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

36th Annual Thousand Islands Arts and Crafts Show and Sale

Look for Windy Hill Studio at the 36th Annual Thousand Islands Arts and Crafts Show and Sale this weekend August 25 and 26 at the Cerow Recreation Park in Clayton.             

Original paintings in acrylic and watercolor, prints, cards, hand-painted silk scarves and more!

Saturday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Sunday 10:00 am - 3:00 pm

Hope to see you there!

Happy 4th of July from Windy Hill Studio!!!!

Happy 4th of July 

from Windy Hill Studio!

Celebrate Freedom!

All Systems are Go! NOT!!!

Greetings from Windy Hill Studio North!

Well it is getting closer to the end of June. We've been here at camp since June 4 and we're still working on getting our systems up and running. Internet is spotty to non-existent. We seem to be in a low spot here--not to mention that we are in the middle of nowhere surrounded by huge trees! I'm using my phone as a hot spot but it really doesn't seem to pull in much wifi!

It's an interesting transition when the place to "get away from it all" becomes a work space as well as a retreat. When the systems we are used to for communication break down we are a bit lost. I rely on the internet for promoting my artwork and communicating with friends and family who are far away. To be honest I haven't completely lost the internet, but it just seems that I have stepped back in time to a place where communication moves much slower. And everything takes two or three extra steps.

Well, we hope to have our internet issues resolved by early July--maybe. Fingers crossed!
Until then I'll leave you with some Moons in June. (I just wanted something to rhyme.)

Goodnight from the lake!

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!

Back in business at Windy Hill Studio!

I'm back in business at Windy Hill Studio! 

After several weeks of packing, relocating to Lewes Delaware, unpacking, setting up a new home and new studio I am finally back to work in the studio and boy does it feel good! I have work space, storage space and my computer too. 

My new studio feels a little bit like the old one--the cabinets came from the studio in East Syracuse. But the space is very different. I have much more natural lighting thanks to two large windows at one end of the studio. And I have two countertops, instead of one to work on. Both were made from doors  approx 7 feet tall by 30 inches wide, polyurethaned with several coats to create a nice smooth work surface, which cleans very easily.

My husband built a storage system underneath the countertop at the far end of the room. He also added overhead lighting since that end of the room is the farthest away from the windows. 

I have some overhead cabinets which house assorted art supplies and one monster cabinet way at the end of the room (next to the door to Narnia--okay--it's the attic--more storage!!!). Also room for my bookcase, CD's (yes I still have CD's). There are still a few containers full of "Stuff' which needs to find a home in the cabinets.

  

My computer Big Mac is located near the windows and as you can see I have my painting of the Green Beer Parade on Tipp Hill displayed as a reminder of home. There's even a spot for cat-napping down by the windows. Tony and Amy keep my company while they catch a few zzz's. 

Ok, that's all for now. I'll keep you posted on progress in the new studio! 

Heading North

I'm just here for another week and then I head up to camp to get Windy Hill Studio North in shape. A

considerably smaller space, but I still get a lot done. Of course the inspiration is endless!

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 ONE

NEW STUDIO!

PART ONE

New House, New Studio

During the month of January my husband and I stayed at our new home in Lewes Delaware. I guess you could say that it was kind of like a trial run for when we actually move down there for good. We spent about half of our days working: Rich working remotely, connected to his engineering firm in Syracuse and me on artwork as I gear up for the summer tourist season along the St. Lawrence River.

Yes, although we are moving our primary residence to Delaware, we still plan to keep our camp in Northern New York., and spend summers there. And I am still planning on teaching at the Thousand Islands Arts Center and Sackets Harbor Arts Center, usually during July and August.

In our new (actually 16 year old) home my studio is located in what real estate agents would call the bonus room. I'm really lucky to have plenty of natural light streaming through large windows at one end of the studio. At the moment I have set up a temporary workspace for watercolor. At the other end of the studio Rich built a long worktable with storage space underneath. The space is perfect for working on long hand-painted scarves, or cutting matts. Lighting was added to brighten up that end of the room. 

A Door!!!

And the one thing I have not had here in my studio in East Syracuse is a DOOR! The studio here is a loft-type of space open to the upstairs. It makes for a nice light airy space, but with no doors its impossible to keep curious cats away from delicate projects. Now I can actually close a door---hooray! 

My cats are actually more interested in the door at the end of the room. That leads to an attic, where I can also store some large items.

This is actually the door to a crawlspace but you get the idea---cats hate to be on the wrong side of the door!

So When is Moving Day?

Not sure. Our house here in East Syracuse is going on the market soon. Let's hope for a speedy sale.

Anyone looking for a great home to raise a family? With an art studio/home office/hobby room? 

Links to my other studio designing adventures! Yup---I've done this a few times!
http://joanapplebaumart.blogspot.com/2015/02/designing-your-art-studio-natural-light.html

http://joanapplebaumart.blogspot.com/2012/08/windy-hill-studio-make-over-part-1.html

http://joanapplebaumart.blogspot.com/2012/08/windy-hill-studio-make-over-part-2.html

Windy Hill Studio Fall/Winter Newsletter

It's time for the Windy Hill Studio Newsletter!

We're baaaack...............

Arts on Genesee is back! And you'll find me there with paintings, prints, cards, silk scarves, alcohol ink designs, tote bags and what ever else I can whip up in Windy Hill Studio between now and then!

Hope to see you there!

Adventures With Alcohol----------Ink

"Yellow Flower" alcohol ink on ceramic tile

Adventures With Alcohol----Ink.   I'll bet I had some of you at "alcohol"! 

About two weeks ago I had a conversation with fellow artist and Penwomen Wendy Harris about the need to change it up every now and then. To step away from our usual media and method of producing art and do some thing DIFFERENT.

Wendy currently has a show of abstractions at the Edgewood Gallery in Syracuse. These paintings, in a variety of acrylic-type paints on various surfaces were definitely a step away from her usual and she was wondering how they would be received by the people who were used to seeing her pastel landscapes. In my opinion the paintings are magnificent! And I believe they were well received.

But the point I am trying to make is that artists (my self included) from time to time need to step away from their comfort zone and try something new. When I was teaching, especially the children's classes, these experiments in different media seemed to happen organically. I seemed to always be able to adapt something from the classes to my own work. Now I need to make the effort to make the change.

Enter: the Alcohol Inks

A few weeks ago I has attended a demonstration by an artist using alcohol inks on ceramic tiles. The random mixing and separating of colors intrigued me. And the colors themselves are so intense. So I immediately went out and bought all the supplies needed with the intention of experimenting as soon as possible. It's funny how as soon as possible can be put off for a couple of weeks. At this time of the year I am gearing up for shows and sales in the Thousand Islands and Sackets Harbor vacation areas and it's hard to put away the tried and true images and media to make time to "play". The to-do list for Windy Hill Studio is always jam-packed in March and April. 

But after seeing Wendy's experiments with a new medium, I decided it was my turn to play around with something different. So over the weekend I set aside the to-do list and tried my hand at alcohol inks. The inks were dripped, dropped and blown with a straw and what ever happened, happened. Some were very interesting and others were --hmmm how shall I put it--"a lesson in what not to do". But hey, you just wash away the ink with rubbing alcohol and start over.

I photographed my favorites and am sharing them here. I'm hoping to have a little more time in the next few days to experiment some more and see what happens.

Who knows??? Maybe my piece for Penwomen's Painted Sounds will be done in Alcohol Inks! Somehow I'm seeing Bobbie's flowers and Mary's "Untangling Dark". Hmmmmmmmmm