History Seen Today- Measuring Success With Seeing Results And Learning

I'm Back to the studio after traveling just over four thousand miles in seventeen days for GLF tours, leg VII Part II in my trusty steed of a Chevy Tahoe. This journey specifically to the Publisher’s Invitational up at Pauls Smith College in NY, which, has come to be known as Adirondacks Paint Camp hosted by Publisher Eric Rhoads.   Bob Bahr did another great article at outdoorpainter.com on the event, and I am honored to have artwork featured in it... and a picture of me perched on a rock while there.  After painting that day, flattening my feet back out proved more challenging than planned! Also, New to Plein Air Magazine, film maker, Turner Vinson shares in Video the week summarized. Next year will be the 5^th Anniversary of the event where a little over 100 artist embark on a week of camaraderie and plein air painting.  That is the ONLY agenda and it’s just what every hard working artist in every level of their career needs to refresh their painting and spirit.  Not to mention how the concentrated studies accomplished in dawn to dusk painting every day, combined with walking in the footsteps of Landscape Master Artist such as Frederick Church or Thomas Cole to name only two of Hudson River School Artist, both inspires and teaches you better than any classroom can. The above painting and the painting featured in the article is painted from "High Falls" in NY.  Last year I made the hike down to the base of the falls.  This year I chose to tell the story of the experience en plein air at the falls, and sought to capture both the steps (250 down, 450 up)  and the plein air artist as they painted.  The little dab of yellow you see in the above painting is Erik Koeppel painting, and he did a beautiful painting from the sight! See here how Erik Koeppel paints in the tradition of the Hudson River School Artist. Watch for his newest painting DVD that was filmed by Turner the week after the Invitational.  There are three other artist depicted painting too in this view that I share here, and hope to expand upon in the studio for my upcoming solo exhibit "At That Moment..." slotted to open 27 Feb 2015. Save the date!

Hitt The Flume painted at Paint Camp '14

Last Years "In The Flumes Wake"

Another favorite location at Paint Camp, is the Flume.  Last year I went there three times to paint.  This year, I must say once I returned to the studio to view the paintings side by side, the evidence of all the miles seeking to 'grow as an artist' made its self clear with the two paintings from the Flume side by side. Publisher and host, Eric's number one rule for 'campers' while in attendance, "No Drama".  The sky doesn't always listen though, and this painting titled "Adirondacks Drama" my reflection of how. 

Plein Air painting has shown this artist eyes how to ‘see’ literally the atmospheric prospective continually sought to reflect in each painting and yes of course the play of light and temperature with values.  
 Much learning continued after the week of paint camp.  Eric, recommended a stop at Olana, the home of Frederick Church on my way back to sw FL via NYC, where had picked up my first long distance passenger on all of my thousands of miles previously solo journeyed.  Maria was a good sport to and from NYC, and very patient with my first time sharing the miles, she also enjoyed the stop at Olana, a place she has had the luxury of visiting multiple times, and even painting on the property. She gave me this lovely thank you gift from the gift shop at Olana for ‘taxi-ing.’ 

 Next visit hope to have the opportunity to paint en Plein Air there too.  Once on Olana grounds, it was like a light bulb going off, in understanding better the long admired landscape paintings of Frederick Church.  An accomplished Architectural designer too, the home much inspired by his trip to India.  It is a place highly recommended to visit, if you should ever have the opportunity too.  After the educational stopover there, we got Maria, finally back to her home in NYC.  She graciously gave me the luxury of visiting the Metropolitan Museum while there, and spent the day seeing all could possibly see, before they locked the doors in the evening.  I made my way to the American Wing, where always love seeing the Sargents and oh so many more Masterworks.  After the influence of my last week, I intentionally concentrated my time in the Hudson Valley and American Landscapes.  Sometimes it felt like my brain was about to explode with trying to immerse it with as much learning possible by taking in even the brush strokes of hundreds of master works of art. One painting painted during the civil war, really captured the ideal of all experienced, painted at one of the very spots we visited at Paint Camp, it was also a self portrait. John Henry Hill 'A Study Of Trap Rock' Buttermilk Falls 1863.

If you look closely into the bottom right section, you will see the artist amongst the rocks at Buttermilk falls.  Amazingly the Civil War was going on at the time of this painting!  Another Artist familiar with, but not this work in particular was  Frederick Church.  After leaving NYC took the long way home via the coast, then cutting back down the Blue Ridge/Skyline Drive.  Thought was going to stay on the coast, but the heat quickly steered me back towards the mountains.  Another place inspired to stop at after discovering Frederick Church had also painted the location was Natural Bridge in VA.  Had never been there before.  M. Stephen Doherty had posted his painting from the spot, and it inspired me to look up where it was located.  ‘Score!’, it was not far off my route home at all.  I am so glad I stopped!  I am also glad that I didn’t look at Frederick Church’s painting of the location,until after visiting and painting it myself.   Here is Frederick’s Church’s “Natural Bridge”

 Dare I humbly share my own version from the day spent there en Plein Air?  I am even using it as the back drop for my SUMMER WORKSHOPS just added to my schedule… by request, in the spirit of sharing it, and ALL that learned.  Hope you will enjoy your opportunity to learn too. For more on the Workshop offerings

and here at the blog, will continue updates for exhibit planned for some time now.  Excited its only 6 months away! Its covering a lot of miles and events! Stayed tuned here too for the progress on the exhibit...all  21k+miles over 5 months, plus the details involved....  trip start to finish, plans... when all said and done, two and a half years in the making,
 plus 17 years of teaching and students works  in an additional exhibit...

so... keep saving the date:
 27 February 2015... all gets exposed, join the journey and be a part of
"At That Moment..."

the initial 5 month journey... and so much more