A Round Among The Leaves... MINISINK July 22nd 1779.

A Round Among The Leaves - watercolor

         It was futile to attempt an advance upon the great rock which was occupied by the militiaman.To step upon his level brought an immediate report from his rifle. Several had tried and had felt the sting of his fire. From his rear a fellow soldier would arrive and promptly reload his guns. After their many discharges the burnt powder had accumulated and formed a film upon the actions and, the flints began to dull and shift. It had been some time since they had been tended to. Col. Brant ordered that they try again and two warriors dashed over the ledge, they bore down upon the great rock as the rifleman reached desperately for the round  that slipped from his hand and bounced among the leaves.There would be no time to draw another cartridge. His attackers were upon him.Their hatchets raised up, the sentinel had fallen....

Storm Clouds of War ... watercolor

        Columns of black smoke reach into the summer sky of late July the 20th 1779, as a weary rider reaches Goshen N.Y. bearing the news that the settlements of Peenpack and Mahackamack had been attacked.
British Army Col.Joseph Brant and his force of Mohawk and Loyalist raiders, are the party responsible for the raid and are withdrawing northwest. They are unaware that they will be pursued and calmly camp for the night. Storm clouds of war have gathered along the Deleware River.

Wildlife Art Class New Works 2012

I am pleased to announce my Wildlife Art Class at Gander Mountain in Middletown N.Y. will be showing thier latest works in a show starting June 1st, 2012 from 6.00 - 8.30 pm. There will be refreshments as well as works available for sale.

FROZEN CHARLOTTE

Frozen Charlotte

       A recent visit to a very nice mixed media art show and talk by artist Seth Apter was the inspiration for this latest work ; FROZEN CHARLOTTE. I noticed several of Seth's Pieces contained some hands from some Charlotte's and found out that she is a staple ingredient in many mixed media artworks. I come to know of Charlotte thru my Historic Archaeology efforts.The little porcelain doll was a very common toy in The US from 1860 - 1920. It is a haunting little doll usually found in pieces as she was very brittle. Equally  haunting is the source of her namesake. Named for the tale of the vain young lady who froze to death one cold night refusing to wear a coat over her dress as she did not want to spoil her appearence.I was recently asked to provide cover art for the NYS Archaeology Association's spring Meeting booklet so I thought of her. So here she is, in charcoal as she would appear in an excavation.

An Invitation to Archaeology Day!

On Sunday Sept. 25th 2011, A unique event will be held at The Gander Mountain Store in Middletown N.Y. The public is invited to bring in thier collections of prehistoric and historic artifacts that they have collected. Members of the Orange Co.Chapter of N.Y.S. Archaeological association will be on hand to identify and date them.There will be displays of archaeological material,flint knapping demonstrations, old books and publications. This very popular event is free and will be held in the store lodge. Come and celebrate your prehistoric and historic culture here in the Hudson Valley...

Appearing at Drop Point Hunter

I am very pleased to announce that those folks interested in my work will now have a place that they can visit in my home town of Pine Bush N.Y. DropPoint Hunter.com is at 61 Main St. Pine Bush, NY 12566. The quality of the knives that this shop is carrying is well worth the visit. Being a Sportsman and growing up in the Hudson Valley it didn't take long to discover the deep rooted knife making industry that was so important to this area. The closing of the Schrade plant in Ellenville a few years back was a tough blow to the community and a sad note to a century old tradition. I still have my first Schrade Knife, a folding lock back Trapper that is long ago worn out. It accompanied me on many days afield and is a cherished relic of my younger days. Eventually I would encounter my first Schrade Walden Sheath Knife, a proud yard sale moment to say the least. I love finding these travellers in time and like many artifacts from my collection it finally made its way to my still life bench,where it could be explored. I remember how glad I was to hear that craftsman from the Schrade plant were working together and had formed a new knife works called Canal St. Cutlery. Their output now can be viewed at DropPointHunter along with several other brands. This Saturday Nov.13th,2010 Pine Bush will be hosting its Arts Walk and I will be on hand at DropPoint to greet the Public. I would like to invite everyone to stop by and see the work.To view the shop online go to www.DropPointHunter.com The above still life oil on canvas board is a study of a vintage Schrade Walden Sheath and can be seen at the shop.

The Wildlife Art Class First Exhibition

Why do artists want to take students? Some years back a chance glance in the daily paper became one of those pivotal moments in your life when I read of a Wildlife Artist that was opening a gallery in my town, Pine Bush N.Y. I had been making a serious attempt at art in those days I was 28 and had alot of ambition but was lacking in experience. When I read of John Hamberger's Bison Art Gallery, I grabbed my best works and was out the door! I walked into the gallery and introduced myself and was led down a gauntlet of fine art paintings by Kuhn, Schelling, Beecham to name a few. I almost wanted to turn and run but it was too late. I had arrived at John's Studio..... A few weeks later I received a postcard invitation to become a student and so I spent the next two years of Fridays learning the ways of a wildlife artist. I remember exactly where I was some years later when I learned of John's passing and the Wildlife Art world had lost a great one. But it kept going as it always had and will, from the great prehistoric cave painters of Europe to the present artists who strive to capture the great animals of our world in lines and paint.

When artists take the time to teach, they enrich the art world by helping others to reach their potential. They also pass along some of themselves and their style. It really is a tradition. Wildlife art is the hardest art form. Many artists try animals but it is not their calling. It is believed that this calling is something that you are born with. Artists who learn to paint animals because they want to sell can be spotted a mile away. But those artists who sacrifice greatly to communicate that which is great in an animal are the real deal.

In 2007 I founded the Wildlife Art Class at Gander Mountain Store in Middletown N.Y. Here students are taught the fundamentals of oil painting and are led to paint accurate depictions of wildlife in their native habitat. This November we are celebrating some of the works of these artists. Please join us on Nov.22nd from 6.30 -8.30 pm for a reception. The show will be at Gander Mountain Store Lodge at 100 N. Galleria Dr. in Middletown N.Y. 10940. The show will hang from Nov.22nd -Dec13th 2010. Please contact me at kstorms@hvc.rr.com for more information. The one thing that all great wildlife artists have in common is that once they start to paint the animals they never stop.