New Beginnings

Dunes: The Point, Cape Henlopen

New Beginnings

Well I stretched out my summer at camp for as long as I could. The wonderful lazy mornings drinking coffee on the dock, long walks through the woods and along the country roads, boat rides, endless kayaking, fun with lake friends, lots of company, teaching and working gallery shifts in beautiful locations along the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario have all come to an end. Sigh. It was wonderful--even with the bugs, pesky raccoons and porcupines and working in a very small studio space. Windy Hill Studio North is really just half a bedroom, but I was able to produce several watercolors, four acrylic paintings (3 of which sold) and many hand painted silk scarves which also sold very well. Sales of watercolors were also quite good so all in all it was a good summer.

Now I am down here in Lewes, Delaware ready to begin a new adventure. I have spent a little time down here in the last two years so I've done a few paintings of the area. The beaches and lighthouses are lovely and I'm sure they will be a source of inspiration just as the lake has been. 

The town of Lewes with its quaint buildings, abundant gardens and picturesque waterfront will also provide plenty of material for a painter! 

New Studio

My new studio has plenty of workspace, lots of storage and good natural light. The addition of a task lighting over the workspaces lets me work in the evening and on overcast days. My two studio assistants Tony and Amy have ample room for getting into trouble or just napping in the sunlight. 

So now it's time to get down to work. I will be updating the blog regularly as I begin to explore and paint a new area!

From Windy Hill Studio North!

FROM WINDY HILL STUDIO NORTH

One month from now I'll be back in Lewes, Delaware till next summer. It's been great spending the summer at camp here in the North Country. 

In preparation for moving I need to start pulling my artwork out of the galleries here so---You will not find my work at River Muse in Clayton until next Spring/Summer. A big thank you to all who stopped by the gallery and bought art from this talented group of local artists and artisans. 

My artwork will still be available at Bay House Artisans in Alexandria Bay till the first week in October. Original paintings, prints, cards and the latest Fall Scarves (leaf patterns) will be in the shop till just before I leave for Lewes. Bay House is another fabulous collection of local artists and artisans. We sure do have a lot of talent in the North Country! 

And as always you can find my artwork on my website
Joan Applebaum's Windy Hill Studio
www.windyhillstudioarts.com
Look for me on FB and on Instagram at joan.applebaum

And We're on the Road Again...............

And it's back to camp-----

Well we had no sooner settled ourselves in Lewes Delaware, unpacked most of the boxes, arranged furniture, hung paintings and put the studio together--and it was time to hit the road again. We're heading north tomorrow to spend the summer at camp. The lake and surrounding areas like the Thousand Islands provide an unending source of inspiration for an artist, so as you can well imagine I am looking forward to getting back to Grass Lake. BUT my studio space is considerably smaller. It's actually half of a bedroom. I'm definitely squeezed for space in Windy Hill Studio North, but at least I can take a nap in the studio! I do have a good work table, small drafting table, easel, storage, a place to sit and read a book and a brand new sound system which I can't wait to try.

Acrylic paints are stored in the handy over-the-door storage bag.
The bag used to belong to my sons and was at one time stuffed with a bunch of Boy Scout stuff.

Under counter storage comes in handy for keeping clutter out of the way.

Yes, I still have a quiet spot for reading.

I'm going to miss my big studio, but the scenery at camp is worth the inconvenience of the smaller space. The lake has provided me with inspirations for many paintings over the years.

I'm hoping for another great summer on the lake!

Big Changes Coming Up for Windy Hill Studio PART THREE

"Purple Iris"

NEW STUDIO PART THREE

If you have read my last two posts you know I'm in the process of moving to Lewes, Delaware. And that means Windy Hill Studio moves too. My new studio space is described in the two previous posts.

One of the best things about the new space is the large "countertop" made from a 7 foot long by 30 inch wide door coated with 4 layers of polyurethane. My new countertop and the lighting above it (not pictured here) provides me with a nice, clean, well-lit place to paint silk scarves.

A Productive Month

During the time I was in Delaware I completed 6 scarves:  2 Irises , 2 Poppies and 2 Water Lilies. Each scarf has slightly different colors.

"Iris" under construction

"Pink Iris"

"Poppies!" with green background under construction

"Poppies!" with yellow background

Yellow "Water Lily"

Pink "Water Lily" under construction

This photo shows the countertop and the storage space for paintings, mat board etc underneath

Future Plans

I have plans to add another countertop/storage space on the other side of the studio--maybe on my next trip down to Delaware. Meanwhile I need to keep on packing. 

Here are the links to the previous posts about me new studio -- just in case you need to catch up!

http://joanapplebaumart.blogspot.com/2018/02/big-changes-coming-up-for-windy-hill.html

http://joanapplebaumart.blogspot.com/2018/02/big-changes-coming-up-for-windy-hill_8.html

Big Changes Coming Up For Windy Hill Studio! PART TWO

PART TWO

Assuming you've read the last post which was Part One, you know that I'm in the process of moving Windy Hill Studio to my new home in Lewes, Delaware. Rich and I spent the month of January there working on various projects including my new studio space.

The new studio worked out well for me and January was a very productive month. I completed five watercolors. The Jefferson Memorial pictured above was a birthday gift for my daughter, to hang in her office in DC.

The other paintings were done in preparation for another season along the St. Lawrence River and Indian River Lakes. 

St. Lawrence River

The next two paintings were both started as poured watercolors. I filled small paper cups with water-y mixtures of color (3 colors in the first, 4 colors in the second) and just poured the paint over the wet surface of the watercolor paper, letting the colors mix naturally. I had lightly sketched the focal points of each painting before I poured. After the poured layer dried, I just used darker values of the existing colors to complete the details. No attempt was made at realistic color; I was more concerned with setting a mood than in creating a realistic rendering. Colors are soft and dreamy evoking a misty early morning feel to the paintings.

Indian River Lakes

The heron is a popular subject for me. I love the way they always seem to be hiding in plain sight all along the shoreline of the lake, blending in so naturally with their surroundings. Both of these pieces began with an experimental textured background. I painted over crinkled tissue paper on wet watercolor paper letting color seep through the paper and pool around the crinkles. The heron were added later, after I had let the pieces sit for a few days. Sometimes with this technique you have to wait for an image to start to emerge. Once you can see a possibility then you paint it in--or sometimes paint around it letting the shape emerge from the shadows.

In the second painting I added iridescent white paint to accentuate the moon and play up a few highlights on the heron.

Is there a Part Three? 

Yes of course--I completed 6 hand-painted silk scarves too. 😉

http://joanapplebaumart.blogspot.com/2018/02/big-changes-coming-up-for-windy-hill.html