Saranac and More

Coming home last Sunday was a joy. We were worried that the weather was going to be bad between Saranac Lake and home. It turned out the weather system was out of the area. A week later, we sit here waiting for a hurricane to hit after a week where many people expierienced an earthquake for the first time.   


 The Saranac trip was great, we had great weather. Being the second time for me and being familar with the terrain made it far less stressful. The area is so pretty. Came from Lake Piseco and the views along Rt 30 into Saranac, were a painter's dream. There was one lake that the road crossed that had several small seaplanes docked and a lake where the sky was hued in peach glow just breathtaking. The first day is optional painting of the town, where the artists donate a 5x7 painting for a local charity, this year is was for the Historic Restoration Group.
Call my car, "The Buzzard Mobile" since tending to circle an area many times till a view captures my artistic eye and touches my soul. Spotted this bright yellow canoe in the window of a music store next door to a small nursery. Three passes later parked and set up my easel just behind my car.  My only regret was losing my New England Patriots mug that fell under my car and I forgot to pick it up.

Ampersound Music Store

The next morning we were to paint at Paul Smith's College Visitor Center. There was a scene that I wanted to do last year so Lita and I started out before 6am to get it done before reporting to Paul's Smiths. On White Oak Rd , there is this little bridge that straddles a marshy stream. Both sides have nice views I chose to do the north side because there was a tall leaning pine that caught my eye last year as I painted the other side.

Lonesome Pine sold

After a hearty breakfast, we proceeded up to paint at the Paul Smith's Visitor Center. There Lita met up with Bruce and they went off to paint one of the marshes. Being so out of shape and my achilles tendon screaming, I went to the Butterfly garden area and was inspired by the black eyed susies. My apologies is if misnamed the flower not much of a gardener. I officially broke in my new Craig Young handmade palette doing flowers of all things.. I have to reshoot the painting but here is one of my models.

One of my models

What was so cool about painting at the center was meeting and talking with the visitors.  They were so enthusiastic and that energy does spur one on.  On the way to the back deck for painting #3 of the day, passed a bird handler with an owl telling stories. He related one when he was a newbie, in the North West, of an old female Big Horned owl. She wasn't particularly friendly and despised him. He entered the room where she sat on her perch and took off across the room dragging her 35lb perch and nailed him in the ear. He showed us the scar. He offered one of his Barn owl as a model but time was not on my side.  There on the deck met several local artists. 

View from Paul Smith Mt Regis

Now you would think after cranking out three paintings it would be nap time. Met up with the crew, Lita. Bruce and Richie. This was Richie's first travel paint out, from the pantry into the fire. We all have to start some where. My first  travel paint out was one up in Niagra Falls and had a blast. It cured me of performance anxiety of painting in public. It was like painting on a crowded subway train.

Anyway, we all went out to paint by an old bridge on Rt 3 heading up towards  Plattsburgh. Well, it was so nice, the light had a warmth to it and soon the bugs came a biting. Painting watercolor when you are tired and hungry leads to mistakes....figured out how to save the painting and then hosed it.

Bend on the  River

I have problems with reflections but there are elements that work.  Going to do a redo this one, in the near future. Did a painting outside of Lake Piesco several years ago, a swamp scene in oil. The reflections were off and it distorted the scene. Need to pay more attention to the big details, especially reflections. After a late dinner and a visit to friends who rented a house on Flower Lake, it was time to get some shut eye. We agreed to get on the road by 6am.

Back on Rt 3, across from a sand pit, there was this old birch tree that caught my eye the night before. felt good about my painting but it needed a little tweaking. Stopped across from the hospital to do a lake scene. Think I was attracted by the old birches that surrounded me. The finished painting left me flat and my tail was dragging. Did seven paintings in 3 days.  Went back to the motel and met up with the crew. It was now tweaking and framing time. We sat out at the motel painting, framing  and listening to good music. What a way to spend an afternoon. My tweaks led to the result of over painting my birch. After a quick Subway dinner, framed and restarted  my Old Birch painting, finished up in the wee  hours.  The tree  came out a bit chunkier than my early morning painting because it had to fit my only remaining frame and needed to enlarge the image. One thing I also learned from this trip for future  paint outs.... don't use unusual mat sizes. This is the first time and last time I will do that, it takes away from the flexibility of shifting paintings around in the frames. You also tend to paint for the frame and not for the view.

Old Birch on Rt 3

Sunday was show time. we hung three paintings each at the Town Hall. It is so humbling to be surrounded by great paintings. We had to leave so the work could be judged. The doors were open to the public at noon and several of my buddies won big prizes, congrats to Chrissy, Crista and Tarryl. They had a door prize table for the artists. I had sold my Lonesome Pine painting and scored a door prize. They had some nice prizes but being a "bag nut" spied a small messenger bag with Plein Air magazine on it. It turned out to be loaded with goodies. Again a good time was had by all. It is such a pretty area and the co ordinators of the event are so gracious to all the artists. Hope to be able to do it again next year.