Adirondack Plein Air Festival

After months of Covid 19 lock down, I was crushed to have my acceptance and first appearance at this prestigious outdoor competition cancelled. However, it was changed to a virtual exhibit, so the artists who could come to the park had three weeks to paint alone and submit their work digitally. With the gracious hospitality of a good friend available, I quarantined before my trip. No way would I want to bring the evil virus to the pristine air of the Adirondack Park. A five hour drive there was liberating after being mostly cooped up since early March. I relished the pine air, clear skies and dramatic mountains. I didn’t see any other painters and we all missed the celebrations, dinners, client parties and seeing each other's Art. But I painted in the mountains and found great joy there. These are my three submissions. 

'Pine Carpet in the High Peaks, (Keene)’ 9x12 pastel. A high altitude view of other mountains. 

‘Adirondack Rocks', 16x12, pastel painted during the heavy rains of hurricane Isias-from a porch

'North of North Creek', 10x20 oil. The water is the Hudson, way up where it starts

 

NACC Artist and Friends Exhibition

These two large paintings are displayed at the NACC for the Buffalo Niagara Art Association Spring juried exhibit. This show is in the large main gallery. In addition, there is a second show in the 'Garden Gallery' on the second floor. The 'Niagara Painters' show is representing our local group of plein air painters, formed in 2014 by Shelley Collins and Kelly Buckley, we meet Thursdays to paint outdoors in various Niagara locations.

Next up at the Niagara Arts & Culture Center there will be the NACC Artist and Friends Exhibition, an annual event that is celebrating the 10th year as a community center. 

Both paintings were long term winter projects for me, the joy of pushing paint in the studio is second only to working outdoors.

Adirondack Architecture 48X24 oil on canvas c. 2015
Glory's Bath Takes TOO Long, 36x24 oil on canvas c.2015

Publisher's Invitational Plein Air 2013 paintings

This is it. All of my finished paintings, from nearly a week in the mountains, sort of taking it easy, so I also have a collection of drawings and sketches to go with these as well as a head full of beautiful memories.

This first landscape painting is '3 Dollar Sky', pastel 9x12 because I started by laying in the gray-blue for the sky with a new stick of Unison pastel. It was half gone when I had the undercolor completed. As it cost $6 a pastel stick it was named well.

 'High Falls 3' 16x 12 pastel. This was my second trip carrying gear down the semi perilous steps, but I had also painted a 4 foot tall picture from my previous references.

 On the way home, we stopped in Harristown for a 'painting break', one more for the road? one of just two oils I did this week. 'Harristown Interlude', oil 8x12

 Norman Ridge Skyline, pastel 9x12 Miles of mountains recede on the horizon. The air at this altitude was so fresh, the wildflowers were bright and the day was perfect, with perky little crooked clouds trying to stay afloat.

Return to the VIC3 oil 8x12  Three paintings in 3 years from the same spot, if only I had walked another 200 yards to a super paint spot in shade. Next time, I suppose.

'Rocks at Bog Falls', 9x12 pastel, a very quick painting, there were a lot of bugs in the muddy spot I selected for this composition.

 Roosters at Bog River Falls', pastel 12x16, the first I painted here.

 Solstice Above the Flume, 9x12 pastel. I was looking down at this section of the rapidly descending flume water, seated on huge round rocks at the edge of the cliff. I was sort of tilted forward so my toes were constantly pushing me back from the edge as I painted. When I finally got up my feet were very happy as well as stiff.

From the same vantage point I was able to see the Flume below, perhaps my favorite image of the week. We arrived very early in the morning before the rest of the campers and I ventured very close to this falls area to paint this one first. As I finished, a bit of sunshine sparkled on the top of the waterfall, shining into the gorge from overhead.

Solstice Sun on the Flume, pastel 12x9

Part 2- Publisher's Invitational Paintout 2.0 2011

WHATEVER did I do on this blog? THIS ADK post was posted in the summer of 2011, when they were painted, now I see it as my newest post in 2012, oh well, consider a review of this art course, my blog. There was no changing a date until just today!

After painting a few pictures in oil, carrying them fresh and wet into another person's car and looking at the results that evening in a dorm, I realized that pastels would be a good choice in the mountains. The pastels are heavy, but require less space and equipment to carry. It was a good decision as I was caught in the rain and had to work very quickly. My yellow Fantasy Island slicker stayed waterproof, but my plein air umbrella wasn't totally waterproof when it stayed wet. The first painting here is successful because I stopped early and the pastels captured the image I wanted and will allow me to paint it again on canvas without the distraction of details and with the richness of experience. That won't happen soon, it's a possibility for winter, so in the meantime, it is NFS and I like it just as is.

The second was painted from the dock at night, oh how I love to paint at night, it was quiet and peaceful, and it is always a treat to see it in room light when finished. My hat batteries held up, so I could see my palette and picture quite well.

Splashing water at St.Regis Falls really is orange, this is a study for another pastel made the same day. I decided to add more of the area to my second painting, in the meantime, the light changed and it seems like the amount of water crashing had diminished. We worked under a pop up tent and had a wonderful time protected from weather.

Back to the Adirondacks

High Falls, plein air pastel, K.Schifano c.2012

Last June, I was invited to Plein Air Magazine's Publisher's Paintout 2.0 and spent 5 days chasing the locations of the original Hudson River School of Painters. Besides opportunity for friendship with artists from around the country and as far as Russia, I pushed myself to climb mountains, slide down wet rocky slopes and bravely paint in the rain every day.

High Falls, plein air pastel, K.Schifano

The High Falls was spectacularly tall, my painting shows about 2/3 of the drop, and access to it was by at least 300 rickety wood steps that twisted and skirted the wall of the gorge. I completed the smaller painting on site, the larger oil was my winter studio project. I rarely paint from my own work, so the lack of detailed information recorded in the small pastel was difficult to transfer to a 4 foot tall canvas, a challenge I really enjoyed. The oil painting was exhibited at Partners in Art Gallery in North Tonawanda, framed in wood, it dominated the rich red wall across from the entrance at the Buffalo Niagara Artist Association Spring show.

Most of the painters chose a similar view of the scene and it was a rare treat to have so many paintings by various artists in the 'viewing room' that evening. Now I am looking forward to my return; familiar with some of the locations, I will bring some experience with me this year.

High Falls, plein air pastel 12.5x9.5, 2012
High Falls ADK, oil 48"x24", 2012

Last Part, Adirondack Publisher's Invitational

I drove for nearly 7 hours in the sun to register for my week in the Adirondacks; I checked in, moved in, and met many painters before, during and after dinner. I had come ready to paint ~ Paul Smith area is gorgeous and I was promised spectacular sunsets like the Hudson River painters had recorded.

Well, I really had come to paint, so I prepared my first oils and a small canvas on a rickety table on a 2nd floor deck. It was becoming more cloudy and overcast, but I took my chances because I was so ready to push the paint around---of course the skies would turn brilliant orange & gold, reflecting on the lake below. I chose a composition, laid in my shapes and underlying colors, waited for the spectacle of glorious color to arch into the clouds so I could fling paint at the waiting canvas at the absolute best moment of colors blasting a blinding sunset at me.

Nope, never happened. In fact the pink that did appear in the sky was so dim and fleeting that several people asked me if I made it up. Nope. But I did exaggerate the minor spectacle I witnessed, and if you have been following this, then there is no surprise that I was denied rich sunsets for the entire week.

This sweet little oil was set aside to dry, then left on the bottom of my collection. Only recently did I reexamine it, finding the simplicity, as well as my memories, strong enough to consider it for my 2012 calendar.

Listen for the Loon, oil 8x10, 2011

Part 3- Publisher's Invitational Paintout 2.0, Ampersand Pastelbord

Gabriel's Farm, 6x18 pastel, 2011

Ahhh, the mountains, an example of how they move and dance in the clouds. A nice breeze chased large rain clouds which mostly stayed away from our final location, Gabriel's Farm, only 7 minutes away and our closest paintout location. I had been using pastels for several days and was eager to try a new panoramic museum series panel from Ampersand, called Pastelbord. It is absolutely smooth and flat with a fine texture and can be worked to the edge without  marking. I spoke to Jim Markle about this new board and he liked the superflat surface as well, going off the edge to finish a stroke left no stripe and made us both happy. I think this is perfect for soft pastels, using their grey undercolor was perfect for the day and this composition. Afterwards I brightened the foreground as it was clear and bright overhead, the storm stayed in the distance, alternately covering and revealing the mountains. A field of wild flowers had all of us admiring the beautiful varieties, it seemed to have been planted for color.

Life Changing Adirondack Event?

Painting for a week in the Adirondacks exposed me to a few art concepts.

1) I can climb up or down slippery slopes with an easel, 6' umbrella and wearing a yellow Fantasy Island rain slicker.

2) It's okay to paint in the rain. Not perfect, but okay.

3) I'd rather paint without the rain.

The Publisher's Invitational Paint Out 2.0 in The Adirondacks was a unique professional opportunity to paint alongside over 80 nationally known outdoor artists, to share rocks, experiences and turpentine. There were no lectures, classes or schedules, just a quick breakfast, packed lunches and all day on the road chasing waterfalls, rapids, flumes and mountains with paint and pastel. Sponsored by Plein Air Magazine, this was open to invited artists.

The original Hudson River School of painters packed their supplies and trekked these sights and made a name for themselves capturing 200-300 painted vistas and scenes that you see in museums and books. Now renamed the Adirondack Mountain Painters (founders) our group painted 700-800 scenes in one hectic adventure, carpooling and caravaning, parking alongside creeks and farms to capture new scenes with oils, acrylics, WC, pastel and camera.

Listen to the Loon at VIC, oil on board, 12x18, 2011

High Falls, pastel 15x12.5 2011