Look left, look right

When I’m teaching on location, I often try to arrive a day early to find painting locations for my group. For my workshop at Hudson River Valley Art Workshops last week, I was really happy to discover the Hudson River waterfront park in Hudson, NY. It has big trees for shade, restrooms, coffee nearby, and of course, some great views. Look left and you can see a tugboat and some industrial barges. Look right and you’ll see the Schooner Apollonia.

We had a beautiful morning to sketch the tugboat but by early afternoon there were some dark clouds in the distance. I thought I could get in another quick demo of the schooner in before the rain, but it was upon us before I had time to pack up. My sky wash was still wet when the precipitation went from a light mist to a deluge. The water splats are giant raindrops that fell on my still-wet page and the rest of the scene was painted in studio, after a full change of clothing and a warm cup of tea. It took two days for my knapsack to dry out.

The Hudson River Valley is full of great painting spots. Besides the river scenes, there are rolling hills, mountain vistas, interesting small towns, and tons of history. The Greenville Arms Inn is a welcoming and cozy place to stay, and we have ample studio space in case of bad weather. I can’t promise that it won’t rain, but I can attest that the food is delicious and the dinner conversations with other sketchers are always lively. I’ll be back there next August, if you are interested in coming along.