What now?

No need to say that it’s been a weird year. Between the protests this summer, the crazy election, and Covid, I’ve had a hard time focusing. My partner and I had planned to travel this fall but since that was off the table, I decided to re-learn French. I have to say, it’s been satisfying to stretch my brain that way! Other than studying French verbs, I enjoyed cycling all summer. We had unusually good weather — not too hot, not too rainy — and I was able to get out for an hour most days. What I didn’t do a lot was to paint.

I started out the year working on flowers I brought into studio. This yielded a few gems and a lot of false starts. Though it seemed nice at first to work without the pressure of shows and markets, I found it demotivating not to have deadlines.

That said, given the realities of Covid and our long dark winter days, I’ve started cranking up the heater in my studio and re-working those flowery false starts while I figure out where to go next.

Despite Covid, there are a few places to find my paintings in the region and, as always, you can find paintings, prints and cards on my Etsy shop. I’m still donating 10% to farmland conservation, but the balance (over costs) is being put into an account for Covid donations.

These two paintings are on display at the Laffer Gallery’s juried group show: Upstate Artists through January 17. You can visit in person in Schuylerville, NY or see the exhibit online.

This fall I enjoyed participating with L’esperance Tile Works in Beekman Street, Saratoga weekend markets. Now I’m happy to join this group of super-talented artists and artisans in their online Holiday Marketplace. (Click the slide show to see all the work.)

And finally, I have some sweet little paintings at Merriman & Pfister gift shop and gallery in Delmar, NY. There are cards at Vischer Ferry General Store and The Book House in Stuyvesant Plaza.

Thank You!

When the New York COVID-19 lockdown started I decided to pivot from supporting farmland conservation to using art sales to directly support people struggling with the challenges of income loss and food insecurity. Between March and July I raised over $1,000 through the sale of this and other paintings, which was donated to the following organizations:

American Farmland Trust Farm Relief

Capital Region Food Pantries

Capital Roots

FeedAlbany

South End Children’s Cafe

Soul Fire Farm

I was thrilled to see the impact of my donation when I heard recently that a farmer friend received an AFT Farm Relief grant! Thanks to all who bought paintings, prints, and cards in this time. If you chose instead to donate that money to those in need, bless you!

Flowers for Food

I’ve been painting a lot of flowers lately. I’ve always loved flowers and they’re one of the few living things I can bring to the studio in the dead of winter. I generally start painting from life but then they change and fade and I finish from reference photos.

I’ll be selling all my flowers (along with other paintings) through the end of June to raise money for the Food Pantries of the Capital Region. 100% of proceeds (less tax, shipping, and commissions) will be donated. Food pantries are the first line of defense for people who have lost their jobs during times of stress and this is a time of stress if ever there was one! You can purchase paintings through Etsy or directly if you’re comfortable using paypal. Just contact me through squarespace and I’ll get right back to you.

COVID Pivot

Though social distancing is not hard for an introvert like me, I find it challenging to manage the stress of Covid-19, whether it’s the malicious incompetence of our leaders or the sheer terror of the unseen. Unlike previous catastrophes, however, I don’t have to worry about my career (retired) or my income (savings). I’m also blessed to be sheltering in place with my partner, grandson, and cat in a house that seemed too big when everyone was at school and now feels just right.

One of the most amazing things about retirement is that I can now paint whatever I want without worrying about whether I’m good enough or whether I’ll have a career. People seem to like my paintings and buy them from time to time. So I’ve decided to forgo income from my paintings and donate 100% of sales (less shipping, tax, commissions, etc.) to people who need it more than I do. Until May 1 I’ll be donating money to the Farmer Relief Fund, sponsored by the American Farmland Trust. In May and June I’ll donate to food pantries in my area. After that, we’ll see. Feel free to e-mail farmsharestudio@gmail.com with suggestions.

Book Review: The Healing Kitchen

Published by Roost Books, Boulder, 2016.

I enjoyed reviewing The Healing Kitchen by Holly Bellebuono. Her book is a wonderful addition to more traditional cookbooks as well as a great introduction to the world of healing herbs. Since foraging for wild herbs was not possible in snowy upstate New York in February, I ransacked the bulk herb department at the Honest Weight Food Coop in Albany for a collection of (to me) exotic ingredients to use in testing the recipes.

This was how, on a cold, snowy afternoon I was able to fill my kitchen with the grassy scent of summer as I created several different teas, tonics, and infusions along with one very green and creamy fish soup. Though many of the recipes are still out of reach, given the season, I’m looking forward to Bellebuono’s coaching as a I explore the many therapeutic wild things in my back yard.

You can read the complete review here: knowwhereyourfoodcomesfrom.com.

What's in a Painting?

Late last fall we came very close to losing this view. In December 2019, the Guilderland planning board approved a 65-acre industrial solar farm in the field next to Altamont Orchards on an up-facing slope that was impossible to screen and is one of the last unobstructed agricultural views of the Helderberg escarpment. A small, determined group of people came together that included a politician, a lawyer, a neighboring landowner and farmer, and other retired professionals including me. Though the neighboring landowner had offered a land swap, it was not considered because the existing solar law basically allowed any solar construction as long as it was on agricultural land.

Early on I was able to rally local support using photography and sharing the many images I’ve painted of this particular scene. We created postcards, yard signs, letters to the editors, and petitions. Within three days we had over 1,000 signatures on our change.org petition. Our local county legislator, Jeff Perlee, published two compelling articles in the the Altamont Enterprise, and our lawyers went to work to develop legal challenges to the special use permit, if required.

Given the uproar, our town supervisor rapidly evolved his position on solar. Rather than grant all applications and hope that no one notices or complains, the town has crafted an incredibly good solar law that includes viewshed protections and generally better regulations around mitigation and decommissioning. Best yet, the two landowners have come to an agreement for a land swap. The 10MW solar array will now be built on a down-facing slope that will not be viewed from the road or from the escarpment.

We have maintained all along that we are 100% for renewable energy, including solar. However, we believe that having sensible zoning laws around siting will speed adoption of future solar installations and allow us to enjoy the beautiful rural landscape that we treasure. There are still a few hurdles left to clear but we’re very optimistic that our efforts will succeed. It’s a wonderful example of what can happen when citizens come together and are clear about their issues and shared goals. I’m looking forward to painting many more images of this view.

Year-end Accounting

Each year I tote up my Farm Share sales to determine my donations to organizations that support farmland conservation. This year I’ll be dividing $800 in cash donations to the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy, the American Farmland Trust, the Agricultural Stewardship Association, and the Capital Roots food hub. When you add in donated paintings and commissions, I’m thrilled to report that my artwork has generated $1,600 for social causes.

Recently I was able to use my work to help put the brakes on a solar installation that would have destroyed this beautiful landscape in western Guilderland. With luck the landowner will accept a land swap and site the worthy project in a more discreet location. Given the drama that continues to unfold in national politics, these small victories seem, sometimes, small. However, once the landscape is turned into sprawl, it is destroyed forever. It’s up to each of us to do what we can to preserve our physical — and civic — environment. Some things can’t be undone.

Winter Shows

I’m so thrilled to be included in the Small Works Holiday show at Pause Gallery in Troy, New York. I’ll have five small paintings there and some prints. Pause is a newish gallery and features a beautifully curated collection of fine crafts and jewelry. It’s hard for local retail and harder still for galleries, so I encourage you to stop by. Besides its regular hours, the gallery will have a special event on the evening of November 29 (Troy Night Out) and during the Victorian Stroll on December 8.

I’m also participating in the Saratoga Arts Members Show, which runs through January 4. It’s an eclectic show with professional, student, and amateur artists. I’ll be showing a painting I’ve been wanting to paint for awhile in memory of my dear sister-in-law, Linda Ellett. This is a painting of sunflower “volunteers” from seeds dropped at the bird feeders. Stop by at the Opening reception and holiday potluck on Saturday, December 7 from 6-8 pm.

Sunflower volunteers. Oil on canvas 11 x 14.

Coming Home

I’ve been struggling with a more conceptual project for awhile and, as a result, not doing a lot of finished work. I decided to take a break do some paintings for the pure joy of painting. This is a landscape, near Altamont Orchards, that I drive through many times a week on my way home to Altamont. The light was so beautiful, I have to admit that I took a picture while driving. Luckily it’s a quiet road!

Not Local

Last summer I was drawn to the Georgia O’Keefe show — Visions of Hawaii — at the NY Botanical Garden. It was interesting to see the work of a serious artist, painting as a guest of the Hawaii Pineapple Company. Though well received at the time, the work felt somewhat constrained and it seemed to me that it took her time to warm up to the subjects and the place. From the show, I moved on to the Conservatory, which completely captivated me, and I decided to do a series of paintings featuring exotic plants.

Of course life and art intervened. I had imagined setting up my easel in the conservatory but learned that they don’t allow that, so shuttled back and forth to take reference photos. I was also lucky to travel to Berkeley, California over the Christmas holiday and photographed many plants that are exotic to us growing quite happily all around.

By the time I began work on paintings for the Spencertown Garden Show, I had a treasure trove of reference photos and spent most of the winter huddled by the space heater in my frigid studio painting tropical plants. It also took me awhile to warm to the subject. I quickly learned that the most interesting thing about many tropical plants is the hidden worlds revealed through their leaves. But a garden show must have flowers, so I focused on those, keeping my images small. Maybe this winter I’ll come back to this warm place and paint the dramatic paintings that are waiting to burst into a larger format when I’m ready.

For more information, click here.

Book Review: The Fresh Honey Cookbook

I write occasional book reviews for the wonderful website: knowwhereyourfoodcomesfrom.com. The site is a treasure-trove of CSA sources, restaurant reviews from around the country, news, and links to all kinds of resources for eating local.

I encourage you to hop over and check out the review “in situ.” I think you’ll enjoy the journey.

https://knowwhereyourfoodcomesfrom.com/2019/04/11/84-recipes-from-beekeeper-laurey-mastertons-kitchen/

Transforming Loss into Art

I spent this past weekend at the Rotary Home Show in Saratoga. Traffic was fairly slow and on the second day I was working on a plan to weed out excess work so there would be less to transport at the end. My reveries were interrupted when a bright-eyed woman stopped and complimented me on my colorful work. She actually looked carefully at every single painting and then walked away. The third time she came back, she asked to purchase these two paintings. As I wrapped them up, I joked that as an artist I couldn’t afford to buy art. She replied that she couldn’t either, but her mother had passed away and she had decided to use her legacy on art. “She loved art and I know that she would approve.”

What's in a Painting?

If we were to begin at the beginning, I would tell you that my mother loved poppies. They seemed so exotic and looked like they’d be hard to grow, when in fact, they thrived in her sandy soil. She learned to propagate them from tiny shoots that formed once the flowers faded and the plants died back in the summer. Sun-loving poppies, with their deep tap roots, were out of the question when I moved into my very old, Civil War-era house with its heavy clay soil and dark shade from overgrown maples and fir trees. 

 But one summer, in a neglected lot, next to an abandoned house up the road, I spied these poppies growing in profusion in thigh-high grass. The house was built by the same person who built mine. His story is lost to time as will be the house, which has been abandoned by our Village and the larger town. Some years ago, they purchased it from the tax rolls with the hope of preserving history, but then dithered so long that decay now seems irreversible. 

 My dear friend and neighbor loved those poppies too. We had long conversations one summer about where they came from and if they could be transplanted into her sunnier gardens. Sadly, she passed away before she could sneak over and harvest the tiny new shoots. Now she, too, is lost to time and yet these poppies come back, every year, defying the odds and triumphing over the chaos of loss and decline. 

Where to Find Farm Share Studio?

Happy to report that Merriman & Pfister, a fabulous gift shop in Delmar Corners is now selling a complete line of Farm Share Studio cards and prints, including a number of nicely priced framed prints.

Other places to find cards:

Bella Fleur in Altamont

The Book House in Stuyvesant Plaza

Indian Ladder Farms near Altamont

Albany Institute History and Art

ETSY.com

10% of all artist proceeds are donated to organizations that support farmland conservation and family farms.

More Shows!

The last few months have been a whirlwind, with the pace continuing into the holidays. This summer I volunteered to work with a wonderful group of progressives on Pat Strong’s NYS Senate campaign. Though Pat won our town, she lost to a well-entrenched incumbent. Thankfully the NYS Senate flipped, so it will no longer be the place where anti-corruption legislation goes to die.

It seems like the campaign ended just as the fall shows ramped up. Once I get through next week, I’m looking forward to settling down and getting some painting done! Here’s a rundown of where to find my work over the next couple of months..

The Saratoga Federal Credit Union has a small gallery space that’s managed by the wonderful organization, Saratoga Arts. About 12 paintings will be on display during business hours.

Dates: Now until January 4.

The Saratoga Arts Members Show is a wonderfully eclectic collection of work. My entry this year is this landscape of willows vibrating with color. My mother always pointed to these neon branches as a sure sign of coming spring.

Dates: November 10-January 4. Opening reception December 1.

A great place to shop for holiday gifts for creative people, Arlene’s Art Materials now has a rotating schedule of shows at their R Gallery. I’m thrilled to share a mix of old and new paintings/local food and landscapes through the month of December.

Dates: December 6-29. Show opening December 6 from 5:30-7:30.

Just came back from Merriman&Pfister, a wonderful gift shop in Delmar. They will be carrying a full line of Farm Share Studio cards and prints. Besides my work, there’s an incredible array of beautiful holiday merchandise by local artisans!

Just dropped off this painting, You Are Here at the Albany Center Gallery Member Show which runs from December 7 - January 19. The opening reception is Dec. 7 from 5-8 pm.

Upcoming Shows

The days are suddenly shorter and there’s a cold wind blowing in from the north, just in time for Fall shows. This year I spent the winter, spring, and summer in the studio. It seemed super productive at the time — but now the walls are empty. Ten paintings are on their way to the ASA Landscapes for Landsake Show and I’ll be sharing two small landscapes at the Spencertown Academy regional show. Here are the invitations. Another small landscape will be donated to the Silent auction at the MHLC Gala. Would love to see you there!

Connection between gluten insensitivity and Roundup?

Each month I get my happy chickens and eggs from Longfied Farm, a sheep farm near Altamont. Nestled in a small barn near the house is a huge stone oven, where owner, Gary Kleppel bakes the bread that they sell at the Delmar Farmers Market. Now a full-time farmer, Gary recently retired from teaching Ecology at the State University at Albany. HIs book, Emergent Agriculture, is a hopeful look at the link between small farms and sustainability.

Gary’s not the kind of guy to float conspiracy theories or embrace food fads, so I was stunned by his recent blog post, which links gluten insensitivity to Roundup. Who knew that Roundup (or glyphosate) is widely used to dry wheat before it is processed into flour? What this means is that every commercial wheat product you eat, from crackers and pizza dough to pasta, has been sprayed by glyphosphate. It doesn’t get washed off because the point is to dry the grain. Glyphosphate can interfere with digestion and has been linked to a whole raft of common and increasing human health issues. Is it possible that the reason for the surge in gluten intolerance is not modern versus ancient grains, but instead the invisible chemical stew that surrounds us?

Get the whole story here: Are you really gluten intolerant? Or have you just been eating too much Roundup lately?

Portraits are hard to do!

I was approached about a portrait commission during a recent show. I hesitated because I don't really "do" portraits. I had painted a genre-type painting that included a figure, which a lot of people seemed to like, but I wasn't very confident about capturing a likeness where it mattered. I reviewed a lot of snapshots and spent some time with a charismatic young girl whose ideal pet is an African hissing cockroach. Eventually we settled on a photo of the girl feeding Birdeelee, a rescue who had become imprinted and would hang out on the patio waiting to be fed.

I struggled with just about everything. Getting the head to be that of a young child. Dealing with the background, which needed to have some reality but also needed to "step back" to give focus to the figure. The light in the photo was indirect, so I didn't have any obvious drama. As a result, I looked at a lot of impressionist portraits along with John Singer Sergeant -- a did the best I could. Now on to landscapes!

Book Review: Wisdom of the Last Farmer

August 1, 2018

A celebrated organic farmer of peaches, grapes, and nectarines in California, David Mas Masumoto is also a gifted storyteller and chronicler of the considerable challenges and rewards of organic farming. Masumoto’s memoir, Wisdom of the Last Farmer, Harvesting Legacies From The Land (Free Press, A Division of Simon & Schuster, New York, NY 2009), is a tribute to his father, whose dogged persistence created the “perfect peach” celebrated by Alice Waters at Chez Panisse. It wasn’t an easy path.

To read more visit the book reviews at: knowwhereyourfoodcomesfrom.com 

Book Review: Heirloom Grains

If you're an avid baker, wanting to take your bread baking to the next level or perhaps a locavore looking for the next food frontier in taste . . . or if you’re simply interested in learning more about the grains we take for granted, then Sara Pitzer’s Homegrown Whole Grains, Grow, Harvest & Cook Wheat, Barley, Oats, Rice, Corn & More(Storey Publishing, North Adams, MA, 2009) deserves a place in your library.

To read more visit the book reviews at: knowwhereyourfoodcomesfrom.com