History, Natural History & the Arts
Living in London in 1841, American portrait painter John Goffe Rand patented his invention of the zinc collapsible paint tube with a stopper cap. He revolutionized the artist’s palette by offering a range of pre-mixed colors in a portable medium.
Young painters packed up their foldable easels and boxed sets of factory-made brushes and set out to explore the great outdoors. [Read more…] about Paint Tubes, Plein Air and Protest
The Columbia County Historical Society (CCHS) has been awarded a matching Historic Preservation Grant from the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, which will fund the restoration of two historically significant portraits in the CCHS Permanent Collection.
The portraits, which date to the early and mid 19th century, feature members of one of Columbia County’s most important and influential families: the Livingstons. [Read more…] about Conservation of Livingston Family Portraits Underway
The idea of utopia as a place of peace and plenty away from the hardships of ordinary life, is a recurring theme in literature. The term entered popular usage after publication of Thomas More’s Utopia in 1516. His Eden is an idyllic island society wholly removed from the corruption of sixteenth century England. [Read more…] about Myth and Migration: The Old West As Urban Invention
In this episode of the Ben Franklin’s World podcast, Janine Yorimoto Boldt, the researcher behind the digital project Colonial Virginia Portraits, leads us on an exploration of portraiture and what it can reveal about the early American past. [Read more…] about The Colonial Virginia Portraits Digital Project (Podcast)
View’s 11th Annual Plein Air Paint Out is set to be held virtually, from Saturday, August 29th through September 10th.
Over 40 artists are set to donate a painting for the benefit auction, as well as providing one or two paintings for the consignment sale. [Read more…] about Annual Plein Air ‘Paint Out’ Goes Anywhere, Online
NorthWind Fine Arts has announced “Paint & Pixels,” a dual show of new works by award-winning area artists painter Catherine Hartung and photographer Russ Hartung. [Read more…] about NorthWind Fine Arts Paint & Pixels Show
The 2020 Adirondack Plein Air Festival is still on schedule, but the viewing and purchasing part of the event will be held online. [Read more…] about Adirondack Plein Air Festival Online and Outdoors
View, the Center for Arts and Culture in Old Forge, has announced the award winners of the Central Adirondack Art Show. This art show is a long-standing Old Forge tradition, showcasing artists throughout the Central Adirondack Region and beyond.
[Read more…] about Central Adirondack Art Show Winners Announced
Artist Walter Launt Palmer (1854–1932), the son of Albany sculptor Erastus Dow Palmer, enjoyed a revival of interest in the art world in the 2010s. It became common to see his paintings in art magazines and at major auctions across the country, bringing record prices for his oils and watercolors.
As an artist who preferred living and working in his home community of Albany, rather than New York City, Palmer carried forward the creative genius that emerged in the region generations earlier with the Hudson River School and his father’s own sculpture. [Read more…] about Albany Artist Walter Launt Palmer: A Short Biography