Summer Tourist trapped!

Friday on the Overlook

I stole an afternoon and paid the dollar entry fee to paint on the overlook bridge by Prospect Park at Niagara Falls with Rachelle. Apparently a zillion tourists had the same idea.

We nestled against the tower elevator wall, out of sight to many and out of everyone's way as well but they found us. As usual, kids had the most interest and were often pulled away by parents eager to see the waterfalls but not interested in leaving their children behind. 

Rachelle Duzynski at work with pastels

One particular family spent time watching, asking questions and sincerely admiring Rachelle's pastel of the American falls. She hadn't painted in a very busy public area before and wasn't hearing the conversation, I wasn't aware how intense the crowded bridge was for her. The Granddad said his 42nd anniversary was coming and wanted to buy her (very unfinished) painting as a gift. Suddenly aware, she thought he wanted mine. It wasn't until the child was sent to get money from Grandma that the reality set in. What fun, first time in a crowd and her first sale off the easel! 

Afterwards, I added a bit of warm color to the river and the mist, not shown in the first photo. And yes, the Maid of the Mist is that small by the tremendous Niagara Falls.

Our view of both waterfalls from our spot

Rachelle Duzynski"s painting, sold to a Texan tourist.

It's a long story

This is "America Rocks in Sunrise". It's a view of the American Falls in oil, 24"x24 and had been purchased by Ilse Franklin for her husband Tom. She selected this one from a group of my larger Falls pictures. They placed it on the fireplace mantle, with a lovely spotlight on it and I was floored the first time I saw it displayed there, I was at their home with my book club. The large windows in this room face the gorge of the lower Niagara River but the picture is the new centerpiece, as far as I'm concerned.

The title refers to 'America Rocks' in a good way, including the music that I paint to, and the Falls' light and shadow as the sun rises in the morning. 

Now this story continues.

A few weeks ago an artist friend held a 'paint night' in their Lewiston neighborhood and both Tom and Ise went. He loved it, his painting had been hung on their wall and I was pretty impressed that it was a paint night that used the river for its subject. It was a true plein air experience as well as a paint experience for the group. His painting was actually quite well expressed, various colors were in the sky as well as reflected on the water, the green trees and lawn were varied and the trees and stone wall looked pretty spiffy as well. I told him I was impressed and he was emphatic that he wanted to paint again, he really enjoyed it. I have to thank Gabe Porto for being such a great paint teacher, especially when I learned they had just the 3 primary colors to work with. Tom must be a good listener because he had learned so much about process and color mixing.

He didn't have to work hard to convince me to come back the next week. I had been wanting to paint their spectacular view of the Niagara river and Canada for a while.  I packed a portable easel, some acrylics and various panels for him as well as my oil pochade but Tom was a little upset when I arrived. He hesitated to tell me he wanted to make a copy of my painting instead of the view, "I've been studying how you did it, I get up close, keep looking and think I can do it, I hope you don't mind, I really love the Falls" 

I thought we would work together to paint the same landscape and I would pass along some hints and techniques to add to his earlier experience in the neighbor's yard. Well, I'll still paint the scene outside and he can copy my painting, no problem there! 

After a fun career teaching art and solving other people's color and composition problems I considered giving workshops or having students but quickly decided I just wanted to paint. For me. To push paint around, start and stop on my own schedule. Everyone knows I'll answer paint questions, give advice and critique but choose not to take students, give classes or accept most workshop offers. Suddenly, I had a student copying a picture, but I still wanted to paint my own plein air. [To my artist friends, I had 3 trees, a cliff and forests in Canada across the river to paint in oil and was trying to guide him with acrylic paints and completely different colors and scene. I almost had a brain fog trying to keep the two separate in my mind and my oil brush out of the acrylic palette. No surprise that I had a margarita for lunch.]

The day was a success, I had to finish mine later in my studio, but Tom's second painting ever, of the American Falls came out quite well. I think we have one more candidate for our Niagara Frontier Plein Air Painters, he just needs to do a little shopping for paints and a brush. 

Tom with his copy of my work, and the original painting on the mantle

My plein air of our view

Calm on the River, 12x16 oil on birch panel, c. K. Schifano, 2017

Back to My Roots?

Flowers. First it was apples, and I learned to draw by using apples as my subject, over and over, as instructed by Walter Prochownik at UB in the 80's. It was flowers, not apples, that intrigued me and I later spent many years looking deeply into the lines, curves and details of all sorts of plants and flowers, working large and small in my tiny Niagara Falls studio as my practice improved.

Since I became a plein air artist I have spent many Thursdays in winter painting the flora and architecture of the Botanical Gardens, usually small and often with pastels.

For this painting, I was invited to show a wall full of work related to gardens at the Twentieth Century Club in Buffalo and chose to paint outside in their gardens while my work was up. I have painted there several times, choosing bits of architecture as my focus. I made several sketches, the garden statuary is quite attractive, there are fountains and sculpture, groomed trees and brilliant colors against an interesting Romanesque architecture.

At each column in the back, large pots of Canna Lilies and Begonias glowed in the light. These urns became my subject and I wound up surrounded by a large garden party while I painted. It was interesting to be in that space with so many people yet nearly invisible as my work transported me right out of the crowd and few were interested in what I was doing there.

Cannas and Begonias oil on board, 20x10 c.2016

NFPAP's HOT reception

This day had a 'temperature index' approaching 100 degrees, but most of the people here would say it was hotter. We had a great crowd, but no one could stay very long, it was even warmer inside Carnegie Art Center, and if it were not for the quantity of artworks, the rooms would have emptied faster.

I had three paintings here and was pleased to see that two were together on a wall near an open door so they got attention from viewers seeking a breeze and escaping the heat. They were bathed in lovely light from the Carnegie's track system and augmented by the sun. I was joined by Laurene Buckley, Roger Mott and Claudia and we continued our visit into the evening by enjoying the sunset watching boats on the canal.

Tonawanda Riverwalk Prize

Art on the Riverwalk is a wonderful Sunday afternoon show in Tonawanda along the Niagara River. This was the 14th year and I had participated once before. SInce then we were always busy that weekend with family visiting and the 4th of July weekend. This year, I was free to attend and applied.

The wind blew gustily all day but the tent stayed up and people came by to cool off with the river breezes. Kids ran around, bicycles and skates passed walkers on the path and it was a simply fabulous day to sit out and chat with happy people.

I was assigned spot #9 by trees, close to my car and the comfort station, next to two painters displaying on the snowfences and a ceramic potter.

The organizers and PArtners in Art Gallery secured prizes locally which made the exhibit extra special. The painting above took the Jenna Koch-Tonawanda City Council President Award, an Honorable Mention green ribbon as well as a cash prize donated by Jenna Koch.

The painting reflected the day as it was painted during a similarly windy event. A hurricane whirled a distance off shore. The gusting winds lifted the crests of the tumultuous waves and created roosters of mist. Sturdy clamps held my board steady on a weighted tripod. It was fun to paint it!

Wave Watching (From the Boardwalk) 9x12 oil on carton 

Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival

Spring in WNY is a time of glorious color, flowers, warm weather, outdoor activities. Early May brings a riot of pink to the Japanese gardens behind the Buffalo HIstory Museum, and a collection of events and painters to capture them.

With the Niagara Falls Plein Air Painters, I went to the Gardens to paint twice on consecutive Saturdays. This is my first attempt at painting the figures in a pediment and I was surprised at the variety of scale as I inspected their shadows and positions of the figures. The reclining figure on far left was tiny compared to the soldier with a shield kneeling next to him. And yes, I eliminated two of the figures for my sanity, after all, who counts?

Saturday's Pinks 9x12 oil on birch

Painting the Niagara River below the Falls

The sun started out bright so I headed to the Niagara Reservation to paint the last of the snow. With the messy Terrapin Point construction and reconfigured roads there was little access to the Falls, so I drove around the park and decided to travel north along the churning Niagara river, hoping for a good view in a protected place. THe day was cooler by the river and I remembered that the 'private' cliff road was now open to the public, 6 parking spaces would be available. The 7th car would have to leave.

I took the seriously steep Power Authority road down to the fishing docks. It was pretty quiet, only one other car and there seemed to be a single person in the guardhouse. Parking crooked, I pushed my seat all the way back and painted this from the car. Warm, dry and a few podcasts later my painting was done and I was determined to come back in the summer to walk the paths that lead down to the water's edge. It seemed incredibly peaceful.

There are no giant islands of ice floating down the river and some fishing was going on, in fact, some boaters motored into my view. Spring is in the gorge. 

'Lower River Spring', 9x12 oil on birch c. 2016

Studio painting from a plein air reference.

Using my own plein air painting as a reference for a large painting is pretty unusual. I have 'tried' it twice before and although I like to work on large paintings I do not like to work from flat references. I have become used to working from life, in real places, with real items, real people, not photographs or paintings.

This is an original plein air painting, 'Slack' which is 9"x12". I did it at my favorite jetty, the end of Ohio Street in Long Beach NY in 2013.

I reproduced it in the winter of 2015-16 for a gallery that wanted large images of my ocean scenes. This was a challenge but also fun, and a bit frustrating. It was hard to capture the sparkle of a summer morning on the shore while I was standing in the studio with a snowy winter window view next to me. The larger rocks on the easel picture are the size of the original plein air painting. The painting is 30" by 40" and is curing in the studio now. It takes a long time for oil paint to thoroughly dry after the surface seems dry.

Plaza VieJa, Cuba, making connections

Plaza Vieja lunch

Starting the painting

I set my easel on a side street off Plaza Vieja in Havana to paint the brilliant yellow government restaurant (as opposed to Paladar restaurants, which are in private homes). While I was working, a hefty breeze tossed the building's green arch shade askew, although it isn't crooked in the photo I liked how it framed the umbrellas. Music constantly played from two different places, adding to the cacophony of construction behind me and neighborhood chatter.

While I was painting, a young lady, Lilian was watching. This wasn't unusual in Cuba, we were often watched and engaged with many people despite the language barrier. We talked for quite a while, she is a student at the Academy, equivalent to our high school. She had a pile of small white papers and a drawing pen, capturing tourist caricatures for tips was her job. Lilian preferred staying near me than working, saying I was nice. When I mentioned that all the plein air artists were nice, she could talk to anyone, I was branded as 'but you are really nice'. Apparently some tourists may reject the caricature artists rudely.

She is staying with a matron in Havana while she earns money, I'm not sure where that leaves her continued education or if the school is here. Her English is excellent and we talked about oil painting and my materials, our families, old Havana, the cars, people who passed by and all the things people discuss when they meet. She has two little sisters so I gave her some of my kiddie toothbrushes (a story for another post), some painting supplies and my bottle of Gamsol brush cleaner. Artists here use gasoline for brush cleaner, so our non-toxic Gamsol was welcome. 

I asked Lilian to do my caricature, the walk around artists here do a quick face picture in a minute or less but she crossed the alley, got comfortable and spent a bit of time drawing while I painted. And of course I also rocked and danced to the music. Her picture captured so much of Cuba for me, my new Cuba Invitational painter hat with the palette pin, the music, my joy and of course my easel set up. Jacqueline Allen (a member of my group) took my photo at this same site, compare see how this talented lovely young lady drew me.

All the people in Cuba were charming, but I feel I made a new artist  friend in Cuba and wish the best for Lilian. She refused to take any tips from me, because I was 'nice'. We met again later and I introduced her to some of the other painters in the square.

Drawing by Lilian

photo by Jacqueline Allen

the artist, Lilian at work

December Solstice

The change of seasons is always a good excuse to paint. This December was ridiculously warm and I brought my smallest paintbox to the Falls to celebrate the sun's solstice. Being the shortest day of light wasn't a problem, it was overcast and the light stayed the same until it suddenly darkened and the rain started.

I had not actually planned to paint, it was a last minute choice to grab the paintbox, I had on my good 'going out to dinner' clothes and jacket. Normally a neat painter, I had no apron, no chair and not much to lean on so I stood and balanced the open box on the overlook bridge railing which happened to be diagonally sloped and very round and slippery. The next issue was this tiny box has no lid hinge, I usually use it on my lap in the car, the steering wheel is a great support for the lid.

Picture this. Dressed nicely, I am holding a cigar box open, the lid at 90' resting crooked on the rail, two wet brushes and a palette knife in my hands and I need to open the tube of white paint. Foolishly, I tried that trick. A favorite brush loaded with color did a cartoon like swirl up in the air when my sleeve knocked it out of the other hand. Of course it striped down my my coat as it frisbeed in the air, but my concern was to keep the brush from rolling off the bridge and into the Niagara River, headed for Ontario and the north Atlantic. Got it.

And then it started to pour. There was fresh wet oil paint on my sleeves and coat, 2 brushes wet with paint, palette knife, wet painting, open box and mixed paints, open tubes. I skedaddled the 1/4 mile into the visitors center with everything askew. The lovely ending was a vacant table near a window where I cleaned up the messes, touched up the picture and dried my gear out. It really was a lovely day, I love this little painting and celebration of the Winter solstice. I'm ready for longer days. And sunshine.

Despite the Rain, oil, 5x7 c.2015

Painting in Cuba!

I'm going to paint in Cuba!

I was young when the Cuba blockade started and wondered if families would go hungry and what would happen when people needed things, I worried the kids would not have games and toys. I continued to be interested in the politics and events and now I am finally going there. I will soak up the culture and energy of Cuba as I paint, morning, afternoon and evening.

A bit of my letter from the publisher of Plein Air magazine, Eric Rhoads:

"We'll be among the first to paint the beautiful and interesting people and scenery of Cuba as they are today, before the big-city developers come in and turn the island into a modern tourism capital."

I was an original 'Adirondack School Painter' when the first Publisher's Invitational was formed and I was fortunate to be an attendee for 3 summers and stop in at the 4th. They were rich experiences in the Adirondack mountains dedicated to painting sites familiar to the Hudson River School of Painters. I know that this Cuba trip is an opportunity to capture the flavor of old Cuba and experience the friendly people and dramatic architecture. My 'Painting for Preservation' experiences will be enhanced by this trip. (but I won't miss the cold and windy Saturday mornings in Buffalo when we painted out to bring public attention to neglected historic and endangered buildings) 

I hope my work there will have an impact on the need to preserve old Cuba, to glorify and celebrate the past rather than raze tired but lovely buildings to establish modern hotel chains and restaurants. I am prepared to turn my clock back 50 years.

Painting what I want to paint

Niagara Frontier Plein Air Painters choose beautiful locations as a rule. I go to paint the water, the majestic trees or lovely homes and get inspiration from another direction. Several of my paintings have 'Turn Around' in the title, the result of going somewhere special and painting something entirely different by turning around. Lately I've turned away more often from lovely scenes to capture day to day views. Something about my Painting for Preservation interests and maybe a bit of interest in rusting infrastructure?
In this painting, before I did my turnaround, my goal was to paint the Niagara River from a lovely park.

Mississippi Mudds oil on board 9x12

I posted this earlier, in progress before it was complete. I went in early evening to capture 'Wine on Third' but the trees had grown too large and the building was nearly covered. Across the street there are views of several early 20th c. buildings of local iconic status. Normally I would not have noticed the signs, but there have been years of discussion about the lack of directional signs in Niagara Falls. Nope, not anymore.

Route 62, oil on board 12x16

'Cool Mists' at 24 th annual Regional Artists Exhibition

The annual Regional Artists Exhibition is a juried show, judged from original work, and all of it is delivered in a two hour period on a Saturday. By arriving during the second hour I can see many of the 'hopeful' paintings. The walls were covered, the floor had layers of paintings and the competition was fierce, so many great works waiting to be judged by the new curator in town. Always pleased to be included in this show at Artists Group Gallery in Buffalo.

Cool Mists 18x24 oil

4 paintings move to a new address

The 4 smaller plein air paintings shown had been in Austin, Texas, displayed at an even height around a sitting room on two walls in a ranch home. They looked great there.

Then, the four paintings were moved and hung at new address, still in Texas and beautifully reframed to bookend the large painting already on this wall.  I like them even better here. I didn't realize how well they would work together. The central painting is a family heirloom, my smaller ones probably are going to be heirlooms as well. Two are 16x20, the others are 11x14.

Channeling Magritte?

Saturday isn't my favorite day to paint because it interferes with my morning yoga class. This Saturday paintout was in Niagara Falls, Ontario, with Jacq Baldini and Kathryn McMahon. We had been trying to get together to paint for a few years, and this was a perfect day. I had never been to this Canadian overlook as a tourist or a painter, it is the terminus of the Spanish aerocar which crosses over the Whirlpool rapids.

When I stood back to evaluate my painting the sun seemed to blind me but I realized that the setup of my easel and the view were in pretty good alignment. Looking into the iPhone view window to take a photograph the image it was nearly impossible to see in the sunlight.  I seemed to have done a pretty good job of matching the shapes. THis was a good reason and a good day to skip yoga class.

A recent series of end of year paintings have evolved into realism, this is an example. Close up, the painting has a lot of abstract areas but it sure matches the scenery in the photo on the easel.

Whirlpool from Ontario 12x16 oil on birch

American Falls from the base

Going back to this site, if I could reproduce the day, I would make my 30 seconds of video quite different. Alas, this is what I did, and here are the two paintings, still wet, that I completed at the base of the American Falls.

My year has been good for painting, although I have thought my work would be a bit more abstract by the end of this season, realism creeps back in by itself. I call myself a Realistic Impressionist.

WIth friends in town to ride the Maid of the Mist I paid my $1 to go down the overlook elevator and set up beyond some massive boulders while they appreciated the park. These garage size rocks stopped most of the mist from landing on my palette. Although some mist doesn't particularly affect the picture, if enough gets on the painting the brush starts to slide and paint will not stick. It only took a moment to decide to omit the staircase and tourists in blue plastic raincoats who can climb to meet the water. It seems that leaving out the manmade structures is usually my first reaction in nature. They just would have been tiny bits of brilliant blue slapped onto the cliff edge, this waterfall is respectfully massive, dwarfing all scale references.

Looking up at the American Falls, Morning light 8x10 oil

Looking up at the American Falls, Afternoon light 12x16 oil

That's my umbrella, and I am standing back to check my painting from a distance. Photo from the cliff above by Darice Lang.

Mississippi Mudds on the river

A favorite summer spot for a fun meal, Mississippi Mudds had a sign stating it would close at the end of the month. I had gone there to paint on the riverwalk, but the colors of the restaurant would be gone soon. I turned my chair to face the road, my back to the river. THe more time I spent on this painting, the more detail I saw, the ice cream cone lights, the flags on the terrace, power poles and various colors in the windows. Observers were all surprised to notice the lighthouse top in the painting, they had never noticed it on the building. It was partially obscured from my angle but out in the open from every other direction.

As I painted this in the morning, there were few people at the ice cream window to model for me, but as I finished, the lines had started and customers ordered fun meals for a late summer day. Oh well, next year I will start later, or perhaps I will choose Old Man River, or even the river!

Mississippi Mudds,  9x12 oil on birch, © 2015

Looking For Colors in the fog

Painting shows the fog lifting a little after I arrived

photo taken when I started my painting

The day after I returned from a 5 day NYC art trip a paintout had been planned at Bond's Lake. Although I was not entirely ready to start painting right away, I still had art to unpack and put away, I went. Sherrill Primo had graciously offered to pick up my paintings from the NFPAP show at 464 Gallery and had them in her car.

As I drove north, a dense brown cloud appeared across the horizon, as I got closer to Lewiston I saw it was low to the ground right where I was headed, making a right turn, I drove right into intense fog, which appeared gray white from the inside. Again, I hesitated to continue, knowing that it was too dense to find my artist friends in the desolate park. I continued and realized the opportunity the fog presented in a painting, plus, I found them all easily at the end of the park road.

Glad to have my pastels, I set up quickly and made color notes on the lightly sketched page so that I would have the colors established as the fog lifted. The distance was invisible, just a shadow on the sky, and the middle ground alternated between fuzzy and gone altogether. This was a fairly quick plein air and I am so pleased that the fog remained when I needed it. As I finished the fog lifted and an amazing set of early fall colors appeared in the island in the distance. So glad I didn't see them earlier.

Looking for Colors in the Fog 9x12 pastel c. 2015

Summer Plein Air

Allentown garage in Arlington Park, Buffalo

Center and 7th in Lewiston, NY

Considering a Cruller, the Niagara Falls Hiker

Summer is outdoor painting season whenever there is time and decent weather. Each of these three paintings had a different reason to be made. The 'Fairweather Paletteers' of East Aurora met up with Niagara Frontier Plein Air Painters in Allentown for the garage view.  It had a red tricycle in the driveway but the scale was wrong, so I overpainted it and hope to find another tricycle to put it back, larger this time.

The second was a demonstration painting at the Lewiston Art Festival, a view of their wonderful street gardens. It took two mornings to get the light right as I was facing west and the sun moved the shadows quickly.

The last was painted in the park across from the NACC in NIagara Falls, included two well known landmarks. Freddie's Donuts has been there longer than I have lived in this area, and the Hiker was placed early in the last century, at the corner of Portage and Main Street. I hope no one decides to clean up his gaudy blue patina.

Allentown Garage, 11x14 oil on canvas

Center and 7th, 7.5x10.5 oil on Arches Huile

Considering A Cruller, 9x12 oil on Arches Huile

Third Street mashup

  Annually, the NACC has a fund raising auction of paintings created on selected Sunday evenings at Wine on Third. This year I had planned to capture some of the building architecture up close but when I arrived the tents were up and the sidewalk was full of painters and friends as well as patrons. I decided to work across the street.

Originally interested in the perspective view of Third Street, I became attracted to the signs. As long as I have lived here, there have been complaints about signage, especially for tourists. This was my view and the painting in early progress. It is a sanded canvas, originally a picture of Chautaqua Lake swimmers and boats which I turned upside down-you can see a boat and docks where the 2 hour sign will be, and a bit of the tree line on the bottom of my painting. Fortunately I was across the street from the crowd. People who saw this work in progress were quite confused about me and where I was headed with 2 pictures happening on one board. Not every painting is worth keeping and my power sander helps me reuse those boards.

 I am considering a few details yet, such as larger bolts on the signs and maybe some of the reflected light on the signs. Or maybe not.

Falls View 12x18 oil on board  c.K Schifano