Almanack Contributor Linda J. Peckel
Originally from Croton-on-Hudson, Linda Peckel developed a lifelong interest in the Hudson River School of painting, and has since expanded her appreciation to many types of art that hail from the Hudson River Valley and the Adirondacks. She managed Lakeshore Gallery in Bolton Landing in 2009, and reports on the arts from Albany to Canada on her own website, Arts Enclave.
Linda has crewed on film sets, worked on film and music festivals, and interviewed painters, photographers and artists of all kinds.
Also a health writer, Linda has written for magazines such as Boston Home & Garden, Family Circle and Fairfield County Woman. She co-wrote the e-book, Just What the Doctor Ordered—An Insider’s Guide to Medical Writing with Nancy Monson, and contributed to Monson’s book, Craft to Heal—Soothing Your Soul with Sewing, Painting and Other Pasttimes.
Monday, August 13, 2012
If you happen into the Adirondack Park, you might find yourself in Old Forge, but probably not. Of a variety of places off the beaten track, Old Forge is probably one of the farthest off. But come here you will, if you have any real interest in art, because this is home to the annual Adirondacks National Exhibition of American Watercolors, one of the 10 top such exhibitions in the country.
The 2012 exhibition starts officially today, with an opening last night that packed the exhibit halls of the state-of-the-art, leeds-certified venue, View, which opened just over a year ago in Old Forge, NY.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
The Pendragon Theatre Company tackles yet another American classic with their performance of “To Kill A Mockingbird,” at View in Old Forge on Thursday, March 1st at 7:00 PM—one of several touring performances by the company, following the close of their 2011 season at their home theatre in Saranac Lake. The Pendragon Theatre secured a $15,000 grant from the National Endowment of the Arts with additional funds from the Lake Placid Center for the Arts to mount an Adirondack tour of this stage adaptation by Christopher Sergal of the 1960 novel by Harper Lee. The » Continue Reading.
Monday, February 6, 2012
During the ongoing battle for the Republican nomination, a candidate’s religion has sometimes surfaced as an issue. The intent was to scare voters and create a negative feeling about the candidate whenever the religion is mentioned. In this case, the candidate is Mitt Romney and the religion is Mormonism. It’s interesting that fear and loathing of Mormons coming to power is not a new thing. In the 19th century, when they dominated life in the Utah Territory for several decades prior to statehood, a fierce battle was waged between two religious factions.
Many factors came into play before things were resolved. In one of the » Continue Reading.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Capturing the Adirondacks in winter is something that only the hardiest of hikers and Adirondack photographers do. Painters will sometimes take on the weather, but the stillness of winter is really for photographers.
The days are short, the air is cold, and the light falls in slants through the bare trees. This is the time and place that belongs to Carl Heilman, II, a photographer who has been roaming the mountains for more than three decades, producing spectacular panoramas from the frozen lakeshores to the frosted tips of the peaks. So who better to learn from? Heilman has been leading » Continue Reading.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
The coming weeks will provide lots of opportunities to shop for interesting handmade items, but one opportunity you won’t want to miss is the 2nd Holiday Gift Fair at the Adirondack Folk School in Lake Luzerne this Saturday, December 3rd, from 9AM to 3PM.
The quality of the folk arts products is the best you will find anywhere, produced by the students and faculty in the Adirondack tradition. The types of articles you can find for sale include handcrafted furniture and woodworking, basketry, caning, ceramics, photography, leathercrafting, fiber arts, paintings, and so much more. A special preview members-only event » Continue Reading.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Nature photography is a naturally booming business in the Adirondacks, where a number of talented photographers have worked to elevate their craft to new levels. Four of the best Adirondack photographers—Nathan Farb, Mark Bowie, Nancie Battaglia, and Carl Heilman—have combined their work for a unique show, Adirondack View Finders, opening December 2nd at View in Old Forge, NY.
The View building itself is a wonderful new LEEDS-approved green venue that hosts events and workshops in a variety of arts and crafts, and offers a special home to the well developed craft » Continue Reading.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
So often you hear about how the arts support a community, but what does that actually mean? In Saranac Lake, NY, the burgeoning Adirondack arts community, it means a check for $2000 from Saranac Lake ArtWorks—a collective of independent art galleries and the Adirondack Artists Guild (of 14 artists), the Pendragon Theatre, and local arts businesses working together to promote local artists—to Historic Saranac Lake.
For the third year, Saranac Lake Art Works has raised money through their annual Adirondack Plein Air Festival to give back to the community. The Adirondack Plein Air Festival, held in mid-August, » Continue Reading.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
There’s nothing quite like music in the mountains. This weekend the ever-ecclectic BluSeed Studios in Saranac Lake offers up two bands with very different pedigrees that each swing to their own beat. First, on Saturday, October 22nd, local septet Crackin’ Foxy serves up three-part harmonies over a ukulele background for a vaudeville show dating back to the 20s and 40s. And on Sunday things take a jazzy turn with gifted pianist Larry Ham leading the Larry Ham trio.
Ham has been performing since the late 1980s, having started his musical journey with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra and the Illinois Jacquet Big Band. Throughout his 3 » Continue Reading.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
The Adirondacks are unique in many ways, not the least of which is the kinds of museums that emerge there. In 1957, the Adirondack Museum first opened at Blue Mountain Lake, graced with a spectacular vantage point on the lake below, and a mission to provide the narrative history of the Adirondacks through its art and artifacts.
In July of 2006, the Wild Center opened in Tupper Lake, with innovative design and exhibits that integrate the science and beauty of nature in one place. The Wild Center, billed as the “natural history museum of the Adirondacks” has been extremely successful since opening, and » Continue Reading.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Adirondack summers end with a bang—or in this case, a biddle-de-bop. You have one more weekend to enjoy the biggest event of the Lake George Arts Project’s free summer concert series: Jazz at the Lake — two full days and a night of hot sounds by the lakeshore.
Head to Shepard’s Park (Canada Street) on Saturday, Sept 17th for a set of hot Cuban jazz infused with African rhythms with the Osmany Paredes Quartet, starting at 1PM. Stick around for some jazz saxophone with John Ellis, backed by the New Orleans sounds of Double Wide. » Continue Reading.
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