Thousand Islands Park on Wellesley Island NY, St Lawrence River in the 1000 Islands Region

Wellesley Hotel, Thousand Islands Park, 15 x 22 inch watercolor

    Thousand Islands Park was founded in 1875 as a Methodist Campground. There are over  100 years of rich history, tradition,  and culture. Much can be found on the internet by search so I am not going to repeat it here. It is located on the south west tip of Wellesley Island in the heart of the 1000 Islands Region. It started as a tent city and eventually cottages were added. By 1890 there were 600 cottages and 7000 summer inhabitants. A new larger Pavilion at the waterfront allowed landing of steamships. All access to the park was by water. A 1912 fire destroyed the original Columbia Hotel plus 99 cottages and the business district. The Wellesley Hotel is it's replacement and is in my painting above, as well as the Chapel called Tabernacle (at the far right, centered prominently at the head of the park on St. Lawrence Ave and below). The business district burned down in  again November 2014 and will be rebuilt. A set of  architectural as built drawings had previously been made.  It included the popular breakfast and lunch spot as well as ice cream shop know as the Guzzle, a few small businesses, US Post Office, and the fire department. The fire disrupted the electrical system and the fire fighting  equipment could not  be utilized as the electric door could not be opened. Fire departments from the mainland came to the put out the blaze and save nearby structures, During the depression years of the 1930's  some 200 cottages were torn down.

Victorian Style Home-Coastal Ave West 15 x 22 watercolor and pastel(sold)

Oil 11 x 14 inches, plein air

Coastal Ave W. at Union Ave 15 x 11 watercolor(sold)

   After the 1975 Centennial Celebration there was renewed interest in the Park and in 1976 the Landmark Society was formed to maintain architectural integrity. A number of Victorian style  cottages and homes had been constructed over time. There are numerous inspirations for painting, both en plein air and  studio work from photos and sketches. Over the years the Park has provided me many subjects and will be the source of more.

Coastal Ave West at Island Avenue 15 x 11 watercolor

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Pink Cottage-Plein Air 9 x 12 (sold)

Ginger Bread 11 x 15 watercolor

                                                                          Here are two oldies from 1988. I sat on a stool in the area known as The Green  and with a pad on my lap did some ink and watercolor  renderings using binoculars. The "Iron Cottage"(green) is  a 19th century Carpenter Gothic Revival style cottage.  Turning 180 degrees provided a view of three cottages on Union Ave. My dad was still with us and visiting on vacation. We walked the four miles from our cottage. I sent him to the Pavilion swimming dock to observe the bikinis only a teenage girl would wear and later we walked up to the Guzzle for an double dip ice cream cone.

The Iron Cottage Ink and watercolor 11 x 15

Part Of Union Avenue Ink and Watercolor 11 x 15

Guzzle, Grocery and Fire Dept

Finally, here is  a photo of the Guzzle, Grocery store, and Fire Department section of the business district. Below  is  the current Pavilion which was renovated in the last 10 years.

Pavilion

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 


A LEFT CLICK ON ANY IMAGE  PROVIDES AN ENLARGED VIEW.      

Parade Of Ships ST Lawrence River , 1000 Islands Region

Diamond Star, Volatile Cargo, since purchased by another line and renamed

My  home view of the St Lawrence River includes that portion marked by buoys which is designated the "St Lawrence Seaway". I am on the portion called the "Narrows" in the 1000 Islands Region and just below the Interstate Highway #81 and it's span over the River to Wellesley Island on it way to Canada. In front of the house is Brown Bay and across the other side is Swan Bay. We are set back about 150 yards or so from the shipping channel. From March to almost Christmas there is a constant parade of ships up bound and outbound as well as barges pushed  or towed by tugs, tall ships, and smaller passenger cruisers, and many day cruise vessels for tourists. Sometimes the cargo is visible like wind turbine parts, 5 or six large yachts, fabricated steel parts, and sometimes  invisible in the holds like grains and ores. There is a "Know Your Ships" guide book with listings of the ships and fleet groups, flags of nations, and the colors of smoke stacks which are basically logos. We can feel the vibrations set up in the water and land of many ships long before they they appear in our view. I take many photos as they pass the house, also I venture out in the paddle boat near the edge of the channel and get photos from a low perspective. While out in the power boat a ship will often be encountered and offer a unique view for a photo. Finally, when walking along the Island road that parallels the River, often a passing ship will often appear. Then there is the endless patterns of weather, sunrises, cloud patterns, and setting sun. We don't see sunsets from our location but the setting sun illuminates passing ships and the far shoreline and creates inspiring light effects.  At night the ships pass all lit up. With the movie feature on my digital camera I can capture the reflections in the water, pause the playback, and capture a view for  a painting reference. Here are a few of the ship

BBC Chartering Cargo of Wind Turbine Blades

paintings I have done and I am sure there will be many more. It is not an infrequent occurrence to have two ships passing each other at our observation point. Just the other night this happened and I made a short video with my camera but it was taking two long to upload for this blog. It was cloudy and absent the usual moon lighting. Also, with a little fog, rain, or snow, we are at a spot that gets rattled by horn signals. With modern radar and communications I often wonder  why this is necessary. Sometimes the tourist tour boat captains may request a toot for the entertainment of the tourists.

Two Ships Passing at Night

Upbound empty, anvil cloud pointing the way

Thirteen Stars-Tall ship Lynx at Clayton NY

My Drawing of Images of Lynx

TWO-TREE ISLAND, 1000 Islands NY

Since writing this post on 10/26/14 my painting Two-Tree Island was awarded 3rd place painting in the North Country Arts Council  66th Annual Fall Art Show (Nov. 7-22nd), perhaps the largest regional art show in northern New York State.
A couple of years ago I took an evening ecological nature cruise on a flat bottomed boat with a bunch of other artists out of Clayton NY, which is ten miles up river from my home on Wellesley Island. It was nice to let someone else do the driving while the wine and snacks flowed. We cruised around the River and islands near the shoreline and observed  Osprey, Loons, Herons, Mink, and a variety of birds and waterfowl doing their evening thing. The boat was very stable and allowed for a lot of photos including well know island landmarks, islands, and shoals and great sunset shots. I have created a number of paintings from the photos. The latest one is called "Two Tree Island" and is a combination of a sunset and an uninhabited island. There are over 1800 Islands in a thirty-five mile stretch of the St Lawrence River know as "The 1000 Islands". To qualify as an island there must have least one tree, otherwise it is called a shoal. This particular island had two trees, thus the name of the painting. The trees on the most of the small islands are exposed to prevailing winds which causes a slanted growth as there is not much  depth of soil for the roots to take a firm hold. This painting was on my easel a long time as I waited seven days for layers to dry before drybrushing   or glazing multiple times. The painting is a combination of two separate photos, one for the island, and one of the sunset I best thought suited  the silhouette of the trees. It is 24  by 36 inches, oil on canvas.

Two Tree Island

Calumet Island First Light

 A few other paintings were inspired by my photos on that boat ride. They are "Osprey Perch", 11 x 14 inches, oil on linen, "Calumet Island First Light", 12 x 22 oil, in which I changed the atmosphere to a morning glow, and "Hunkered Down for  Weather", 16 x 20 inches, oil on linen. In the latter painting the Comerants  were settled in on a shoal for the night, which I combined with two earlier photos not taken on the cruise. The morning light was trying to burst through a stormy set of clouds  on the River in front of our home one morning and on a different day the River was roiling from 50 mile per hour winds. I drove up to the west end of Wellesley Island where the wind and wave action is the worst to get some photos. One of these became the water action in the painting. So these photo events were several years apart but some how all gelled into my imagination for the composition. All these paintings may leave one peering into the dark and wondering what else might be there that you can't see. So, they are all just in time for Halloween.

Osprey Perch

Speaking of Halloween!

Hunkered Down for Weather

Crow Woman's Watch- Pen  and Ink 

Great Camp Sagamore, Blue Mountain Lake, 2014 New York Plein Air Painters Retreat

Ten artists and one spouse who was a photographer attended this years retreat at Great Camp Sagamore near Raquette Lake in the Adirondacks. It's nice to have all your meals prepared and be able to get right back to where you had left your easel set up and continue painting. One day was pack you own lunch from well supplied options and I used that day to travel about 16 miles to Blue Mountain Lake and paint the view from the observation deck, high up at the Adirondack Museum.  About a month before the retreat I saw a PBS TV show on the Raquette River which featured a view of lake from the observation deck and I emailed the Museum to get permission to paint the view (after paying admission of course).

Lake Sagamore Exploration Tools

 The Raquette River is the third longest in New York Sate (146 miles,235 km), the Hudson being the longest.Historically, the river was a part of the "Highway of the Adirondacks", by which it was possible to travel hundreds of miles by canoe or guide boat with short stretches of portage connecting various waterways. This route is still followed by the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, a 740-mile (1,190 km) canoe trail from Old Forge to Fort Kent in Maine. It is also the basis of the route of the Adirondack Canoe Classic, a three-day, 90-mile canoe race from Old Forge to Saranac Lake. Blue Mountain Lake is one of the lakes in the River's Chain which eventually enters the St Lawrence Rive near Massena at the Mohawk Nation of Akwesasne .
My favorite painting below is of Blue Mountain Lake (11 x 14 oil on stretched linen). At 10:30 AM when I set up the sun was out and roasting me in my wool shirt.About 11 AM it clouded over and stayed that way. This gave me about four hours without the light changing too much. I captured  the land and  reflections values in a burnt sienna under painting  quickly and  then worked on the detail. The 

Blue Mountain Lake

canoe rack above has a sign "Use by Permission Only" and also has a couple paddle boards (12 x 9 inch oil on linen panel).
The Boat house below  has two row boats, multiple aluminum canoes, and some kayaks that you just sign out  and in on your own. Personal flotation devices and paddles of all sizes are available. (10 x 8 oil on linen panel) Prevailing winds are away from the Boathouse so the paddle back is a little longer-don't be late for dinner!
The Lake Outflow is just below the Boathouse.
The afternoon light (4 pm Sept.) is shut off by the trees along the stream while the sun still illuminates the Lake. This is an 11 x 15 watercolor and pen. It was started 4 pm Monday afternoon  with watercolor washes. Tuesday afternoon the ink drawing was superimposed followed by more watercolor. Back home after the trip I put a final wash on the stream and lifted the lights on the rocks.

Sagamore Lake Outflow

Great Camp Sagamore Boathouse

Painting In The Adirondack Plein Air Festival, Saranac Lake NY

Saranac River Permanent Rapids

Black Pond Inlet

Fast Water Saranac River

 The 2014 event had about 80 artists registered, not all of whom displayed for the competition. There were a great many accomplished painters and some advant garde work on display, also,"how could it be plein air if you spent 26 hours on it and it looks like a photo". No one in our group of five from PAPTIR were award winners  or enjoyed a lot of sales success. The event seemed to drain our energy and part of that was having to have your framed paintings in by 9 to 10 am Sunday instead of the past 10 to 11- perhaps because of the record number of artists. It's hard to finish framing, photograph your painting (in case it sells), pack up your suitcase, and leave the rental in decent shape to rescue your security deposit, drive 10 miles, find a parking space, and lug your paintings to the City hall- so early.Yet is is always warming to see painting friends from around New York State and elsewhere and their works displayed on the racks. Of course, only the award winners, agree with the judges choices. In spite of  the litany of text book criteria the judges express as utilized in the process- it all comes down to subjectivity, and the wise let it go at that. On the top left is a 16 x 12 inch oil on linen, Saranac River Permanent Rapids. This section of the Saranac is about 6 miles on River Road from Bloomingdale. For kayaks it is class 3 rapids. It was fun painting it and comfortable in the shade on the bank with a nice breeze. On the top right is Black Pond Inlet, 14 x 11 inch oil on linen. It is located on Keese Mill Road at the back end of Paul Smith's Visitor Interpretation Center (VIC). The VIC is acres of marshes, ponds, trails, streams, used in Paul Smith's College degree programs for Forestry and related disciplines. I painted a 12 x 9 inch version of the same scene (with the large pitcher plant on the foreground log) in the 2013 event and went back to paint it again. The 9 x 12 version was one of two paintings I had hanging in the VIC Plein Air Invitational Show 7/26-8/28. Friday evening at a painters barbecue at the VIC I learned that it had sold to someone from Erie PA.
All of the pieces in the show were done "en plein air" at the VIC.  Eleven artists displayed 21 works.  

Lake Clear Carpenter Road

    The 9 x 12 oil, Fast Water Saranac River, is a painting knife on a linen panel. Painted another late afternoon at the same spot on Permanent Rapids again in the shade in a bug-less breeze. To the right, Lake Clear Carpenter Road, is on the way to our rental camp on Lake Clear. I made a studio painting out of the plein air as I repainted the road and the dappled light. My original road looked like a set of stairs with alternating light and dark strips. Must have been the relentless mosquitoes in the woods. I had loaned my bug spray to the man an woman returning down the hill from a walk with their little dogs. It was quite a challenging hilly, curvy, and bumpy road in sections down to a "Hole in The Woods", which was the Carpenter family original name for the road. This was the only section that was a Birch tree forest.
Looking forward to the 2015 event and have already reserved  the camp we had in 2013.
                                           
                                                                     

Plein Air Painting at Morristown NY Plein Air Event 2014

Gardens at Charles Chapman House

Fall at Morristown Bay

The second annual Morristown Public Library  Plein Air Event was held the first weekend in August. Twenty one artists participated  and came from as far as Rochester NY , New Jersey and near Albany, as well as from Maryland, Pougkeepsie NY and many other places. Artists donated a 5 x 7 inch painting for silent auction and in return the selling commission was only 15%. We all had a great time at the Bella Brook Winery party  Friday evening with bargain priced wine and  plenty of great food donated by the Morristown residents. Visiting artists were spared the expense of a hotel room because of the generosity of the host who provided lodging. Morristown is located on the St Lawrence River in the 1000 Islands NY, just across the River from Brockville Ontario.

The Gardens at the Charles Chapman house (11 x 14 oil), so called because he rented the property summers to paint in the area as well as teach classes. The property is privately owned with a beautiful stone mansion and several ponds, many gardens, and is situated on the St Lawrence River at Morristown Bay. Chapman was a friend and contemporary to Frederick Remington. The museum of works by the latter is located a short distance away in Ogdensburg NY.

Fish Creek at Pope Mills NY

The falls are located at the innermost end of Morristown Bay.  I did the painting with a painting knife. It is 8 x 10 inches and am told the water flow is significant in the spring.  Finally, Fish Creek at Pope Mills, is 8 miles south of Morristown on route #58 at the junction with #184. Pope Mills got its name from Mr. Pope who
built a mill for grain and sawing wood on the creek (long gone). The  area looks like a set for  and old western movie with a General Store (closed 10 years) and several boarded up buildings. I had to stand on a concrete bridge next to the highway to paint and  my Shady-Buddy umbrella only sticks in soft ground. The owner of the property brought out a table size umbrella and stand to shade me and the easel. It was 82 degree F and hotter on the bridge, muggy with no breeze. I had to return the next day to complete the painting and he brought out the umbrella again as well as a cold beer later! I am going to send him a matted print.
The painting is a 9 x 12 inch oil.
Sales were very good at the Sunday silent auction. I sold all three paintings as well as one of the three originals  I  brought for display outside the auction barn. Looking forward to returning next year.

Plein Air Painting in Sackets Harbor NY

Pickering Beach Museum

 Sackets Harbor is known for it's battlefield and other aspects of the war of 1812-1814. The Arts Association of Northern NY ( ww.aanny.org) held it's annual plein air derby, concurrent  with the Can-Am Festival celebrating the Canadian/American friendship, about the third weekend in July. The parade is one of the  big attractions as well as  tents of vendors and a soap box derby, so there are many visitors in town for Saturday and Sunday. While I have won awards in past events there was "no cigars", so to speak, this year. There is plenty to chose from for painting subjects, including a harbor full of sailboats,

Commandant's Hollyhocks

Majestic Willow

outdoor restaurants, unique architecture, flowered street lamps, and store fronts. My historic building portraits are 9 x 12 and 11 x 14 inch oils and the Willow tree study 14 x 11, all oils. Friday and Saturday where two sunny warm days, muggy, and  tend to drain your energy. Hollyhocks were in full bloom and featured in both my building paintings. I was attracted by the two point linear perspective of the Commandant's Quarters countered by the down hill direction of the white fence. The home owner said the tree was 75 years old. Without any awards and worse any sales (the latter was a below average year for everybody), it is easy to deflate one's ego.  To the rescue came the July 2014 issue of Plein Air Magazine (complimentary copies to participating artists) with the cover depicting a watercolor by Stewart White, of  St John's Church, Richmond, VA.  Mr. White won the $15,000 first prize of             Plein Air Magazine's Annual Salon Contest. In the article it was pointed out that he had entered the painting during the 2013 Plein Air Richmond event and it did not win any awards or even sell. However it was sold right away at another event that was associated with an Episcopal Church. He said that this painting won the Best Building award in Plein Air Salon January-February contest, while another painting of his won First Place in that event.
"I won this Grand Prize for a painting that didn't even win the top prize in the bi-monthly contest".
The above serves to illustrate what many artist's know-the subjectivity involved in judging and  also in the eye of a purchaser.
Many times  I have read the scenario where a painting rejected for  a juror-ed contest won first place in another. So on to another day and another contest. The next one is the first weekend in August in Morristown NY.

More on Painting the Hudson River School Art Trail, Katterskill Cove and North Lake

Kaaterskill Cove

I did this painting in the afternoon and a little bit on the tired side from climbing to Kaaterskill Falls, painting that, and then trekking down the mountain. Kaaterskill Cove is site 4 on the trail and is right at the parking lot also used to get to Kaaterskill Falls. This is one of those 80% on site, 20% in the studio paintings to fill in missed paint spots, adjust  rushed parts of the painting as thoughts of wine thirty entered my mind.
Below is North Lake of North/South Lake NYS Park and Campground.  This was my first painting  and I was rusty and had to get in the groove. Often happens when you have not painted out doors for a few days. As a result some touch up and adjustments were required. North Lake connects to South Lake and the out flow stream from South Lake feeds Katterskill Falls.
To see the group from New York Plein Air Painters and some of the paintings created go to

http://www.nypleinairpainters.com/evnts.html

North Lake

Painting The Hudson River School Trail with New York Plein Air painters (NYPAP)

Kaatterskill Falls, Catskills Mountains NY

Hudson River from the past site of the Catskill Mountain House

From June 2nd to June 5 a group of plein air artists from NYPAP and one of the local Chapters, Lower Hudson Valley Plein Air Painters (LHVPAP), gathered in the Palenville  NY area and made daily trips  to painting sites frequented in the 1800's by the Hudson River School of Artists. Two of my paintings of these sites are shown here- there are 18 identified sites on the Trail. Katterskill Falls is a 1/2 mile hike up a rugged trail not suitable for a cart so you carry all your gear. It is  New York States tallest falls  with the first section 175 feet and the second is 85. Niagara Falls is 190 feet but of course more impressive because of the water flow. My rendering is 11 x 14 inches, oil on linen.
The top of the escarpment  overlooking the Hudson River where the Catskill Mountain House formerly stood is accessible from the North Lake  beach parking lot at North/South Lake State Park. The rocky trail is an uphill climb but you can manage a cart. The view for miles is most likely hazy with dust and moisture, not being that far north from  New York City. I was standing about thirty feet back from the edge of the cliff at the top of the escarpment. The sun would  reflect off the white structures that  were farm buildings or estates  of the economically better off. The painting is 10 x 20 inches, oil on canvas. The paintings by the Hudson River School of artists made the region popular  and increased tourism.
There are lots more great painting locations that I would like to visit in the future. The website  which shows the trail sites map, paintings by the Hudson River School of Artists, and a current photo of the sites is
http:www.hudsonriverschool.org/trails/1

Plein Air Painting The Indian River Lakes, Northern NY

I was asked to write an article on plein air painting the Indian River Lakes  by the Indian River Lakes Conservancy (IRLC) for their next newsletter. The text and pics submitted are below. By way of background,  there are  eighteen naturally formed lakes by glacial erosion and melting. They all feed into the Indian River which in turn feeds into the St Lawrence River, 1000 Islands region. Two are private and the rest  have access provided by a Town or NY State Department of Conservation (DEC).  The lakes are great for fishing and DEC has classified  them in three groups, shallow productive, deeper and clearer and deep cold water. The lakes stretch out for forty miles in a NE direction , in parallel  direction to the St Lawrence River. Here is the article and pics:

Plein Air Painters Thousand Islands region (PAPTIR) was founded in 2009 to foster painting outdoors in the region, a practice that was spreading rapidly across the U.S. In July 2010, the Thousand Islands Land Trust (TILT) sponsored a canoe/kayak trip on Grass Lake. Some of us PAPTIR painters participated in the event which started the love affair with the Indian River Lakes (IRL) and the Indian River as great painting sites. However, there are three P's required for a painting site: Point of View, Parking, and Potty. The third P is hard to find on the the IRLs.  At many of our other painting sites the nearest gas station or restaurant meets the third P requirement. In July 2011 TILT and IRLC jointly sponsored a canoe/kayak trip on Millsite Lake. Some of us arrived early and painted from the DEC launch site (it has the third P). My painting of Millsite from the launch area is below.

Millsite  Lake 9 x 12 oil

In 2012 and 2013 Cindy and Phil Gentile hosted us at Grass Lake. Generally participants arrive at 9:00 to 9:30 a.m. with a packed lunch, assemble at 1:00 p.m.to eat and socialize and then return to painting and depart on their own schedule. However, Phil  likes to cook and entertain and they showed us a great time. Most times when we are hosted , PAPTIR participants bring a dish and beverage to share and the hosts party with us. Below are paintings by Lori McCall  and Jan Byington done in 2013 from the Gentile's dock. Lori's "Across The Lake" zooms in while Jan's "Grass Lake Shoreline" is a broader view, illustrating  two different artistic interpretations  of the same scene. Also pictured are Lori and Linda Palmer painting and Jan (left to right) setting up her easel
on Gentile's dock.

Across The Lake By Lori McCall

Grass Lake Shoreline  BY Jan Byington



Lori, Linda Palmer, and Jan

When at a lake site it is nice to have a kayak as it offers the opportunity to seek more " Points Of View" or get around to take photo references for studio paintings. Below is a pic of Jan's two person kayak which I often coax her into bringing.

Of the 60 artists on the PAPTIR email distribution list about 20 have painted at one time or another. Others tell me that some day they will make a paint out or don't reply to be removed from the distribution list. Typically a paint out is attended by five to 7 artists. Black Lake (the largest) is another Indian River Lake we have painted at while participating in the Morristown Public Library Plein Air Fest in 2013. We have also painted twice each at the Indian river at Theresa and Philadelphia N.Y.

We are looking forward to the development of Boyd Pond (and planned portable restroom) as it might also offer some painting views of Lake of the Woods. In doing some research for this article I reviewed a wire bound booklet "Exploring the Redwood Lakes", that I have had for some time. I found some enticing photos of Butterfield Lake, Crystal Lake (Campground) and Sixberry Lake with notations that the all important restroom is available at them, but not at the other five Indian River Lakes included in the booklet. I still have to drive there and check out the Point of View so that my participating artists don't get disappointed.

En Plein Air at the Tapped Oak Sugar Shack, Northern NY

My 9 x 12  plein air of the Sugar Shack

Jerry Merrill and Jan Byington

 It is April 13 as I write this and a hard to believe 75 degrees F. We painted on  Saturday March 30 on a cloudy 40 degree day and the next day another 9 inches of snow blanketed the area. This was  our first plein air outing since last November so it was like a spring training camp getting back in the grove.
 The Sugar Bush got it's name as the beginner owner tapped an oak tree. Just today the Sunday paper had an extensive front page article about making syrup from walnut tress as well as  birch trees and detailed much information on the advanced technology currently used to produce maple syrup.
Jerry's painting in the photo is completed as he started early, living just a few miles from the the site. Jan's is in progress. To see closeups of Jan's finished painting as well as Jerry's here is the link to Tapped Oak Sugar Shack Facebook page:

www.facebook.com/tappedoak

When we entered the shack  to get a mid morning warm up we were greeted with pancakes, syrup, ans sausage patties and an assortment  of beverages on tap. By the time we finished the paintings and went back to the shack there was  more food selections and quite a party in progress with the neighbors.  As the web site says: "Produced by Scott, Joe and Jay, 10 kids and 3 dogs."  The sounds of kids playing rang out in the woods all morning. The reddish brown Labrador in my painting is quite up in age and kept me company yet had his eyes on the activity in the shed. He later followed me, hobbled into the shed and gracefully deposited himself on the floor near the still  and in the middle of the party. If you check out the Facebook page you'll see why we hope this will be an annual outing for us. Sorry for  all our snowbirds who paint with us and are still in warmer climates.

Sign and Logo

Typha, cattail, catninetail, punks, corn dog grass, bulrush, reedmace, get your veggies free!

Spring Cattails II

 These are companion paintings to my last post on  the "First Light Edge Lit Cattails" painting. That was  an oil on 18 x 24 inch (30cm x 61cm). These are  11 x 15 inches (28 cm x 38 cm) oil on gessoed panel for  Cattails II and 12 x 9 inches (30.5 cm x 23 cm) oil on linen covered panel for Cattails II.

 

Spring Cattails I

Now, for everything you ever wanted to know about cattails. Typha ('taifa) is a genius of about eleven species in the family of Typhaceae which are largely a Northern Hemisphere distribution.       The many common names in American English are cattail,      catninetail, punks, or corn dog grass.  In British English, bulrush or reedmace. The rhizomes are edible and evidence of preserved starch grains on grinding stones indicates they were consumed in Europe 30,000 years ago. Before you  rush  to harvest some for your table, plants growing in polluted water can accumulate   lead and pesticide residues in their rhizomes. However,  the rhizomes  have a protein content similar to maize or rice and can be made into flour.  The outer portion of young plants can be peeled and the heart can be eaten raw or boiled like asparagus, In late spring when they are tender the leaf bases can be eaten raw or cooked. In early spring the  sheath from the developing green flower spike  can be boiled and eaten like corn on the cob. Mid-summer pollen from the male flower can be used as a flower supplement or thickener.

Other uses are chair seating with the dried rushes,  feeding the seeds to cattle and chickens, thatching roofs, construct rafts and other boats. The down (seen in the above paintings) was used by the  US Navy as a substitute  for kapok in life vests, The down can be used as insulation in buildings, stems and leaves can make paper (hand made-decorative), Fiber from the stems can be used to make raw textiles and leaf fibers can be used as an alternative to cotton and linen in clothing. They are considered as a source of starch to produce ethanol and are considered to be a bio-energy crop. The seed hairs can be used as tinder to start fires. They are frequently eaten  by wetland mammals such as muskrats and birds used the seed hairs  as nest lining.

Sex and the Cattail.
The plants have uni-sexual flowers (biological term is monoecious) with the male flower forming a narrow spike at the top of the stem which withers once the pollen in shed. The dense, sausage-shaped spike is a large number of female flowers below the  male spike. The minute seeds are attached to fine hairs and when ripe turn into a cottony fluff  eventually dispersed by the wind.

The above is a condensation and paraphrasing of  information found  in Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia if you are interested in more detail.