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.
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| 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
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| Canadian Sailboat at the Antique Boat Museum (private collection) |
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| Lyric Bistro Restaurant (private collection) |
