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“Canadarago Lake Boat Parade
2003” (painting) Each July 4 th, boat owners on Canadarago Lake decorate their vessels for a sweep around the lake to celebrate the country’s birthday. Everyone not on a boat becomes a “shore person,” waving the boats on. Dressing up a boat and people for the parade is a tradition in my family – as has become my painting a portrait of our annual entry surrounded by friends and neighbors. And did I mention that the Canadarago Lake Association has given us awards for the best decorations and that we like to win? We didn’t win in 2003, so that year, we crowned ourselves “Most Enthusiastic,” which certainly felt true, especially when my niece’s boyfriend did a back flip off the boat for the judges. Our sign is held up by two long-term fans of the lake and parade. Both Robert Fagan and Howard Vandervene died before we could celebrate in this parade, so this painting is dedicated to them.
“Cooperstown Farmer’s Market” (painting) Every Saturday during the growing season, dozens of farmers, crafters and food merchants gather at the Farmer’s Market in Cooperstown . And we’re all happy that they do, because stopping by at the market is clearly among the summer rituals of living near Cooperstown . We drop in on the way home from a round of golf at Leatherstocking. Inside the oval are people selling and buying. In the corners are merchants at their farms, many of which are open to customers. In the lower left, you see Diane, as famous for her muffins as her goats and buffalo. Diane died around the time I finished this painting. We all miss greeting her as the first person you’d see when you walked through the double doors. In between the corners, you can see my family loading up, driving home, prepping the food, and enjoying eating while watching the lake.
(2004) Acrylic on masonite Size: 36” x 24”xxxx During the weekends around Thanksgiving and Christmas, the Cooperstown Farmer’s Market opens so that we can all get ready for the holidays. Gone are the tender corn and vine-ripened tomatoes, but the replacements are equally alluring: pine boughs, poinsettias, fruit cake, chutneys…and more. And there are plenty of gifts – some for the tummy, like jellies, honey and maple syrup. Some gifts never make it home – like scones. Hand knit sweaters, herbs and candles, cookies and wool are also available for purchase. Look hard—bet you can find something for everyone on your gift list. In this painting, the market is surrounded by depictions of some of the fun of getting our house ready for the holidays.
(2002) Acrylic on masonite Size: 30” x 24” The Glimmerglass Opera brings four productions yearly to the barn-like opera house on the shores of Otsego Lake . This painting celebrates the 2002 season and takes its colors and simplicity from the pallet and tone of the productions. Starting at the top left and moving clockwise, you’ll see depictions of “Little Women,” “Orlando Paladino,” “Dialogues of the Carmelites,” and “Pagliacci and Cavalleria Rusticana.” In between these images, I’ve illustrated some of the reality as well as some fantasy about arriving for performances. Surrounding the buildings, characters and audience mingle before a performance. If you listen closely, you can hear characters getting advice about their predicaments from the all-knowing audience.
(2003) Acrylic on masonite Size: 30” x 24” Each year, the Farmers Museum in Cooperstown, New York hosts a mid-1800s July 4 th celebration, which culminates in the reading of 13 toasts (reflecting the number of original colonies in the U.S.). A musket volley, the raising of a glass of lemonade and the crowd voicing a loud “Huzzah” follow each toast. The subjects of the toasts – Washington, Lafayette, Independence, the Constitution, the commons schools, the army, the navy, the Union, the heroes of the revolution, the judiciary, Liberty, the State of New York, and revolutionary France – are each celebrated in this painting and surround the day’s scene at the Farmers Museum.
(2004) Acrylic on masonite Size: 24” x 12” A Halloween parade is held each year in Cooperstown, New York. Children accompanied by their grownups – everyone costumed – follow the Cooperstown High School Band down Main Street, collecting candy along the way. Most costumes are homemade; one of my favorites this year was the little skunk who, by tugging on a string attached to her tail, would scare people away for fear of being “skunked.”
2004 Acrylic on masonite Size: 24” x 12” Cooperstown, New York’s Halloween Parade, spanning two blocks, is pretty long for a small-town parade. Last down the street is the historic engine of the Cooperstown Fire Department. One of this year’s favorite costumes was the little porcupine with her quills ready to defend her candy. Everyone in the painting was really at this year’s parade, except the three kids admiring the fire truck. Buzz and the two princesses (Matthew, Sophie and Caroline) wish they had been there but were busy trick-or-treating downstate.
“Thanksgiving
Parade ” (painting)
“Sugaring Off at the Farmers Museum ” (painting) There is no breakfast as good as the pancakes, sausage, eggs, and syrup that are part of the sugaring-off celebration held every Sunday in March at the Farmer’s Museum in Cooperstown, New York. Everyone is as ready for spring as they are for breakfast, so the mood is especially celebratory.After breakfast, it’s time to learn and play. You can watch the sap drip and syrup boil in a dozen old-fashioned ways. There’s plenty of tasting, too, and syrup roll-ups are a delicious favorite. Just dribble syrup in fresh snow and then roll a Popsicle stick in the sweetened snow, starting at one end of the stick. It’s like a syrup lollipop. It’s supposed to be for kids but I typically enjoy at least one.
“Bob’s Concert at the Farmers Museum ” (painting) Our friend Bob Brose is one of the coordinators of the Catskill Symphony chamber music benefit concert held last September at the church at the Farmer’s Museum in Cooperstown, New York. The music spills from the church through the hops field and beyond, even reaching the golf course across the road. Afterward, everyone enjoys refreshments and strolls through the surrounding gardens and buildings.
“Chief Uncas” (painting)
“Mohigan” (painting)
“They Died for Our Fuel” (painting) Winter means snow which leads to snowmobiling – a wonderful way to explore the hills of Otsego. This past winter, one trip took us from Richfield Spring to Cherry Valley, crossing Route 20 near the Petrified Creature Museum where we took a rest stop. The museum may be closed for the winter, but the creatures themselves are still there, their colorfully painted concrete bodies standing in contrast to the snow. I couldn’t help but feel the irony of our presence which was made possible by their ancestors.
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