20-inch painting is one of several recent works inspired by the landmark Connecticut farm, founded in 1756. “I love supporting this local farm that represents a lovely collaboration between town, land trust and citizens to grow chemical-free produce, preserve open land and provide access to walking trails. It is these types of thoughtful partnerships that show us a future that can work for us all,” Emery says.
A second-career artist who works full-time from her Farmington Valley studio, Emery partners with charitable organizations so that each of her works sold benefits a community cause. “I’ve always wanted my work to make a difference,” says Emery, who founded The Walker Group, a Farmington-based technology and digital marketing services firm that donates one-third of any distributed profits to community projects. She also established reSET, a Hartford-based nonprofit that seeks to advance the social enterprise sector in the state by encouraging nontraditional entrepreneurs who wish to use business as an engine for solving community or environmental problems. “I am committed,” says Emery, “to supporting these types of efforts through my art, as well.”
Emery will donate 75 percent of the price realized for her painting, valued at $800, to the nonprofit Friends organization that manages the 312-acre farm nestled in the hills of West Granby. The organization has an ambitious goal of doubling the amount of produce provided to social service organizations through its Fresh Access program this year.