SARANAC LAKE — The Plein Air Eclipse Exhibit shadows the 26th Annual Juried Exhibition at the Adirondack Artists Guild through April 17.
Works by Nancy Brossard, Sandra Hildreth, Mark Kurtz, Barry Lobdell, Burdette Parks, Leigh Ann Smith, Eleanor Sweeney, and Susan Whiteman are now on display and available for purchase in the Saranac Lake gallery located at 52 Main St. in Saranac Lake.
“I’m a plein air painter, and I love having opportunities to go outside and paint, especially special circumstances,” Sandra Hildreth, exhibit organizer said.
“I contacted the local people who were plein air painters. This wasn’t known to be something where we invited people from all over the place. It’s strictly local. and my suggestion was, and this is what I did, was that you go out the day before and get your painting started. Get the land painted in so that you’re ready, which is what I did.”
Hildreth started five small paintings on April 7.
“I got the land painted in, even though it wasn’t eclipse conditions,” she said.
“But the next day and even today, I’m still working on some of them. I’m repainting over. I’m adding the sky and sometimes there was water in the picture. From my memories and photos, I’m adding in the sky and stuff and changing the colors and the shadows on the landforms as well.”
Artist Nancy Brossard started her work the day before and finished it during the eclipse.
“Susan Whiteman also went out and painted,” Hildreth said.
“I’m not sure if she started them ahead of time or not. I think she may have done them before and after the eclipse. We invited our local photographers as well to go out and shoot photos and print them up and bring them back. and so, we’ve got three of them who did that – Mark Kurtz, Burdette Parks and Barry Lobdell. and there maybe more. I’ve sort of left the invitation open. Anybody else local who wants to submit work. It will only be up until April 1.”
Hildreth painted on the shores of Lake Flower in Saranac Lake.
“I started darkening the landscapes a little bit before totality,” she said.
“I spent most of my time watching and observing it and enjoying it. There were musicians. There was dulcimer player right next to me just playing beautiful music the whole time. I did most of my painting after totality happened. I stayed at the location and just worked from memory and occasionally glances at my photos. The photos didn’t really capture the colors and the lighting exactly as they were. I’m doing my best.”