Hudson Valley Trip, July 2005

A group of us who met on the WetCanvas plein air forum got together for a week-long painting trip in the lower Hudson Valley of New York. We stayed in Hyde Park, and used the Vanderbilt Mansion grounds as our main painting location. Later in the week we ventured out to Olana, the former home of Frederick Church, and Norrie Point.

The weather was very warm and humid all week, in fact one of the days was in the upper 90s. Very hazy, lots of atmosphere. I was surprised at how difficult it was to paint the unfamiliar scenery, and most of the paintings I attempted did not turn out well enough for public viewing. Looking back, with the benefit of a couple of other painting trips as hindsight, I think I was trying to paint too much. In a new area it seems best to keep the paintings simpler, at least for the first couple of days, until you get used to the colors, atmosphere, landforms, etc. Several other artists from different parts of the country also had trouble the first day or two.

Anyhow, here are a couple of the "better" paintings.

This one was done on Monday around midday, after a morning painting gone wrong. It's oil on canvas panel, 11x14. I was really attracted to the dramatic rocks protruding up from the ground, and the nice light falling across those rocks and the grass. It is unfinished but I've always meant to get back to it, or possibly use it as a study for a studio painting. Maybe someday...

This was one of those "should I or shouldn't I" paintings...sunset was fast approaching, I was tired. But this great tanker had just anchored in the river and the sun was hitting it just right. So I dashed off this 6x8 in about 25 minutes. It's not perfect, but it was a nice way to end the day. And I'm glad I did it, some of the other artists were planning on painting this tanker the next morning but just as they were starting, it pulled anchor and headed upriver.


Tuesday and Wednesday none of the paintings worked out. This one, of the Olana Mansion, was done Thursday afternoon. It's oil on canvas, 12x16. I liked the way the building sat in the landscape, and am reasonably happy with the painting (despite the clunky trees). One big problem, though, is that I painted the top of the building too close to the edge...and it gets partially cropped when framed. Live and learn!



Friday morning at Norrie Point, hard to believe the week went by so fast! I just liked this simple scene looking down river, with the distant marina as a focal point. It's oil on canvas, 11x14. This one is also quite unfinished, as I stopped early to watch one of the other artists at work. I keep meaning to come back to this one as I think it has some potential...again, one of these days!