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!

Gearing Up for the Season

"Dawning"

Another Summer on The River

I've been gearing up for another summer on The St. Lawrence River. When I say summer I use the term loosely. The season on the River runs from May till about mid-October-- Columbus Day on one side of the River, Thanksgiving on the other side.

In my last post I blogged about RiverMuse, the new gallery opening in Clayton. This post is devoted to Bay House Artisans in Alexandria Bay. Over the last few years Bay House has established itself as a unique gift shop/gallery located right in the heart of Alexandria Bay. At Bay House you can find one-of-a-kind items, works of art, fine crafts including pottery, stunning hand-made jewelry and some delectable treats like chocolates.

Sunken Rock Lighthouse

Paintings, Prints, Cards and Scarves

At Bay House, I will have an assortment of small paintings, prints, cards and hand-painted silk scarves. The images will be primarily nature inspired with an emphasis on The St. Lawrence River and the Indian River Lakes scenery.

Detail of "Poppy!" scarf

We've Moved!

Yes, we've moved, but just a few doors down. So this year you will still find us in the heart of Alexandria Bay, but in a different building. I hope you will stop in to see Bay House Artisans in our new location, and perhaps come home with a lovely gift for someone special--could be you!

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

Lots of Art with Intermittent Kayaking!

Wow! Where has the week gone???

It's Friday night already and I all can remember from Memorial Day Weekend and the following week is....lots of Art with Intermittent Kayaking!

Last Friday night I attended the opening reception for the Spring Show at the Sackets Harbor Arts Center, where I won first place for "Invitation", pictured above.

On Saturday and Sunday I participated in the 2015 Artists' Studio Tour Along the St. Lawrence River in the 1000 Islands and Surrounding Areas. I was the guest artist at The Lyric Coffeehouse in Clayton NY.

While at The Lyric I demonstrated watercolor...actually finished 3 paintings over the 2 -day event! I had lots of friends and relatives stop by to visit. Also quite a few people who had bought my paintings in other shows in the 1000 Islands area, stopped by to say hello.

All of the paintings shown at The Lyric that weekend were St. Lawrence River and Indian River Lakes scenes.

I was happy to sell quite a few prints and small framed pieces. My large original paintings were on display too, but they usually sell after after a customer has seen the work and then come back another time...or even two, to make sure they really want to buy. 

Hey What About the Kayaking???

After spending 2 days from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm painting and talking to customers, I was ready for a break. That's where the kayaking comes in! Luckily the rain held out till Monday, so I was able to paddle on Thursday, Friday (too tired on Saturday) Sunday and Monday before and after the rain. Also Tuesday morning.

I was also fortunate to have company that weekend who provided dinner for us on Saturday night. Thank you Beth, Randy and Rachael. (Randy is pictured with me above)

More Art (of course!)

Tuesday afternoon I worked my shift at Bay House Artisans in Alexandria Bay, (see related post below) and Wednesday back home to Syracuse to teach my Wednesday morning Drawing class at the Y. 

Wow what a whirlwind.

Where has the week gone?

Related posts

http://joanapplebaumart.blogspot.com/2015/05/fourth-annual-artists-studio-tour-may_19.html

http://joanapplebaumart.blogspot.com/2015/05/bay-house-artisans-one-of-kind-delight.html

Fourth Annual Artists' Studio Tour May 23 and 24

FOURTH ANNUAL ARTISTS' STUDIO TOUR
Along the Beautiful St. Lawrence River in the 1000 Islands and Scenic Surrounding Areas

Wow! That's the longest title for any event I have ever been in! And I'm really excited to be a part of this tradition. In the 2013 tour I was one of the guest artists at Better Farm in Redwood, and what fun that was!

This year I am the guest artist at The Lyric Coffeehouse in Clayton, where I will be showing paintings which feature scenes from the Thousand Islands and Indian River Lakes. In addition to showing and hopefully selling work, I will be demonstrating watercolor throughout the 2 day event.

AND...here's a bonus...

At The Lyric you not only get to see artwork, you eat some delicious food too. ( I recommend the turkey panini )

There are approximately 27 artists in 17 locations participating in the 2015 Artists' Studio Tour. Locations include Redwood, Alexandria Bay, Wellesley Island, Clayton, Cape Vincent and Three Mile Bay. All types of art from decorative to functional will be represented in this event.

The Lyric Coffeehouse is located at 246 James St. in Clayton. I will be there from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm on Saturday May 23 and Sunday May 24.

Hope to see you there!

Joan

PS
You can click on the link below to the Facebook event. I have a few more visuals there!
https://www.facebook.com/events/468264149996670/