Paintings from the Cape Vincent NY area

Hi, I have been absent from publishing new posts for all of 2017. It is a life changing event when your spouse passes away unexpecedly and in the middle of the night at home. All of a sudden one person has to do what two once did. Then there is the added tasks of probate, monument  decisions, etc. So my time devoted to painting activities has diminished, but hopefully will increase this year. There are still a number of paintings I did last May in England, prior to the sad event, which I have not gotten around to mounting to masonite boards, photographing and framing. These will appear sometime this year on my other blog. To top it off Windows 10 (disastor) through sucessive updates destroyed my access to photoshop 3 so I had to upgrade to photoshop 6. The links between the thumnails and the actual photos are about 70 % gone and this requires hours of browsing to reconnect. Then there is the learnig process for the version 6. I was doing this post on Saturday and having difficulty finding the photos so in exasperation move, delayed it to today, Sunday.


Here are three paintngs I did last year in the Cape Vincent  area of the 1000 Islands.

Cape Winery
This was a plein air painting in early May before the apple blossums were out. During lunch acommpanied with wine  at some out door tables the owner mentioned how beautiful the tree was when the blossoms were on. Later he brought me a photo which I used to add the blossoms  to the painting in the studio

Cape Vincent Sidewalk Sales Days.
I was supposed to be on duty at the Breakwater Gallery across the street from this scene. Someone else offered to tend the Gallery while I painted en plein air in hopes of drawing attention to the crowds and directing them to the Gallery. Some street musicions where  playing  in the tabled area and I was enjoying the classical music drifting across  the street.

Tranquility.
Painted on  private property which has three ponds, a log cabin for gathering in our winter paintouts, and located prior to Cape Vincent. Our group, "Plein Air Painters Thousand Island Region", which i formed in 2009 paints on the property often.

Well, with a fresh mind today I was able to recall an easy way to search and locate the photos.!

Clayton NY Plein Air Paintings Number 5

July and August 2016 were hot and humid in the 1000 Islands region of NY.  On August  10 Plein Air Painters Thousand Islands Region (PAPTIR) was scheduled to paint in Clayton NY and it was quite warm and sunny. Fortunately Clayton gets a good breeze off the St Lawrence River. I set up my easel on a street crosswalk which is part of a circular parking area and which gets heavy foot traffic with people crossing the street, so I had a lot of public attention and comments. This is something the plein air artist get's used to.  My subject was Bella's restaurant. I set the two legs of my easel up on the raised flower garden so I would minimize interference with pedestrians. The flower bed also served as earth to push my sun umbrella into. There was a large vertical 5 inch diameter electrical conduit and box for lighting and power just behind the easel and umbrella. I used that to  bungee cord both the umbrella and easel to. This would keep the occasional gusts of wind from blowing both over. When I was near finishing the painting a town employee arrived to water the garden and we had and interesting chat which included the huge amount of water  he had to use because of the very  hot dry summer we were experiencing.
It turns out I was the only artist in our group who ventured out to paint that day. Here is my painting.

Bella's Restaurant (Oil  9 x 12  $240)

 In contrast to the weather in August we had some very nice days in November. Below is a painting from November 2nd done in French Creek Marina on a sunny 60 degree F day. The marina was busy with numerous boaters tucking up their boats for winter storage. I had a painting buddy that day and one other artist at another marina. We get together at 1 pm for lunch and then return to our setups to finish up our paintings. The boat on the left is Issandra from Montreal Ontario and the boat on the right is Anodyne from Black River NY.

Sailboat Sad Times (oil 9 x 12 $240)

 In the summer of 2015 I painted "Breaking Muskie", a 400 pound steel sculpture by local sculpture Will Salisbury. It was installed in 2014 and was commissioned and paid for by 16 local residents and fishing guides. The muskie represents the great fishery of the 1000 Islands. The chairs are to the right of a covered pavilion recently constructed in the resemblance of a train station which once occupied the space many years ago. There is a large fishing lure below the jaw of the Muskie's mouth as it breaks water trying to shake the lure and line loose.

Breaking Muskie (9 x 12 oil $ 240)

 Finally, outside the Clayton Village boundary but in the Town of Clayton on Route 12 E  is the Lightning B Stables which boards horses. We have painted there twice and are kept company by a cat,  the chickens, and a goat.There are usually 4 or 5 horses in various pastures, a pond , a large barn and other out buildings and farm equipment for subject matter.  I had lots of pigeon and barn swallow company when painting the hay loft  on the second floor of the barn.  Below the loft is a painting of some dusty saddles on the first floor which also houses a tack room of numerous currently in use saddles and harnesses. Perhaps the latter will be captured in a future painting.

Barn Swallows (8 x 10 oil $180)

Dusty Saddles (8 x 10 oil $180)

Painting Clayton NY 3 Way Back to 2008

Artist House, Dial Gardens (watercolor and pastel)

Well, the busy plein air painting season is over for the year for me, so I have time once again to blog.
When I blog about Clayton NY I include the Town boundaries which extend to Grindstone island and T.I. Park on Wellesley Island, and a distance to the west and south of the Village of Clayton. Way back in 2008 before I formed Plein Air Painters Thousand Islands Region (PAPTIR) in 2009, the Thousand Islands Arts Center in Clayton and Mary Dial conducted a day of opening the Dial Gardens to plein air painters. It was a chance to meet other painters interested in painting from life outdoors and visit the Dial Gardens, which are included in the Garden Club of America's Collection in the Smithsonian Institute.
A video documenting the celebration of Mary Dial's contributions to the 1000 Islands Region which depicts the gardens in detail can be found in  the Sept 13th, 2014 monthly issue of  www.thousandislandslife.com if the link below does not work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tO-qGPqUTeQ
There is a tab to go to back issues easily. A link is below. In the article "A special Thanks To Mary Dial" there is a video of the gardens and showing a few artists.  I appear about 1 minute into the video in a dark shirt, baseball cap, and khaki pants, painting "Garden Respite", shown below. The gardens are extremely beautiful and now under different private ownership.

Last Light (watercolor)

Garden Respite (watercolor and ink, sold)

 I painted all three of these from one spot by the rotating my easel. "Last Light" captures the  late light illuminating  a gold colored sculpture atop a pole.

Plein Air Painting Clayton NY Over The Years Number 2

Here are a couple of paintings I completed in the 2nd and 3rd Plein Air Contests I organized in Clayton NY in  2010. A local businessman sponsored the award money to attract the artists because he felt artists in the streets would be good  for attracting tourism and benefit the community. The events were organized as fund raisers for the T. I. Arts Center, Clayton NY. Two events were held in the same year in an attempt to help plan for future events by determining which time frame might attract the most bidders for painters. Turns out a lot more business participation and promotion would be required to attract silent auction bidders and the events were the last to be held.

James Street Facade (private collection)

Bella's Restaurant (private collection)

James Street Facade depicts two local well know businesses, River Rat Cheese on the left and Porch and Paddle (all things for the cottage). Bella's  started out as breakfast and lunch and has expanded to dinner in the last few years. They have a deck facing the St Lawrence River.

Prints of these can be purchased at robert-p-hedden.pixels.com, as well as for the paintings below.

Zenda Farm Haying Time (private collection)

Sissy Danford Gazebo-Grindstone Island (available)

Below is a fall view of the hay fields on Zenda Farm. The Farm is part of the Thousand Islands Land Trust (TILT) land preserves and is  historical for it's corrugated metal exterior construction used on all of the buildings. The grounds host an annual picnic for TILT members and the public as well as a cooperative summer vegetable garden. Haying is only done in the fall so that there will be nesting locations for birds which nest in grasslands rather than trees or bushes.

Sissy Danford Gazebo is at Picnic Point State Park, boat access only, on Grindstone Island. It is dedicated to Sissy for her outstanding work and leadership in the formative years of the Thousand Island Land Trust. It was the site of  one of New York States historic gazebos and was rebuilt with private funds. About 25 yards to the left of the gazebo is  a fireplace and picnic facility for "Shore Dinners", hosted for fishing groups  by the local fishing guides. Boaters register at Canoe Point State Park about 1/2 mile to the right of Picnic Point, prior to docking here for a lunch or dinner picnic. The Gazebo is also reachable by trail from Canoe Point State Park. In the painting, above the picnic table is the top portion of a sail boat mast. The small bay usually hosts a few sail boats. Far back in the bay where it is quite and secluded, one can usually spot a loon couple with their youngsters.

Plein Air Painting Clayton NY Over the Years 1, 1000 Islands Region

This will be the first of several blogs about plein air painting in Clayton NY, located in the heart of the 1000 Islands Region of the St Lawrence River. The boundaries of the town of Clayton extend to Grindstone Island which is directly across the River from the Village of Clayton. As a member of a painting group associated with the Hawn Memorial Library, my first Plein experience in Clayton was in July of 2009.  Our group was holding its first art show/sale located in the facilities of the Thousand Islands  Land Trust (TILT) building on the River Front. In order to draw attention to the event I set up my easel on the nearby corner of Riverside Drive which was diagonally across from a local landmark and historical building, the Johnson House (ca. 1880). It was built for a local shipbuilder and captain, Simon Johnson. A few years ago the current owner remodeled  and opened an indoor/outdoor restaurant. The outdoor portion is well landscapes and has umbrellaed  tables which makes for a great painting subject and I plan on doing it in the summer of 2016. The painting is shown below (11 x 14 oil),  along with a photo on me painting taken by a fellow artist.

Johnson House Clayton NY (private collection)

In August of the same year we conducted the first Plein Air Contest and silent auction for the benefit of our Hawn Memorial Library Painting Group. It attracted the interest of the Watertown NY Times and they published  a great article and photo. The paintings are below. The first is a view of a red sailboat anchored at the Antique Boat Museum and the second of a favorite local restaurant, the Lyric Bistro. Both  paintings won awards. Since then the other members of Plein Air Painters Thousand Islands Region (PAPTIR), which I formed in 2009, have progressed  in skill and experience and  best me in local and regional competitions. Both are  of 11 x14 size and oil. To see more of my work and/or purchase prints go to
robert-p-hedden.artistwebsites.com

Canadian Sailboat at the Antique Boat Museum (private collection)

Lyric Bistro Restaurant (private collection)

Painting Grenadier Island Lake Ontario USA

As mentioned in my other blog (robertpheddenartist.blogspot.com), after a summer of busy painting, a spring and fall trip to Italy for painting, and plein air events, there is finally time to write about some of  the experiences.
There are two Grenadier Islands in the 1000 Islands Region. One is in Canadian waters in the 1000 Islands Region of the  Lawrence River, east (down river) of Rockport ON and Alexandria Bay NY.
The other is near the mouth of the St Lawrence River near Cape Vincent  and in Lake Ontario south of Tibbetts Point Lighthouse. It is the latter that some participants of Plein Air Painters Thousand Islands Region (PAPTIR) were available to take advantage of  an invitation by some property owners to come out and paint. I formed PAPTIR in 2009 to promote plein air painting in region.
The first task was to motor the group by pontoon boat from the  mainland to the docks on the Island and our hosts also provided that 20 minute ride. At the docks a couple of ATVs (all terrain vehicles) were waiting to transport us to our hosts summer home and then to some paintings spots during the day.

A private island., sign at the docks

Transportation by ATV

A field of  Queen Ann Lace and other wild flowers

Our hosts and two artists checking out the best view  of this 1880's homestead.

My two painting for the day arebelow.

South West Bay, notice the red freighter passing at the left top.

An 1880's homestead 

Peeking in the old schoolhouse

Sunrises and sunsets on the St Lawrence River from Wellesley Island NY

It's been a while since my last post. I had difficulties with new income  tax software (did not import and transfer depreciation correctly from the software I used last year) and then I left for 12 days of painting on Italy's Amalfi Coast. Since this blog is primarily for the 1000 Islands Region in the St Lawrence River with some diversions to the Adirondacks and Catskill's, I intend to initiate another blog to talk about  the Amalfi Coast and and also my other paintings created  with other subject matter. That will be under RobertPHeddenArt-coming soon, right after our 4th Annual  US 1000 Islands Artist Studio Tour May 23rd and 24th, 2014.
My favorite sunrises occur in the winter as they come up directly across the  St Lawrence River from Wellesley Island and illuminate  Brown Bay and Swan Bay on the other side of the Narrows. Sometimes I can catch a reference photo(s) with a ship passing before closure of the Seaway late in December.  Of course the sunrises are great all year but in the spring and summer months I would have  to  take a boat out to the shipping channel, as the direction from my second floor deck is  partially obstructed by trees.

The photo on the left is a January Sunrise and dates back to 2005. The photo above is a from February 2005. I don't think that a painting that tries to realistically portray a  sunrise or sunset  ever really achieves that objective but can come close with a series of glazes, with drying time of days in between, may  do a reasonable job for the artist with a lot more patience than me.

Winters Last Light TI Bridge (sold)

November Sunset TI Bridge (sold)

The photo inspiration  for Winters Last Light TI Bridge  was actually taken from the mainland along Route 12











The photo inspiration for November Sunset TI Bridge was taken from the second floor deck of our home. I was in a Van Gogh mood and  used a painting knife, applying the paint in a thick impasto manner.

Sunrise Progression I  (sold)

Sunrise Progression II

The following three impressionistic sunrises depict the progression of a very dramatic  sunrise (because of the cloud formations) over several minutes. These are all the scene in front of the house. They are a winter sunrise with some  snow covered ice and some open water creating different surfaces for reflection.




 

Sunrise Progression III

                                                                         Straying from The St Lawrence River, below is  a plein air of a sunset progressions at Sackets harbor battlefield. For more sunsets and sunrises see my website where there is a Galley named Sunrises.                                                                                                                                                                        

Sackets Harbor Battlefield Sunset

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

Paintings of and from Wellesley Island NY, 1000 Islands Region, St Lawrence River

I live on Wellesley Island NY, facing the portion of the St. Lawrence River known as the Narrows and  which also serves as the St. Lawrence River Seaway. The Seaway is that portion of the River marked by navigation buoys for the freighter traffic carrying cargo from and to the Great Lakes Region from and to the rest of the world. The island is about fourteen miles long and four miles wide and is connected to the mainland by the US Span of the Thousand Islands Bridge on NY Interstate Route 81. Interstate 81 continues across the island through the US/Canadian Customs, across Hill Island ON, and on to mainland Canada. My last blog showed paintings I had done of the some  of the Victorian style cottages /homes in Thousand Island Park on the western end of the island. I have often said that one could spend a lifetime just painting scenes on  or views from the island. Here are a few I have done over the years.

Spring Walk  9 x 12 inches  oil  (sold)

Blazing Maple 11 x 15 inches watercolor

 Spring walk is a studio painting composition incorporating  two photos. I painted it in 2013 after an early morning walk along Boldt Canal on the eastern end of the Island. I took about 115 photos on that walk. Some earlier blogs show some cattails paintings also inspired by that walk.









This Maple tree is on county route 100 which traverses the 10 miles from the west to the east end of the island. The tree is about 100 yards before turning in the road to my house. I worked from some photos. I can't recall having seen this tree in  this bright shade of orange before or since  then in 2012.

Winter Storm TI Bridge (sold)

TI Bridge from Peel Dock Road 11 x 15 watercolor

I had to drag the garbage can on a tow-bogon 150 yards down the driveway to the paved road  one Sunday night, as the trash vendor would not come up our drive in the winter. It was snowing heavily with about a foot on the ground, no breeze, and  a comfortable 30 degrees F. I put on my cross country skis and put a camera in by pocket for a trip up peel Dock Road toward the bridge. The eerie orange colored  reflection of the bridge lights on the large falling snowflakes and on the ground made a good pic. I did the paintings (18 x 24 inches) years later (January 2011) while in a Van Gogh  impressionistic mood.



The bridge is a popular subject for local photographers and is included in many local artist paintings. I did this from a winter walk photo on a calm morning . The water temperature of the River was higher than the air temperature causing the misty vision of the bridge. The view is from Peel Dock Road.

Three of a Kind, below, is a  2007 painting when I was interested in Chinese Brush painting. It uses Chinese Ink and watercolor. These are Turkey Vultures. A group of about 25 to 30 migrate to the bay in front of our house-fortunately they roost about 150 yards away. They are know as natures garbage collectors. I paddle boat out in the bay with my camera often and this day the birds where enjoying a breeze, Just hanging on the branch while extending their wings. More Wellesley Island paintings next blog.

Three of a Kind 11 x 15 watercolor

   

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

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 


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