Fall at The Brass Anchor on the Hudson River

Fall at The Brass Anchor on the Hudson River
10 x 8", Oils on canvas covered hardboard
Life for an artist doesn't get much better than painting along the Hudson in the morning, going out to lunch with a friend, and then coming home to find out you've been given a huge show in a beautiful gallery starting in a month!

What a fabulous, warm fall day to spend along the shores of the Hudson River! The Brass Anchor is a lovely restaurant in Poughkeepsie right on the river, with a marina. It has a spectacular river vista, great food, and the owner is very kind about allowing some artists to paint there. There is a juried art show always ongoing, curated by Virginia Donovan, one of the owners of the River Winds Gallery. The restaurant closes for the winter, so today was the last day to empty the walls. I didn't want to miss the opportunity to paint the view on this gorgeous day, so I arrived a few hours early to get some plein air work done before collecting my paintings.

Below is a picture of the painting and the scene. I seem to like painting in parking lots. *big grin* When painting on a small panel with a large french easel, it's easier to secure the panel to a larger panel with tape on the back. That not only enables me to paint all the way to the edges, but also by turning the easel, I can shield my palette from the sun! That little blue-grey hut is the harbormaster's hangout, and you can purchase sodas and ice there.

I really wanted to paint this scene 16x20. The fall colors were so gorgeous that they seemed deserving of a larger format, but time was short. Perhaps I'll do a larger version in the studio someday.


After a delicious lunch with a friend, I came home to find a message on my answering machine from Putnam Arts Council, offering me an invitational show. It looks like I'll have their large gallery to hang my paintings during the time of their annual craft sale.....and that starts in just a month! To say I'm ecstatic would be an understatement. I'll have three other shows going on simultaneously plus my paintings at The Paint Box down in Bedford Hills. I'll post info on all of them soon.