Early in August we went to visit friends who’d rented a house on Star Lake in New York State, not far from Lake Placid. Our hosts were a composer and a violinist who had also invited a pianist and an art historian. Ed was in heaven playing and I was in heaven painting. I took casein– a big mistake since it dried way too fast outside. I stood out on the dock and painted one of the lake houses; it wound up too finicky and I didn’t like it. But forunately I also took oils and found a beautiful pond with some dead trees for punctuation. This time I used a larger support than I ordinarily use for plein air and the size forced me to slap down paint fast and furiously. I got most of it done while I was there and only added a few touches after I got it home. It’s looser than my usual style and I’m pretty pleased with it. All in all, we had a fabulous time, produced great collaborative meals and just fell into wonderful conversations in between music, kayaking and hiking. The art historian to our delight turned out to be a colleague of our son-in-law who teaches at Hamilton College. Altogether a terrific group of people and a memorable few days.
Tranquil Turns oil on birch panel 18×24″ $600 framed
