On the road, Adirondack painting

Publisher's Paintout 2.0 2012 is now over and I am back home with 8 new paintings, so it's up to the studio to mat and frame and finish whatever needs touch ups after traveling. I found this photo of me in Facebook, with the Adirondack Mountain School of Painters at Heavenly Hills Farm, an amazing spread with mountain views in every direction, a lovely white mansion available for non profits and meetings and miles of rolling fields of freshly cut hay bales. Can you tell I like it there? I oil painted a 5x7 plan, followed by 16x12 of the same scene with a little adjustments for composition. The two paintings have completely different colors because the light changed from clear, as you see it here, to misty distance, so the second painting is lighter and more pastel. Same day, same picture, but I don't chase the light and I just paint how I see it.

Beaver Island State Park Casino

Kath Schifano c. 2012

Beaver Island State Park, at the south end of Grand Island is an artist's playground with boardwalk and beach, golf course, woodland trails, mature evergreens and hardwoods, busy marina and sports facilities.

Years ago, the 'Casino' was a big old historic log built clubhouse with fireplaces big enough to set a table for 6 on its hearth. About 10 years after it burned the state built this smaller building with large lovely side porches. There are frequent weddings here and the music spills outside from the lovely dining room.

I have also painted from the porch, but on this occasion I liked the Spring colors in the flowering trees against the deep color of the building. I gave my previous Casino painting to Jamie and Mike Fortunate as their wedding there last year was beautiful and the reception was fantastic and lively.

Beaver Island Casino 9x12 pastel

Wilson Tuscarora State Park Secret Spot

c. Kath Schifano 2012

Wilson Tuscarora State Park has a main entrance, road to activities and parking lots, but it also has a 'secret' entrance about 1/2 mile east. I pulled my car onto the grass and walked through a meadow, up a hill and along a wooded path to find my fellow painters at work in an amazing secluded area. Sherrill Primo had hiked here and suggested it as a good plein air location, I think I could return there all year with so many views of water, hills, flowers, reeds and wildlife to choose from.

There were a number of trees downed by beavers as well as a few that had been started over the years. This was my first paint out in a beaver area so I was attracted to the pointed tree stumps like litter in the area. This painting shows three of my fellow Niagara Frontier plein air painters at work, Sandy Heath, Sherrill Primo and Carol Carreno in the distance. Sandy was safe from that dead tree trunk falling as it was firmly caught in the live tree. Several other painters were around, some in the woods and others along the stream.

It was a mix and match weather kind of day, sun and shade and a horrendous rainstorm that appeared just as we packed up. A bit of water is quite cooling after painting!

After the Beavers, 12x16 pastel 2012

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

Youngstown Yacht Club

New Old Sailboat, Kath Schifano c.2012

Two consecutive Mondays were scheduled for the Niagara Frontier Plein Air Painters at the Youngstown Yacht Club, but Spring is a super busy time for the boat keepers and workers; owners were painting their boat bottoms and sailboats were moved around to enter the water for a new sailing season.

This 1960's wood beauty had recently come into the yard, its sturdy mast was not yet mounted and lay on the ground nearby. The proud new boat owner had attached two American flags to catch the breeze. I was attracted to the various reds on the paint as the morning sun came over the hill and through the trees. This spot was in full sun and the reds appeared more orange with the yellow cast from the afternoon sun light. This beautiful red sailboat will catch a lot of attention in the water, I hope to see it in action soon.

New Old Sailboat, pastel 12.5x9.5 2012

Hazards of plein air

I painted yesterday at the yacht club in the shade of a docked sailboat. A worker inside attached the boat battery and the auto-bilge kicked on and dumped a winters worth of antifreeze, diesel and fungi on me, my painting and easel. Fortunately I moved before it started pumping the rest of it. Stinky, and the guys there will have a funny story for years to come. (they were very apologetic to me, but I can hear them laughing in the future anyway). My painting has interesting waterproof speckles, not sure if I will keep it.

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Art news & pictures at www.kschifano.blogspot.com

Niagara River Paintings

I just posted 13 new paintings on Facebook, linked HERE, it has been a wonderful Spring for painting as my painting friends seemed to have scheduled all the nice days.

These two were painted by inspiration. I usually carry my plein air supplies in the car, even when I transport passengers and luggage there is a tiny watercolor set ready to capture the moment.

I had run my Niagara Falls errands when the 'big magnet at the Falls' lured my car there...for just a Spring peek. It turned into a long afternoon on a bench and I am so glad I went. It seems like I paint this scene every year but it looks different every time. The bushes and trees on the islands had not filled in yet and I could see between them.

Buckhorn marsh is a lonely place to paint, in fact Spring is probably the best time to go, I can see so much further without trees full of leaves. I knew it would have more people exploring on this fine warm Spring day so I felt safe and headed out for the afternoon. The combination of warm air and cool water created a soft mist on the river, I could barely see the Skylon tower or tall buildings. Although some bushes have sprouted, the cattails and marsh grasses are still asleep.

Interrupted by Spring-the Curve, 12x16, pastel c. 2012
Buckhorn's Island Bridge 4x6, oil c. 2012

My most recent art show!

 Burchfield Penney Art Center invited area member artists to display their creative art work, naming the show 'Artists Among Us'. 669 responded to the call for work and a great opening night on May 18th featured crowds of artists and guests from one end of the huge building to another. Both Carl and I are included in this show, due to stay at the museum for a few months.

I took the pictures before we found our pictures, my tall vertical composition 'Shadow on the Pulpit' is nearly visible in the second photo bottom right, next to the portrait. Carl's digital collage, 'The Path' is right around the corner attracting a large crowd of admirers!

K. Schifano 'Shadow on the Pulpit'

Titan Arum Flower at Niagara Parks, Canada

Kath Schifano painting the Titan Arum background

On May 4, I drove to Niagara Parks Floral Showhouse in Ontario, Canada, to sketch the giant Titan Arum that was about to bloom. It is commonly called a 'Corpse Plant' because while it blooms it smells like rotten meat to attract insects. There were tables nearby, so I sat with my travel watercolor set and visited the wonderful bulb, observing some of its expansion and swelling as I sat....it opened later that evening and the giant stinky bloom lasted just the next day. Painting, I was able to watch the ribs expand, showing more red undercolor by the time I left. There is a second bulb behind it which will open soon and has been moved to the front. They have a wonderful step by step blog with photos here, the first one reached 95" in height. It was on the news so many visitors came in while I was working, sometimes I had to wait until the crowd thinned to see the flower. Placing the man taking a photo with his phone was so easy, as he walked away, another came to look and take the same photo.

One of the nice things about the Floral Showhouse is the resident birds, they have hidden birdhouses indoors and there are many songbirds of various colors for entertainment, at first I thought it was a recording. My two photos are only 30 minutes apart, look carefully and see how the base is expanded in the second photo. I probably missed the opening by only 2-3 hours, but I plan to return for the second one. These are very rare, the 150 pound bulb was planted in January and grew a few inches each day. If you choose to go, it is just upriver from the Horseshoe Falls, near Dufferin Islands, not at the floral clock or butterfly conservatory.

Kath Schifano, photo

Serendipity Success

c. Kath Schifano 2012

Different in technique from other Botanical Gardens paintings, this orchid spray deserves an explanation. The orchid room is attractive and comfortable for painting because of the variety and profusion of colors and textures with dramatic lines. The room also has left and right areas to set up where there is less traffic.

However, there is a persistent loud fan that drives me crazy, so I often choose to work in other rooms. Not this time. A dramatic orchid was placed in front of deep dark large leaves to emphasize its subtle shapes and dramatic beauty, I could not resist. Unfortunately, the heat and cold and weather changes in the humid environment create artistic hazards. In this case, big fat plops of condensation on the window grid above started to drip, spread the colors and splash. Well, the fan noise was already driving me batty, so I packed up and went home, where I continued to work on the ruined sections with a wet brush and a careful hand. I liked the effect, so I continued to paint with water as well as dry pastels and decided to go no further with the background. I like the 3-D effects of the plant and the mystery of the purples. I would love to have a stem of these cymbidium orchids in water in my home, it lasts for months.
Orchids on the Endcap, 18x12 pastel, 2012

Light & Shadow on a Niagara Falls Closeup

c. Kath Schifano 2012

The first official NFPAP paintout may well have been the best weather of our paint season. It was brilliantly sunny and close to 80' in Mid March, although it was cooler working next to the water.

Studying the rocks and water from above Luna Island, I  painted two pastels, one early before the sun shined on the water and rocks, and the second in afternoon sunlight. All the tourists kept asking about painting the rainbow when it arrived....it moved with the sun's motion from the lower left corner, up and to the right, until it went out of my sightline. I gave it a try and this is the first rainbow that I have tried that is believable, it does not look like an artificial afterthought. Agree?

c. Kath Schifano 2012

Roiling, pastel 12x16, 2012
Roiling PM, pastel 9.5x12.5, 2012

A favorite spot at The Falls, 132 years apart

 I went to paint at Three Sisters because I had seen this painting by William Morris Hunt in the Ball State University Museum, in Indiana. I wanted to paint the same view but the first bridge was built right where Hunt stood and the view was blocked. No way would I stand in the water to make my painting match his. Although the water is but a trickle now it is illegal to enter any of the waterways in the state park, it is a sure way to guarantee drowning or jail. I did take photographs. You can see the painting that resulted in my March 2 post, a scene off the second bridge.

This is the Hermit falls, the center distant treeline in WIlliam Morris Hunt's powerful painting is now a parking lot on the end of Goat Island, a walking path and a tram follow the water. The major rocks can still be seen on the east side of the bridge. The third picture, my photo, shows the scene in February as I reached my camera around the edge of the bridge. The water diverted for  electric power would have scrubbed away the small plants and bushes with a much higher water level and pressure. Soon there will be trees in the water's crevices.

Changing light, changing water

Painted just one day apart, these paintings show the wetlands out back in the afternoon. The top is an ATC, the larger is only 4x6 and is going to the Brooklyn Art Library.
The photograph was taken a few days later in the morning. Living on the edge of nature, we don't need to wait for seasons to change, just a few hours alters the light and shadows and even the water level. My distant view is diminishing as buds expand and trees thicken, slowly closing in until it will be a wall of varied greens and leaves.
My collection of backyard paintings of these woods through the years are a living record of nature's changes and my skills, whether from the patio, lawn chairs or upstairs from my large studio windows.

A day like today

A free hour in my day became an opportunity to walk the paths at the State park. Splendid light flickered on the mist and ripples, rainbows angled in every direction around Niagara Falls and I mentally planned at least three dozen new paintings.

Last Fall I painted a little bit of gorge wall at Letchworth during our artist camp days. This week, I varnished it after 'watching paint dry' for nearly six months. It had been near my easel in a ridiculously gaudy frame which I happened to fancy. Now that the dry areas are restored and the colors are back to brilliant I see this little jewel for what it is, spectacular. A memory of a lovely day as the sun settled behind trees and headed for the hills, and I observed and colored as fast as I could to capture it, keeping the sun out of my eyes with a side sitting hat brim.

It was a bit like today, warm and nourishing in the sun, refreshing in the shade, a good day to be an artist.

A winter workout

With rare snowflakes and instant melting, this has been a poor season for winter paintings. They look just like early Spring and late fall without snow or ice instead of winter in western New York.

One fine day in February, it did snow and the sun came out as well. I hurried to the Falls with my supplies and set up on the second of the Three Sisters bridges. By the time I arrived most of the snow cover had already melted but I braved the cold and was rewarded with some remaining snow mounds on the shore. They melted as I painted, a problem that plein air painters often experience. Nature does not stand still, shadows slip from one side to another, mist disappears, rain happens and occasionally a car or truck parks right in front of your subject. On this day, snow melted, the sun went behind clouds and wind picked up as I was finishing. I had to chase a few pastels as they rolled on the bridge as I packed my supplies.

It was a good day to return to a giant mug of hot tea and cozy afghan blanket.

Not So Rapids, pastel 9.5x12.5 2012

Spring in Buffalo

Now that I have returned to weekly paintouts at the Buffalo Botanical Gardens, I see signs of Spring in every greenhouse. All the plants are stretching, greening, budding and turning to the light. The volunteer gardeners are furiously trimming before the big growth spurts crowd out the visitors.

Each week, I walk around, nodding to familiar plants, noticing reorganized displays, new splashes of color and seasonal installations. The desert cactus room is grumbling and plumping, buds are just barely showing on new shoots and flowers. A massive Prickly Pear cactus in the center garden display looked fatter and happier than ever stretching to sunlight and longer days.

The narrow viewing halls make it difficult to set up for drawing or painting, but I was able to snuggle into a doorway and capture some new and old paddles on this mature cactus. Despite the needles and thorns, it is a beautiful thing.

No Leaning, pastel 9.5x12.5 2012

Partners in Art Gallery show

NFPAP, the Niagara Frontier Plein Air Painters, group show at Partners in Art Gallery in North Tonawanda is under construction.
I visited with Paulette Jurek as we waited for our fellow artists to deliver and sign in their plein air paintings. We enjoyed seeing the works they selected especially when they were sites that I had also visited and painted. Being at the receiving desk gave me a chance to talk to everyone and catch up after a winter of studio work. Artist friends are the best!
The show opens with a reception March 3, 4-6:00 and continues until March 23.
Partners in Art Gallery
74 Webster Street
North Tonawanda NY
11am-5pm Tues-Sat

My 'November Plume' (1/6/12post) and 'Rock of Ages' are on the left side of photo.

One more curve of the Horseshoe Falls

I seem to never tire of this view. Two years ago, at my November open house, Marian & Bob Granfield purchased a pastel with a similar view and later another customer was also interested. She asked if I would please copy it for her.

It was a plein air, painted in midsummer heat as I scrunched myself and art supplies under my big white umbrella attached to the guardrail. It would not be possible to recapture the same heat and energy of that day without returning to the falls in hot sunshine.

It remained on my 'to-do' list, but the light or time was never right and two summers passed. However, during the Worldwide Paint Out in September 2011 I had set up on the state park lawn with a friend, Joan, to capture the Saturday afternoon light over Canada. Without thinking about it, the curve beckoned me and this is the result. A little closer view than the first painting, I was surprised that it was similar in colors to the first painting and sure Jennie would be pleased when she returned to the studio. Well, this past November she came in and liked this painting but went home with another view. That was fine with me, I was not quite ready to part with the first one and now this is on my gallery wall for a while and we are all happy.

September Energy, pastel 12x18 2011

Original Artworks that were purchased as gifts

Christmas was an opportunity for gift paintings to take up new residences and leave my walls. Each January I start new art files on the computer but I still have a few paintings listed in multiple years. It depends on when the photos are taken and sometimes I forget when a particular piece was completed. If I really love it, it seems more recent than ones that have less of my love.

As a result of this filing system I may discover some photos that still need to be shot - it is not easy to catch up because when I shoot my own the weather and light has to be just right, morning with no wind, not too bright out but not cloudy either. (Yes, I miss the amazing setup I had with strobes and a darkroom) I sometimes find that a picture has entirely evaded the camera and this post is to honor those sold paintings that went out silently to live on new walls. I had planned to post a series of paintings that were sold late Fall for December gift giving, but I missed the final shot of one pastel lovely. Good thing I know where they live!

Time to get ready for the Spring gift season, all made in USA.

American Falls from Secret Garden, pastel 12x18, collection of Jennie Henderson

Listen for the Loon, oil 8x10, collection of Mr & Mrs. Alex

Olympic Ice, oil 12x24, Linda Koester, gift to Nebraska family

Return to Serenity, commission, pastel 15x12.5, Emily, gift to her California family

Above the Clouds, oil 5x7, collection of Alan Hastings

December 10pm, oil 24x24 collection of Mr. & Mrs. Glen Altman

A tale of two house portraits.

Several years ago, I painted a newly landscaped DeVeaux home (shown below) for Michele Altman, she wanted to surprise her husband for Christmas.

She called me this Fall to paint it again, same size, same view, this time a night painting and with snow on the now grown trees and bushes. Of course, this was the year that the first snow came in January, so I had to fake it. Having lived through 40 1/2 winters here I did not have difficulty with the snow, its colors or reflections, but I was challenged mightily by the colors of night, what happens to white as the lights go on, the trims and wall colors of a building that is light in daylight.

It took about 6 night trips to establish the values by sneakily sketching from my car and the last time I went I thought the jig was up. Glen had sauntered out of his house, very slowly, then sat in his car in the driveway for a long time as I guiltily waited in my car across the street. Since my car was off, I thought I was safe, but realized the headlights had remained on with a key in the ignition. Finally, he drove away. SLOWLY. Then showed up driving right next to me, I didn't look up, just pretended to be writing instead of drawing, but it really spooked me. His car went back in the driveway and Michele hurried out to the car, head down. They sat in the driveway longer than you can imagine with the engine on, finally backed out and verrrryy slowly drove down the block. Seconds later, their car was stopped next to mine. I didn't look up as she should probably recognize what I was doing. Adrenaline racing, vigilantes gathering, pistols drawn, police called, my imagination was racing and I was more than stressed. I was a stranger in their neighborhood, looking in people's windows, watching for...

They turned left and I went right, to head back home, obviously upset, when I realized the car was following me. I waited for the sirens as I followed every traffic rule and tried to casually race myself home and lose the tail. Hooray for red wine and a sympathetic husband at home, hours later I was finally composed again with that bad memory.

Finally. I spoke to Michele who said "Oh, then? We were admiring our Christmas lights."

WIth a little research I gingerly added the correct constellations for December in the night sky. The wet painting was delivered on December 24 and made a great Christmas more special for all of them. And I am promising myself AGAIN, not to paint any more surprise commission paintings from my customers.

December 10pm, oil 24x24 2011
Altman Home, oil 24x24 2007

The eye sees more than the camera

Why I do not like to paint from photographs.......

Painting outdoors sometimes brings the weirdest comments, the worst of which is 'What are you doing?', followed by 'What are you Painting?' and 'Do you know my aunt in Ohio, she likes to paint, too.'
More often, people are respectful, interested and pleasant to talk to. Observers will sometimes ask about the composition or notice details that they missed in nature, but some commentators ask about a concept known as local color. It has to do with the actual colors that things are, what one sees. The best example is to look at tree trunks, I have yet to see a really brown bark, it is often greenish or yellowed or gray, yet ask someone what color a trunk is and hear the answer 'brown'. Since I tend to use fairly bright colors and contrasts there are questions. I can show them my view and the colors of my inspiration and they easily see why I choose my colors.

On a quiet November day, after all the Maid of the Mist boats were in storage I painted with Jacq Baldini  near the Canadian docks. I took this photo of my painting on the easel in progress. The near images are fairly accurate, but the camera was unable to record the colors in the weeds, Fall foliage beyond the waterfalls or the depth of the gorge walls. The light shining in the plume of the Horseshoe mist did not create shadows in the photograph, but in real life they are rich and colorful. If I painted from the photograph the canvas would be nearly gray and white while in nature my eyes could see so much more variation and color.

Being an artist allows me to study rich contrasts and details and record them better than any camera. It is a bonus to spend hours in nature, appreciating and recording the feel and sounds of the land.

Niagara Plume in progress, 18x24 oil

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Buffalo's Wheeler Grain Elevator Requiem

RIP Wheeler Grain Elevator 

The photo of this pastel painting was taken today. I don't shoot every painting but this one became 'famous' this week, after it was framed. In August the plein air 'Fairweather Paletteers' painted in the new downtown Buffalo area called Festival Park. It is a reclaimed area that has been landscaped with paths, benches and trellis enclosures right on the river.

From a comfy new bench in Festival Park I painted the GLF grain elevators and buildings across the river. The center forner Wheeler grain building was undergoing demolition inside while we painted, with lots of racket and activity indoors. This weekend it came down, with a crash, some of it falling into the water.

Now that this painting is posted we have one more structure that exists only on paper and in our memories. It's significance lies in the fact that it may have been the last elevator of its kind, a transitionary style between frame and concrete towers. Only one. In the world.

Our overworked preservationists are not fooling. The historical remnants of Buffalo's glory days will bring glory back. I have studied and taught enough architecture to truly appreciate the breadth of history here as the former gateway to the west and the thriving metropolis Buffalo was. Yup, they are old rusty buildings, but they have the historic beauty and value to bring tourism. Shame on us for losing so many significant buildings to strip malls and flimsy warehouses.

Festival Park's Elevators, pastel 12.5x9.5. August 4, 2011

Niagara Holiday Market

Downtown Niagara Falls has a new look, the Holiday Market is blooming, the ice is ready for your skating and there is a tree lighting every night. On black Friday Carl & I went to the market, I had delivered some art there on Wednesday and the carpenters were still assembling walls and installing windows and doors. On Friday it was still in progress, but many of the shops were open and doing a lot of business, the crowds were amazing.

464 Gallery has a double sized white tent-with heat-and they are carrying a number of my printed works, framed and in mats, calendars and cards. I plan to restock some things this week and expand the number of framed prints on the wall. The original Gallery is located at 464 Amherst Street in Buffalo, so this annex will be a whole new adventure for my Niagara Falls friends. Don't forget to stop in, come back to the market several times and shop these small businesses!

Fall Painting

Lower Mountain Road Fields

A recent NFPAP paint out was on a lovely and mild Fall day with our organizer and chief, Joan Shaw, at her home.  If I lived there with her flower and vegetable gardens, neighboring barns and vineyards, out buildings and fields then I wouldn't ever run out of subjects to paint. In previous years I had tackled the crooked old tree, some barns and her studio which was formerly a barn. A group of us gathered underneath her comfy cowshed to paint. It kept the bright light off our work, but also we were out of the breeze and possible rain, yet close enough to keep up the artist chatter..'did you see that rabbit, look at the color of that shadow, there aren't many birds today, this yellow just isn't working for me.'

I sketch before painting and chose to make a small painted sketch before I used large canvas. My first little picture was horizontal and it was a bit overcast. I became interested in the distance, where a field appeared to continue between some clumps of trees. By the time I started the taller painting, the light had brightened, there was more light on the fall trees and I was in painter heaven.

Halfway Down The Ridge

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Lower Mountain Road Fields 7x5 oil 2011
Halfway Down the Ridge 5x7 oil 2011

Open Art Studio 2011

My 4th open studio is coming up next weekend, the busiest art weekend of the year in WNY, lots of shows and gallery walks, big shopping opportunities all over. I have prepared my studio with new shelves, they are just 4" deep so I can stand paintings and easily move them around, artwork has been up and perfect for a few days and I am ready to start moving them already.

I am planning on showing the Adirondack series all together downstairs, they are framed and waiting for set-up on Thursday, my big gallery wall is now full of Niagara scenes and I love seeing them all together. This photo is from 2010 Open Art Studio, everything is different this time!

2010 Open Art Studio View

Find an hour next Friday or Saturday and join me, there will be cookies and my special fudge.
1575 Huth Road
Grand Island, NY

Letchworth State Park Plein AIr

Kath Schifano

When I am asked how I am, my answer has been 'wonderful'. Sincerely wonderful.

There have been many opportunities to paint this Fall in a variety of locations and I have not wasted a moment. These three were painted at Letchworth State Park at our annual overnight paint marathon. I missed the first day and night because I was in Houston, but drove down in the morning and painted two from Wolf Creek overlook. This was a new location for me, previous trips had brought us to many overlooks and 'Kodak spots'; this is a tributary to the Genesee River. The water passes under the road in a wide stream (a lovely view that needs to be painted on my next visit) and then condenses to rush through rocks.

Later in the day I turned around to the east and captured afternoon mist and shadows in the gorge, trees leaning into the late afternoon light.

The third tall image shows everybody's favorite Letchworth falls from Inspiration point. This is a tiny painting, on stretched canvas, so I painted around all the edges to continue the picture, it will remain unframed. Now just imagine me standing in the parking lot, holding a wet oil painting -on 5 sides- and figure out how I got it home without ruining it! The famous railroad bridge that passes over the falls was omitted, imagine what western New York would have looked like before trains and towns cut into the landscape.

Kath Schifano

Kath Schifano

Wolf Creek Moment 16x20 oil, 2011
Wolf Creek Mist, 10x8 oil, 2011
Inspiration Point at Letchworth, 12x4,  2011

Houston Painting Op

Kath Schifano

A warm sunny Fall week in Houston, while it turns chilly and rains at home. Could I ask for more? The big-happy-knee-grabbing-hug I got from little Amelia made the hours flying in a metal tube across the country worth it, but meeting the Katie Prairie being restored in Northwest Houston was a close second.

Watching suburban sprawl gobble up farms and old buildings, traveling on 12 lane highways and seeing endless stores and malls jaded me about this area. There was little to paint that looked different from anywhere else, Target, Walmart and Appleby's all look the same everywhere.

At Lone Star College, the extensive landscaping is totally a prairie restoration in progress and I had a wonderful experience making my own paths as well as following the suggested walkways. Standing under a live oak for shade while I painted, the water here was slightly misty in the morning. It dried quickly as the sun rose and the colors brightened.

I plan to go back here in different seasons and time of day to continue to enjoy an oasis of nature and paint the prairie as it expands and grows, hopefully inspiring similar natural restorations.

Katie Prairie Mirror 14x11, oil 2011

2012 calendars

2012 is printed, packed and ready! The new calendar returns to the original format of monthly images with dates below. The past two years we used some innovative layouts with several months having full page paintings with the dates on the picture. That was a designer's challenge unless there was a lot of white mist to print over.

Since I chose to include just plein air paintings, most of my work was horizontal which made the traditional format a natural choice. They fit into wallet size photo frames; many customers have told me of favorite pictures preserved this way. I have also heard of the pictures used as bookmarks, coasters or inserts in a friendly note. The most flattering use was explained by Frank DiGaudio in Long Island, he rebuilt his kitchen and put in a heavy glass counter top, then mounted a whole series of calendar pages under the glass. Fantastic!

Calendars are sold at 464 gallery and the Niagara Holiday Market as well as The Book Corner, Castellani Art Museum, and Studio One.

Mail orders, $15 for one, $28 for two, 5 for $65. $12 for refills without a case. Prices include sales tax and shipping. There is a paypal link on my website or just comment her to get my attention!

Individual calendars may be purchased for $12 at The Book Corner or at Studio One, Niagara Falls, the Castellani Art Museum or at my Grand Island studio.

photo is back page of calendar, showing illustrations for 12 months of 2012

"Painting for Preservation" Exhibit in Buffalo

Kath Schifano

I have lightly aligned with a group called "Painting for Preservation" in Buffalo. I say lightly because most of their paintout events are on Saturdays and I can rarely paint then, although my heart is with the group. I have always felt a need as a painter to record changes around me, and as I look over my archived art works I am astounded at the number of things that no longer exist, lovely old barns, The Wintergarden, grain elevators and that lovely old ship that we loved to paint every year in the inner harbor of Buffalo.

[Copied from their website at] PAINTING FOR PRESERVATION

P4P is a group of eclectic and inclusive artists and preservationists that gather at historic places to make art on-site. We create positive awareness of distressed and under-utilized buildings; we create a record of current building conditions through the artist's point of view; we spark new and innovative preservation opportunities. We are inspired by our historic urban environment.

Painting for Preservation (P4P) will host its first show during the National Trust for Historic Preservation Conference in Buffalo, New York in October.

Kath Schifano

 I am pleased to have these three plein air paintings included with a number of other artists at the Statler Hotel Exhibit of P4P artworks this month and the exhibit will remain in the stately Statler Hotel in Buffalo until December. A percent of sales from art in this show will go toward the restoration. There will be a private opening and a public one to be announced. I am thrilled to be able to go back into this historic building, I always loved the grand spaces, chandeliers and staircases and the sense of history that pervades the building.

Froze in Time, 9x12 oil 2011
Shadows in Elevator Alley, 9.5x12.5 pastel 2011
Tugs and Grain Elevators, 9.5x12.5 pastel, 2011

Kath Schifano

Artist update!

This Fall has been spectacular for me, returning from a week in Houston I woke the next morning, repacked and drove straight to Letchworth to join NFPAP painters for an overnight paint out. The colors gently changed as I painted. It wasn't too cold and the sun was brilliant so I completed three plein air paintings surrounded by nature. Where there were green trees with golden flashes on my entry, overnight the reds and oranges appeared on the mountainsides. The frost overnight made a big difference. My favorite finished painting Of the three is just 4" by 8" & 1" thick, a dimensional canvas with two waterfalls in the distance, minus the railroad bridge.

There is something about placing manmade structures in great expanses of nature. It is always a dilemma to include or exclude items in paintings, so often I choose to omit built structures. I will post them all as soon as the conditions are right to shoot the dry oil paintings. That means morning light, not too sunny, no wind and I am not otherwise busy. Fat chance of that happening soon! Life is good, but hectic.

9th Annual International Plein Air Paintout

On the second day of my 9th annual International Plein Air Paintout adventure, I crossed into Canada to paint. Little did I expect that my favorite parking lot in the park would be gone, and I would have to pay big bucks and still have to walk forever with my cart, lunch, painting supplies and more. I was thrilled to pay only $7 at the Skylon, later it was $10, and when I left it was up to $15. I didn't find the other painters there, either.

I intended to paint the American Falls, and set up my easel and supplies in the shade by the railing. I happened to look through a small hole in the trees to my right and found the gorge full of dense mist, curling around below the river and rapids. Fortunately I had a small board with me and painted that tiny bit of bright water quickly, before the light and wind changed. Then I turned back to my original composition. The Bridle Veil Falls and Luna Island look quite the same, but there is now a 'dry spot' on the American Falls. There seems to be less water going over every year and I had not seen any water from the powerful cataracts course over this prominent rock all summer. Perhaps some rocks have fallen on each side, but I remember there being a trickle there 2 years ago.

Marshmallow Mist, pastel 6x12 2011
Split in 3, pastel 9.5x12.5 2011

Niagara, again

Still fascinated by the massive curve of the Horseshoe Falls, these two paintings were created 3 weeks apart from 2 entirely different locations. I am amazed that the colors are so close, but the weather and light were almost the same.

The first is from a bridge at Three Sister's Islands. I used my 'eagle eyes' to see this from more than a half mile upriver, choosing just a piece of the falls, west of the area I often paint. It was a brilliant sunny day and the mist stayed low.

The second painting is from above Terrapin Point, close to Top of The Falls restaurant. I have painted near this same spot for 5 years now, and have noticed frequent changes in the flow of water, the size and number of islands, and the fact that the trees growing there are starting to block my view! It started as an overcast day, I worked on the sky as the clouds started to break up and it turned into solid sunlight, similar to the picture above. This was painted during the International Plein Air Paintout, September 9-11.
Curve from Three Sisters, oil, 12x24 2011
International Mist, oil 12x24, 2011