Wittenberg:  Recently I was asked to do a watercolor of the former home of Ken and Kathy Baum, very dear friends of ours.  As Oliver Wendell Holmes noted, "Where we love is home, home that our feet may leave but not our hearts."  This special place is nestled in the Catskills, in the shadows of Roundtop Mountain and not from from Kenneth Wilson State Park.

Wittenberg (SOLD): 

Traver Hollow:  Noted angling/author Nick Lyons once wrote about favorite small waters he loved to fish, something along the lines of, "... you know them like the freckles on the back of your hand."  Well my husband loves to wander Traver Hollow, a small Ashokan Reservoir tributary that drains a mountain hollow.  Though its wild trout typically run small, its in this environ he's able to re-center himself while searching for all those freckles.

Autumn Traver Hollow (SOLD):

By the way, a discerning eye might find a couple heart-shaped images within this landscape, symbolic of the angler's affection of this hollow.

Eagleville Covered Bridge:  Is there any structure that’s a more iconic symbol of New England, and the northeast, than a covered bridge?  Recently our oldest son purchased a house along the Battenkill, a few minutes from the New York/Vermont border.  Like his father, Rob is a flyfisher, now feverishly working to make his newly acquired house the home of his dreams.  The Battenkill--- a noted trout stream, home to the likes of Lee Wulff, John Atherton, Lew Oatman, and many others--- borders his property. 

Also within easy walking distance of his place is the Eagleville Covered Bridge, which crosses the Battenkill in Eagleville, NY Washington County.  This covered bridge was originally built in 1858 by Ephraim W. Clapp and is included in the National Register of Historic Places.  I painted two watercolors as house warming gifts for Rob as it gives me great pleasure painting for someone I love.

The top watercolor appeared in the November 2022 issue of the Gazette, newsletter of the Catskill Fly Tyers Guild.

Eagleville Covered Bridge (NFS):

Covered bridge (NFS):

Neversink River:  There are very few places that my husband enjoys more, as he whiles away time, than flyfishing the upper Neversink.

As I’ve acknowledged before, many of my paintings are done from photographs my husband takes while fishing or hiking.  Recently he shared a photo with me of a meadow of wild flowers, captured along the West Branch of the Neversink in a section known as Jones Flat at Wintoon.  What caught my eye first was the light on the “S” shape of the river.  I didn’t change much, except perhaps adding a few more purple flowers endeavoring to make the foreground a lovely feature of this painting.

This watercolor was utilized in the September 2022 issue of the Gazette, newsletter of the Catskill Fly Tyers Guild.

Meadow waters – Jones Flat (NFS):

Autumn on the upper Neversink's twin sister, the East Branch.

Autumn East Branch Neversink:

 

Homes:  As the axiom goes, "there's no place like home."  I painted the top watercolor for my sister-in-law, the other two were self-inspired after viewing various YouTube art videos.

Home (SOLD):

Farm house:

Below, perhaps is a scene stolen from the lyrics of John Denver's ballad, "Take me home, country roads..."

Country road:

The mighty Ashokan:  New York City's mighty Ashokan Reservoir came online in 1915.  It is the second largest of all NYC Catskill water supplies, consisting of 8315 acres that feed thirsty New Yorkers and other folks along its journey through the Catskill adequate.  It's home to bald eagles, numerous fish species, and many walkers who enjoy reservoir views.

I painted the two watercolors below for friends of mine.

Ashokan Reservoir Promenade East (SOLD):

Ashokan sunrise (SOLD):

Bergman's brook trout:  I truly dislike painting reproduction pieces of other people's work, but my husband pleaded with me to do a watercolor of a famous, and favorite, image of his.  The original painting, titled The Male Eastern Brook Trout, graced the cover of Ray Bergman's book--- Trout, and was painted by noted artist/author/angler William J. Schaldach.

Bergman (NFS):

 

Mountains --- daughters and granddaughters: 

This summer past, our oldest daughter and her second oldest son, took a trip to Germany, the native country of this artist.  Along their journey they visited Neuschwanstein Castle, a 19^th century Bavarian fortress, high in German mountains, commissioned by King Ludwig II.  The watercolor below depicts a view from the back balcony into the German heartland.

 Neuschwanstein (NFS):

Our oldest granddaughter took a scenic trek up Big Slide, a prominent Adirondack dome of 4240 feet elevation in the High Peaks Region.  It takes energy to get there, but worth the effort.

 Big Slide (NFS):

 

Family:  As Wanda Hope Carter noted, "Family and friends are hidden treasures, seek them and enjoy their riches."  Below are different watercolors of various family members.

Perhaps there's nothing as relaxing as taking a dog for a stroll in the Groton Town Forest.

Groton Town Forest and grandchildren (NFS):

As author/angler Ray Bergman noted in Just Fishing, "Just Fishing!  All life is that to some extent.  If we are not fishing for one thing it is another."

A father and son fishing (NFS):

As Lois Wye noted, "Grandchildren are the dots that connect the lines from generation to generation."

Grandson shadows (NFS):

Mohonk:  The Mohonk summerhouse, which reportedly is the official logo of the Mohonk Mountain House.  It's been said that at one time 155 summerhouses could be found on the property.

Mohonk summerhouse (Sold):

MSK:  On my journey battling cancer I’ve met some wonderful people who work at Memorial Sloan Kettering, people who see their efforts helping others like me as much more than a job.  One such delightful young lady visits me regularly, checking on my needs, every time I’m there for treatment.  We got to discussing my love of landscape watercolors, so I did the painting below for her.  I call it MSK, but it’s really a pleasant viewpoint from the Ashokan Rail Trail overlooking the reservoir, not far from the Boiceville terminus.  A vision of hope for those in search of better days yet to come.

MSK (NFS):

 The cabin:  Last November I was commissioned by Peter Leitner--- a Catskill Fly Tyers Guild member and active participant at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum--- to do a landscape of a cabin that had ties to his family, and Catskill flyfishers alike.  About the same time, I learned I had cancer, changing my life on a dime.  While undergoing treatment, I was finally able to paint again, something I truly enjoy, painting the landscape below. Its background history was first told to readers of the March 2022 Gazette, newsletter of the Catskill Fly Tyers Guild, and now is retold below for readers of this blog.

Pete and his family have deep Catskill fly-fishing roots, embedded along Willowemoc Creek.  Pete’s grandfather, Bert Leitner was a member of the Beaverkill Trout Club prior to 1959. In the 1920’s, he purchased property in DeBruce along the Willowemoc next to Charlie Ward that included  Anvil Rock and Sheeleys’. Then in 1959, he along with the late Bucky Sterns’ older brother Dick, and other anglers from Rockland County, started the DeBruce Fly Fishing Club (DFFC.)

In the early 50’s, Bert sold his original Willowemoc holding, which eventually became part of the DFFC water, and purchased a cabin on the south side of Willowemoc Creek at the Conklin Hill Bridge --- Bendo Covered Bridge.  Pete’s grandfather owned the cabin until 1968 when he passed. Recent investigation, plus input from one of the Catskill “old-timers”, suggest that Roy Steenrod at least stayed at the cabin while teaching fly tying at DEC’s Camp DeBruce conservation camp. It is not known yet whether Roy in-fact owned the cabin and sold it to Bert. That is what a recent tip to Pete indicates. A future visit to the county land records is planned this spring to confirm, or deny that information.

 At age five in 1962, Pete recalls catching his first trout under the Bendo Covered Bridge.  And he informed readers that the previous owner (Steenrod’s?) called their cabin “Cliff Dale”, while his grandfather renamed it the “Royal Coachman” in ’52 when he bought it. On the property there was a little spring fed pond along the cabin where sometimes a few DFFC hatchery brown trout found their way until being released into the Willowemoc early autumn.

 New York State eventually acquired this parcel, assimilating the property into their Forest Preserve. Then the historic cabin was in complete disrepair as it painfully sank into the ground.

The cabin (sold):