Tag Archives: Sheila Trautman

Windham Exhibit Showcases “The Beauty of the Catskills”

Autumn is always a busy and interesting time in the Catskills. Craft fairs, art shows, and other good things abound to provide us with lots of opportunities to get outdoors and enjoy before winter comes and makes our living rooms look inviting.

In this photograph and the one that heads the article, Fran Driscoll captures some of the stunning scenery of the Catskills.

Windham is one of my favorite places, and I’m proud to belong to and participate in the Windham Arts Alliance (WAA) art shows, which are held at the Main Street Community Center, 5494 State Route 23, Windham. The autumn show is aptly titled “The Beauty of the Catskills,” and it opened on September 10 with a magnificent slide show and talk by noted Catskills photographer Fran Driscoll. Fran is familiar with every inch of the Catskills, and his knowledge and enthusiasm inspired us all. Speaking as a photographer, I came away with ideas for my photography as such as well as for new places to check out.

“View of Sunset Rock” demonstrates why Windham artist Sheila Trautman is one of my great inspirations.

The WAA shows are open to painters and photographers, and given the theme, this year’s autumn show is, well, beautiful! If you’re in the area, please come and enjoy. It’s open until November 11. The Windham Autumn Affair will take place October 8 and 9 from 10 am to 5 pm, so if you can, come and take in both events on the same day.

Here is my photograph of the Windham Path, a popular walking and biking destination.

If you visit the MSCC’s website you’ll see a gallery of selected artworks from the show. Here I’m posting for you one of my own works, a painting by Sheila Trautman who has long been one of my artistic inspirations, and some photographs by Fran Driscoll, who, I believe, will have a booth at the Autumn Affair.

And one final stunning image by Fran Driscoll.
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Mountaintop Artists Liman and Trautman Shine in Ridgewood

That area of the Northern Catskills known as the Mountaintop is home to heartbreakingly beautiful scenery, gorgeous summer days, inhospitable winters–and an amazingly active colony of artists and crafters. I’ve written about photographer Francis Driscoll in these pages (and will be doing so again) as well as crafter and antiques dealer Cindy Smith. Now, as a lover of the Mountaintop I’m pleased and proud to report on a wonderful exhibit by Mountaintop artists Peter Liman and Sheila Trautman in Ridgewood, New Jersey.

Sheila Trautman poses near her work.

Sheila Trautman poses near her work.

The exhibit is called Oil and Water Do Mix, and Peter (an oil painter) and Sheila (a watercolorist) demonstrate successfully the truth of that statement. Despite their using two different media for their paintings, their work does blend well. I wonder whether it has to do with the sense of place they bring to their work and, with that, their obvious love for the places they paint. Reading the captions to each painting was almost as much of a delight as seeing the paintings themselves. Of course, a number of the paintings depict scenes in the Mountaintop region,

Peter Liman with one of his paintings

Peter Liman with one of his paintings

and I felt privileged to recognize those; perhaps not many in this New Jersey venue could say that.  Bergen County has its own lively arts scene, and, although these two gifted artists are no strangers to the area (Peter is now resident there),  it’s nice to think of the people in northern New Jersey who are seeing Peter and Sheila’s work for the first time.

Oil and Water Do Mix is at The Stable Gallery, 259 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ, easily reached off Route 17. The gallery is open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 4 pm, and the exhibit runs until January 31, If you can make it, do get to see it; it’s more than worth it.

Guests at the reception enjoying the art

Guests at the reception enjoying the art