Hiding Out in North Country

The faces in David Kanietakeron Fadden’s paintings grab you immediately, they are full of joy and kinetic energy.  I was able to interview David at the Six Nations Iroquois Cultural Center  in Onchiota, New York, where many of his paintings are currently on exhibit. David, who is an Akwesasne Mohawk and whose name Kanietakeron means Patches of Snow,   helped me understand how attaining this skill to portray such emotion had been a process.  He remembers the moment that he was leaving the Metropolitan Museum of art, and nearly out the door when he saw in one of the last rooms, a portrait of Benjamin Franklin. Although David had already been painting for many years, he felt that portraying expression and human anatomy were eluding him.  When he saw the paint strokes, reflections of color on the skin, and softness of Franklin’s portrait at the Met, he described the moment as “jaw dropping,” and it inspired him to learn how to accomplish the same. For David, painting faces full of  life a

During the pandemic, and still now, I must have walked the loop around Moody Pond in Saranac Lake, New York, at least a  million times.  Like the beautiful trees that surround the lake,  Moody Pond never let me down during the anxiety of Covid fears and the many changes in moving to a new town and state.     It took some time for to learn about the aquatic invasive "milfoil," and the danger it poses to ponds and lakes in the Adirondacks and everywhere! I realized that I need to be as much of a caretaker as those who live on the lake, and was happy to become a member of the Friends of Moody Pond who came together to eradicate this invasive from the lovely pond.  For more info go to:   Friendsofmoodypond.org .   

This 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.   His enthusiasm for film, however, is no greater than many other cultural and artistic expressions. According to Nathalie Thill, Director of Adirondack Center for Writing (ACW), "Gary Smith   is a   whirling dervish of energy and passion.   Gary has been involved with more projects, spanning multiple art forms, than anyone else I know. In everything he gives his time, his heart   and his wonderful sense of humor. I’m so thankful the arts community has him on our side. “   Gary also serves on the Board of the ACW. As Gary has helped to build Adirondac

Tall 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, plant life, land and sky of the natural world.  Particularly noteworthy is how natural light seems to set his paintings on fire.  A watercolor “Milkweed,” at 53 x 87  is an example of how Tim maintains  detail in his very large paintings, filled with colors and contrasts. The most challenging portion of

It was my pleasure to interview artist Sandra Hildreth at her home studio/gallery in Saranac Lake, with walls adorned by luxurious framed oil paintings and watercolors of the Adirondack mountains, lakes, rivers and waterfalls.   All of her landscape or waterscapes are of specific places that she has visited, often by hiking, paddling, or skiing to the location.  While sitting at a beautiful wood table in the heart of her home, I couldn’t take my eyes off “Snow Squalls,” a winter scene that has been accepted to the 86th Annual National Juried Art Exhibition (Cooperstown, New York, July 9-August 13, 2021.)  Sandra also has paintings on exhibit at locations throughout the Adirondacks and New England this summer including the “Seldom Seen” exhibit at Adirondack Artist Guild through June 27, 2021.  She will also be participating in plein air painting events in Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake and Malone, New York.  Art has played a role in Sandra’s entire life. Her mother collected early America

Bird watching tour courtesy of the Ausable River Association. What a relaxing  educational experience. This time of year is ideal for hearing and sometimes seeing the birds who have returned to North Country.