1000 Islands Paintings, Three New York State Parks on Wellesley Island NY, St Lawrence River

   Wellesley Island is about 10 miles long and 4 miles wide at the US Interstate Route 81 to US/Canadian Customs. There are three State Parks on the Island. Wellesley Island State Park has the largest complex of campsites in the 1000 Islands Region (434 which include 10 cabins and 12 cottages) and  the Minna Anthony Common Nature Center. The latter has a loop trail of 3.8 miles (mostly along the waters edge and a number of cross trails in the 1 mile range. The middle trail is  1.13 miles to a beaver pond with picnic tables, an out house, and is rated easy. There are countless plein air painting subjects in the Park and in the Nature Center area. I teach a plein air painting class there from mid June to mid July ( four Mondays). Silver Day is one of the scenes the class painted.

Silver Day at the head of the Bay which  has the sand beach

Winter Sunset Eel Bay on road to the Nature Center

Beaver Pond Nature Center Trail 1.13 miles

Start of Eel Bay Trail at Nature Center

   The next closest Park is Waterson Point State Park which is boat access only, with two docks which can accommodate up to 30 boats. It is on the north side of the Island facing Canada. There are comfort stations (toilets only), and a 100 year old gazebo. On checking the internet listing for the park I noticed that the photo at the top of the page was a view I had painted from 3/4 of the way out on one of the docks. I painted the center section of that view but the photo is inspiration to paint  the panoramic scene shown. That will be on my list  for 2015.  The park is accessed by State employee attendants via a dirt road and one year I got permission for some of my group of plein air painters to get in that way, while some of us came by boat.

Waterson State Park View East

Waterson State Park  Cloudy Day Ivy Lea  in distance

   The third park is Dewolf State Park which has a cabin colony, camp sites, a stone gazebo, and an old gnarled tree at the end of a point that everyone likes to paint. The internet site has both a virtual panning tour and a short slide show. Here is  a link http://www.nystateparkstours.com/dewolfpoint/index.html       The park is located on Lake of the Isles (part of the St Lawrence River) fed by a small stream called  "The Rift" on the east side and joins the main section of the River through a narrows  at the west end. Hill Island Canada borders Lake of the Isles on the west end as well as through the Rift.

Gnarled Tree Dewolf State Park

Me Painting the Gnarled Tree by Jan Byington

Dewolf State Park some cabins and boats