Last week, the notice came for the annual local history art show co-sponsored by the Elting Library and the Historic Preservation Commission. If I am going to submit a painting about history or life in New Paltz, I can only have one subject: Schulte houses. ...
Spring comes next week, but it seems like winter barely made its presence felt this year. We saw some snow in December, then nothing until March. Is this just a mild year or the start of a new normal?While I didn’t miss the shoveling and...
To follow up on last time, not every place needs to be beautiful to be important. Some places matter simply because they help people find one another. This picture was inspired by Ray & Helene’s parties in North Cambridge from a long time ago. Even though...
I never noticed the building pictured here until I was drawn to those shadows on its façade at dusk. It was a lesson in how a sense of place is created.The building is not a surprise. It fits in, contributing in its own modest way...
As you might remember, last time the topic was how conversing with a place can help ground us. It turns out that these conversations, even with old, familiar places, can also surprise us and re-orient us.New Paltz’s Millbrook Preserve is a case in point. I...
Last time, I mentioned how time might not be as fixed and predictable as we think. If that’s true, are there any fixed points to help us navigate our way through life’s continual changes? I’m beginning to think that one set of fixed points are...
The New Year makes me think of the way time passes. . . or doesn't.I’ve essentially spent my whole life in New Paltz. Living in one place like that, you don’t pass through time. It accumulates around you, leaving you floating in it, unstuck in...
I have been amazed at the response to the open studio and the follow up. Thanks to all who have visited or who have made plans to do so! We are lucky to live in such a great place. So, as the holiday season draws...
I love painting scenes from Minnewaska State Park. It is about 10 miles from my house. This painting is titled “Above Lake Minnewaska” as tribute to the Group of Seven’s legacy as described in my last post. Many visitors don’t realize that this...
Ever wonder if a single painting could change your life? Well, this is what happened to me: I happened to fall into drawing and painting at an early age, and never knew why or what for. That is, until a visit to the Art Gallery...