Posts Tagged ‘Creative Adirondacks’

Thursday, November 9, 2023

Creative Adirondacks: Saranac Lake Artist Michael Burpoe Paints Japan

 

Michael Burpoe in Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan, September 2023

Overseas travel is nothing new for Michael Burpoe, but the three weeks he spent this past year in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, Japan were his first time in Asia. Mike went to experience the people, food and beauty of Japan, and also to paint. And paint he did, bringing back some eighteen paintings and sketches. Mike painted for hours, day and evening both, but always making time to enjoy his surroundings and to sample Japanese cuisine. Mike travels with two backpacks, one to carry his watercolors, brushes and paper, and the other for whatever else he needs. His travel style is very relaxed, as he relies on public transportation and stays at hostels in part to meet other young people.

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Thursday, September 7, 2023

Creative Adirondacks, JBL! presents 8th Annual Blues at Timbuctoo

Jerry Dugger, Martha Swan and Gary Smith at the John Brown Farm in 2020.

The eighth annual “Blues at Timbuctoo” concert takes place on Sunday, September 17, 2023, from noon to 5 p.m. at the John Brown Farm State Historic Site in Lake Placid. The event is sponsored by John Brown Lives!, and is free and open to the public, with preregistration recommended. This year’s lineup includes: Jerry Dugger and The Harlem Blues Project, Jake Blount, Dave Keyes, Grant Dermody and Frank Fotusky, and the father-daughter trio, Adirondack Blues Reunion.

[Tickets are available here:] https://www.eventbrite.com/e/blues-at-timbuctoo-tickets-707484664677

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Tuesday, June 20, 2023

CREATIVE ADIRONDACKS:  Beauty is Limitless through the Eyes of Takeyce Walter

painting of kids swimming at sunset

Image at top: Sunset Swim, 6 x 6 pastel over gouache, Takeyce Walter (reference photo courtesy of Nicole McKasty-Stagg)

Coming to Paul Smith’s VIC this July 2023 are “These Waters,” the magnificent paintings of Takeyce Walter.   The exhibition opens on July 1, 2023  in the Heron Marsh Gallery from 6-7:30 PM with an opportunity to meet Takeyce.

Living in Round Lake, New York, Takeyce is a professional artist as well as a Board Member of the Adirondack Chapter of The Nature Conservancy (TNC). She paints in oil, pastels  and gouache, working both in plein air and in her studio, using reference photographs she takes while exploring her surroundings. You can discern that Takeyce spends considerable time outdoors for her to capture the details,  colors, and lighting found in upstate New York.  She’s particularly adept with sunlight, as it shimmers off the various lakes, ponds, and rivers of the Adirondacks, and her paintings have a magical quality.

Water is integral in many of Takeyce’s paintings. Takeyce was born in the beautiful island nation of Jamaica.  But it was after she came to the United States as a teenager to her first home on Long Island, that she surprisingly had more opportunities to spend time at the beach and in the water than she had during her childhood.  Later, after she and her husband moved to Saratoga County,  the family began sightseeing further north.  Takeyce discovered Chapel Pond in Keene which sparked the connection she now feels with the Adirondacks. Takeyce shares, “What made those moments special was exploring with my family and experiencing the wonders of discovery with our young son. Seeing the beauty of the Adirondacks through his eyes was unforgettable.”

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Thursday, July 7, 2022

Creative Adirondacks: Photographer Mark Kurtz

mark kurtz

If you are searching for iconic images of the Adirondacks, particularly panoramic views of the Saranacs, you’ll do no better than those of fine art photographer Mark Kurtz.  Already successful with his magical, scenic views, Mark is deeply committed to his craft and to digging even deeper so as to create new and unique photographs. His studio gallery on Main Street,  Saranac Lake, New York, has the feel of a museum, with multiple rooms in the upstairs of an 1800’s building on Hogan’s Block of Main Street, filled with original film and digital photographs, cameras, proof sheets and memorabilia. 

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Tuesday, June 21, 2022

Trying to keep up with Emily Russell

Emily RussellAs a fan of NCPR journalist Emily Russell, I wanted to learn how she’s able to accomplish so much with her radio news reports. Although usually under 4 minutes, her stories effectively bring attention to people and issues in a creative and entertaining manner. Whether it’s about race or gender issues, abortion, or the issues facing the Adirondack Park, Emily’s stories are always slightly different than mainstream media.

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Friday, May 20, 2022

Creative Adirondacks: Photographer Skip Murray

skip murraySkip Murray is a fine arts photographer who values the art of taking a good photograph more than the type of camera equipment he is using. Whether it’s the delight in a child’s face, the dynamic energy of brilliant holiday fireworks, or the collective joy of a summer Saturday market, Skip’s focus is capturing the emotional essence of what he is photographing. His camera, currently a Nikon SLR,  almost seems like an afterthought, although he is sure to have it with him. Whether he’s planning on photographing an event, or not, you’ll see Skip with his camera around his neck on the off chance that  he sees  a shot he would not want to miss.  He’s also not adverse to taking a photo with an iPhone.

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Monday, April 18, 2022

Creative Adirondacks: Winosha Steele, a multimedia artist with Caribbean roots

winosha steeleWinosha Steele, a recent graduate from SUNY Plattsburgh, is already one of the area’s most recognizable and versatile creatives. Several of Winosha’s oil portraits are included in Reflections, a duo exhibition with Peter Russom at Saranac Lake’s BluSeed Studios. Some of the portraits are of family or friends, and some are of herself. Every face is different, and every expression is endearing.

What immediately caught my eye at the exhibition was, Evocation, a collage of self portraits, using pencil, paper and chalk pencils.

Pictured here: Winosha with Evocation at BluSeed Studios, Saranac Lake, New York March 5, 2022. Photo by Skip Murray.

“The literal meaning of Evocation is the act of recalling a feeling, memory or image to the conscious mind. This is precisely what I want this piece to do. To resonate with my constant development as an artist, throughout the years, throughout my existence.”

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Thursday, December 9, 2021

Creative Adirondacks: Graphic artist Karen Davidson Seward

Karen Davidson Seward

While she prefers staying out of the limelight, graphic designer Karen “Ren” Davidson Seward is well known in the North Country arts community for her collaborative spirit, talent  and generosity.  She has been involved in some of the most popular exhibits in the area, among them, the Wild Center exhibits at Whiteface Mountain, a revision of the exhibit Dreaming of Timbuctoo  and the Memorial Field for Black Lives at John Brown Historic Farm.

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Sunday, September 19, 2021

Creative Adirondacks: Painter Susan Whiteman

touch the earth, a painting by susan whiteman

I was supposed to be interviewing Susan about her art, but many conversations later, there was more to talk about. Susan has such wide ranging interests and is such an avid reader, it is hard to compare her energy with the peace and tranquility found in her paintings. Susan’s schedule is always packed. Besides being a member of the cooperative gallery, North Wind Fine Arts, at 85 Main Street, Saranac Lake where she serves as President and helped with their recent move, she is also a member of the Saranac Lake ArtWorks Board.  She is originally from New Jersey, but she and her husband relocated to the Adirondacks in 2017. 

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Friday, August 27, 2021

Creative Adirondacks: Writer Yvona Fast

yvona fast

I’m probably not the only person who clips and saves Yvona Fast’s superb articles about food and recipes from the Adirondack Daily Enterprise.   I still have her recipe Leek fritters are a traditional Sephardic Hanukkah Dish [1] that I hope to try this winter.

But there is much more  to know about Yvona’s writing and accomplishments, and interviewing Yvona in Lake Clear, I have been captivated by her life experiences, living on three continents and speaking multiple languages.

My favorite story of Yvona is how she came to write her first published article, Happenings in Siberia, but that comes later……

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Wednesday, August 4, 2021

Creative Adirondacks: Gary Smith of the Lake Placid Film Festival

Gary SmithThis fall, Lake Placid Film Festival will return to a live event, and shepherding it to fruition is Gary Smith, the current Chair of the Board of Adirondack Film Society.  Schooled by his more than 40 years in the hospitality industry, Gary sees the festival as an opportunity to display the attractions of the Lake Placid area, as well as to bring filmmakers and their audiences together for the lively and thoughtful sharing of ideas.

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Saturday, July 10, 2021

Creative Adirondacks: Painter Tim Fortune

tim fortuneTall snow laden trees, a larger than life frog, an explosion of purple lilacs, these are among the brilliant watercolor and oil paintings that surprised me as I entered the doorway of the Small Fortune Studio for my interview of Tim Fortune.  Located at  76 Main Street, Saranac Lake, New York, the Small Fortune Studio is a good place to stop during Saranac Lake’s  first Art Walk of the season on July 15, 2021.

Owner artist Tim Fortune is a native of Saranac Lake. His paintings of nature, however, have also been inspired by his time living in Florida, Rome and Venice.  Tim’s vision and technique has allowed him to create a distinctive translucent quality found in his paintings of  trees, plantlife, land and sky of the natural world.  Particularly noteworthy is how natural light seems to set his paintings on fire.

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