As soon as people learn that I grew up in New Paltz, the next comment is often, "So, I guess you're a climber." I explain that when I was young, rock climbers tended to be these Teutonic looking men in lederhosen carrying heavy coils of...
I've been working with small towns for over 25 years. From a certain perspective, that might seem like toiling in the minor leagues or playing the hinterlands with a traveling theater company. But, there is something wonderful about it. You get to know people from all...
Of course I’m referring to Minnewaska State Park. (This image is from earlier in the Spring.) The Lake can be thought of as a sculpture garden, with boulders carefully arrayed on its carriage roads along with scenic vistas that were created for the enjoyment of...
This painting was supposed to be a straightforward rendering of Mohonk's Memorial Gateway. But, in process, it somehow morphed into a pilgrimage site. (Click on it to enlarge.) That got me to thinking.It is easy--and satisfying--to consider life as high drama. But our actual lives...
Spring time haunts those of us raised with a particular arcane religious practice. Maybe Roger Kahn captured it best:"The first dream, full of innocence and light, is to play the game. . . . To play the game superbly. To play with such a brilliant,...
It would be hard to imagine a winter milder than the one we just had. So one would think the transition to spring would be an anticlimax.But no. It's been a spectacular spring. The forsythia were practically aglow this year. The blossoms on the flowering...
SAVE THE DATE: Our next open studio is Friday October 23, 4-7PM & Saturday October 24, Noon-5PM at 5 Paradies Lane, New Paltz It will feature local landscapes by Peter Fairweather. There will be a drawing for a free plein air sketch! To request more information or to...
Another in the News from Nowhere series, exploring what it means to be (and stay) human in a world dazzled by digital technology. My mother frequently noted what a wonder the postal service was. For a few pennies, you could write a note, drop it into...
We're often disappointed when fog enshrouds our time in the woods. It can turn a feeling of splendid solitude into woebegone isolation. Sounds are muffled. Colors are muted and your field of vision is limited. But that's when the alchemy of the fog begins working. Without the...
Previously, I suggested that there is something sort of miraculous about a fresh, white blanket of snow. That got me to consider another miracle in our midst: birds. My friend Bob has become an amazing photographer of birds. His images remind one that, even in urban...