Opening Reception

Thank you to everyone who attended the opening reception of Solace Place, A Ten Year Retrospective. I am especially grateful to Kelly Kiebala, Executive Director of GoArt!, for her assistance.

If you missed the opening reception, the exhibit remains on display through September 10, 2010 at the Bank of Castile Main Gallery at GoArt!, Seymour Place, 201 East Main Street, Batavia, New York. Regular gallery hours are Monday - Friday, 9am - 4pm.

Unable to attend in person? View the exhibit online.

Daily News Article

"Wonder and Awe: Nature inspires Orleans artist to create and learn" Feature article that appeared in the Daily News today.

Letchworth Park

Spent the day at Letchworth State Park, one of New York State's natural treasures and one we frequently visit. Located approximately 35 miles Southwest of Rochester, the park encompasses 14,350 acres along the Genesee River. Here are a few images:

Named after William Letchworth, who first purchased the land in 1859 and made the Glen Iris - now an inn - his home up until his death in 1910.

Prior to his death, Letchworth offered his home and thousand acre estate to the state of New York as a public park, arranging for the preservation of the gorge and surrounding woodlands.

The park boasts several beautiful waterfalls, with Inspirational Falls being the highest with a drop of 350'. The crest is only a foot wide and the waterfall itself is seasonal. Taughannock Falls is generally recognized as the highest waterfall in the state as well as in the Northeast. The major waterfalls - the Upper, Middle and Lower Falls are located in Portage Canyon.

The layers of bedrock exposed in the gorge are comprised of mostly shale, with some layers of limestone and sandstone. Part of an ancient inland sea, marine fossils from the Devonian age can be found within these layers of stone.

As well as magnificent scenic views along its' hiking trails, Letchworth Park offers campsites, fishing areas, picnic shelters, hunting, whitewater rafting, canoeing and kayaking, and sports facilities.

There are also guided tours, lectures, concessions, gift shops, dining and lodging available. The park also hosts many special events and festivals throughout the year.

There is so much to do and see within the park that, despite having been there many times, I still feel as though I've only begun to explore it. Each visit brings something new and wonderful, as does each season.

More images from our visit can be viewed here.

Green Frog

While out at the pond the other day, I came across an unusual Green Frog. It caught my attention because of its' vivid blue coloring; something I have not come across before. Borrowing Michaela's little net, I captured the frog for closer inspection, and then set out to find the answer to my question: why was this green frog, blue?

Frogs have a complex arrangement of cells which provide them the ability to adjust their hue to their surroundings and blend in with their environment. Within their skin are three types of pigment cells (chromatophores) stacked on top of each other. The bottom layer are melanophores, which contain the dark pigment melanin. The middle layer consists of iridophores, which are packed with highly reflective bundles of purine crystals. On top are the xanthophores, which are usually packed with yellowish pteridine pigments.

Each type of cell can change shape, and control the intensity and character of transmitted or reflected light by moving the pigment within them. A wide range of colors can be produced by manipulating all three types of pigment cells, though normally their coloration ranges from bright green to various shades of brown and grey.

Light penetrates to the iridophores, which reflect mostly blue light back into the xanthophores above them. The xanthophores act as yellow filters, causing the light escaping the skin surface to appear green to us. This particular frog lacks the yellow xanthophore cells, which (ahh) causes it to appear blue. Science broken down into a simple color mixing fomula: an artistic anomoly in the pond - but a beautiful one indeed.

Exhibit Opening

"Back Forty"

Solace Place, A Ten Year Retrospective featuring fifty photographic works, opened today at the Bank of Castile Main Gallery at GoArt!, Seymour Place, 201 East Main Street, Batavia, New York.

Gallery hours are Monday - Friday, 9am - 4pm and by appointment.

An opening reception will be held Saturday, July 17, from 1-3pm. All are welcome to attend.

The exhibit runs through September 10, 2010.

For those unable to attend in person, the exhibit is available for viewing here.

All work is available for purchase.

Featured Art

"Walk These Woods"

An early Spring rain clothes the back woods in mist, giving them an ethereal quality. The woods have beckoned to me this morning, and the dogs and I are reveling in the promise of adventure. The carpet of water-soaked leaves muffles the sound of us moving through the trees, concealing our presence here. It is an awe inspiring morning to be out: the air is cool and crisp and heavy from the rain, and the landscape is still. It is as if we are the only creatures here who stir.

Our featured art for the month is an image of the stately Beech trees that are prominent in this section of the woods, their silver bark transforming them to mere ghosts of the forest in the mist.

3/8" Gallery Mount, 30" x 20" image, $350.00. To purchase, click here.

Additional sizes, papers, frame options and canvas prints available.