Reading, Writing, and Railroad Street

Fairport, New York, a glorious Saturday afternoon on the Erie Canal

We arrived in Fairport, in time for an art opening, just off the Erie Canal on Railroad Street.

I have been thinking that the art gallery as a business concept is going to need some revival, and maybe we will see what can be accomplished here, in our own vicinity.

 

A profound impression had been made for us when we were at The Clark last week in western, Massachusetts. Just a wonderful new building and a great collection of artwork to see, and later when we were about to leave, I stepped into the museum bookstore. I looked through the new arrivals.

I was pleased to see that there was a new book called: "Finding A  Likeness" written by Nicholson Baker.  Now, I have read a few of his books, but I was surprised to see this one in an art museum bookstore, so I picked up a copy.  The subtitle of the book is revealing: "How I Got Somewhat Better At Art", and this new volume introduced me to a new theme in his writing - that of delving into the nuts and bolts of creating satisfying art from the basics of drawing people ( and also trees and clouds! ) using a variety of media and techniques.  

Nicholson Baker's new literature on fine art

Now, I should give my readers a bit of the back story, in that the Baker family has long been a supporter of the arts.  Nicholson's parents met in the Parson's School of Design, New York City ( where I was a guest lecturer - though I didn't know them then ). Nicholson's uncle,  David Baker was lawyer and patron of mine in New York City.  David Baker bought a number of my early artworks which gave me more confidence that I could emerge as an artist in THE BIG APPLE.  Then, when we moved upstate to Rochester, New York,  so I could teach at R.I.T., Nicholson Baker's dad was one of the first people I met in our new town. Nicholson's mom also was a friend and she had worked in New York City as a fabric designer for Ginny Eckelberry ( another family friend ).  Small World!

Back to Nicholson's book, "Finding A Likeness" - this was such fun to read and also catch up on the latest avenues one can take as a student of drawing and painting.  The story he tells reveals many details about materials that an artist can use, and there are multiple samples of how a drawing can evolve, also how one can catch the nuance of an individual face.  Having the motivation also to finish a drawing to your satisfaction is also a theme in this new book.  Even our Rochester Art Supply store gets a favorable mention in a section about pastels!

Railroad Street Artworks, is now open

I have been thinking a lot about teaching art myself and having identified myself as a Professor in the field of Fine Art I wonder how I would prepare my students for what they must face in our new economy.  Here in our town of Fairport we have a new art cooperative that might show some promise.  The gallery has just opened and they had a good crowd - with many new faces and a large selection of mostly small scale artworks for you to enjoy - and maybe even purchase!

Opening Day for Railroad Street Artworks

On a table there was a layout of  artworks that you could bid on - like a silent auction, and I wondered how long the bidding would last before a work found a buyer.  Many attractive pieces to choose from!

Make an offer for your favorite work and support the arts!

I am sure to put this gallery on my list of places to visit, and I wish them well on their endeavors!  Always  stimulating to see new works by a whole new crowd!

Photo print by Nikki Bittner

Many fine works in the opening show including this photo print by Nikki Bittner.  This looks like it was made on a day like today!  So clear and beautiful!  Now, I wonder how Nikki  got such sharp edges on everything in this print...she must have some new technique at hand!  Come and see for yourself!

 

The Clark

 

Looking off towards Acadia National Park, in Maine

Reluctant to leave this beautiful coast, we cast off from Maine, and make the big drive to western Massachusetts to go and see The Clark. We took in the sites including a boat yard at Castine and a walk along the point ( see above ) in Brooklin ( in Maine, not Brooklyn in NYC ).The fresh air was marvelous!

I had not seen The Clark in over ten years, so I was surprised when we drove in to Williamstown in western Massachusetts and parked our car to walk into the entrance.  The entire museum building has changed!

A new building greeted us and I must say that they had a brilliant idea to make-over this famous collection!  They now have a stunning reflective pool outdoors with space to sit and enjoy your lunch and inside there are spacious galleries in which to view their collections.  We didn't have time to see it all!

Winslow Homer , oil on canvas at The Clark

In the museum there is always a nice surprise right around the next corner.  The artwork is carefully selected to educate and inform the viewer....( I was surprised also that the gallery with Winslow Homer and George Inness - didn't have better lighting! ).  Some of Homer's most famous paintings are on view and I had a special interest in looking over the paintings of George Inness.  Here is a painting by George Inness at The Clark, followed by a painting by Inness that I own.

George Inness at The Clark

George Inness oil painting (in the Alan Singer collection)

The Clark has a wonderful permanent collection that goes back to Renaissance and like a textbook leads us through a short history lesson of mainly European art.  There was so much to see we didn't have time to see the exhibitions of glass borrowed from the museum in Corning, or the other temporary shows.

Sandro Botticelli at The Clark

"Virgin and Child with St. John the Baptist"

There are marvelous paintings of the past to see at The Clark, and the Botticelli above is one of the most eye-catching.This is a history lesson as well as a refresher course in painting and I found myself looking at every little detail.  This is necessary especially if one is attracted to the smaller scale compositions like the Goya painting called "Autumn" you see below:

"Autumn" by Goya

In the time we had spent at The Clark I felt refreshed and we went through the more recent compositions of the French artists which seems to be the heart of the permanent collection.  Drawn to the work of Degas and Renoir there is much to take in.  I was completely captivated by Renoir's portraits, especially the face of the young lady below ( you could almost read her mind...).

Portrait by Renoir

Renoir's Self Portrait

I am sure that we will have to come back to this museum, because we have only seen a fraction of what they have on exhibit.  I know this part of western Massachusetts has a lot to offer in the arts: music, dance and the visual arts...plus the beauty of the Berkshires!  We stepped out in the back to have a bite to eat and took in the view with their great reflecting pool and a comfortable chair for each of us.  Then it was time to get back behind the wheel and find our way home!

Taking a break and enjoying the view at The Clark, Williamstown, Massachusetts

Down East

 

Panorama view from the summit of Mount Battie, Camden, Maine

My wife Anna and I share a love for the coast; especially in Maine and we wanted to visit the state to see the sites and take in some museums along the way.

The ride through New York and Massachusetts had fog and downpours of rain - so we didn't stop for long.  But we lucked out coming into Maine, the clouds parted and we took a rest,  then found a lovely cabin near the Camden harbor.

Fitz Henry Lane, oil painting with a view of Camden Hills

For years I have had the poster above hanging in my house of a painting by Fitz Henry Lane of the Camden Harbor and the hills beyond.  The summit of Mount Battie which you see in this painting is the highest point in the area and gives you the best views up and down the coast.  So we took the auto route to the top and had a wonderful panorama, which I highly recommend!

A bit further along in our trip on Route 1, we  decided to stop at Rockland to go into The Farnsworth Museum.  They have some classic seascapes like the painting above, but they also have contemporary art like this painting by Alex Katz that you see below:

Alex Katz "Sunset ll", 2008, oil on linen

Now in his 90s, Alex Katz is still working and he has a studio a little further up the coast in Lincolnville.

His  art looked strong and was staged  near a sculpture by Robert Indiana that spoke of the Pop culture that I grew up with.

LOVE by Robert Indiana

At The Farnsworth, they also featured an artist that I was not familiar with and her work was very interesting. Take a look at the paintings of Lynne Drexler ( 1928-1999 ).  She was overlooked during her years making artwork, and I can't remember ever seeing her name associated with other abstract artists from the mid-20th century. Here are a couple of standouts that were donated to the Farnsworth:

Lynne Drexler, oil on linen, 1965

Lynne Drexler, oil on linen

I was glad to see these paintings by Lynne Drexler, and I wonder why it took so long for her artwork to gain some recognition.  Many artists have their home in Maine, but I did not know that Louise Nevelson started out in Rockland before moving to New York City and establishing her international reputation. The Farnsworth Museum had a wonderful selection of her artwork including sculptures and paintings, many of which were new to me.

Portrait of Louise Nevelson

Nevelson Sculpture on view at The Farnsworth

Many of the Louise Nevelson sculptures on view I had seen before in New York City, including a very tall piece that is related to a large scale work she presented at the Museum of Modern Art ( MOMA ).

Louise Nevelson

The Farnsworth Museum also has a collection of works dedicated to the Wyeth family of artists, many of which were donated to the museum.  I remember that when I was making a painting on Mohegan Island off the coast of Maine,  I walked past a house owned by Jamie Wyeth, though he was not present .

N.C. Wyeth, Andrew Wyeth, and Jamie Wyeth are represented in the museum and most of these paintings

explore various aspects of realism.

I was vey pleased to come across another realist painting by Rockwell Kent which you see below:

Painting by Rockwell Kent

Rockwell Kent prepared us for some of the scenes we would see along the coast, and we were looking forward to that.  We left Rockland and stopped in to see the Penobscot Marine Museum and found that collection which consists of paintings by artists like James Buttersworth of the mid 1800s, and many ship models made in the past.  We had a great time singing along with sea chanteys in a collection that they had at this Marine Museum.  We were in Searsport, where they built and launched many of the schooners that hauled great quantities of granite that came from quarries that dot the land.  This was industry in the past that helped build the cities we now know.

Searsport was a ship building capitol!

In my next post to "The Visual ArtWorker" I plan to write about our visit to The Clark, in western Massachusetts on our way back to the Rochester area.  All too brief, but we LOVED our time away!