Painting wild places...

The 10th Adirondack Plein Air Festival opened on Monday morning, Aug 13. I have been the organizer since the beginning, so I was there to check in the artists. I've always tried to have everything set up in advance so I can also go out and paint, although I disqualify myself from the awards. By afternoon reinforcements were there and I headed out. I didn't get far, as I couldn't pass up this classic view of Whiteface from the Harrietstown Cemetery Hill.

The next day I was out at the VIC and hiked about a mile in to paint something I'd never painted before - this ancient white pine along the Boreal Life trail. I've probably hiked past it for 20 some years. It's top has been snapped off and the trunk is cracked and riddled with holes, but it still stands tall and proud, towering over it's neighbors. It could be 250-300 years old, based on some trees I've seen that have been officially dated. I had to stop several times, cover everything up and don my rain coat while the skies opened up. By early afternoon the weather settled and the sun came out. I got lunch and then looked at the big trail map outside the Paul Smith's College VIC and figured out the quickest route to the floating bridge at the upper end of Heron Marsh. I drove down to the Keese Mill Rd and entered the property there, hiking the "Easy Street" Trail a mile or so to get to the bridge, only to decide the water was too low and it was now too hot out in the open sun. 

Coming back on the road, I was drawn to stop at the outlet of Barnum Brook, where it flows into Lower St Regis Lake. This would work! However, it was at just the right angle that the far shoreline went from shadow, to light, to patches of glowing golden hues as the setting sun hit some of the trees. My painting evolved with the light!

That evening, my painting location was the Osgood Pond boat launch, where I knew there was a view to the west, in order to do a nocturne painting after the sun went down. It turned out reasonably well although I had to work at a frantic pace. With clip on lamps on my canvas as well as my palette, I discovered I was also attracting gnats and moths! I could hear fish splashing in the water and by the time I quit, it was totally black - no moon - no lights! I picked all the bugs out of the paint with tweezers when I got home after 10 pm. Had a late dinner, cleaned brushes, checked emails, and then finally collapsed in bed!

My Wednesday painting became a real example of the passage of time and light as I tackled the view of the High Peaks of the Adirondacks from the Loj Road. I got there early in the morning and was pleasantly surprised to find clear skies and fluffy cumulus clouds. This was a 24x36" linen canvas, so I worked quickly, with a large brush. I did the mountains first, because the view was to the south, with the sun on my left, but I knew it would change. After the mountains, I tackled the sky, which by that time was around noon, with the clouds now mostly backlit. (Yes, I am very fond of Rockwell Kent's paintings). I had just started blocking in the colors of the foreground when the rumble of thunder began behind me. Turning back, towards Whiteface and the Olympic Ski Jumps, I could see the massive dark grey cloud heading my way. In a few minutes I had to pack up and get in my car, just in time for the cloud burst. I was almost out of white paint anyway, so headed home to Saranac Lake for a bathroom break and a new tube of white.  With only a few hours of daylight left, I drove up Mount Pisgah, right in the village, and switched to a much smaller brush and a 5x12 linen panel. Painted Baker Mountain with Scarface and the High Peaks fading in and out as rain squalls passed through from left to right, alternating with patches of sunlight! Then finally a late dinner - plein air painters do need to eat! "Baker from Pisgah" is already off to a new home!

Thursday morning is always "Paint the Town" Day for the Festival, so I chose to paint the Left Bank Cafe from the Broadway bridge. I selected a very sharp perspective angle and wanted to capture the light and shadows on the yellow walls, as well as the beautiful flower boxes. Turned out pretty good, considering I never sketched it out first - just drew directly with paint! That's what years of drawing and studying nature will do for an artist - sharpen your observation skills. This painting sold in the Silent Auction.

I returned to the Loj Road as I ate lunch in the car and the sky pretty much looked like it did the day before, but the light on the mountains was entirely different and coming in from my right now. So I reworked everything, changing it to afternoon shadows. This is what I mean when I say my plein air paintings are all about the passage of time. And I love working this big!

It was misty, warm and humid on Friday morning - like a sauna! I had to take care of some Festival matters and then headed out to the Saranac Lake Fish & Game Club to paint along the river. As the mountains appeared and disappeared in the mist and rain, I managed to get a painting finished under the shelter of the tailgate of my Ford Escape. Some plein air painters use umbrellas - mine is a really expensive one, but it works! Framed paintings were due in the Town Hall at 2 pm.

So, not only does each individual painting portray the passage of time, but these 8 paintings show the passage of a week of my life! The Festival was great, with probably 400+ fresh, wet paintings on display in the Harrietstown Town Hall Friday evening and Saturday. Check out the Festival website or Facebook page to see winners and results. Hundreds of people came to see the Show & Sale and 50+ paintings went to happy new owners. There were too many to count that were outstanding and the rest were really good! Different techniques and different interpretations than mine, but each masterpieces in their own right. If you still haven't come to experience this, next years dates will be Aug 12-17, 2019.

 If you'd like to come see any of my new paintings, or others, or just come for a visit, my home studio will be open on Sept 1, from 10 - 5, for the ArtWorks Studio Tours. Any other time, it's by appointment. September is a great time to come to the Adirondacks for the start of fall colors. In fact we are having a "Paint-Out" at the VIC the first week of September and then a show of the paintings produced in the VIC Gallery through Columbus Day. Lots of art to see.

Painting "forever wild".....  Sandra